Saturday, April 5, 2014
A very busy and epic day!
Today started off with the same routine as the previous days at the Thomas household. I was excited today for I was going to go on a tour of Okinawa Battle sites from World War II. We also were busy getting ready for leave at 0745 to arrive at Kadena Information, Tickets, and Travel (ITT) for an 0815 show time. We left the house around 0746, and we then arrived at Kadena at 0806, and we then realized that I had not had any breakfast, so I ran into the exchange and bought a blueberry muffin at the coffee shop and made my way over to the ITT to check in and board the bus for the Battlefield Tour.
When I boarded, I found out our tour guide had actually lived through the Battle, she was born on 7 January 1945, so she was four months old when the battle began. She said we would first head to the Okinawa Peace Memorial Park, and Hill 89 where the Japanese forces made their final stand on Okinawa and also where the Japanese Commanding General Mitsuru Ushijima committed ritual suicide on 22 June 1945. Our guide showed us the exact spot where he committed suicide.
Then after lunch we would be headed to the Japanese Navy Underground Tunnel near Naha, then Sugar Loaf Hill. And finally we would wrap up the tour with Hacksaw Ridge. When we arrived at the Peace Memorial, we debarked the bus and headed to the Okinawa Peace Memorial Museum, which discussed about Okinawa history from the Ryukuku Kings to the Japanese aggression in the early 1900s to World War II battle history.
Then, we headed out to the Peace Memorial and saw the cornerstone which was placed on the 50th anniversary of the ending of the Battle for Okinawa. We then walked up the hill, passed all the prefunctures's various monuments, and the monument for the American and Japanese soldiers who died in the Battle. At the top, I saw the spot where General Ushijima committed ritual suicide. It was a moving place, to think of all the fighting that took place over 69 years ago this month. It was peaceful and calm and emitted a sense of historic nostalgia.
We then headed back to the bus and headed to the Southern Okinawan Beach Island Resort Hotel for an all you can eat buffet. I had some mushrooms, shrimp, salad and fish for buffet and two servings of Beni Emo ice cream! And aceltone juice! I only wish I had a second serving of the food! We then headed to the imperial Japanese navy headquarters, located in Hill 74 near Naha. It is located in a large underground tunnel system, first constructed by Korean laborers in August of 1944, as the main HQ for the navy forces on Okinawa. During the Battle, about 2,400 Japanese naval soldiers were killed in this tunnel, as their remains were found in and around the tunnel.
The commanding officers and petty officers killed themselves in their rooms. I saw in one room the remains of the hand grenade fragment impact points from the ritual suicide. It was haunting to imagine the last moments of these soldiers, despondent and wanting to join their "Emperor". It was an eerie feeling and unsettling to be in that same room. It was as if a dark cloud was within that room, trapped from 1945.
The commanding officers and petty officers killed themselves in their rooms. I saw in one room the remains of the hand grenade fragment impact points from the ritual suicide. It was haunting to imagine the last moments of these soldiers, despondent and wanting to join their "Emperor". It was an eerie feeling and unsettling to be in that same room. It was as if a dark cloud was within that room, trapped from 1945.
The complex was steep at times, sometimes the light was dim and it was damp, as an underground tunnel system should be. It was a very impressive place! After we finished touring, we headed back to the bus. Our next stop.., Sugar Loaf hill!
 |
| Sugar Loaf Hill in 1945 |
Sugar Loaf Hill was one of the most hard fought battles on Okinawa. The Japanese were well entrenched on this hill, and a good 2,200 + Americans were killed taking this hill. Today, it is surrounded by a shopping center, the other hills of Horseshoe, and Half a moon which were on either side of Sugar Loaf, are now mostly gone. They have been replaced by a commercial zone. There is a large water container on top, but what is left of Sugar Loaf, is tall and intimidating. I could tell that the battle for this hill had to have been particularly awful. The steepness of the hill to climb, made me think of the Marines who climbed under enemy fire. The Marine who Camp Courtney was named after, Maj Henry Courtney was killed on the crest of this hill. He had been wounded not long before, and with bandages still on, charged up the hill and was killed not long after he reached the crest. He received the Medal of Honor posthumously.
