Children blowing bubbles in the park - not a care in the world. That's the sort of scene you can find almost anywhere, right? 

Except, today we are on Okinawa, Japan's fifth-largest island that was virtually flattened in WWII.

The 150 or so Ryukyu Islands stretch between Japan and Taiwan, thrown out like a net into the northern Pacific. ‘Rope in the sea’, the indigenous Ryukyans called it, and the name pops up in all sorts of places, such as this bus-line. 

Even better than buses is the monorail. Our cruise ship visits Naha, the island’s capital (population over 300,000), and we follow the swarm of fellow-passengers and join it to reach the city’s greatest landmark and triumph.

Since the 15^th century, Shurijo Castle had been the palace of the Ryukyu kingdom, regarded as a national treasure. Sadly, it too was destroyed by the relentless bombing from US ships and planes in the dark days of May 1945 during the finale of the Battle of the Pacific.

Hundreds of tourists and locals visit the castle daily. Entrance fee is 820 yen (around US$8). This gate is the Shureimon gate built in the 16th century, and it's name means 'beautiful gate of the upper part'.

See the young lady with the flag to the right of the picture? (above) She is a school teacher leading a group of teenaged students, and she is immaculately dressed in a hat, a suit, high heels and gloves.

Today's generation of children have little concept of the tragedies which occurred on this island just a few decades ago. This little one is stamping her progress around the castle as part of her day's project.

The emblem of Okinawan culture, it is hard to believe that the castle was fully restored in just 20 years from 1992. In 1972 Japan took over the islands again, and in 2000 the castle was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Here is the throne, once occupied by the Ryukyun king. The castle is thought to have been built in the 14th-century, but was almost totally destroyed in 1945.

This model of the castle shows its timber construction. Over the centuries it is is believed to have burned down and been rebuilt several times. 

The castle was constructed on the top of the highest hill overlooking the bay. It is surrounded by various sites of historical interest, including the Tamaudun Mausoleum, the royal tombs located adjacent to Shuri Castle.

Even the taps in the washrooms echo the heritage of the castle.

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Visitors to Japan will notice, throughout the country, the national care for hygiene. Here, wipes are available to cleanse the handles of your shopping trolley. Makes sense, really, doesn't it?

We love street food, and these tiny takoyaki, octopus balls cooked in the sort of iron moulds found in many countries around the world, are very popular, and easy to carry and eat as you go. We found them as we walked back down the steep road from the castle, heading for the monorail stop.

But it has to always be remembered in Okinawa that the US influence is still here, so those sausages (even though they come on a stick not in a bun) are very popular.

The Japanese love of all things 'cute' also prevails, and we couldn't resist buying a couple of these. Now which part would you eat first? The ears, the eyes?

This black-eyed panda, also caught our interest too, and I spent some time trying to figure out how they got the positioning of the features so well in what must have been a cylindrical loaf. The black portions of the dough would most likely have been coloured with bamboo ash.

As with most things in Japan, public services such as transport are kept spotlessly clean, and the passengers are respectful and well-behaved. Notice the lady wearing a mask. She is not frightened of germs. She probably has a cold and doesn't want her germs to spread.

A great way to see the city from a height. It is sobering to realise that so much of all this would have been wasteland after the war finished, and the courage and industry needed to rebuild and re-establish the vibrant community we see today is almost super-human.

Mention the war, which ended seventy years ago, and older people will grow silent, remembering the devastation (total), the human toll (around half the population), and the painful rebuilding of a city, its infrastructure, and thousands of dislocated lives.

The main shopping street of Naha is Kokusai-dōri, two or more kilometres long and filled with outlets selling tourist goodies, food shops, cafes and restaurants. For slightly less tourist-oriented wares, try the shopping centres and arcades which open off the main street.

It's a long street, but the good news is there are taxis cruising the whole time, ready to pick you up and take you further along, or back to your bed.

Despite the ending of the war in 1945, there are still more than 10,000 US troops on Okinawa, scattered amongst 32 bases around the island. For the same reason that Okinawa was a prime target and important point of success in WWII, it is still seen as pivotal for peacekeeping in the north-eastern Pacific.

