Daniel LaRusso mentor, Keisuke Miyagi, receives a letter from an old friend on Okinawa, Japan; his father is dying. Daniel accompanies Miyagi on his return trip home. On the plane, Daniel is trying to find Tomi Village on the map.
Miyagi: Find Naha. Head south. Daniel: I keep running into the air base. Miyagi: Maybe Tomi Village will be there in the morning.
Later, when they are in a cab, trying to get to the village, they encounter a U.S. Air Force airman who tries to help him. He tells them theyre on Kadena Air Base. As you can see, Kadena Air Base is north of Naha, not south. You have to travel 18 kilometers to get to Naha from Kadena on the main north-south road, Highway 58. Its been remarked that Daniel was holding the map upside down. However, that doesnt explain the scene in the cab. And just for the record, there are no mountains that tall on Okinawa. Its actually the Koolau mountain range on the north side of Oahu, Hawaii that you see behind the airman and in all scenes in the village. Authors note: I was stationed with the U.S. Army on Okinawa from 1985 to 1989. I went to see this film in an Okinawan theater, with the local populace. It was in English, as the Japanese prefer subtitles to translation. As I was walking out, I noted that the locals were shaking their heads in bafflement, muttering Hollywood.
