Begin your tour with a visit to the Himeyuri Monument, a memorial dedicated to the students and teachers of the Okinawa Normal School Girls’ Division and the First Prefectural Girls’ High School. These young women were mobilized by the Japanese Army to serve in a field hospital during the final stages of the Battle of Okinawa. As fighting intensified, they cared for the wounded in underground shelters, but with the collapse of the defense lines and the disbandment of the hospital, many lost their lives in the chaos that followed.

Next, head to the Himeyuri Peace Museum, which houses diaries, testimonies, photographs, and personal belongings, vividly conveying how war consumed the lives of these young students—each with their own story, each a life interrupted.

Guided by a knowledgeable local expert, walk slowly and thoughtfully through these spaces of remembrance and education, connecting with the emotions, voices, and truths of that era.