The Himeyuri Peace Museum is probably the museum in Okinawa with the most powerful and touching peace message. It is located in Itoman, in the southern part of the island. It is dedicated to the Himeyuri students corps, a group of 222 students and 18 teachers of the Okinawa Shihan Women's School and Okinawa Daiichi Women's High School that, during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, were mobilized as a nursing unit for the Okinawan Army Field Hospital. During the conflict, 211 students and 16 teachers perished. This is the ticket of the museum. "Himeyuri" is the name of the lily flower in Japanese. For this reason, the Himeyuri students are often called "Lily corps.". Inside the museum, there are many photos and descriptions of the Himeyuri students. It begins from the description of their normal life at the school, illustrating the activities, the dormitory, the classes, and the habits of a student in Okinawa before WWII. There are many objects displayed, such as notebooks, pencil cases, diaries and other similar everyday life belongings. The display shows also how the idea of fighting for the country and dying for the Emperor was a firm point of the education the students received. Did you Know? With the beginning of the conflict, the Himeyuri students were falsely told that they would be working in hospitals away from the fight. However, the students were actually involved in the front lines of the conflict. Three days before Japan surrendered, on June 18, the students and the teachers were dismissed. At that moment, 19 of them had perished. In the middle of the conflict, the girls had no choice but to move to live in the nearby caves. In the following days, many of them lost their lives in the crossfire or by committing suicide. There is a room in the museum entirely dedicated to display the photo and the name of each student and teacher who lost their life. Outside the museum, the Himeyuri Memorial Tower and the monument are a tribute to the bravery and the purity of these young students. The name of each student is written on it, next to a big Yuri flower. The 12 meters tall Himeyuri Memorial Tower was built in 1978, while the museum was built in 1989 by the Himeyuri committee and thanks to the donation from a civilian. We believe that the Himeyuri Peace Museum and its monuments are a must visit in the south of Okinawa. The message of peace that they convey is too important to be ignored. Admission Adults 310 yen Teenagers 210 yen Children 110 yen Opening Hours 9:00 - 17:30 TEL 098 - 997 - 2100 Address 671-1 Ihara, Itoman, Okinawa Prefecture 901-0344 Near Himeyuri Peace Museum:
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