Haisai! Okinawa | ハイサイ！沖縄

Break the Islands

Okinawa is Japan's southernmost prefecture located on the Ryukyu Island which stretches lower from Kyushu and Japan mainland to Taiwan. The central and largest city is Naha and with approximately a hundred small islands surrounded by the sea. With its location on the map and distinct Okinawan culture that is very far from common Japanese culture, one can say that Okinawa doesn’t seem like a part of Japan at all even nowadays.

Surrounded by endless ocean, Okinawa is well-known for the paradise of its stunning sea, coral reefs, and marine life and is the top destination for snorkeling or scuba diving. Okinawa’s climate is subtropical; mainly sunny as the temperature rarely falls below 15°C in winter. This contributes to plants and crops that can grow there, tropical fruits

Photo by Julie Fader via Unsplash

Photo taken from airseatvl.com

In the past, Okinawa is called the Ryukyu Kingdom, which was an independent state ruled by China for many centuries before it was invaded by the Satsuma Domain (now Kagoshima Prefecture) in 1609. After that, it became a tributary state to Japan until 1879, when it was made a prefecture of Japan. During World War II, Okinawa was one of America’s targets and it remained under the US until 1972. As the Americans built military bases and villages, some even continued to stay in Okinawa after the war, this influenced many cultural aspects. For example, there’s an American Village which is one of the popular tourist spots.

Eisa Dance

Photo taken from joinfull.com

Photo by Kinsey via Unsplash

Where to Visit

Top 5 Spots You Don’t Want to Miss in Okinawa

Awarded as the best aquarium in Japan, Churaumi aquarium was also the largest aquarium in the world. The highlight is the enormous Kuroshio tank which is one of the largest tanks in the world. You can see the protagonists of Churaumi, whale sharks along with manta rays and other Okinawa’s marine life.

With four floors of the main building and, you will be immersed in the underwater world, with many species of fish, deep-sea creatures, coral reefs, and a lot more that you will a day might not be enough for you to observe all. Feel the texture of living starfish and seashells with your hands and see the feeding shows.

Besides the main building, there’re other oceanic attractions with many interesting shows such as the dolphin show, sea turtle pool, and manatee pool that will amaze you with the wonder of sea life.

Before leaving, don’t forget to walk around the Ocean Expo Park where the aquarium is located. There’re nearby spots such as a tropical flower garden, a native Okinawan village and lastly, walk on the emerald beach and see the last light of Japan at the sunset square. It will be your most memorable day in Okinawa.

Churaumi Aquarium

Cave

玉泉洞

With a total length of 5 km, it’s the second-longest cave in Japan. Walk along the 850-meter trail in the cave that is naturally carved for over 300,00 years. It will be a spectacular view you haven’t seen in life. The cave is a part of Okinawa World, a tourist theme park with an Okinawan theme. Other attractions include Traditional Ryukyu Village and Habu Snake Park.

万座毛

Another nature-built beauty by the ocean. Cape Manza is the coral cliffs in elephant-trunk shape. The path will lead you to stunning scenery with crashing waves and wind sound that will touch your soul. During dust when the sun meets the horizon in the background, it’s will be an image that you can’t forget.

Photo by Essica Bidwell via Stars and Stripes

Photo by FoxyStranger Kawasaki via Panoramio

Photo taken from kkday.com

古宇 利島 kouri island

A small island with a radius of only 1 km, but with a breathtaking view surrounded by an endless ocean. 2-kilometer Kouri Bridge connects it to mainland Okinawa. After entering the bridge, you will be surprisingly welcomed by the vast ocean on both sides of the window. Two main spots on the island are Kouri Ocean Tower with the observatory that allows you to see the 360° aqua ocean. It’s also the shell museum that displays more than 10,000 shells around the world. And the Heart Rock, the twin heart-shaped rocks which is the popular spot for couples.

Photo by dip / BUD International via tori-dori.com

Photo by Skaterlunatic via Unsplash

HIDDEN GEMS AMONG ISLANDS

True Beauty Of Okinawa Lies Offshore

You can’t talk about Okinawa without mentioning how gorgeous the ocean is, and of course beautiful underwater scenery. There’re many nice snorkeling or diving spots by the mainland coastline such as Cape Maeda and Oda Kaigan. However, the true beauty lies offshore; that means a hundred small islands that are waiting to be discovered. If you have time, it’s worth traveling offshore to explore faraway islands. Recommended spots are Ishigaki Island, Irimote Island, Hateruma Island, Kerama Island, Kuma Island, and Miyako Island. You won’t regret it.

