Situated on the southernmost tip of Okinawa’s main island, the city of Itoman is just a short drive from the capital Naha. It boasts beautiful white sandy beaches and numerous museums and memorials which honour those who fought in World War II’s Battle of Okinawa.
The Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum is a good place to start, documenting what was the largest campaign of the Asia-Pacific War to be fought on Japanese soil and resulting in the death of around 100,000 civilians. It’s located on Mabuni Hill where the Battle of Okinawa came to an end and a significant amount of the bloodshed occurred, now remembered at the Okinawa Peace Hall and the National War Dead Peace Mausoleum. The Cornerstone of Peace is a semi-circular avenue of stones engraved with the names of those who lost their lives regardless of nationality, and where visitors can follow the Memorial Path to find 32 monuments standingen route where General Ushima, the commanding general of the 32nd Army, committed suicide. The poignant personal mementoes and accounts of the Himeyuri Peace Museum document the work of a group of female students mobilised as field nurses during the war, many of whom lost their lives. In contrast to the sombre history of the Peace Zone, Itoman is also home to Okinawa World which focuses on local Okinawan culture within a theme park atmosphere. Visitors can wander the reconstructed streets of Kingdom Village, explore the elaborate cave systems of Gyokusendo, and get up close to venomous snakes at the Habu Centre. Nearby Odo Coast is also a popular destination for diving and snorkelling, with sea turtles coming to lay their eggs on the beach, while Nashiro draws kite surfers and campers along its stretch of white sand.
Itoman is easily accessed by bus from Naha city, with connections from the Itoman bus terminal to the Peace Zone. For those that want to explore further afield around Okinawa Island and its beaches, renting a car or motorbike is the best way to go.
While the Battle of Okinawa was fought across the Ryukyu Islands, it was on the main island of Okinawa that saw the most intense fighting. It has often been dubbed the “typhoon of steel” in reference to the bloodshed and Japanese kamikaze attacks, with a large proportion of the pre-war population either being killed, committing suicide or left missing.