I reflected on the stories of Henry and James Day who the tour guide told us about, who fought on the hill that I was now standing on. The feeling was almost overpowering at times, when I realized I stood on ground that many Marines had fought, bled and died on, that I would be free. It was impressive to see the sheer size of Sugar Loaf Hill, the part that remained.
We then headed for the last stop of the tour, Hacksaw Ridge. It was near an ancient castle that in ancient times was the capital of the Ryukuku Kingdom, before it moved to Shuri castle. There was a formidable defense system the IJA put in place around the ancient tombs at the castle, with the walls, made a rather difficult fight for the U.S Marines, with the steep hills, bunkers and pillboxes everywhere presented a challenge for our troops that were advancing towards Shuri.
The engineers who made the walls originally came from China, at least if I understood the tour guide correctly. This is why the walls look rather similar to the Great Wall. We also saw a Buddha statue with a reverse swatizka, that is a Buddhist symbol commissioned by a Japanese veteran of the Okinawa Battle. Finally, it was time to leave and head back. As we finished the tour, I reflected on what I had seen and the history of all the sights I had seen. When I met back up with Mary, I got a bottle of water, then we got pizza and I had a donut! Then we returned home, where I am current relaxing, and hydrating with more water. It is a challenge to stay hydrated here!
I am having a ton of fun and having an epic time!
Jack
Sent from my iPad
Friday, April 4, 2014
A busy day!
Yesterday started off with the same routine, I got up and got my coffee with Kurt and Mary, and we had eggs for breakfast, I had my eggs in toast. I then got ready to go to work with Kurt, as I was going to play dodgeball with some of Kurt's buddies and then watch a baton/martial arts demonstration.
We had a very nice ride into work. I am still in a bit if a culture shock at being in Japan, but I am now getting more used to being on the wrong side of the road. We arrived at his office and I met up with his friends and we hopped into a car and drove over to the gym to play dodgeball. We got to the gym and awaited the other team to arrive and then we headed into the gym to warm up, explain the rules and then begin playing. The balls were almost like small nerd balls. When you did get hit by one though, they hurt..
The game went by quickly, it was intense, fun, and I was breaking into a sweat by the end of it. We then finished the game and moved into the martial arts section, where Scott, Kurt's friend began showing us some baton moves and aikido disarm moves. It was very awesome! After the demonstration, we headed back up and I waited in Kurt's office for Mary to arrive. Once she did, we had a yummy ham sandwich in tortilla lunch, and then I went with her and the kids to the ITT to see if we could get me a spot on the Battle for Okinawa tour.
When we got there, we found out their only tour was on April 19, three days after I leave! I was a bit bummed, but then Mary thought of going to the Kadena ITT. And lo and behold, they had one, in Saturday and had exactly one spot left! I got the spot, paid for the tour, got my voucher and we headed back home, dropping Nyah off at a friend's house for a sleep over!
Most of the day I just hung out and rested. We had barbecue sauce meat balls and white rice for dinner! It was very delicious! We found the guitar, so I tuned it up and played it a little bit and then went to bed, for Saturday will be an early day!
Jack
Sent from my iPad
We had a very nice ride into work. I am still in a bit if a culture shock at being in Japan, but I am now getting more used to being on the wrong side of the road. We arrived at his office and I met up with his friends and we hopped into a car and drove over to the gym to play dodgeball. We got to the gym and awaited the other team to arrive and then we headed into the gym to warm up, explain the rules and then begin playing. The balls were almost like small nerd balls. When you did get hit by one though, they hurt..
The game went by quickly, it was intense, fun, and I was breaking into a sweat by the end of it. We then finished the game and moved into the martial arts section, where Scott, Kurt's friend began showing us some baton moves and aikido disarm moves. It was very awesome! After the demonstration, we headed back up and I waited in Kurt's office for Mary to arrive. Once she did, we had a yummy ham sandwich in tortilla lunch, and then I went with her and the kids to the ITT to see if we could get me a spot on the Battle for Okinawa tour.