TASTE OF OKINAWA

Okinawan cuisine has its signature that is deliciously different from Japanese cuisine.

いっぺー まーさい びーん！! VERY TASTY

Okinawa Soba

沖縄そば

The appearance looks like normal Japanese soba, but the noodle is made from wheat flour, topped with threelayered pork or boneless pork.

Champuru

Or goya champuru, stir-fried dish of Okinawa’s local specialty bitter melon, vegetables, egg and tofu. There’re varieties of ingredients. It’s often served with rice.

Rafute

チャンプルー ラフテー

Okinawans love pork belly. Rafute is braised pork belly simmered in awamori (Okinawa rice alcohol). The perfect beer snacks for meat lovers!

Photo taken from savorjapan.com

Photo taken from savorjapan.com

Photo by Sze Rong Tham via sethlui.com

RYUKYU CULTURE

Ryukyuan has established trade relations with China, Taiwan, and Korea over the centuries. This results in the exchange of knowledge and skills that later blended with traditional culture. One example is Shuri Castle, the residence of Ryukyu kings for centuries. The castle design resembles Chinese architecture. There’s also the exhibition of history and artifacts during the trade. It’s the heart and the representation of Ryukyu syncretic art and culture.

In terms of language, there were Okinawan languages spoken by southern-half people and Kunigami languages spoken by northern-half people. Now most Okinawa people speak Okinawan Japanese, the language that is influenced by previous Okinawan and Kunigami languages. Some words and accents are from the ancient language. There’re also loanwords from American English as a result of the US administration.

In Okinawa, you’ll see a pair of a lion-like animal. They’re called Shisa. One is female believed to keep good spirits in, and the other male believed to scare evil spirits away. It is believed that Shisa was imported from China.

琉球 の文化

Nowadays, they’ve become the unique mascot of Okinawa and come in many types of souvenirs. They’re everywhere. When you go to Okinawa, why not play a game of let’s compete who counts the most

© Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau

Photo taken from cometojapankuru.blogspot.com

OKINAWA IN DEPTH

純

My name is Jun Toyama, I’m from Okinawa and I’ve lived in Thailand for almost 20 years. I’m currently teaching Japanese at MUIC.

In your opinion, what is the uniqueness or signature of Okinawa?

Okinawa is the southern island which is isolated from mainland Japan so we have different scenery, language. The climate is semi-tropical so plants and animals are different as well. For example, the sakura in Okinawa is another kind that blooms in early February, before those in mainland Japan. In addition, the rainy season in Okinawa comes a month earlier, long summer and many typhoons. Okinawa people have had a relaxed life since the past generations; we’re not really serious about time compared to people in Tokyo, we called it ‘Okinawan time’. The buses in Okinawa hardly come on time. There’s only 1 line of a train in the city. Many people own cars so there’s a heavy traffic jam in the city.

with Mr. Jun Toyama

Compared to the past, how has Okinawa changed? Not much has changed, actually. Okinawa is famous for the mixture of cultures. In the past, there was a mixture of Chinese and Japanese cultures. After World War II, US military bases were built so there were many American people lived in Okinawa. There were shops and restaurants opened for American people, so there was a mixture of American and Japanese culture as well. As Japan’s economy gradually became stronger, that American-Japanese culture has diminished slowly. There’re more people and more buildings than in the past. The oceans and beaches are not as beautiful as it was before. The population of Okinawa people is also growing. We can say that it’s changing, but not a lot. Moreover, unique Okinawan culture is also diminishing because we speak more standard Japanese, so the number of Okinawan language native speakers is decreasing. Interestingly, the closeness between standard Japanese and Okinawan dialect is father than Spanish and Italian.

Is there any similarity between Okinawa and Thailand?

Yes, especially the time sensibility is similar. People are relaxed as they put more emphasis on enjoying life rather than being rich or successful in business. We have the same semi-tropical climate, so we have some fruits that are similar to Thailand. We have beautiful beaches like the southern part of Thailand.

