Kenji Monument at Mabuni in Itoman, Okinawa, Japan (Images)

10 Photos of the Kenji Monument Area

 

It's been a few years since my last visit to this war memorial.

April of 2013, Doc Graff and I went back for some photography under cloudy skies.

The Battle of Okinawa began in April of 1945.

Hundreds of high school-age children were forced to serve with the Japanese forces.

The Kenji Monument is a memorial to those who lost their lives.

A bit off the beaten path, not many travelers visit this site.

It should be part of any tour going to Peace Memorial Park.

Good photojournalism requires the author to answer five questions.

Who, What, When, Where and Why?

Any other information you can provide is a bonus.

So, it's important to look at the scene from every possible angle.

Down in the caves was probably where these youngsters lived their last few days.

Visitors should go inside to get a feel for what it was like.

Things smell different and the sounds aren't the same.

It could give you goosebumps or, make your heart rate change, being in there.

And, you have to be really careful coming back out.

Maybe, you would slip and fall or, be blinded by the light, leaving the caves.

It would be nice to do an article about the Kenji Monument.

The Who, What, When and Where parts, I've got them all and, even more.

The only ingredient I'm missing is.....

 WHY?

LOCATION

A Favorite: Okinawa's Goya Chanpuru and A Recipe for You

Goya Day in Okinawa May 8th !

Not to worry.  I didn't forget about Goya Day.  I just forgot to tell everybody else.

For those who don't know, a goya is called a bitter melon in English.

They look like bumpy cucumbers. But, don't taste anything like a cucumber, at all.

Bitter, is the word that best describes them.

People either love or, hate goya.  There's no in-between. 

Sort of like beer; it's an acquired taste.  I love the stuff.  Beer, too.

Why Celebrate Vegetables ?

 

 

 

 

In Okinawa we like to party so, we celebrate anything we can.

See, in Japanese, the word "Five" is "Go" and May happens to be the fifth month.

The eight day of the month gets a little tricky, to explain. Let's try, anyway.

Eight, in Japanese would be "Hachi" but, we'll just use the "Ha" part of it.  OK ?

Now, "Ha" rhymes with "Ya" sort of.  Doesn't it ?

Well, you put the "go" and "ya" together and that gives you goya.

It sounds like a good enough excuse to celebrate, to me.

So, that's what I did, until the wee hours of the morning.  The Missus was with me, most of the time.

The photo above was my Goya Chanpuru, just before I consumed the whole thing.


Time 12:51AM.

 

 Nobody cooks Goya Chanpuru better than Mrs. RyukyuMike.  That's the truth.

If you want to try making your own, I'll hook you up with this video I found.

Some crazy gal cooks the stuff with her dog on the kitchen counter !

 

Travel Photo: View of Ie Jima from Motobu

Barely visible, on the horizon, silhouetted against a cloudy sky is, Ie Jima.

The island is only a 30 minute ferry ride away.

It looks small from the Motobu Peninsula in Okinawa, Japan.

Three days driving and exploring, on foot wasn't enough to see the whole place.

It looks like the cameras need to be packed and it's time to hitch a ride back over that way.

Plant Images: Shellplant (Alpinia zerumbet) in Bloom

Also Known as Shell Ginger

 

Research on this flower led me to the School of Chinese Medicine.

That's because Mrs. RyukyuMike made all kinds of claims about the stuff.

Sannin (Okinawan dialect) or Gettoo (Japanese) is a well known and popular herb.

She says, it keeps snakes away.  And I say the dogs can do that.

It keeps bugs away, too.

Well, I wonder why there's so many snakes and bugs in the jungle, then.

That's where I first noticed these white flowers blooming; in the dang jungles.

Spiders, snakes, gnats, mosquitoes, butterflies and all kinds of critters live in the jungle.

 

 

And, she tells me when you're 64, in Okinawa, you should eat mochi wrapped in those leaves.

I don't really like that sticky rice-paste-tasting stuff.

It reminds me of the slimy wallpaper paste they used before wood paneling was invented.

Anyway, I told her, it's too late.  I'm already 65 !

Thinking she's just trying to get me wasting money on another plant, I grabbed a camera and left.

They have these plants in lots of yards around my neighborhood.

So, I shot some with the Canon G12 handheld.

Some folks think the flowers look like seashells.

Here's one I found, just starting to open.

China Already Rules Half the World

 

And, I just learned, they have more English speaking people than the USA.

So, I Googled "Alpinia zerumbet, Plant, China, English" just for the heck of it. 

Bingo !

It got me into the Hong Kong Baptist University Library. The site is in English.

They use the shellplant to cure all kinds of things.

Malaria, belly aches, bad hearts, gas, the screaming willies, you name it and they have a cure.

Not to appear as some sort of traitor, I got the USDA site.

That's the United States Department of Agriculture and they speak English, too. 

Another great place to learn about these flowers is Dave's Garden.

Now, I have to pack-up and hit the trail.

Somewhere out there, one of these plants is waiting for me to dig it up and bring it home.

There's no sense letting the wife waste good beer money to buy one !

Hando-Gwaa Statue on Ie Jima Okinawa and Advice for Parents

The Poor Girl Didn't Have to Kill Herself

 

This statue is a monument to Hando-Gwaa, a girl who fell in love with the wrong guy.

After the fact, she found out the dude was married.

So, she climbed up Mt. Tatchū (タッチュー) and hanged herself with her long hair.

The statue is in Shimamuraya Tourist Park.

That's way down below Mt. Gusuku or Tatchū, whichever you prefer to call it.

Now, I know Okinawan parents use this monument to teach children lessons.

But, I'll put my thoughts in simple English for everyone to read.

Advice for Parents

 

 

Teach your daughters there are some people we call Slick Willies in this world.

Before a girl lets a guy wiggle his way into love, she has to know how to check him out.

Look for concealed wedding rings and, stuff like that.

And, even more importantly, when out on a date.....

Don't Get Too Stoned !