My Spelunking Adventure

I'm always looking for stuff to do on the weekends. I'd like to see as much as the island...and Asia as possible before I leave. There is an organization called MCCS, which stands for Marine Corps Community Services, that has trips around the island and abroad for cheaper prices then you'd find yourself. They had a trip to the Japanese "castles" but I found out the trip was cancelled, but there was another trip called Tunnel Rats. A trip from 9am to 5pm that would take you out to some of the different caves in the area for $21. They just asked you to wear clothes and shoes you wouldn't mind getting dirty and a flashlight. I asked Birk if she wanted to come with me and she was all for it.
We started the trip out of Camp Foster. There was 9 of us including Mark, a former gunnery sergeant in the Marine Corps. While driving to the first cave I learned the woman sitting in front of me on the van was a 2nd leutenant new to the island and the young man sitting next to Birk was a 12 year old named Bryson whose master sergeant father and civilian mother were along for the ride. Along with them were their family friends new to the island, a man who was a staff sergeant and his wife who was a sergeant who were both in supply.


The first cave served as a hideout for some of the Okinawan civilians as the Americans were taking control of Okinawa. When the Americans called out into the cave before they went down with their guns a man named Mr. Higa, a Japanese man who had spent time in Hawaii working and has learned English, came out and talked to the Americans. He was able to get his people to safety. The cave itself was what I imagined it. I had never been spelunking aka caving before. I was worried about bumping my head (it looked unforgiving) and my flashlight must had been on in my pocket because it's batteries were nearly dead already. The whole feeling is odd, you're worried something is going to jump out at you but you want to explore more. The only people who were brave enough to keep on exploring further and further into the cave were myself, the 2nd leutenant and Bryson.

After our first cave I almost ran into a banana spider. A very dangerous and quite large spider (about 6 inches across) that was right near the end of the path to our bus. Spiders creep me out so much more than snakes.

We stopped at a few caves before we made a stop at an unofficial museum created by our tour guide and another man who he works for. The museum was a nice collection of the odds and ends they have found in the caves. Who would have guessed caves used by both the Japanese and Americans during WWII would be full of things that could kill you?

We then stopped for lunch at a resturant called the Seaman's Club. I had a fantastic burger.

Afterwards we continued on our tour. We stopped by an extremely large cave. It was said you put fit 2 school buses in the entrance. The part we walked into was the result of Americans bombing the island. There was a much smaller entrance around the corner that was the actual entrance. The journey down into the cave would put a smile on Indiana Jones face. You had to climb down on large slabs of rock while holding onto the rock. I was basically rock climbing with a flashlight in my hand. If I were fall it would have meant a lot of broken bones. While walking down my foot slipped and fell into a hole. I had a one inch cut into my leg. Oh well. I just let it bleed. You could have contiuned down into the cave but it would have meant actually going DOWN... 25 feet down by a small rope. One of the men said something to the effect of, If this were a mission I would have do it but I'm not going to risk my life for fun. Plus, I didn't want to say anything but I was horrible at climbing the rope in boot camp. I'd like to find a rope around here so I could try and do it but I doubt that will happen.
Our last stop was built into a mountain. It was right near the coastline and I wasn't surprised when I learned this was where the Japanese military had set up an artiliary defense. The caves protected everyone. There was even an area that had a 3 foot wall that was a "conference room" for the high ranking Japanese.


All in all I had an excellent time. This is why I wanted to come to Okinawa! I want to continue to see more of the island. Every weekend should be an adventure. One of the things the 2nd leutenant said was that she couldn't find any good information about Okinawa. I don't know how many blogs are dedicated to military life in Japan but it my hope that my blog helps someone. Of course, you can find my e-mail address on the side if you have any questions or suggestions. These are the kind of blog entries I'd like to see more of. My blog is only as exciting as my life.

As a final note, I'd like to thank that 2nd leutenant for giving me 2 AA batteries when my camera ran out of batteries. Now I'll always carry spares.