Stamps, cigarettes and informational brochures dating to the 1950s are just a few of the items you can see at the Okinawa City Museum of Postwar Culture and History. (Ryan M. Breeden/Stars and Stripes)
An area long characterized by the presence of U.S. military forces is showcased through the lens of a local museum with a specific focus on postwar transformation.
The Okinawa City Museum of Postwar Culture and History serves as a fascinating window into the complex history of Okinawa city after World War II.
The facility is well organized and impeccably tidy with two floors displaying various items from several periods. You’ll find old newspapers, American currency, vintage cigarettes, stamps, military uniforms, recreated signage of the time and dollar bills signed by service members visiting the city.
Check out a diorama of Chuo Park Avenue or “Business Center Street” in the 1970s at the Okinawa City Museum of Postwar Culture and History. (Ryan M. Breeden/Stars and Stripes)
One of the museum’s more notable exhibits is the diorama of Chuo Park Avenue or “Business Center Street” of that era. This display gives a postwar ambiance of rapid urbanization with a heavy influence from American culture. It is delicately detailed with miniature houses, businesses, vehicles and city electrical lines. The structures are painted to reflect how buildings would look within a tropical climate such as Okinawa’s in the 1970s.
Everything beautifully incorporates elements from previous institutions such as the Okinawa City Gallery of Postwar Culture and History, known as Histreet, which opened in 2005 and Histreet II, launched in 2009 on Koza’s Palmyra Street. These two former venues laid the foundation for what museum visitors can appreciate today at its current location on Gate 2 Street, which opened in 2018.
Various types of currency were used on Okinawa after World War II. Some are displayed at the Okinawa City Museum of Postwar Culture and History. (Ryan M. Breeden/Stars and Stripes)
American dollar bills are displayed behind a replica bar with messages and words left by service members visiting Okinawa at the Okinawa City Museum of Postwar Culture and History. (Ryan M. Breeden/Stars and Stripes)
The museum caters more toward local citizens with the majority of the information plaques being in Japanese with only a few in English. There are also signs that say photography is prohibited. The staffers are friendly and will assist with any questions using their translation devices.
Meandering within the facility will evoke nostalgia and possibly a reflection on what it was like to live in Okinawa city during its rapid change and growth after 1950. The museum is a valuable cultural resource that showcases Okinawa’s postwar resilience and legacy.
The Okinawa City Museum of Postwar Culture and History is five minutes from Kadena Air Base Gate 2. (Ryan M. Breeden/Stars and Stripes)
On the QT
Directions: 2-2-1 Chuo, Okinawa city, Okinawa. A five-minute walk southeast of Kadena Air Base’s Gate 2.
Times: Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday.
Costs: Free admission.
Food: You’ll find restaurants and other establishments nearby.
Information: Phone: 098-929-2922; online: www.histreet.okinawa.jp
