International Cemetery, Naha

Tomari International Cemetery is a small but historically poignant burial ground. Established in the Ryūkyū Kingdom era, it contains graves of foreign travelers dating back to the early 18th century. The earliest marked burial is a Chinese castaway from 1718, offering a window into Okinawa’s maritime encounters long before modern tourism.

Originally home to just 22 foreigners-including Chinese sailors, members of Commodore Perry’s crew, Englishmen, a French Catholic priest, and others-the cemetery later expanded. Commodore Matthew Perry stopped at Tomari Port in 1853 and used the site as a holding place for those who died during his voyages. A monument installed in 1964 commemorates his role in opening diplomatic ties between Okinawa and the United States.

Heavily damaged during the 1945 Battle of Okinawa, the cemetery was neglected until its restoration in the 1950s by the United States Civil Administration of the Ryūkyūs and the City of Naha. It now contains around 300 graves, many of which belong to United States service members, civilians, and infants who lived on the island during the post-war American presence.