When we got there, we found out their only tour was on April 19, three days after I leave! I was a bit bummed, but then Mary thought of going to the Kadena ITT. And lo and behold, they had one, in Saturday and had exactly one spot left! I got the spot, paid for the tour, got my voucher and we headed back home, dropping Nyah off at a friend's house for a sleep over!
Most of the day I just hung out and rested. We had barbecue sauce meat balls and white rice for dinner! It was very delicious! We found the guitar, so I tuned it up and played it a little bit and then went to bed, for Saturday will be an early day!
Jack
Sent from my iPad
Thursday, April 3, 2014
A really really epic day!
Today started out with my usual routine of waking up and joining Kurt and Mary and the kids for coffee and breakfast, which was the usual oatmeal with honey. We discussed our plans for the today which was mostly going to be Kurt and I diving, and a friend of Kurt's who is a dive master had offered to come along and help me on my refresher dive. We ate breakfast, which was very delicious, the we began to get ready to get ready to leave.w e would first go drop Mary and Emme off at the Kadena Track for Mary's workout, then Kurt and I went around and ran some errands before headed back to pickup Mary.
We then headed over to the Kadena Marina, where we would rent our tanks for the dive and for my scuba gear, as it is very cheap for full gear rental, around $25.00 in total and if you return the gear before 1700 that day, you get half off. I believe therefore I paid $12.50 for all my gear, fins, scuba mask, tank, wetsuit, BCD, boots and weights. This is a smoking good deal! We then got all ready and were awaiting the arrival of Kurt's friend Shannon who would be accompanying us and had offered to give me help as she knew I had. Or done diving for a while.
We piled our dive gear into her car and we headed to the dive site, we parked by stairs and began unloading our gear, when Kurt realized that he had brought Mary's regulator and was not compatible with his BCD. So he had to go and acquire (rent) another regulator and then we finished unloading the gear. I got a safety and procedures brief from Shannon with gear tips from Kurt. Then began the arduous process of putting on the wetsuit. I had the misfortune of watching Kurt out his on the first time, so I followed suit. We ended up both putting on our wet suits backwards! I only found this out when Shannon pointed it out to me. ARGHHHH!
After I got my wetsuit on, we suited up with our tanks and headed out. The stairs were steep, and the wetsuit with tank on does not offer a lot of mobility. Once we got situated in the water, fins on, we snorkeled out to the small drop off where we would be doing my refresher dive. We went over procedures again, and then we began our descent. The water was cold, at about 70 degrees, it was about 18 degrees difference from Guam water temperatures.
The descent was slow as I wanted to be relaxed and had to adjust to the pressure underwater by equalizing. I made it down to 20 feet and we began swimming around. The water visibility was perfect and there was an abundant amount of wildlife to be seen. I saw one puffer fish, a school of many fish, two star fish and sea urchin shells! We hung out down there and went to our maximum depth of 31 feet for the dive. Once my tank hit 1500 psi,(started with 3100) we turned around and then swam around a bit before ascending to the surface and snorkeling back. When we returned to the car, I felt quite tired and decided not to do another dive.
I divested myself of my gear and wetsuit, which was as challenging to get off as to get on! We concluded that I had done really well for not having done any diving in a year. Shannon did a great job in taking care of me underwater. It was a lot of fun! We then waited for Mary and the kids, and we then returned all the gear I rented. We then returned home, where I took a shower as soon as I was able! Boy did that feel great! A nice hot shower, after an epic dive!
We then watched two movies (Twins and Gravity) had dinner of Ramen noodles! and I had a bunch of water and tea! then we are calling it quits for the day. It has been an extremely epic day here, and week. And I am only one week into my epic three week adventure!
Thank you all for reading!
Jack
Sent from my iPad
We then headed over to the Kadena Marina, where we would rent our tanks for the dive and for my scuba gear, as it is very cheap for full gear rental, around $25.00 in total and if you return the gear before 1700 that day, you get half off. I believe therefore I paid $12.50 for all my gear, fins, scuba mask, tank, wetsuit, BCD, boots and weights. This is a smoking good deal! We then got all ready and were awaiting the arrival of Kurt's friend Shannon who would be accompanying us and had offered to give me help as she knew I had. Or done diving for a while.
