Tens of thousands of Uchinanchu (Okinawan word which means "Okinawan") died defending Japan while others committed mass suicide when U.S. forces invaded to end World War II. A couple of interesting and related places worthy of a visit are situated in the south. Cape Kyan, at the southernmost tip south of Itoman, not only offers spectacular shorelines but features a plaque honoring the thousands of Ryukyu citizens who committed mass suicide by jumping off the cliffs into the sea. It also commemorates those at Kyan, where the East China and Philippine seas converge. Located nearby is the Himeyuri Peace Prayer & Memorial Museum, which was built to honor the Himeyuri army corps nurses and to tell their story, and Gyokusendo, a 5000-meter long limestone cavern, thought to have formed over 300,000 years ago.

To view a bigger image, click on a thumbnail: