Okinawa Peace Memorial Park

The park lies on a plateau at Mabuni, on the southern tip of Okinawa Island, above a stretch of steep coastline. This is where the Battle of Okinawa came to an end in 1945, and the park is above all a place of mourning and of prayer for peace. Its centre is the Cornerstone of Peace, unveiled on 23 June 1995: 118 folding stone screens fanning out in arcs from the Peace Plaza, carrying the names of more than 240,000 people who died in the battle, soldiers and civilians, from Okinawa, the rest of Japan and other countries, each written in their own language. Okinawans are on the left of the main path, people from other prefectures on the right and people from overseas further back, and the path points to sunrise on 23 June. Names are still added every year, and families still come to search for relatives. The Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum, in its present building since 2000, tells the story of the battle with photographs and personal belongings; allow at least an hour, bring cash, and note that photography is not allowed in the permanent exhibition. The hill above holds the National Okinawa War Dead Cemetery and about 50 memorials raised by prefectures and groups. The grounds are wide and exposed, so carry water in summer.