Kin, Okinawa
Encyclopedia
is a town
located in Kunigami District
, Okinawa
, Japan
.
As of 2008, the town has an estimated population of 11,037 and a density of 294 persons per km². The total area is 37.57 km².
Additionally, Kin is home to some of the finest awamori
, a Japanese spirit, of the main island of Okinawa. It is also home to Camp Hansen
; a U.S. Marine Corps
base that supports ground combat, communications, 31st MEU(SOC), 7th Communication Battalion, 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3d MEF Headquarters Group, 3 MEF
Special Operations Training Group Small Craft Raid Platoon and other battle elements.
Kin is home to the Dragon Brand of awamori, with a beautiful Buddhist shrine built in 1522, and a 270 meter natural cave known as Kin Shonyudo that doubles as both a place of worship and a cellar for aging bottles of the drink. Both locations are popular with the Japanese, but little-known to most Westerners, making their visit a must-do activity for any adventurer.
Historically, Kin is known as an entertainment location for the U.S. Marines stationed there. Although the town encompasses more than the location outside Camp Hansen, it is mostly known by Marines as a place to find a meal, a drink, or a "date." Women under contract (playfully called "buy-me drinkie girls" by the military personnel) inhabit most of the bars in Kin and, while legally fulfilling the role of "bar-hostesses" are also sometimes prostitutes.
Although there have been recent military backlashes in Okinawa, Kin is very welcoming to the military, as they receive income for such things as port use, tourism, prostitution and sex trade, and merchants. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Marines from U.S. 3d Marine Division were able to leave directly out of the ports in Kin via HSV Ferry to deploy to other areas in the Far East rather than flying.
Towns of Japan
A town is a local administrative unit in Japan. It is a local public body along with prefecture , city , and village...
located in Kunigami District
Kunigami District, Okinawa
is a district located in Okinawa, Japan. Roughly translated, kunigami means "head of the country", referring to its northern location on the island of Okinawa. Compare this to Shimajiri District, Okinawa....
, Okinawa
Okinawa Prefecture
is one of Japan's southern prefectures. It consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
As of 2008, the town has an estimated population of 11,037 and a density of 294 persons per km². The total area is 37.57 km².
Additionally, Kin is home to some of the finest awamori
Awamori
Awamori is an alcoholic beverage indigenous to and unique to Okinawa, Japan. It is made from rice, and is not a direct product of brewing but of distillation ....
, a Japanese spirit, of the main island of Okinawa. It is also home to Camp Hansen
Camp Hansen
Camp Hansen is a United States Marine Corps base located in Okinawa, Japan. The camp is situated in the town of Kin, near the northern shore of Kin Bay, and is the second-northernmost major installation on Okinawa, with Camp Schwab to the north...
; a U.S. Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
base that supports ground combat, communications, 31st MEU(SOC), 7th Communication Battalion, 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3d MEF Headquarters Group, 3 MEF
III Marine Expeditionary Force
The III Marine Expeditionary Force is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force of the United States Marine Corps that is forward-deployed and able to deploy rapidly and conduct operations across the spectrum from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to amphibious assault and high intensity combat. III...
Special Operations Training Group Small Craft Raid Platoon and other battle elements.
Kin is home to the Dragon Brand of awamori, with a beautiful Buddhist shrine built in 1522, and a 270 meter natural cave known as Kin Shonyudo that doubles as both a place of worship and a cellar for aging bottles of the drink. Both locations are popular with the Japanese, but little-known to most Westerners, making their visit a must-do activity for any adventurer.
Historically, Kin is known as an entertainment location for the U.S. Marines stationed there. Although the town encompasses more than the location outside Camp Hansen, it is mostly known by Marines as a place to find a meal, a drink, or a "date." Women under contract (playfully called "buy-me drinkie girls" by the military personnel) inhabit most of the bars in Kin and, while legally fulfilling the role of "bar-hostesses" are also sometimes prostitutes.
Although there have been recent military backlashes in Okinawa, Kin is very welcoming to the military, as they receive income for such things as port use, tourism, prostitution and sex trade, and merchants. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Marines from U.S. 3d Marine Division were able to leave directly out of the ports in Kin via HSV Ferry to deploy to other areas in the Far East rather than flying.
External links
- Kin Shinyo Monument - erected in remembrance of 22nd Shinyo Special Attack Squadron members who died in World War II.