Where in Okinawa would you want to visit? And where is your favorite place?

I haven’t been to small islands actually, such as Ishigaki Island, Miyako Island, or even Yonaguni Island which is the westernmost island in Japan. I want to visit there someday. For the favorite place, there’s an old ruin of a castle in the past which is close to my house. It’s Katsuren Castle Ruins. On top of the ruins, you can see a spectacular view and nice wind which I like. Also, nearby, ther’re small islands

that are connected by bridges. One is called Ikei Island. Those islands have hidden small beaches. It’s nice to drive there. Every time that I go back to Japan, I always visit those places.

Any interesting stories related to Okinawa that you want to share?

Okinawa used to be a small kingdom that has a relationship with China and Japan which we tried to keep as a peaceful relationship. Furthermore, we also had business with Ayutthaya. Since it was difficult to travel back and forth between Ayutthaya and Okinawa, I think some Okinawa people decided to stay in Thailand. Similarly, Thai people might have come to Okinawa. It influenced me to assume like this because I saw some familiar faces when I teach in T hailand, some students’ faces look like my childhood friend. So, I’m sure there must be Thai-Okinawan families. I think this diversity tells us about the relationship a very long time ago. And that might be why I feel like there’s a connection between Thailand and me.

We’re not really serious about time like Tokyo people. We call it ‘Okinawan time’. The buses here hardly come on time which is not normal in Japanese punctuality. 」

© apittography

© apittography

References:

20 top things to do in Okinawa: Okinawa bucket list 2021. (2020, December 18). Japan Web Magazine. Retrieved February 13, 2021, from https://jw-webmagazine.com/20-top-things-to-do-in-okinawa-okinawa-bucket-list-85d5e926fbd1/

Castle of the Ryukyu kingdom. (n.d.). Japan-guide.com. Retrieved February 13, 2021, from https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7125.html

Churaumi aquarium. (n.d.). Japan-guide.com.

Retrieved February 13, 2021, from https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7109.html

Find your favorite spot in a variety of seas in Okinawa!. (n.d.). Visit Okinawa Japan. Retrieved February 13, 2021, from https://www.visitokinawa.jp/about-okinawa/diving-spots

Kanpai. (2021, January 20). Shisa: The guadian lions of Okinawa. Kanpai!. https://www.kanpai-japan.com/lifestyle/shisa-okinawa

Manzamo. (n.d.). Okinawa Travel Info. Retrieved February 13, 2021, from http://okinawatravelinfo.com/feature/201503manzamo/

Welcome to Okinawa Churaumi aquarium. (n.d.). Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium. Retrieved February 13, 2021, from https://churaumi.okinawa/en/haisai/

Okinawa Prefecture. (n.d.). Japan-guide.com.

Retrieved February 13, 2021, from https://www.japan-guide.com/list/e1247.html

Okinawa world. (n.d.). Japan-guide.com.

Retrieved February 13, 2021, from https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7106.html

Savor Japan. (2020, June 4). Taste the Tropics! Okinawa's Specialty Dishes. https://savorjapan.com/contents/discover-oishii-japan/taste-the-tropics-okinawa-s-special ty-dishes/

Shuri castle. (n.d.). Japan-guide.com. Retrieved February 13, 2021, from https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7103.html

Tham, S. R. (2017, August 10). 11 Local Delicacies You Must Try When Visiting Okinawa, Japan. Sethlui.com. https://sethlui.com/okinawa-delicacies-japan/

Typefaces:

The text of this book was set on Arial, a sans-serif typeface designed by Robin Nicholas and Patricia Saunders in 1982 for monotype typography.

Brushed Traveler designed by Leonard Posavec, free for personal use downloaded from dafont.com

Travel designed by Md Shohail Bhuian, free for personal use downloaded from dafont.com

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Photos:

Cover & Content page © apittography

P.3 (Where to visit) photo taken from OkinawaTraveler.net (Churaumi aquarium) photo © apittography

P.6 photo taken from Tabirai.net

P.8 photo by Debra Tan via apple101.com.my

Ads designed by Kate Chan via https://www.pinterest.com/pin/695735842419065606/

Special Thanks: Mr. Jun Toyama