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| Entrance to Mayaa Gama |
We heard of a cave in the nearby area, tucked away from view. An Okinawan had led us to it. The name of this cave is called Mayaa Gama. The term Mayaa means cat in the Okinawan language. It is one of several 'Mayaa' caves that are in Okinawa Prefecture. The gentleman said it was called the cat cave cause the mouth of the cave looked like that of a cat's. The gentlemen did not know if anyone had died here during the war, but he did say people did use this place for refuge during the battle. Finding anything about this cave proved to be difficult even with local authorities, who were not really knowledgeable with the cave's history.
The cave's location cannot be disclosed in the meantime and I would highly recommend against geocaching this location for those who may happen to find it. One of the reasons is I am not sure how sensitive the cave is. If people did die here then it needs to be treated with some sensitivity, and visitors need to be forewarned.The second reason is that I believe authorities are still researching the cave. There were signs of that during a visit, though I did not see anyone inside. The third reason is to protect the bats who use this a place as their home. Though the ceiling can be high in some areas there are a lot of low lying areas. When the bats are in their deep sleep then can easily be within reach. The bats are not the fruit bats that are commonly known in Okinawa. These are a lot smaller. I don't have the scientific name just yet. To read more Map It! Okinawa's cave policy please visit http://www.mapitokinawa.com/p/map-it-okinawas-cave-policy.html
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