I would like to tell you about Okinawa which is my hometown.

Do you know anything about Okinawa? Where is it? What is its history? What cultures does it have? It’s part of Japan, which is north area. It’s a very small island whose length is only 135 km. Okinawa is a group of approximately 160 islands. I lived on the main island.

Until 139 years ago, Okinawa was an independent country called “Ryukyu Kingdom”. The name was created by China and the Okinawan king was judged by China. However, we had our own language. In 1609, Okinawa was invaded by Japan. In 1945, the Second World War started. At the time, Okinawan people were threatened that if they spoke the Okinawan language, they would be killed by the enemy. So, everybody tried to speak Japanese. We don’t have an army in Okinawa but the Japanese government intended to force Okinawa to accept Japanese soldiers. Actually, they took food by force from the Okinawan who were dismissed from an air-raid shelter. In fact, they were killed by the Japanese. After WW2 for 35 years (1945-1970), Okinawa was part of the United States. Okinawa obeyed American law and used USA dollars as currency. However, the USA army brought lots of trouble such as kidnapping, murder, revealing military secrets and so on. After the return to Japan, Okinawa tried to develop new roads, buildings and parks. Nowadays, we are slowly getting over WW2 but we still have a US military base where accidents happen.

On the other hand, we have a beautiful culture including traditional food, dance and a characteristic atmosphere. Okinawa now has a relaxing vibe of a tropical island. People often say it looks like Hawaii. The Japanese are punctual but Okinawan people are laid-back so they are never on time. When we go out for dinner or go to a bar, nobody comes to the meeting point on time. Some might be one or two hours late.

If you walk in the countryside, you can see a water buffalo. This picture was taken in front of my place of work.

We are proud of clean sea which is popular among divers from all over the world.

When we have a celebration or an event, we eat traditional food that is made of pork. We eat all parts including the face, ears and feet, intestines and blood, all except hooves.

Basically, we don’t have a religion but we worship our ancestors. Our tombs are huge like houses. We hold a traditional event during which traditional Okinawan food, alcoholic drinks, a stick of incense and money are offered by relatives. After we pray to our ancestors, we can eat and drink with them in front of the tomb, which looks like a picnic.

Below are the pictures showing our traditional dance “Eisa” that is danced in the summer. When our ancestors come down from heaven, we congratulate them and perform for them. Each region has a different dance and costumes.

Our history is complicated and influenced by many countries but we have a unique and wonderful culture.

If my blog post interests you, I am more than happy to tell you more about Okinawa in my next article which would be about Okinawan people who immigrated to other countries.

Mina, Upper-Intermediate Class