We piled our dive gear into her car and we headed to the dive site, we parked by stairs and began unloading our gear, when Kurt realized that he had brought Mary's regulator and was not compatible with his BCD. So he had to go and acquire (rent) another regulator and then we finished unloading the gear. I got a safety and procedures brief from Shannon with gear tips from Kurt. Then began the arduous process of putting on the wetsuit. I had the misfortune of watching Kurt out his on the first time, so I followed suit. We ended up both putting on our wet suits backwards! I only found this out when Shannon pointed it out to me. ARGHHHH!
After I got my wetsuit on, we suited up with our tanks and headed out. The stairs were steep, and the wetsuit with tank on does not offer a lot of mobility. Once we got situated in the water, fins on, we snorkeled out to the small drop off where we would be doing my refresher dive. We went over procedures again, and then we began our descent. The water was cold, at about 70 degrees, it was about 18 degrees difference from Guam water temperatures.
The descent was slow as I wanted to be relaxed and had to adjust to the pressure underwater by equalizing. I made it down to 20 feet and we began swimming around. The water visibility was perfect and there was an abundant amount of wildlife to be seen. I saw one puffer fish, a school of many fish, two star fish and sea urchin shells! We hung out down there and went to our maximum depth of 31 feet for the dive. Once my tank hit 1500 psi,(started with 3100) we turned around and then swam around a bit before ascending to the surface and snorkeling back. When we returned to the car, I felt quite tired and decided not to do another dive.
I divested myself of my gear and wetsuit, which was as challenging to get off as to get on! We concluded that I had done really well for not having done any diving in a year. Shannon did a great job in taking care of me underwater. It was a lot of fun! We then waited for Mary and the kids, and we then returned all the gear I rented. We then returned home, where I took a shower as soon as I was able! Boy did that feel great! A nice hot shower, after an epic dive!
We then watched two movies (Twins and Gravity) had dinner of Ramen noodles! and I had a bunch of water and tea! then we are calling it quits for the day. It has been an extremely epic day here, and week. And I am only one week into my epic three week adventure!
Thank you all for reading!
Jack
Sent from my iPad
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Yesterday's events
Dear all,
There was not much to report from yesterday, other than I studied a bit in my Cost accounting for dummies book, and watched August Rush, Frozen and Monsters University and relaxed. But it was a nice restful day yesterday, with yummy food that Mary made. Oh and I had some more Japanese ice cream, with beans in it too, which was very good!
Jack
Sent from my iPad
There was not much to report from yesterday, other than I studied a bit in my Cost accounting for dummies book, and watched August Rush, Frozen and Monsters University and relaxed. But it was a nice restful day yesterday, with yummy food that Mary made. Oh and I had some more Japanese ice cream, with beans in it too, which was very good!
Jack
Sent from my iPad
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
A not so busy day
Yesterday was not as busy as the previous days. Therefore this post will be rather brief. The same morning routine happened and the girls went to school. I had my coffee and breakfast and then after relaxing a bit, I joined Mary on her Tuesday workout with her group. It was quite a challenging workout that is for sure, my upper thighs are still sore! Then we ran some simple errands and had lunch at Kurt's office, then we drove to the money exchange and exchanged some dollars for yen! Then we headed home, where I stayed for the rest of the day, playing Wii with the girls and having chicken and rice for dinner, and played Wii some more before giving up and calling it a day.
Jack
Sent from my iPad
Jack
Sent from my iPad
Monday, March 31, 2014
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Today's epic adventures
Today I awoke around the same time and settled into my usual routine of getting ready and then heading upstairs to have coffee with Kurt and Mary. We discussed what we anted to do today and looked out and noticed that there were still white caps on the water,therefore the seas were still too rough for our whale shark expedition. Oh well, one of these days we'll get out there. After an entertaining morning with Kurt and Kristyna's "discussion" on making pancakes, which invoked both parties getting marked with markers, I conducted a solo Order of Morning Prayer (short form).
