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July 10, 2014 • mccsokinawa.com
okinawalivingweekly Chinen Castle Ruins
Tackling Life’s Challenges
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here are more than 200 castle ruins across Okinawa, five of them are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The castles were originally built on high ground, serving as military outposts or homes to the rich and powerful. Of all the castle ruins in the southern part of the island, Chinen Castle is the best preserved, yet not much is known about it. What is known about Chinen Castle is that it was the home of Lord Chinen and it was where wet rice cultivation was first brought to Okinawa. The rest is still buried among the layers of limestone and rock that make up the structure. The castle is currently being restored, but visi-
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tors are still allowed to come and enjoy the view of the towns, ocean and beaches below the ruins. It’s a chance to step back in time to see what Okinawa was like in the time when kings ruled different sections of the island. The castle divides the eastern and western halves of the island and there are two structures: an older one made from natural rock and a newer one made from brick. To find Chinen Castle start driving south on Highway 331—you will eventually start to see signs. From there, make your way up a steep and narrow winding road through a housing area to the castle grounds.
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ife can get hectic, especially when juggling the daily demands of military life. MCCS LifeSkills has a series of workshops designed to help you tackle these challenges. The series kicks off on July 16 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a Family Care Plan workshop that will discuss the importance of family care plans and why they should always be updated. On July 23 from 10 a.m. to noon, the series will cover Conflict Management where you’ll learn to empower yourself to make healthy choices by managing responses to conflict, both at home and in the workplace. The series will wrap up on July 29 from 1:30 to 4 p.m. with the Basic Stress Management workshop that will cover the skills needed to successfully navigate the stressors of a military lifestyle. All of these FREE workshops will be held at Marine Corps Family Team Building (building 5677) on Camp Foster. To register, visit mccsokinawa.com/mcftb.
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