Tunnel Rats, Exploring Okinawa’s WWII Caves
Like the Battle Sites Tour offered by MCCS in Okinawa, the Tunnel Rats tour was another tour offered that was very adventurous and informative. The tour offered an inside look, literally of two caves on the island that were used as shelters and bunkers by locals during the Battle of Okinawa.
I gathered from several sources that Tunnel Rats was the name given to American, Australian, and New Zealand soldiers who were typically trained combat engineers. These combat engineers would crawl through enemy tunnels during the Vietnam War to perform specific missions, usually very dangerous.
During the Vietnam War, tunnels were complex underground structure that served many purposes. Some tunnels were large enough to house hospitals, training facilities, and even barracks for the soldiers.
The tunnels were very difficult to see from above and little damage was done to them from ground level. In order to either gain intelligence on what was going on in the tunnels or just flat out destroying the tunnels, soldiers would have to sneak into the tunnels to perform the missions. The soldiers that entered these networks of tunnels were known as “Tunnel Rats.”
Tunnel Rats, Okinawa
The Tunnel Rats Tour in Okinawa, didn’t really have anything to do with Tunnel Rats or the history of them. But none the less, the tour was incredibly interesting and full of adventure.
The tour is provided by MCCS, so like the Battle Site Tour, I understand that not everyone visiting Okinawa will have access to this, but there are local Battle Site tours and even guides that provide tours. Most of these will be strictly in Japanese though.
The two caves we explored were open and free to the public. They aren’t really tourist attractions, so I would have never guessed they existed based on locations. The first cave was near a new housing area and the second cave was on a small plot of forested land.
Even though the tour itself had nothing to do with Tunnel Rats, it was probably one of my favorites tours offered. Our guide would give us information on the cave and how it was used during the Battle of Okinawa. Once we arrived at the cave entrance, he would set us free where we could explore as a group or alone.
History of the Caves
For the Tunnel Rats Tour, we visited two caves. The first cave we visited was Shimuku Gama Cave in Yomitan also know as “Happy Cave” and the second cave was called Garabigama in the Shimajiri District of southern Okinawa.
Shimuku Gama Cave also known as “Happy Cave”, was the first cave on the tour. This cave was pretty big with multiple chambers. During the Battle of Okinawa, over a thousand people hid in Shimuku Gama Cave to escape the violence occurring above ground. Apparently, people hid in this cave for over three months.
How did Shimuku Gama Cave become known as Happy Cave? There is also a cave nearby that people refer to as Sad Cave. My tour guide wasn’t a fan of these names given to the caves, in reality what happened in both caves wasn’t pleasant. But one cave had survivors while the other cave did not.
Long story short, our tour guide told us that during the war, the United States rounded up Japanese people living in the United States and hired Japanese speaking individuals as translators to assist during the war. The story goes that, at the time there were over a thousand people hiding in Happy Cave. US troops found the cave and two translators convinced the people within the cave that no harm would be done if they exited the cave. The people in the cave eventually came out and no harm was done to them, everyone in this cave survived hence the name Happy Cave.
Sad Cave started in a similar way. US Troops found the cave and translators tried to coax out the citizens living there. These people were not as trusting as the ones hiding in Happy Cave. Several times, troops and translators tried to tell the locals that no harm would be done if they would simply come out. No one exited the cave. The troops knew the people were hungry and thirsty. They set out food and water for the people to have. Still no one came out. People were afraid that the United States troops would poison the food. Knowing this, a few troops ate the food and drank the water to show the people it was safe. The people hiding believe that the troops were immune to it, so they didn’t come out. After a while there was no more communication or anything from the citizens living in the cave so troops went inside only to find that everyone within the cave committed suicide. Because of this, the cave is known as Sad Cave.
Garigama Cave was the second cave visited on the tour. This cave was secluded, tucked away in the jungle. A small trail through the brush lead to a gigantic opening. I’ve been to many caves and this was one of the largest and most impressive cave opening I’ve seen. It’s hard to describe, but when nearing the cave entrance, looking up it was like we were already in a huge outside cavern. There were stalactites hanging from the ceiling and jungle all around us. The pictures below are a better depiction of what I am trying to say.
There isn’t as much information on this cave as Shimuku Gama Cave. All we know is that this cave was also used by locals to hide during the Battle of Okinawa. There is evidence of a long history in this cave from broken pieces of pottery to human bones. Below are a few photos I took of broken pottery found throughout the cave.
Exploring the Caves Today
Anyone can freely walk to and explore both Shimuku Gama Cave and Garigama Cave. These are natural caves open to the public. Again, I realize that a Tunnel Rat tour is not available to everyone. If you do decide to visit the caves, I recommend reading this post or do research prior to visiting just to learn some of the background about the caves.
Exploring these caves is not an easy task and I don’t recommend it for young children, people who are out of shape, and for people who are claustrophobic. These caves are not maintained. There are no lights inside nor are there boardwalks or suggested paths. It is up to you to decide how far in you want to go and how much you want to explore.
We explored both caves pretty extensively, at least as far as the caves went without us getting stuck and lost somewhere. Shimuku Gama Cave had multiple chambers to explore. One portion was a bit sketchy as you have crawl your way to the last chamber and kind of slide on your butt.
Garigama Cave was a little bit easier to explore as there was one massive cavern. You could make this as easy or as hard as you’d like. The entrance to the cave was the only portion that was a bit scary as we had to shimmy down a few boulders. Once that was out the way the massive cavern was ours to explore. I lead a group to the end of the cave. I went down a steep wall and ended up in a cavern full of water. We easily spent an hour exploring this cave. This cave was so large, I was in awe the whole time, I’ve never seen anything like it.
Cave Information and Coordinates
Both caves are open 24/7
These are natural caves and open to the public. Visitors are free to enter and explore the caves at their own risks. That being said, below are the coordinates to the cave entrances.
Shimuku Gama Cave – 26.4026787, 127.7317323
Garigama Cave – 26.1372132, 127.7438258
Checklist, What to Bring on a Tunnel Rat Tour in Okinawa
Treat a Tunnel Rat Tour or Cave Exploration as if you are going on a hike.
- Proper Footwear
- Long Pants
- Gloves
- Bug Spray
- Sun Block
- A Hat (As a thin protective layer between rocks and your head)
- Flashlight
- Water
**This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one of the links throughout the page, whether it be TripAdvisor, Booking.com. Agoda.com, or any other affiliate, I might receive commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, you can visit my affiliate link page here. Thanks for the support!
Enjoying my photos and want to see more? Check out my Picfair Store.
You May Also Like
Visiting Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium: From Coral Reefs to Whale Sharks
8 Reasons why we Decided to Stay in Sanur, Bali
