DAY 77 - Okinawa, Japan

March 14, 2024 

The WWII battle for Okinawa is well known as one of the most crucial battles and one with the highest casualties of the Pacific War.  It was so important due to its proximity to the island of Japan. Allied bombers would be able to attack the major cities in Japan if the airfield on the island was available to them to take off and land.  

We had two stops during our excursion today on the island.  The first was a beautiful Japanese garden with ponds, bridges and shrines.  It was a public park available to everyone to relax and enjoy a quiet peaceful day.









Our second stop was at the palace.  The main building was unfortunately destroyed by fire a few years ago and is being reconstructed.  It was not talked about much during the tour, but this had to be a major stronghold and fortress during the war due to its location, height and solid construction.  It is called a palace, but seemed like a massive fort with thick stone walls and lots of defendable hilltop positions.










On the calendar-history of the palace, it just said that the palace was destroyed by fire in 1945 and rebuilt in the decades following. Hard to imagine the stones were just burning....

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