The Battle of Okinawa was one of the bloodiest ground warfare in WWII. When U.S. troops landed on Okinawa island on April 1, 1945, there was little counterattack contrary to their expectations. This was because the Japanese strategy was to build strong underground positions in the southern part of the island and turn the fight into an endurance contest. From this day, the 3 months of fierce battles embroiling citizens began. In this tour, we will trace the front line of the battle in 2 days.
At your hotel
On April 1, 1945, U.S. troops landed on the shore from Yomitan to Chatan to swiftly occupy Yomitan and Kadena airfield, which were the strategic foothold to air-raid mainland Japan. Since there was almost no counterattack, some Americans recorded that it was like a picnic and others thought it might be an April Fool's Day prank.
By the end of the L-Day, the landing parties completed the occupation of the destroyed Japanese airfield and started repair work. Since then, it has been used as the Kadena Airbase by the U.S. military.
Let's enjoy "Taco-rice" which is a hybrid of Tacos, brought by American soldiers to Okinawa, and Rice, the Asian staple food, in the ex-Koza city.
The first severe battle took place over this outpost with underground positions on April 5. Japanese troops repelled the American assaults 8 times but retreated on April 6.
On April 8, American troops started an attack against a Japanese position of connected hills constructed underground. In the beginning, the U.S. military believed that they could occupy it in one day, but it continued for 16 days due to the Japanese severe resistance including a suicide bomb attack on tanks.
After Kakazu ridge's occupation by the U.S., the front moved to the southern Maeda escarpment, a.k.a. Hacksaw ridge. Since its sheer cliff was considered an essential defense line for the Japanese military headquarters located in Shuri, the Japanese resistance from April 25 to May 6 was extremely fierce. The self-sacrificing service by a combat medic, Desmond Doss, at the battle is well-known and filmed in 2016.
The front line gradually moved southward. Sugar Loaf Hill was one of the underground positions to obstruct the intrusion of U.S. troops into the Okinawan capital city, Naha, and the headquarters of the Japanese imperial army, Shuri. A weeklong Japanese precise sniping and crossfire from 3 different positions started on May 12 and resulted in nearly 3000 casualties and over 1000 combat fatigue for the U.S. troops.
End of the first day's tour.
Beginning of the second day's tour
On May 22, the Japanese Army headquarters decided to retreat to the southern end of the island, where a lot of civilians were evacuated, to protract the battle and gain time to prepare for decisive fighting on mainland Japan. Due to the fierce bombardment for 2 months, precious buildings and artifacts of the Ryukyu kingdom, including Shuri castle, were destroyed and only burnt fields were left in the old capital.
Let's enjoy Okinawan traditional cuisines such as soba (noodle) and Champuru (Okinawan-style stair fry).
After the transfer of the headquarters, a new battlefront was formed in the southern part of Okinawa island. Mt. Yaese was an important Japanese position to protect the new headquarters located in Mabuni. After a severe battle, Japanese troops stationed at Mt. Yaese were annihilated on June 14.
On June 18, the U.S. commander of the battle of Okinawa, Lieutenant General Buckner, was killed by Japanese fire at an outpost while observing the front.
On June 23, the Japanese commander of the battle of Okinawa, General Minoru Ushijima, committed suicide in the cave used as their headquarters after the last order to the remaining Japanese soldiers to continue fighting. Now, June 23 is a prefectural war memorial day in Okinawa, but actually, the battle was continued by soldiers that lost the systematic command until September 7.
To pray for eternal world peace, all the names who died during the Battle of Okinawa are inscribed on the Cornerstone of Peace regardless of their nationalities.
You can deepen your understanding of the background history and the overall perspective of the Battle of Okinawa. The testimonies of the survivors are a must-see spot.
At your hotel
Guide fee
Transportation fee (you and the guide), Lunch, Entrance fee
In addition to day trips, I can also be your guide for several days in Okinawa and other parts of Japan. If you are interested, please let me know via message.
By tracing the main frontline of the Battle of Okinawa from Yomitan on April 1 to Mabuni on June 23, you can experience the progress of the battle vicariously and understand what it was like realistically.
Please wear comfortable clothes and shoes because You need to walk the slopes. The entrance fee for the Peace Memorial Museum is 300 yen per person.
Using public transportation for this tour is not quite realistic. I recommend hiring a taxi. Hiring a large-size taxi (up to 7 people including the guide) costs approximately ¥30,000 per day (8 hours).
If you are looking for somebody who can help you understand the rich culture, history and ecology of Okinawa, then you need look no further than Harry. Harry is fluent in English, knowledgeable and willing to discuss openly the issues faced by the citizens of Okinawa since the end of WW2. My original trip had to be modified as the day progressed because of the weather but the outcome was still enjoyable and so interesting. I thoroughly recommend Harry.
Although there was an unexpected closure of Nakagusuku Castle due to weather conditions, your strong curiosity and keen insight made the modified tour very "edutaining". Thank you very much! I hope our tour helped you understand the next day's tour of the Battle of Okinawa deeper! Next time you come to Okinawa, please let me introduce you to Nakagusuku Castle and Katsuren Castle!
My tour with Harry was one of the best things I've experienced in Okinawa, and this is my sixth visit (I practice Okinawan karate). He is knowledgeable, articulate (excellent English!) and personable, He is a trained teacher, and it really shows in his fluent ability to help someone understand the subtleties of Okinawan culture and traditions. I recommend him without reservation. I hope to return next year with my wife, and I will book him in advance to make sure my trip is a success and I can continue to learn about and enjoy this beautiful place and its people.
I’m really grateful and appreciate you taking the time to post your review! As a Karate lover as same as you, I learned a lot with you and from you by exploring Okinawa together. I am looking forward to seeing you and your wife again next year! Please have a wonderful rest of your stay in Okinawa! Harry
He met us on time, excellent English. He was very flexible as to what we wanted and how much time we had before going back to our cruise ship
Naomi-san! Thank you very much for your review! It was an exciting day to visit the Karate dojo and “experience” its technique. I hope you will have a wonderful rest of the cruise! Harry
Many memories were made today with Harry in Okinawa. From our first contact with him we knew Harry would provide a great tour. We had a very limited amount of time in Okinawa so we were pleased to let him make suggestions and plan a day for us. Harry arrived promptly this morning and had no problem accommodating our last minute itinerary changes. We highly recommend Harry for your day in Okinawa!
Thank you Gary-san and Sharon-san for your warm comments! I also had a great time with you and learned a lot from you about Okinawa in the 1960s. I hope you have a great time during the rest of your trip! Please feel free to contact me if there is something I can help with!