And while beef is ever-popular, pork is an island favourite. Raised here, the pork is considered of such high quality that export quantities of it are increasing.

Pig’s ears are a specialty in Okinawa and we saw them fresh in the market, and outside in the arcade, braised in sauces and ready to eat, see further down. 

Dogs are loved by Japanese people, and often treated as dolls or children, lavished with clothing and pushed around in prams. Even toy dogs are highly acceptable.

This artisan boutique is selling quality handmade purses, called ganaguchi. 

Also on the shopping street, ice cream is alive and well.....

... although it may not always appear familiar.

Despite the ending of the war in 1945, there are still more than 10,000 US troops on Okinawa, scattered amongst 32 bases around the island and Disney seems to have made the transition without any problems. For the same reason that Okinawa was a prime target and important point of success in WWII, it is still seen as pivotal for peacekeeping in the north-eastern Pacific.

Walk Kokusai-Dori and it’s hard to believe that you’re not in Waikiki. Souvenir shops, many selling ‘happy shirts’, line the main drag. 

We spot a McDonalds, Starbucks, steakhouses, burger bars and an occasional nodding Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse. It’s more Aloha  than Konnichiwa.

Interestingly, this island, 1500 kilometres south-west of Tokyo, is truly Japan’s ‘Hawaii’......

......a mildly tropical beach and surf escape for over six million Japanese tourists a year.

It's in the food market, though, where you really return to Japan. An island encircled by a largesse of seafood and seaweed....

... and it is here in all combinations. This popular appetiser is seaweed and vegetables which we encounter at a few dining places.

It seems that all of this must be doing some good for the health of the locals. Okinawans are known for their longevity. Japan's people are the longest-lived in the world, and - get this: five times as many Okinawans, than people in the rest of Japan, live to be 100! But it could be their attitude too. The locals are claimed to be the world's happiest people.

Here there are heaps of glowing lime-green sea grapes (above), tiny as caviar. There are belts of kelp, tubs of kombu and nori, and dozens more that only a marine biologist (or an Okinawan fisherman) would recognise. 

Jewel bright fish are laid out like treasures, in one place; beef cuts and a whole pig in pieces elsewhere. 

Elsewhere in town, restaurants proudly advertise their specialty. No prizes for guessing what this one serves.

Shellfish of all varieties are harvested from the clear clean Okinawan waters and used in a myriad of dishes.

Japanese attention to the aesthetics of food makes it almost irresistible, as in this 'lunch platter', available in the markets.

Fermented food is the backbone of most Asian diets, and thought to contribute to longevity. In local dishes, soy sauce, vinegars and pickles feature heavily. Tofu comes in all forms - and colours - including a fiery pink version that is so strongly flavoured it has been described as ‘Okinawa’s camembert’. 

This, though, is a pig-ear stew, available in a nearby arcade as takeaway.

Brilliant blue Okinawan (or Ryukyan) glass is the major 'gemstone'of the area. Its depth of colour reflects the vibrant hue of the sea.

The story is that, after the war, Okinawans began collecting the bottles discarded by occupying US troops. The bottles were melted down and re-blown into a unique recycled glassware. Locally made glass caught on quickly with U.S. service-members, and now it is a beautiful souvenir of this island, a reminder of what it is to never give up.

And so we say farewell to this gem of an island. Here, a dance member has a snack before performing.

In all the Japanese ports we visit on our cruise, the farewells were just as exuberant and touching as the welcomes. Perhaps that is the real charm of Japan. There is respect for everyone, and that brings about a genuine generosity of spirit which all the world would do well to learn from.

Even breads smile in Okinawa!

Happy faces, happy places - people living longer than anywhere else - and why wouldn't you on this reborn island?

More information about Okinawa.....

 

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 Pictures and text: ©Sally Hammond

Video: ©Gordon Hammond

Sally & Gordon Hammond travelled independently to Okinawa.

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