Need to leave Japan but can't use your passport because of an expired return visa? Well catch a flight to Okinawa.
Less than a two hour flight from Tokyo, the southern islands of Japan are a world away from the skyscraper and stress filled capital. Stepping off the plane the first thing you notice or maybe you don't notice, the air. You can't see it. Gone is the smog, the tiny particles from diesel trucks, burning cigarettes, incineration plants, and factories.
On the drive to Naha, the capital of Okinawa, you notice that the lanes are wider, the people are more apt to use their blinkers, and the pace is slower. Maybe its the climate, the sun and the access to an ocean that you would let your kids swim in but people smile more down here. Even with the noticeable US military presence, there is a peacefulness. People stroll here and speak slower.
We spent three days driving, walking, running, and playing on an island which suffered the harshest fighting of the Pacific War and sacrificed the lives. There are memorials on hillsides and stones on cliffs to pay tribute to those who died here. Caves whose walls are scared with bullets holes and shrapnel from grenades, haunted by the unimaginable tragedy where 4,000 men committed suicide.
yet in leaving Okinawa, I packed my bag with more than the images of the recent past. I took beautiful beaches with white sand, rolling hills green trees, the crash of waves, and laughter of my friends. I took with me a rebuilt castle with original walls is a symbol and a reminder. A memory of an Okinawa which once boasted its own King.
