is a theme park in

Miyakojima, Okinawa is a Cities of Japan, city in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, located on the Miyako Islands. As of 2012, it had a population of 54,908. The current mayor is Kazuyuki Zakimi, who took office on January 25, 2021. History The modern city of Miyakoji ...

. It is located in Ueno district.

History

In 1873, the German

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

''R. J. Robertson'' was shipwrecked off the coast of

Miyako Island is the largest and the most populous island among the Miyako Islands of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Miyako Island is administered as part of the City of Miyakojima, which includes not only Miyako Island, but also five other populated islands ...

near what is now the German Culture Village in Ueno.Kerr, George. ''Okinawa: History of an Island People''. Tokyo, Charles E. Tuttle Company, 1958. Page 410. The crew were saved and cared for by the local islanders. As a gift for the islanders' kindness, and as an excuse for German warships to enter Ryukyuan waters,

Kaiser Wilhelm I William I or Wilhelm I (german: Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig; 22 March 1797 – 9 March 1888) was King of Prussia from 2 January 1861 and German Emperor from 18 January 1871 until his death in 1888. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he was the f ...

erected a monument in Hirara City in 1876, known locally as the

German Emperor's Tributary Monument The , also known as the Friendship, Philanthropy, Humanity, or Hakuai Monument, is a stele in the Harimizu area of Miyakojima, Okinawa. History In 1873, the German schooner ''R. J. Robertson'' was wrecked off the coast of Ueno, Okinawa, Ueno Vil ...

or the Friendship Monument. After

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

annexed the

Ryukyu Kingdom The Ryukyu Kingdom, Middle Chinese: , , Classical Chinese: (), Historical English names: ''Lew Chew'', ''Lewchew'', ''Luchu'', and ''Loochoo'', Historical French name: ''Liou-tchou'', Historical Dutch name: ''Lioe-kioe'' was a kingdom in the ...

, Japan used this event as evidence of a history of friendship between Japan and Germany, and erected a second monument near the site of the wreck in 1936 that read "Site where German merchant marine ship ran into distress" (獨逸商船遭難之地, Doitsu shōsen sōnan no ji). Construction of Ueno German Culture Village commenced in 1987 at the site of the Japanese monument. The park partially opened in 1993 and a grand opening ceremony was held in 1996. On 21 July 2000 Chancellor of Germany

Gerhard Schröder Gerhard Fritz Kurt "Gerd" Schröder (; born 7 April 1944) is a German lobbyist and former politician, who served as the chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. From 1999 to 2004, he was also the Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany ...

visited the park prior to attending the 26th G8 Summit in Okinawa.Japan Times, ''Schroeder to visit Miyako isle before G8''. 11 July 2000. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2000/07/11/national/schroeder-to-visit-miyako-isle-before-g8/#.XjAPmiSRWEc

Attractions

The park is centered on a replica of Marksburg Castle, which contains a museum. A notable exhibit at the museum is a section of the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...

. There is also a restaurant, a hotel, and a glass-bottom boat ride.

References

{{coord, 24.7193, N, 125.3226, E, source:wikidata, display=title Miyakojima, Okinawa