Then I had an absolutely delicious breakfast of pancakes and we then discussed what we would do that day. Kurt suggested we head to the Torri Station beach and catch it while it was still at low tide in order to metal detect. So around noon time, we headed out to the beach to begin our extremely fun afternoon. A bit of World War II trivia, this was the beach where the U.S troops landed unopposed on Okinawa during the Battle for Okinawa. Today this beach is very calm and peaceful, compared to the devastation of the battle which will be 69 years ago on April 1st.
The low tide was perfect for our metal detecting adventures. We discovered many interesting things, most of it junk, but we did find a small piece of copper, which later broke in two, but we believe it to be a part of copper jacket plating of a round. We found mostly bent nails, rebar pieces, lead fishing weights and bolts. Then after our metal detecting adventures, we hung out with the family and Kurt's friend Pat and his family on the beach. We stayed at the beach for about 5 hours before we headed back home. I took a nice warm shower to clean off, then I had a yummy quesadilla for dinner. I am currently relaxing and probably will head to bed sometime within the next hour or two.
Jack
Sent from my iPad
Then I had an absolutely delicious breakfast of pancakes and we then discussed what we would do that day. Kurt suggested we head to the Torri Station beach and catch it while it was still at low tide in order to metal detect. So around noon time, we headed out to the beach to begin our extremely fun afternoon. A bit of World War II trivia, this was the beach where the U.S troops landed unopposed on Okinawa during the Battle for Okinawa. Today this beach is very calm and peaceful, compared to the devastation of the battle which will be 69 years ago on April 1st.
The low tide was perfect for our metal detecting adventures. We discovered many interesting things, most of it junk, but we did find a small piece of copper, which later broke in two, but we believe it to be a part of copper jacket plating of a round. We found mostly bent nails, rebar pieces, lead fishing weights and bolts. Then after our metal detecting adventures, we hung out with the family and Kurt's friend Pat and his family on the beach. We stayed at the beach for about 5 hours before we headed back home. I took a nice warm shower to clean off, then I had a yummy quesadilla for dinner. I am currently relaxing and probably will head to bed sometime within the next hour or two.
Jack
Sent from my iPad
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Today's events, another busy day with the Thomases
Today I awoke around 1830 and proceed to get ready and go about our day. I was in excited expectation of going kayaking to see the whale sharks. I started out with coffee and later a very delicious omelette made by Kurt. We then decided that we would work on a rock climbing wall for Nyah and the other Thomas clan kids after our breakfast. The kayaking trip came to an unexpected ted end when Kurt saw and noticed that the waves out in the ocean were white capped and looking rather rough.
So we then decided to stay home and work on the base for the rock climbing wall, we would take some palates and attach them to the base to make it a triangle shape. It was a long, laborious work of 2.5 hrs, when we finished with adding more climbing rocks. We then wanted to make the wall more stable. So we decided to put a 55 gal bucket under the wall base and Kurt and Nyah climbed up on the wall to fill the water bucket and hook the bucket to the wall, so that the weight of the water in the bucket would hold down the wall to stabilize it.
Today was also the significant event of Nyah's 9th birthday party, with guests coming who would utilize the rock climbing wall. We hung out at home while waiting for Mary and the guests to arrive. When they arrived, Kurt and I went out to a beach that had a cave that had been used as a fortified defense during the Battle for Okinawa. We also brought metal detectors to look for old war relics. Alas, the tide was not low tide and we could not access the cave. Well we will just have to try again tomorrow! Tomorrow is going to be a very fun day, as all my days have been so far! Good night ya'll!
Sent from my iPad
So we then decided to stay home and work on the base for the rock climbing wall, we would take some palates and attach them to the base to make it a triangle shape. It was a long, laborious work of 2.5 hrs, when we finished with adding more climbing rocks. We then wanted to make the wall more stable. So we decided to put a 55 gal bucket under the wall base and Kurt and Nyah climbed up on the wall to fill the water bucket and hook the bucket to the wall, so that the weight of the water in the bucket would hold down the wall to stabilize it.
