Himeyuri Tower

The Himeyuri Tower stands in Itoman City on the southern coast of Okinawa Island, Japan, serving as a memorial to the Himeyuri Student Corps, a group of 222 female students and 18 teachers from the Okinawa Daiichi Women's High School and the Okinawa Shihan Women's School. During the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, these young women, aged between 15 and 19 years, were mobilized to serve as nursing assistants in Japanese Army field hospitals. The tower marks the location of a cave where many students lost their lives when the cave was attacked on June 19, 1945.

The memorial holds profound cultural significance as a testament to the civilian tragedy of the Battle of Okinawa, one of the bloodiest conflicts of World War II. The battle resulted in enormous civilian casualties, and the Himeyuri students became symbolic of the innocent lives lost during the war. The tower itself was erected in 1946 by surviving teachers and students, making it one of Okinawa's earliest war memorials. Adjacent to the tower, the Himeyuri Peace Museum opened in 1989, displaying photographs, personal belongings, testimonies, and detailed accounts of the students' experiences.

Visitors can pay respects at the memorial tower and explore the adjacent museum, which provides comprehensive documentation of the students' stories through exhibits presented in both Japanese and English. The museum features individual profiles of each student and teacher, creating a deeply personal connection to the historical events. The site includes the actual cave entrance where many students died, preserved as part of the memorial grounds. The experience is somber and educational, offering insight into Okinawa's wartime suffering and the human cost of conflict.

The memorial is located approximately 20 kilometers south of Naha, the prefectural capital. Visitors can reach the site by taking bus number 89 from Naha Bus Terminal, with the journey taking roughly 40 to 50 minutes. The museum charges an admission fee of ¥450 for adults and ¥100 for children. Free parking is available for those arriving by rental car. The site is accessible year-round, and visitors should allow at least one to two hours to fully experience both the memorial grounds and the museum exhibits.