Could have a chance if you know your mothers name. Especially with her family name, can narrow it down a bit with it. Family names in Okinawa can be narrowed to the city/side/part of Okinawa.
Looks a lot like a staircase outside of the restaurant Capful in Okinawa.
Even if you find the stairs then what? Could also be a vacation picture from Singapore for all you know. This picture looks like it’s from the 70s. Not only might it look totally different now. Okinawa is also not that huge. Even if your uncle stayed, he would be in his 60s or 70s by now, assuming he is alive.
I would start with your mom’s birth papers, see if the registry in Okinawa has any other family members on it. Try to track them down with that. Jorji also doesn’t sound like a common Japanese name, so that might make it easier to find. Old registers would often also put down things like occupations, which might help narrow down your search as well.
What’s your end goal?
Oh, I love a challenge like this. So, assuming that this picture was taken in Okinawa, the trees in the back look to be Okinawa Pine. Although ubiquitous to Okinawa, more commonly seen around castles like Shuri.
The fact that your uncle is dressed up suggests this may be a special occasion, most likely a seijinshiki (coming of age day), which further suggests this was taken near a castle or some other heritage site.
It’s also interesting the stone monument in the back looks to be white and not as weathered as the stairs. Later, once we can boil down to a few stairs in Okinawa parks that’ll come in handy.
With a bit more time I feel like I can pinpoint exactly where this is. I’ll be back when I have more time.
However, it probably won’t help you find your uncle unless he’s still standing there, lol
There are easier ways to do this. Use 23 and me and the other services and do some detective work.
The stone behind him on the right looks like a temple or shrine stone.
It shouldn’t be hard if you know your Mom’s Japanese Last name.. Using your mom’s first and your uncle’s first name, will help you find some cousins ( your uncle’s son/ daughter) that are still alive.
I think you can do a reverse search image in google. Good luck
Hit up rainbolt and he’ll find the exact spot in 0.1 seconds blindfolded.
Get a copy of your family tree in japan.
Hey OP, lots of Okinawan diaspora are on instagram, you might have luck connecting with someone with the same family name there
Just did a lazy search for the popularity of the 池原 surname in Okinawa
​
【沖縄県順位(Okinawa ranking)】 53rd 【沖縄県人数 (Okinawa population)】 about 4,800 people
someone correct me if im wrong, but the text on the shrine/marker reads “ス木” as much as i can make it out. maybe that might help with the location
Can’t help with the location, but man, “Jorji” is such a perfect name for this dude. Real Greek playboy vibes.
Do you know the name of your mother’s father or mother(name of your grandparents) ? In Japan those days, there were a telephone book which lists all people contract with NTT, NTT was the only company running telephone service In those days. I am a Japanese living In Japan, so I might help this.
You may want to post in Okinawa USMC threads.
I have no idea just wanted to say that Jorji-san looks rad af.
You should post pics for us when you finally find them.
Good luck!
i have the inpression that tiktok have accomplished more reunions than reddit . good luck!
Try this , gather all the paperwork your mom has doesnt matter if this was the time before or after the handing back of Okinawa to Japan. Then contact the Okinawa Prefecture Government Office and heres the link https://maps.app.goo.gl/2s9hzNJVS8TMxcb17?g_st=ic and I think this would be the steps https://groups.oist.jp/resource-center/family-register-戸籍謄本-okinawa-city Searching 戸籍謄本 沖縄県 on google gave results for several cities in Okinawa so your best bet is to first contact the prefectural office first with all of the documents you have and go from there. If you dont know Japanese I suggest using DeepL as a translator and let them know in the email first of that you are using a web translator. Hopefully with birthday or whatever previous address or something, hopefully they find it. Wish you the best of luck
Daaaaang.
Jorji lookin’ like a star!
might want to post to geoguesser comunity
Honestly that kinda looks like a staircase I walked passed and sat on in Naha. All I can remember is it was a relatively residential part of town, on a downward slope, walking towards Naminoue beach and not far from it there was some sort of old house and/or small temple.