Today was also the significant event of Nyah's 9th birthday party, with guests coming who would utilize the rock climbing wall. We hung out at home while waiting for Mary and the guests to arrive. When they arrived, Kurt and I went out to a beach that had a cave that had been used as a fortified defense during the Battle for Okinawa. We also brought metal detectors to look for old war relics. Alas, the tide was not low tide and we could not access the cave. Well we will just have to try again tomorrow! Tomorrow is going to be a very fun day, as all my days have been so far! Good night ya'll!
Sent from my iPad
Friday, March 28, 2014
Yesterday's activities
Yesterday was mostly running errands with the Thomas family. I got to experience going on base at Kadena for the first time. Man is it a huge base, and a very busy one! For breakfast I had cream of wheat with fruit! It's as very delicious as per usual for Thomas family food! We stopped on our way into town and got nagetti, which is tuna in rice, wrapped in seaweed. It was surprisingly very very delicious! We got it at a local mart called FamilyMart (think a Japanese 7/11)), and when we entered, after a minute, the employees loudly greeted us with "Welcome to Family Mart" and bowing.
After our errands, we went on a scenic route that took us through Torri Station. Of interest, this beach is where the Marines went ashore, unapposed on April 1st, 1945. Then later in the evening we went to a get-together that Kurt's boss, who is a very nice guy by the way, invited us too. There were some chocolate cakes for Nyah's birthday (happy birthday Nyah!) and a bunch of really really good food. The get together lasted for about 3.5hours, but it was pretty fun and entertaining and the people were very nice! Today, we are going to go kayaking out to maybe see the whale sharks. I am not sure what else is on the agenda for today, but when I know, I will as more pictures and updates to the blog!
Sent from my iPad
After our errands, we went on a scenic route that took us through Torri Station. Of interest, this beach is where the Marines went ashore, unapposed on April 1st, 1945. Then later in the evening we went to a get-together that Kurt's boss, who is a very nice guy by the way, invited us too. There were some chocolate cakes for Nyah's birthday (happy birthday Nyah!) and a bunch of really really good food. The get together lasted for about 3.5hours, but it was pretty fun and entertaining and the people were very nice! Today, we are going to go kayaking out to maybe see the whale sharks. I am not sure what else is on the agenda for today, but when I know, I will as more pictures and updates to the blog!
Sent from my iPad
Thursday, March 27, 2014
The arrival saga
Arriving at Narita airport was a very interesting experience. I had inly seen pictures of mainland Japan/Narita airport. In person it was way prettier than the pictures showed. It was flatland, which consisted of green trees and a bunch of what looked like farmland and houses in the country. In a sense it reminded me of the scenery in and around Charlotte NC when I went there two years ago for the church convention.
I had also throughly researched the procedures of immigration and customs at Narita. It is fairly simple process. When you debark from your international flight, you walk down until you come to two signs, one says Domestic and Arrivals and the other International Flights
I took the left turn for Domestics and Arrivals until I got to the line for immigration/passport control, in which I had my picture taken and passport stamped, which I passed, then I collected my bag and went through customs and they asked me for the purpose of my trip and where I was going.
I then headed towards the Domestic Departures and checked my big bag in and then breezed back through security, which is more efficient by far than the TSA! I then explored a bit before headed to the gate where I then waited to board for the flight to Okinawa.
Arriving at Naha went fairly smoothly, except my luggage was among the last of the baggage to arrive on the baggage carousel. Then I was able to joyfully meet up with Kurt and Mary and then 40 minutes later I was at their house and soon was unpacked and ready to take a shower and get ready for bed...
Sent from my iPad
I had also throughly researched the procedures of immigration and customs at Narita. It is fairly simple process. When you debark from your international flight, you walk down until you come to two signs, one says Domestic and Arrivals and the other International Flights
I took the left turn for Domestics and Arrivals until I got to the line for immigration/passport control, in which I had my picture taken and passport stamped, which I passed, then I collected my bag and went through customs and they asked me for the purpose of my trip and where I was going.
I then headed towards the Domestic Departures and checked my big bag in and then breezed back through security, which is more efficient by far than the TSA! I then explored a bit before headed to the gate where I then waited to board for the flight to Okinawa.
