Chibi Chirigama

A worthwhile visit if you find yourself in the area, there is never a bad time to reflect on the history of a place—especially one as rife with atrocity, horror, and human suffering as Okinawa. A short set of stairs leads to a cooler, shaded cavern, with scattered monuments and statues paying homage to those who lost their lives in the initial invasion and subsequent Battle of Okinawa. A deeper cave recesses grave stones, urns, flowers, incense, and colorful decorations. While the bugs may cut your stay short, it is an important stop to make to reflect, at least for a few minutes, on what once was.

Easy to find and access, with parking. Short walk down some steep stairs. Lots of mosquitoes and snake warning signs. Nothing at all is in English so either come with a guide or do your research in advance (recommended). The cave is now closed to the public as it’s a grave but you can go to the open area in front of the cave entrance, just don’t go past the sign. This area is hauntingly beautiful, you can just feel the weight of what occurred here. Please be respectful, this is a site of terrible tragedy, not a place for your Instagram photos. Good place to spend a few minutes to quietly reflect.

Chibichiru cave, also called sad cave. On April 1, 1945, the US militarylanded on the west coast of Okinawa near Yomitan village. It was this Chibichiri Gama cave that residents hid themselves in a fierce attack. "It will be slaughtered if captured by the American army." People who believed so, on April 2, they self-determined group. 85 people who died with this cave, children were also included. Chibichiri Gama cave is still a cemetery for those who were still sacrificed. Human remains are still in the cave. You cannot enter inside Chibichiri Gama cave without permission of the bereaved party. Please respect this, and treat this place with dignity.

Commonly called the Cave of Sorrow, this sacred place is known for its dark history. During the Battle of Okinawa in World War II, several hundred local Okinawa hid in the cave system. Through Japanese nationalist propaganda at the time, they were told invading Americans would kill them, eat their babies and rape their women. So they might as well commit seppuku. Several young men went running out of the cave with sticks and were subsequently mown down. At the insistent urging of one teen girl, her parents killed her and other families started doing the same. 80+ people died that day. Thousands of colorful paper cranes line the cave in remembrance of those who died and those still buried there. At the other end of the cave, (the middle had collapsed) two locals who had worked in Hawaii told others the propaganda was false and to surrender. That area is known as the Cave of Happiness, as everyone survived.