One of Okinawa’s distinct features that sets it apart from mainland Japan is its lack of a railway system not counting the tourist-centric monorail between the airport and Kokusai-dori Beginning in 1914 and for the following three decades tramways and rail-running horsecarts were an integral part of the island’s transportation system for everything from hauling cargo to getting children to school on time The Okinawan train service used toy-like German steam engines on narrow gauge 2’6” wide tracks Locally called “Keibin,” the dialect word for “light rail,” the roughly cruciform railway system would ultimately be composed of 51.3 kilometers of track linking Kadena in the north was the terminus of the east-west 9-km route to Naha the capital and major port on Okinawa’s west coast Yonabaru Station was a modern grey structure in a sea of traditional red tile roofed buildings surrounded by small metal steam trains and wooden horse carts piled high with goods Both the shipping port and train station were destroyed during the Battle of Okinawa shortly thereafter a replica of old Yonabaru Station was built on the site of the original and is now the Yonabaru Railway Museum Okinawa's only museum dedicated to rail transportation It’s a small museum but appropriately sized for the story it tells of the role rail transportation played in Okinawan life for a short while No Keibin trains survive and even of the old station; only the stumps of pillars remain behind the museum Inside there are a few small artifacts and lots of pictures including railway highlights such as Crown Prince Hirohito’s 1921 visit (Hirohito became emperor five years later) What interested me most were the video and written stories of people who used the train in their everyday lives I find the small stories color the black and white of history books with human details like how the train didn’t stop but merely slowed enough people could board as it passed through some stations That story came from women who rode it like a school bus when they were kids I also liked how it touched on not just the trains but also the roles of trams and rail-riding horse carts We spent about an hour inside though really you can breeze through in about 15 minutes Admission is 100 yen and you’re given a replica train ticket which you can then punch and stamp with original equipment just like at a real old train station the staff may be fine with using a phone translation app to read displays The museum is open every day except Tuesday If you want to experience a tiny train for yourself Neo Park in Nago has a diesel-powered miniature train masquerading as a one of the old Keibin trains ADMISSION: 100 yen (Free for elementary school age and under) ADMISSION: 1,300 yen (700 yen for 4 years old through elementary school age) Read now > Sign up for our weekly newsletter of articles from Japan a funny tune caught my attention coming from a radio It was Okinawan folk song “Keibin Tetsudo Bushi,” a tune I often heard at the community center where I used to meet my friends in the 1980s we didn’t realize that it is actually dedicated to Keibin Tetsudo a railway service that used to exist in Okinawa Although its official name was “Keiben Tetsudo” the railway came to be commonly recognized as “Keibin Tetsudo” Keibin Tetsudo was a common mode of transportation for many Okinawans until it was discontinued during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945 around Okinawa there are still remnants of this important mode of transportation One place is at the Yonabaru Light Rail Station (Keibin Tetsudo Yonabaru Eikisha) where visitors can see old photos of the Keibin Tetsudo in action I made a stop at the station to learn more about the rail’s history the Keibin Tetsudo transported 3.28 million passengers in 1941 though the population was around 570,000 at the time As someone who was born and grew up in Okinawa in the 1970s daily travel by rail rather than by car is beyond my imagination Okinawa only has one mono railway built in 2003 that covers the Naha City-area so driving is the primary mode of transportation in the prefecture Keibin Tetsudo was first launched in Okinawa in 1914 Yanabaru was a logistic hub at the time for goods and materials coming from the northern part of the island before they were consumed in Naha a line connecting Kadena and Naha was launched With a line connecting Itoman and Kokuba in Naha City completed in the following year Keibin Tetesudo came to cover the mid and southern parts of Okinawa’s main island The railway was public transportation and also a means of carrying products from local sugar factories it was used for military logistics as well “Keibin Tetsudo’s trains were steam-powered at first,” explained Kina “Gas-powered cars were introduced after the Showa Era began in 1926 Although the trains back then didn’t run as fast as they do today it took 24 minutes to go from Yonabaru to Naha A train would go at 20 to 30 km/h on average “Given that it still takes about half an hour to go from here (Yonabaru) to Naha by car transportation time has not changed much between then and now,” Kina said you would want to use the train if it was still in service today.” The station’s photos of the former line demonstrated just how impactful it was on the daily lives of Okinawans There is even an augmented reality (AR) video visitors can watch on a tablet borrowed at the office that shows the train arriving at the station Even though I could see the photos and the modern recreation of the Keiben Tetsudo making a stop at Yonabaru it was difficult for me to grasp it as reality the display and folk song I listened to as a teen prove that it’s a piece of Okinawa history that is lost but not forgotten *A free parking space is available by the building there are also remnants of pillars used for the original building of the station attesting to its history Other locations that exhibit remains of the Keibin Tetsudo railway part of a railway that connects Naha and Kadena is exhibited *Exhibited this location is part of the railway along with the “sugar train” a type of train mobilized in Minami Daito Island to transport sugar canes This location used to be a terminal for Keibin Tetsudo Today's print edition Home Delivery an 81-year-old resident of the town of Yonabaru What she remembers instead is him sitting on the porch of their hilltop home in the village of Chinen which forms part of the present-day city of Nanjo drinking sake every night while gazing out to sea His eyes were always looking into the distance never seeming to focus their attention on the family by his side.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); It was shortly after Japan’s surrender in the Pacific War which passed through the stone walls and fences of the house was fixed on the vast Pacific Ocean where U.S The glaring lights on the vessels appeared all the brighter from their house In a time of both misinformation and too much 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To learn more see our FAQ Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division Please activate JavaScript function on your browser Photograph of the Prime Minister presenting a certificate of award Photograph of the Prime Minister delivering an address Please view the main text area of the page by skipping the main menu. The page may not be displayed properly if the JavaScript is deactivated on your browser Japanese version YONABARU: Big waves hit the coast of Yonabaru The massive typhoon arrived on the heels of another powerful typhoon that battered the region in early September with the operator of Kansai Airport in Osaka prefecture set to close its two runways from Sunday morning Poll results are published every Monday in The Guam Daily Post University of Guam students and faculty are leveraging international academic conferences to foster economic innovation and workforce development positioning the island as a hub for what School of Business and Public Administration Dean Roseann Jones Saturday’s Mad Collab Block Party in Hagåtña brought together more than 70 local businesses and artists in celebration with hundreds of attendees It was all about the wonders of Artificial Intelligence in the palm of your hand All of the latest features in Samsung's Galaxy AI were showcased at a GTA-sponsored event Thursday Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: The Yonabaru tug-of-war on July 31 will pit the city's east side against its west in a competition that dates back some 400 years The contest is the climax of the city's summer festival It is one of Japan's largest tug-of-war contests (second only to neighboring Naha It was initially established as a votive offering for bountiful harvests and wealth to citizens.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); historical figures representing the east and west sides of Yonabaru stand atop the rope Assembling the rope for the tug-of-war is a surreal spectacle as both teams bring their respective halves together and finally tie a knot by using a 3-meter wooden pole to secure it into place As soon as the wooden pole is set between the rope halves the entire rope is dropped to the ground and in a flurry the contest begins everyone is bound to be celebrating come Sunday evening expect to find live music and a parade that will kick off festivities early Saturday Other entertainment will include eisa dancing (a form of folk dance originating from the Ryukyu Islands) The tug-of-war event is open to everyone and is scheduled to begin around 5 p.m so make sure to grab a protein drink at lunch The Yonabaru Festival will be held at Udunyama Youth Square in Yonabaru, Okinawa Prefecture, on July 30-31. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.town.yonabaru.okinawa.jp/ootsunahiki/index.html Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division.