Arriving at Naha went fairly smoothly, except my luggage was among the last of the baggage to arrive on the baggage carousel. Then I was able to joyfully meet up with Kurt and Mary and then 40 minutes later I was at their house and soon was unpacked and ready to take a shower and get ready for bed...
Sent from my iPad
Arrival at Narita
After a nice long 12 hour flight, we landed at around 1625 local time, 30 minutes earlier than the expected 1655 arrival time. This was very nice, as I was then able to go through Immigrations and Customs in about 25 minutes, picked up my bag and rechecked it and went back through security in about 15 more minutes!
The flight was nice if a bit long. I shall post pictures of the meal in a bit. I am now at Gate 65 anxiously awaiting my final flight, a three hour breeze of a flight, to Naha, Okinawa!
Jack
Sent from my iPhone
The flight was nice if a bit long. I shall post pictures of the meal in a bit. I am now at Gate 65 anxiously awaiting my final flight, a three hour breeze of a flight, to Naha, Okinawa!
Jack
Sent from my iPhone
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Halfway to Narita!
 |
| Mid Point of JL65 Flight |
At 1835PDT, Jack was exactly halfway: 5+36 down and 5+36 to go. Flight Level 400, 470 knots ground speed. The jet was talking to Anchorage Center and had just passed a few miles South of Kodiak Island in Alaska.
 |
| We passed just South of Kodiak Island, home of the one way runway! |
Airborne at 1303L SAN -> NRT
All you need to know about the flight is RIGHT HERE! |
| A very Happy Jack in his aisle seat! |
 |
| Taxi out! |
 |
| Airborne two minutes early at 1303L |
Inside Security waiting for the jet to turn
 |
| The Jet! |
Jack got his boarding passes, two aisle seats! Now, for the jet to be cleaned, re-stocked and fueled. Oh, and a new crew!
The JOURNEY begins!
 |
| Curbside - Terminal 2 San Diego! |
JAL Flight 65 is set to depart KSAN (San Diego) for Narita, Japan (RJAA / NRT) at 1245L. He got dropped off at the curbside at 1045L. He reports his bags are checked and he is inside security. You can track his flight RIGHT HERE ON FLIGHTAWARE. Looks like the winds will drive them up over the Aleutian Islands, where Uncle Pat used to fly and near the Sahkalin Islands. He should be in Narita about 0100 San Diego time, then a two and half hour layover and off to Naha (OKA).
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Three Days and a Wakeup!
 |
| The Big Picture Naha, the Okinawa airport is in the middle of the map |
Here is where I am going!
Step time is nearing, so I thought I would find out a bit more about Okinawa. I know we lost almost 15,000 great Americans there in 1945 during the Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, which was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II.
 |
| The invasion of Okinawa |
The battle has been referred to as the "typhoon of steel" in English, and tetsu no ame ("rain of steel") or tetsu no bōfū ("violent wind of steel") in Japanese. The nicknames refer to the ferocity of the fighting, the intensity of kamikaze attacks from the Japanese defenders, and to the sheer numbers of Allied ships and armored vehicles that assaulted the island. The battle resulted in the highest number of casualties in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Based on Okinawan government sources, mainland Japan lost 77,166 soldiers, who were either killed or committed suicide, and the Allies suffered 14,009 deaths (with an estimated total of more than 65,000 casualties of all kinds). Simultaneously, 42,000-150,000 local civilians were killed or committed suicide, a significant proportion of the local population. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki caused Japan to surrender less than two months after the end of the fighting at Okinawa.
Being a student of history, that much I knew. But, what about Okinawa itself?
