What lay beyond the breathtaking view. The weight of history found on a drive to Cape Hedo, the northernmost point of Okinawa.
Today, I decided to venture a bit further to Cape Hedo, the northernmost point of the main island.
It is quite a distance from Naha even using the expressway, but the drive through the Yanbaru forest is a pleasure in itself.
Heading north from Naha, passing the Kyoda Interchange, and going even deeper.
Once you pass Nago and enter the deep forests of Yanbaru, unfamiliar road signs begin to appear one after another.
“Okinawa Rail Crossing: Caution”
Yellow diamond-shaped signs and signboards featuring realistic yet cute illustrations.
This is Yanbaru, a forest registered as a World Natural Heritage site.
Realizing that I am a guest in the home of many rare creatures, including the flightless Okinawa Rail, I grip the steering wheel a little tighter.
“I’m not in a rush, anyway.”
Telling myself that, the time spent easing off the accelerator and cruising slowly through the dappled sunlight is a luxury you cannot experience on the expressway.
In the end, I didn't see a real rail, but every time I saw one of those adorable signs, I drove while praying in my heart, “Don't come out now!”
Now, my goal this time was simply to conquer the “northernmost point.”
However, the moment I arrived and stepped out of the car, what spread out before me was a dynamic, breathtaking view that far exceeded my imagination.
Waves crashing violently against the cliffs of uplifted coral reefs.
This place, where the Pacific Ocean and the East China Sea collide, was filled with a powerful energy completely different from the calm beaches of Okinawa I had seen before.
The weather was nice today, and I could see Yoron Island in Kagoshima Prefecture across the sea.
“That’s already Kagoshima,” I thought, gazing at the island within arm's reach, simply moved by the blueness of the sea.
After being captivated by the view, my eyes suddenly fell upon the “Monument to the Struggle for Reversion to the Motherland.”
I approached it casually, thinking it was just a tourist monument, but when I learned the words inscribed on it and the meaning this place holds, the beautiful scenery I had been looking at just moments ago began to look completely different.
In the days when Okinawa was under American administration.
There was a national border between Cape Hedo and Yoron Island, which could be seen across the sea. The 27th parallel north.
In an era when people could not travel back and forth without a passport, those who wished for reversion gathered here at Cape Hedo.
And the people of Yoron Island on the opposite shore also gathered at the cape, lighting bonfires across the sea to send signals and confirm their bond with each other (maritime rallies).
Even though it was only about 20 kilometers away, it was a “motherland” they could not reach.
How desperately must the people of that time have looked at this sea, which I had just been admiring as “beautiful”?
Imagining that, my heart felt tight.
The monument was inscribed with these words:
“To our friends across the country and around the world
(Omitted)
On May 15, 1972, Okinawa's reversion to the motherland was realized
However, the prefecture's wish for peace was not fulfilled
It was diverted to military reinforcement at the whim of Japanese and American state power
Therefore, this monument
Does not exist to express joy
Much less to commemorate a victory
It exists to look back on the struggle, for the masses to trust in one another
To confirm their own strength and renew their determination
So that humanity may exist forever and all living things
May survive under the laws of nature
It stands to sound an alarm.”
Passing 60, the weight of history I am learning anew.
It resonates heavily and passionately within me, living in this peaceful era.
The beautiful coral sea was once a symbol of division, and at the same time, a bridge of hope.
By knowing history, the scenery of Okinawa looks deeper and more vivid.
It was a trip that made me realize that once again.