In the southernmost tip of Okinawa, near the town of Itoman, the Peace Memorial Park occupies the site where the Battle of Okinawa reached its bloodiest conclusion in June 1945. The battle lasted 82 days and claimed roughly a third of the civilian population; the park was built to ensure that loss is not forgotten. It is a quiet, serious place, and it repays the time to visit properly.
The Cornerstone of Peace is the park's centrepiece — a series of low granite walls inscribed with hundreds of thousands of names in a place designed for contemplation. The adjacent Peace Memorial Museum tells the story of the battle in patient detail, with extensive first-person accounts from survivors and a deliberate focus on the civilian experience. The museum is somber and unflinching; it is one of the finest war museums in Japan. From the park's southern cliffs there are views across the East China Sea to the horizon.