​
edit : nevermind I thought I found it but the stairs are too short:
Yo send it to the geoguesser pro guy on yt that can figure out which flight you are you, where you exactly and how long you were into the flight nust base on 1 picture out the window of an airplaib mid flight. He’s crazy.
Most likely a park in Naha area somewhere. Assuming that’s a tall building behind him in the skyline, there’s frankly not that many really tall buildings outside of Naha in Okinawa. Now probably just have to find several parks in Naha where there’s actually stairways and try and match the skyline and maybe the trees. That said it’s been many years so it may have changed significantly at this point.
r/OldSchoolCool
Don’t know where it is but I like his style.
This is a job for geoguessr, Rainbolt. He does this for people all the time. But if not rainbolt, probs a geoguessr subreddit somewhere
This could be peace prayer park in okinawa
Dm the guy called “rainbolt” on Twitter. Amazing geoguesser
My name is giovanni jorji
There are a couple of fb Okinawa groups. Someone will definitely be able to ID.
Ngl if they didn’t reach back out to you, it’s probably on purpose. Especially during the period in which your mom got married to your dad… they probably saw that as a disgrace to your family
Full disclosure: my partner and I only visited Oki one time while we lived in Japan. Having said that, it reminds me a lot of one of the lesser traveled paths at Nakijin Castle leading up to the top.
That’s not SUPER helpful, but that’s what immediately comes to mind. I hope this helps.
Trevor Rainbolt can help you Message him on iG
Onoyama Park in Naha would be my guess. There is a pool now down to the left. I have walked there many times. There is also a Shine just over the hill.
37 comments
Could have a chance if you know your mothers name. Especially with her family name, can narrow it down a bit with it. Family names in Okinawa can be narrowed to the city/side/part of Okinawa.
Looks a lot like a staircase outside of the restaurant Capful in Okinawa.
Even if you find the stairs then what? Could also be a vacation picture from Singapore for all you know. This picture looks like it’s from the 70s. Not only might it look totally different now. Okinawa is also not that huge. Even if your uncle stayed, he would be in his 60s or 70s by now, assuming he is alive.
I would start with your mom’s birth papers, see if the registry in Okinawa has any other family members on it. Try to track them down with that.
Jorji also doesn’t sound like a common Japanese name, so that might make it easier to find. Old registers would often also put down things like occupations, which might help narrow down your search as well.
What’s your end goal?
Oh, I love a challenge like this.
So, assuming that this picture was taken in Okinawa, the trees in the back look to be Okinawa Pine. Although ubiquitous to Okinawa, more commonly seen around castles like Shuri.
The fact that your uncle is dressed up suggests this may be a special occasion, most likely a seijinshiki (coming of age day), which further suggests this was taken near a castle or some other heritage site.
It’s also interesting the stone monument in the back looks to be white and not as weathered as the stairs. Later, once we can boil down to a few stairs in Okinawa parks that’ll come in handy.
With a bit more time I feel like I can pinpoint exactly where this is. I’ll be back when I have more time.
However, it probably won’t help you find your uncle unless he’s still standing there, lol
There are easier ways to do this. Use 23 and me and the other services and do some detective work.
The stone behind him on the right looks like a temple or shrine stone.
It shouldn’t be hard if you know your Mom’s Japanese Last name.. Using your mom’s first and your uncle’s first name, will help you find some cousins ( your uncle’s son/ daughter) that are still alive.
I think you can do a reverse search image in google. Good luck
Hit up rainbolt and he’ll find the exact spot in 0.1 seconds blindfolded.
Get a copy of your family tree in japan.