No one knows when human beings first appeared in Okinawa. They probably arrived a long time ago from the Chinese mainland. But there have been many come from Japan, Australia, and elsewhere.
 |
| Hunter gatherers and sleeping pet pig |
Okinawa midden culture or shell heap culture is divided into the early shell heap period. In the former, it was a hunter-gatherer society, with wave-like opening Jomon pottery. In the latter part of Jomon period, archaeological sites moved near the seashore, suggesting the engagement of people in fishery. In Okinawa, rice was not cultivated during the Yayoi period but began during the latter period of shell-heap age. Shell rings for arms made of shells obtained in the Sakishima Islands, namely Miyakojima and Yaeyama islands, were imported by Japan. In these islands, the presence of shell axes, 2,500 years ago, suggests the influence of a southeastern-Pacific culture.
 |
| Surviving Gusuku |
After the midden culture, agriculture started about the 12th century, with the center moving from the seashore to higher places. This period is called the gusuku period. Gusuku is the term used for the distinctive Okinawan form of castles or fortresses. In this period, porcelain trade between Okinawa and other countries became busy, and Okinawa became an important relay point in eastern-Asian trade. Ryukyuan kings, such as Shunten and Eiso, were considered to be important governors. In 1291, there was an intended invasion of Mongol, but the Eiso Dynasty defended its land. Hiragana was imported from Japan by Ganjin in 1265. Noro, female shaman or priests (as in shintoism), appeared.
In 1429, King Shō Hashi completed the unification of the three kingdoms and founded one Ryūkyū Kingdom with its capital at Shuri Castle. The Chinese Ming dynasty sent 36 families from Fujian at the request of the Ryukyuan King. Their job was to manage maritime dealings in the kingdom in 1392 during the Hongwu Emperor's reign. Many Ryukuan officials were descended from these Chinese immigrants, being born in China or having Chinese ancestors. They assisted in the Ryukyuans in developing their technology and diplomatic relations.
In the 17th century, the kingdom was both a tributary of China and a tributary of Japan. Because China would not make a formal trade agreement unless a country was a tributary state, the kingdom was a convenient loophole for Japanese trade with China. When Japan officially closed off trade with European nations except the Dutch, Nagasaki and Ryūkyū became the only Japanese trading ports offering connections with the outside world.
In 1879, Japan annexed the entire Ryukyu archipelago and the Ryūkyū han was abolished and replaced by Okinawa Prefecture by the Meiji government. The monarchy in Shuri was abolished and the deposed king Shō Tai (1843–1901) was forced to relocate to Tokyo.
 |
| King Shō Tai |
Hostility against mainland Japan increased in the Ryūkyūs immediately after its annexation to Japan in part because of the systematic attempt on the part of mainland Japan to eliminate the Ryukyuan culture, including the language, religion, and cultural practices.
The island of Okinawa was the site of most of the ground warfare in the Battle of Okinawa during World War II, when American Army and Marine Corps troops fought a long and bloody battle to capture Okinawa, so it could next be used as the major air force and troop base for the planned invasion of Japan. During this 82-day-long battle, about 95,000 Imperial Japanese Army troops and 12,510 Americans were killed. The Cornerstone of Peace at the Okinawa Prefecture Memorial Peace Park lists 149,193 persons of Okinawan origin - approximately one quarter of the civilian population - who either died or committed suicide during the Battle of Okinawa and the Pacific War.
 |
| Okinawa Cliffs - 1945 |
During the American military occupation of Japan (1945–52), which followed the Imperial Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945, in Tokyo Bay, the United States controlled Okinawa Island and the nearby Ryukyu islands and islets. These all remained in American military possession until 17 June 1972, with numerous U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Air Force bases there.
As of September, 2009, the Japanese government estimates the population at 1,384,762 (less than half the size of the County of San Diego, California where I live) which includes American military personnel and their families. The Okinawan language is called Uchinaguchi or "Hogen" and is spoken mostly by the elderly people. Okinawan people have been forced to speak Japanese since the Ryukyu Kingdom 1879 annexation by Japan.
Whereas the northern Okinawa Island is largely unpopulated, the south-central and central parts of the island are markedly urbanized—particularly the city of Naha and the urban corridor stretching north from there to Okinawa City (Okinawa-shi).
There are six gusuku, medieval Okinawan fortresses, most of which now lie in ruins.
 |
| Kadena AB |
The central part of the island has an American presence which creates a cultural blend. In the north, American presence is less concentrated, although several smaller bases and recreation facilities are there.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
