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18-610: The city borders Chatan to the west, Okinawa City to the north, Urasoe to the south and Nishihara to the east. Ginowan was heavily damaged during World War II. After the war, half of the area of the city was allocated for use by the United States military. A refugee camp was built in the Nodake area of Ginowan. The population of the refugee camp increased exponentially, and the area was renamed Nodake City. The American occupation forces abolished Nodake City in 1946, and renamed

36-783: A 25-story hotel named "The Beach Tower" and several beaches. Sunabe is famous for a large sea wall which attracts many SCUBA divers and surfers. The Chunichi Dragons of Nippon Professional Baseball have their spring training camp in Chatan. The Town of Chatan maintains four elementary schools: Chatan  [ ja ] (北谷町立北谷小学校), Chatan Number Two  [ ja ] (北谷町立北谷第二小学校), Kitatama (北谷町立北玉小学校), and Hamagawa (北谷町立浜川小学校); each elementary school has an associated nursery school. The town also maintains two junior high schools: Chatan Junior High School (北谷町立北谷中学校) and Kuwae Junior High School  [ ja ] (北谷町立桑江中学校). Chatan Senior High School  [ ja ] (沖縄県立北谷高等学校),

54-604: A prefectural senior high school of the Okinawa Prefectural Board of Education , is located directly north of the town hall. Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools: Chatan is crossed from north to south by Japan National Route 58 , which runs parallel to the coastal area of the town. Delta Air Lines has a city ticket office in the Towa Building #1 (東和第一ビル Tōwa Daiichi Biru ) in Chatan. Northwest Airlines previously operated

72-461: Is a large flea market that is scattered over an area of several blocks, though much of the land it is on is constantly relocated or bought for expansion of businesses. With the expansion of shopping/recreational businesses in the Mihama area, Chatan has become one of the most popular destinations for recreation. It is home to a small convention center, several shopping plazas, arcades, karaoke parlors,

90-835: Is also home to the Okinawa Prefectural Ginowan Marina, the Ginowan Municipal Museum, and the Sakima Art Museum. In the recent decades, several turtleback tombs in Ginowan City were studied academically and some were designated cultural assets of Ginowan City, such as the Motobu Udun Tomb in Ganeko, Ginowan. The Motobu Udun Tomb is considered valuable for research on the relationship between the royal family and

108-424: Is run by a city assembly of 28 elected members. Ginowan is crossed by Japan National Route 58 , which stretches across segments of Kyūshū , Tanegashima , Amami Ōshima , and Okinawa , and Japan National Route 330 , which connects the city of Okinawa and the prefectural capital of Naha . Both highways are routed around the U.S. military bases. The Okinawa Expressway , which connects Nago to Naha, runs along

126-583: The Ginowan District of the time, the construction of ancient turtleback tombs, and their transformations. On February 25, 2021, the Motobu Udun Tomb was designated a cultural property historical site by Ginowan City in recognition of its high value as a material that unravels the relationship between Ginowan District and royal descendants at that time. Ginowan was home to the former Okinawa International University Junior College . Ginowan

144-477: The Hamby Post Office is one of the first Japanese Postal offices to have an English name. Parts of Camp Foster and Camp Lester are in Chatan. The American Kadena Air Base is located on and forms the northern boundary of Chatan which is further demarcated by Route 23 - also known locally as Kokutai Road. The U.S. air base also encompasses much land which was once part of Chatan's area including most of

162-569: The Marine Corps' Camp Foster . Ginowan was elevated to city status on July 1, 1962. Ginowan is located in the south of Okinawa , and sits on the western coast of the island along the East China Sea . The city sits on gently-sloping coastal terrace composed of Ryukyuan limestone . 38% of the city is occupied by military bases used by the United States. The city includes seventeen wards. Clockwise, starting north, Ginowan borders on

180-572: The United States military. The city is home to taro , specifically the taimo (田芋) used in Okinawa cuisine. While the taimo remains the chief product of Ginowan, agriculture greatly declined in the city in the postwar period. Like other municipalities on Okinawa Island, the city produces cut flowers for sale on the home islands of Japan. The Okinawa Convention Center was constructed in Ginowan, and has hosted numerous international conferences. The city

198-608: The area Ginowan Village. Subsequently, the occupation authorities confiscated the main areas of Ginowan to build military bases. The area became a base town with military bases centered in Nodaka and Futenma. Around 33% of Ginowan has been leased by the Japanese Ministry of Defense for use as a US military base under the Japanese and American mutual defense agreement. and hosts Marine Corps Air Station Futenma and part of

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216-500: The base". Ginowan city government called the Japanese defense ministry to investigate for "possible environmental impacts". The Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said: "We will take appropriate measures in cooperation with the United States and the city of Ginowan" as they plan environmental studies on soil in the week of March 18, 2014. The United States rarely allow environmental inspections on U.S. bases not planned for return to Japan. Ginowan has been economically dependent on

234-498: The eastern border of the Ginowan. Chatan, Okinawa Chatan ( 北谷町 , Chatan-chō , Okinawan : Chatan , Northern Ryukyuan : きたたん Kitatan ) is a town located in Nakagami District , Okinawa Prefecture , Japan . As of October 2016 the town had an estimated population of 28,578 and the density of 2,100 per km². The total area of Chatan is 13.62 square kilometres (5.26 sq mi). 53.5% of

252-612: The following municipalities in Okinawa Prefecture: Its tourist attractions include two castle ruins. Japanese officials found dozens of abandoned metal drums in October 2013 when they entered the base with US permission to look for buried cultural property, The officials did not report this to the Ginowan city's mayor until March 2014. "No unusual odor or color change in soil" was detected and no health problems have been actively "reported by residents living around

270-544: The land area of the town is covered by United States military bases . "Chatan" is an Okinawan name. In Japanese, the Han character for the city's name are normally read as Kitatani ( 北谷 ) . Also unfamiliar in Japanese is that the "-tan" syllable of "Chatan" is emphasized in Okinawan, although many non-Okinawans place emphasis on "cha-" instead. Chatan is located in the central part of Okinawa Island . The town sits on

288-462: The ward once named Shimoseido. The town includes sixteen wards. Kitamae, Mihama, and Sunabe enjoy great popularity among locals and tourists alike - for their many recreational and shopping destinations. Kamiseido, Ihei, and Kuwae are primarily local business and residential wards. Much of the Hamby area is home to the "Hamby Free Zone". Though the name is misleading due to romanization errors , it

306-622: The western coast of the island on the East China Sea . The east of Chatan is hilly and made up of Okinawan limestone. The hills of the eastern part of the town give way to low-lying land towards the coast. Two rivers run through Chatan west into the East China Sea: the Shiruhi River to the north, and the Futenma River at the south. Chatan, prior to World War II, was a noted area of rice production in Okinawa. The area

324-505: Was known as Chatan taa-bukkwa, a term in the Okinawa language for a "large area of rice paddies". Much of the land formerly used for rice cultivation is now utilized by military bases. Chatan primarily runs along Route 58 and a largely man-made coastline which includes the area of what used to be the U.S. Marine Corps base of Camp Hamby (now Camp Foster ). The northern half of Kitamae is nicknamed "Hamby Town" in recognition of this, and

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