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out for a dog statue on each of the islands. These are the statues of two dogs called
Shiro and Marilyn, and a tribute to a story of everlasting devotion.
Shiro would make this journey every day until Marilyn passed away – the pair had three
litters of puppies together despite the distance.
A love immortalised
This heartwarming story of devotion inspired a live action movie called ‘Marilyn Ni Aitai’
or ‘I want to see Marilyn’ in 1988, and in tribute to this steadfast love, the residents of
both islands raised funds to build statues of both dogs and erected them on their
respective islands, both facing towards the ocean and each other.
The Shiro statue can be found on Aka Island’s main beach Nishihama Beach, also
where Shiro started his swim from every day.
The Marilyn statue can be found Zamami Island about 10 minutes from the port in the
direction of the Ama campsite.
The Kerama Islands are 30-40km north of Okinawa’s largest island and capital city
Naha. Several high speed ferries take about 1 hour to go from Naha’s Tomari port to
Zamami and Aka Island every day.