World travelers in 2016 are totally spoiled. We have iPhones that we can use to book flights and accommodations, send emails and text messages to stay in touch with everyone back home, read reviews of every activity or restaurant before we visit, and get directions from point A to point B even if we don’t have working Wi-Fi! Before we embarked on this journey, many people commended us for “being brave” and tackling all of the travel, but in reality, it’s so much simpler to be a traveler in this day and age than ever before.
The view from our hotel room in Okinawa
Shurijo Castle, part of the Ryukyu Kingdom (a UNESCO World Heritage site)
Visiting the castle grounds
Real bravery is packing up your things and moving from Boonville, Missouri, to Okinawa in 1951 knowing no one, not knowing when you would be back, having no easy form of communication with your family back in the States and then staying for 20 years. That’s exactly what my GraGra did when her husband was stationed abroad with the Navy. My mom and aunt were born there and in April, we all met up back on the island with their childhood friend, Cecelia to explore the sights of their youth.
Visiting Cecelia’s grandmother’s grave
Ceremony at the grave
The beautiful Okinawan beaches
According to them, Okinawa has changed a lot in the past 46 years since they left. It’s much more built up and many familiar landmarks have been replaced. Luckily, we were still able to see some important spots, including their elementary school and GraGra’s favorite restaurant, Sam’s Anchor Inn. It is now run by the original owner’s grandson, who was pretty impressed when we brought in a pair of chopsticks from 1970!
Outside Sam’s Anchor Inn
After our amazing meal
On one special day during our week-long trip, we set out with the intention of finding the grave of my mom and aunt’s childhood nanny, Bobbi. Cecelia’s cousin who still lives in Okinawa came along to translate for us at the local government office. We had no luck until we found the last known address GraGra had for Bobbi and it turned out that her son still lived there! After he realized who we were, we were quickly whisked over to his aunt’s (Bobbi’s sister’s) house for tea and to catch up as much as the language barrier would allow. Basically there was a lot of smiling and bowing. It was truly an incredible day.
Reunited with Bobbi’s son and her sister (holding Bobbi’s photo)
We received such a warm welcome into the family home
Tea and Tatami mats
In addition to seeing the sentimental sites of my family’s past, we also got to explore some of the historical sites in Okinawa. These included the tunnels where the Japanese Army headquartered themselves to fight the Americans and the cliffs where many suicides took place after the battle of Okinawa was lost which was pretty jarring to see. In contrast, we also got to take in the beautiful views of the memorial park dedicated to peace for all people. To think about the fact that GraGra arrived just six years after the deadly battle occurred gave me an even greater sense of appreciation for the life she and my Grandpa were able to build so far from home.
Okinawa Peace Memorial
More about the rest of our trip to Japan in our next post!
– Christina
Thank you so much for sharing some highlights from this special trip. I was so glad you could share the sites, smells and tastes of our childhood! Gra Gra and grandpa built a wonderful life for themselves and us on that island. God bless them and Bobbi. It was so special to be there with their spirits, and with Sallie, Steve, Ce, Ed, you and Chris. I was sorry to see that the island had not aged well, but the memories will be beautiful forever. Thank you for including this stop on your trip, and for making new memories there! I will never be back in my home town, so I sure hope there is a Sam’s franchise in heaven! We’ll bring our own chopsticks!