Young Okinawans of Southern California

Resources

This page contains information and links to resources regarding Okinawa, its people, culture, and history.

Okinawa History and Culture

The prefecture of Okinawa is comprised of the Ryukyu Islands with the main island of Okinawa being the largest, most populated, and central point of the archipelago. The Ryukyu Kingdom was a sovereign nation and became incorporated into Japan in 1879. Following World War II, it was under occupation by U.S. forces and returned to Japan in 1972. Given that Okinawa was historically separate from Japan, there is a distinct difference in language and culture.

The Ryukyu Islands have a subtropical climate with gorgeous crystal blue waters and coral reefs. The islands are popular with scuba divers. The main agricultural products are sugar cane, pineapple, and Okinawa yams (purple sweet potatoes). The Okinawan diet is also known for its use of goya (bitter melon), pork, and spam (typical of regions that experienced American occupation). A dish currently popular in Okinawa is taco rice, where taco fillings are placed on a bed of rice instead of in a tortilla or taco shell.

For various reasons, there have been large waves of participants in Japanese government sponsored emigration from Okinawa to most notably Hawaii (since 1900), Brazil (since 1908), and Peru (since 1906). The largest concentrated population of Okinawans outside of Okinawa still remains to be in the aforementioned U.S. state and Latin American countries. Records indicate that the first Okinawan landed in North America in 1889.

Links of Interest

News

Japan Update - Okinawa News
Okinawa Times (English version of newspaper has not been updated)
Rafu Shimpo (America's oldest and longest running Asian-American daily newspaper)

Misc.

The Century of Emigration - 100 Years of Okinawan Emigration
Okinawan Peace Network of Los Angeles

Things Okinawa is known for

soba - Okinawa soba is distinct for its thick, yellow noodles and rich pork flavoring
longevity - these days Okinawans are known as the longest living people in the world
karate - empty handed martial arts honed by years of a ban on weapons in the Ryukyu Kingdom
sanshin - this musical instrument first came to Okinawa from China before it was introduced to Japan where modifications were made to its body and playing style and it become known as shamisen
awamori - an alcoholic beverage made from rice, often bottled with a habu snake (genus Trimeresurus) inside, a type of pit viper indigenous to the islands
shisa or shishi - the lion-dog that wards off evil often found at front gates and on rooftops; originally came from China
graves - yes, even the way Okinawans bury the ashes of the dead is different from mainland Japanese culture; Okinawa utilizes above ground "turtleback" family crypts

Okinawa and Okinawans in pop culture

Goya Man - widely popular character toy from the Japanese television show "Churasan"
Jake Shimabukuro - American virtuoso ukulele player of Okinawan descent
Dave Roberts - half-Okinawan outfielder with the San Francisco Giants (baseball)
"Kill Bill" - the character of swordmaker Hattori Hanzo resides in Okinawa and the main character of The Bride goes to Okinawa to find him in Vol. I
"The Karate Kid" (known in Japan as "The Best Kid") - for better or for worse, this may be the most famous image of Okinawa that non-Japanese have; the character of Mr. Miyagi the karate master is from Okinawa and Part II was set in but not filmed in Okinawa
Mongol 800 - known to their fans as "Monpachi", this Okinawan indie rock group is continually gaining popularity in Japan
Gackt - hugely successful rock singer in Japan since the 1990s who is (partly) from Okinawa
Namie Amuro - hugely successful pop singer in Japan since the 1990s who is from Okinawa
"Shima Uta" - this Okinawan folk song became a huge success when mainland Japanese rock ground The Boom released it as a single (singing mostly in Japanese and not Okinawan dialect), sparking an interest in Okinawan culture throughout Japan
Shoukichi Kina and Champloose - their 1970s hit "Haisai Ojisan" may be the most well-known Okinawan song in the world

Resources

Okinawa History and Culture

Links of Interest

Okinawa Kenjinkais

Okinawa Prefecture, History, and Culture

Okinawa Tourism

News

Misc.

Things Okinawa is known for

Okinawa and Okinawans in pop culture

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