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Funtenma Air Station
Military Air Base is in the centre of the community --- typical of Okinawa Excursion to central and northern part of Okinawa Having been told that my mother’s friend (she would be our personal guide of Okinawa on 16
th and 17
th April) would be coming to the hotel at 9 o’clock, we got up at 6.30 on 16
th April. We went to the restaurant at 7.30 for breakfast. Okinawa is in sub-tropical climate – hotel’s chefs cooked a wide variety of fascinating-looking food using sub-tropical fruits, vegetables and spices, which looked a lot different from dishes served in main islands of Japan.
We went to the main reception hall on the 1
st floor before 9 o’clock. The driver, Mr Hiyane, was there and our personal guide, Ms Akamine, was waiting for us in his car. As my mother suggested, they came with his van.
After leaving Naha city, Mr Hiyane started driving on the highway and heading towards Futenma city. Both Mr Hiyane and Ms Akamine have lived in Okinawa their entire lives including the time when Okinawa was administered by the U.S. military between 1945 and 1972. While driving on the highway, Ms Akamine explained to us how the Americans treated to the civilians: an
Torchika
Underground Bunker - it was used 75 years ago and still has remained as it was. awful lot of properties and lands were used by the U.S military and civilians were not allowed to enter and peek through these areas when they were young. She told us that there have been quite a few fatal accidents involving the U.S. military crafts – in 1959, an aeroplane crashed into Miyamori Elementary School and killed 17 people and injured more than 200 people. She went to that Elementary school till her 2
nd grade (she left there when she was 9 years old) and heard this tragic news when she was 12 years old. If she had continued going there, she would have carried the traumatic experience.
Funtenma Military Air Base First, we were taken to one of the parks in Futenma city and its viewpoint. As we climbed up the stairs, we noted a number of palm trees and sub-tropical plants and signs of warning of venomous snakes. We could see the Ginowan Bay on the left; but were astonished to see a large area of the Futenma Military Base stationed with a number of military planes, which was constructed in the centre of the community. I was
Henokozaki sea
These people were patrolling to protect their beautiful sea. even shocked to hear that the junior high school is standing behind the edge of the military base. A number of aeroplanes and helicopters were flying over us; it was quite noisy. I found this noise quite annoying and disturbing; and it made it difficult for me to listen to what Ms Akamine was saying and translate for Mark. We were shown Tochika – underground bunkers which Japanese soldiers constructed to prepare for shooting Americans who were approaching from the coastal side. There underground bunkers were built 75 years ago and have still remained intact.
Glassboat, Oura Bay, off Henoko Beach Afterwards, we went back to the van and Mr Hiyane drove northwards. Unfortunately, it started raining in the midday while he was driving towards Oura Bay, although we’d heard from the weather forecast that it would start raining in the evening. On the way to Oura Bay, he stopped at Henoko Beach and Ms Akamine took us to the camping site, where a group of people have set up the office to promote activities for protesting against the construction of another U.S. Military base, off Henoko Bay. These people
Camp Station
Many Okinawans are very objected about construction of Henoko Air Base have been patrolling the sea and its surroundings to prevent further destruction, which would be caused by the construction of Henoko Bay Military Base. We were given the informal lecture (in Japanese) and a series of articles and leaflets in Japanese and English. Ms Akamine had arranged for someone (she knew) who regularly steers the glass boat. It was drizzling and windy when we got on the boat; the sea was choppy. The young driver took us to a couple of points where we could see the blue coral, which has been growing for 3,000 years – one of the largest corals in Japan. I could see a shoal of little fishes swimming around the coral. I was quite impressed to see the real coral and little fishes shown on the glass window positioned in the centre of the boat. We were all excited to see the real coral and took a number of photos. Unfortunately, I got car-sick while we were on the boat; the driver was very kind and sympathetic and decided to return the harbour.
My Hiyane and Ms Akamine took us to the restaurant which served homemade Okinawan dishes. I had Okinawa’s soba
blue-coral
Blue Coral shown on the glassboat dishes. Soba was like egg noodle; I managed to eat that noodle, although I wasn’t well at that time.
We were shown the board walk surrounded by sub-tropical shrubs grown on the sea, but it was raining heavily so we couldn’t do it. Around Oura Bay and Henoko Beach, we saw quite a few places with signs of ‘No Entry’. A lot of buildings works are carried out without letting local people know in Okinawa. Many people are not happy about having another military base on Henoko Beach, in addition to having other big military bases like Futenma Air Station and Kadena Air Base.
Churaumi Aquarium, Ocean Expo Park We were taken to one of the biggest attractions – Churaumi Aquarium, Ocean Expo Park in North Okinawa. By the time we arrived there, I had recovered from the car-sick and enjoyed seeing a wide variety of colourful fishes, shellfishes, aquatic plants and lobsters and corals shown on the water tanks at the aquarium. I was told that all these fishes and shellfishes are found in the subtropical and tropical seas around Okinawa Main Island and its
Churaumi Aquarium
Colourful fishes found in Okinawa's sea archipelagos. Mark admired a wide variety of fishes. The colourful corals and fishes looked identical as what we saw from the glass boat and made me feel we were diving into the shallow and deep sea. Ms Akamine arranged for the table at the café for us to see a shoal of fishes swimming in the cylinder-shaped water tank. Having looked at huge variety of fishes, lobsters, shellfishes, we felt it is important for us to protest against the plan of constructing a new air base off Henoko Beach, so that a wide diversity of planktonic species and endangered ones like green sea turtle, whiskered eel goby survived and a rare and valuable natural environment would be preserved for the future generations. The aquarium had a wide variety of souvenirs; I bought a toy for my nephew for his birthday in July.
Next, we were taken to the walk in the sub-tropical laurel woods. We saw a banana tree there. It was cloudy and drizzling and the marine blue sea looked a little dull on 16 April.
Afterwards, Mr Hiyane headed for Naha. It was raining heavily in the late
afternoon; looked like a squall. He drove past Kadena Air Base. This air base included ammunition storage area and looked almost dominating the town. Ms Akamine explained us that a large area of the town is still occupied by the U.S military bases In Kadena and residents have been complaining about its noise. We stopped at one of the family restaurants in Kadena town for dinner.
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