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The Ultimate Travel Plan: Todoroki Cave
For many people, Okinawa is the perfect holiday destination. However, warm weather and beautiful beaches aren’t the only reasons for coming to this paradise island. Okinawa sadly played host to one of the biggest and most significant battlegrounds during the Pacific War. The island stood as the last remaining obstacle before the Allies could advance to the mainland of Japan. The battle was unrelenting on both sides. Scattered throughout the island are harsh reminders of this fascinating period of history. In modern times, they’re the enormous expanses of American military bases that command the island. Okinawa’s horrific past is memorialised by the structures and relics that have survived since the…
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The Ultimate Okinawa WWII Guide: Historic Sites, Memorials & Places To Visit
For the Japanese, Okinawa is the perfect opportunity to escape the rat race and indulge in some relaxation in a tropical haven. The appeal extends to foreigners worldwide who come for the serene nature, the abundant sea life, the sweltering beaches and turquoise oceans. However, there’s much more that lies beneath the surface. Okinawa has a rich and staggering history across many centuries. Not only was the island home to an ancient kingdom memorialised in the form of ruins and a scattering of tombs, but a more recent, horrifying past. The island played host to the bloodiest and most ferocious battles of the Pacific War. Okinawa stood as the last remaining…
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Okinawa: Times of War
The island of Okinawa is an unbelievable draw to not only the citizens of Japan but also to people from across the globe. There’s plenty of appeal to this tropical little island; the beautiful nature, the abundant sea-life and the sweltering beaches. However, for me, this wasn’t the main draw. Okinawa happens to come with an incredibly rich and staggering history. Not just the ancient past with the ruins of former kingdoms and scattering of tombs, but a more recent, horrifying past. Those are the scars left behind from the relatively recent Second World War. The island played host to the bloodiest and most ferocious battles of the Pacific War. It…
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Okinawa – Time with the Humpback Whales
The devastating and extensive war history became an incredible appeal and undoubtedly a draw to the island of Okinawa. However, the worst horrors of humanity weren’t the only draw, so was the undeniable beauty and power of nature. Being a tropical island, it came with an appropriate level of nature. Not only on the island itself, but also the oceans that surrounded it. Within which are some of the most unique and extraordinary menageries of wildlife, some unique to the island. However, one seasonal visitor caught my attention above everything else: the extraordinary humpback whales. Bad Luck Unfortunately for me, my timing wasn’t the best when exploring the ocean…
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Okinawa: Todoroki Cave
For many people, is the perfect holiday destination. Warm weather, beautiful beaches, gorgeous turquoise oceans. For the Japanese its a perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of a stressful working life and the ideal location for some well needed relaxation in a tropical haven. However, that isn’t the sole reason for me to come to this island paradise in the middle of the Pacific. The beauty of the natural world wasn’t the only factor; it was the horrific actions of man. Okinawa was the site of one of the biggest and possibly most significant battlegrounds during the Pacific War. The island stood as the last remaining obstacle before the…
