Ueno German Culture Village

In 1873, the German schooner R. J. Robertson was shipwrecked off the coast of Miyako Island near what is now the German Culture Village in Ueno.[1] 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 erected a monument in Hirara City in 1876, known locally as the German Emperor's Tributary Monument or the Friendship Monument.[1] After Japan annexed the Ryukyu Kingdom, 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).[1]

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.[2] On 21 July 2000 Chancellor of Germany Gerhard Schröder visited the park prior to attending the 26th G8 Summit in Okinawa.[3]

Section of the Berlin Wall in the "Museum of Philanthropy"

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