Hey OP, lots of Okinawan diaspora are on instagram, you might have luck connecting with someone with the same family name there
Just did a lazy search for the popularity of the 池原 surname in Okinawa
​
【沖縄県順位(Okinawa ranking)】 53rd
【沖縄県人数 (Okinawa population)】 about 4,800 people
​
https://myoji-yurai.net/myojiPrefectureDetail.htm?myojiKanji=%E6%B1%A0%E5%8E%9F&prefecture=%E6%B2%96%E7%B8%84%E7%9C%8C
someone correct me if im wrong, but the text on the shrine/marker reads “ス木” as much as i can make it out. maybe that might help with the location
Can’t help with the location, but man, “Jorji” is such a perfect name for this dude. Real Greek playboy vibes.
Do you know the name of your mother’s father or mother(name of your grandparents) ?
In Japan those days, there were a telephone book which lists all people contract with NTT, NTT was the only company running telephone service In those days. I am a Japanese living In Japan, so I might help this.
You may want to post in Okinawa USMC threads.
I have no idea just wanted to say that Jorji-san looks rad af.
You should post pics for us when you finally find them.
Good luck!
i have the inpression that tiktok have accomplished more reunions than reddit . good luck!
Try this , gather all the paperwork your mom has doesnt matter if this was the time before or after the handing back of Okinawa to Japan. Then contact the Okinawa Prefecture Government Office and heres the link https://maps.app.goo.gl/2s9hzNJVS8TMxcb17?g_st=ic and I think this would be the steps https://groups.oist.jp/resource-center/family-register-戸籍謄本-okinawa-city
Searching 戸籍謄本 沖縄県 on google gave results for several cities in Okinawa so your best bet is to first contact the prefectural office first with all of the documents you have and go from there. If you dont know Japanese I suggest using DeepL as a translator and let them know in the email first of that you are using a web translator. Hopefully with birthday or whatever previous address or something, hopefully they find it. Wish you the best of luck
Daaaaang.
Jorji lookin’ like a star!
might want to post to geoguesser comunity
Honestly that kinda looks like a staircase I walked passed and sat on in Naha. All I can remember is it was a relatively residential part of town, on a downward slope, walking towards Naminoue beach and not far from it there was some sort of old house and/or small temple.
​
edit : nevermind I thought I found it but the stairs are too short:
https://www.google.com/maps/@26.2183323,127.6757674,3a,75y,251.43h,87.47t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sMZ7b4aOXvfSFqWnLGgnWMA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu
I hope that you can find them one day.
Yo send it to the geoguesser pro guy on yt that can figure out which flight you are you, where you exactly and how long you were into the flight nust base on 1 picture out the window of an airplaib mid flight. He’s crazy.
Most likely a park in Naha area somewhere. Assuming that’s a tall building behind him in the skyline, there’s frankly not that many really tall buildings outside of Naha in Okinawa. Now probably just have to find several parks in Naha where there’s actually stairways and try and match the skyline and maybe the trees. That said it’s been many years so it may have changed significantly at this point.
r/OldSchoolCool
Don’t know where it is but I like his style.
This is a job for geoguessr, Rainbolt. He does this for people all the time. But if not rainbolt, probs a geoguessr subreddit somewhere
This could be peace prayer park in okinawa
Dm the guy called “rainbolt” on Twitter. Amazing geoguesser
My name is giovanni jorji
There are a couple of fb Okinawa groups. Someone will definitely be able to ID.
Ngl if they didn’t reach back out to you, it’s probably on purpose. Especially during the period in which your mom got married to your dad… they probably saw that as a disgrace to your family
Full disclosure: my partner and I only visited Oki one time while we lived in Japan. Having said that, it reminds me a lot of one of the lesser traveled paths at Nakijin Castle leading up to the top.
That’s not SUPER helpful, but that’s what immediately comes to mind. I hope this helps.
Trevor Rainbolt can help you Message him on iG
Onoyama Park in Naha would be my guess. There is a pool now down to the left. I have walked there many times. There is also a Shine just over the hill.