A Brief History of Okinawa
Also: my weekend in Naha
Hi! I spent this past weekend doing lots of new things: strolling around Tsuboya (the pottery district in Naha), going to an izakaya and singing karaoke with my classmates, having omakase, going to the Okinawa Prefectural Museum and the 10,000 eisa dancers festival, and getting a tour of traditional Okinawan arts from Makiko!
I’m realizing that many of you may not know the history of Okinawa. This past week I have not only been learning a lot more, but I also think that my activities of the past week are best understood within a historical context, so I will start this newsletter with a brief history, and then dive into what I’ve been up to this past weekend. Once again, this is pretty long, so I’ve split it up into three parts :)
PART I: OKINAWA HISTORY
1314 - 1404: Sanzan Period
The island of Okinawa was ruled by three kingdoms: Hokuzan in the north, Chuzan in central Okinawa, and Nanzan in the south. All three traded with the Ming Dynasty in China, which sent an envoy and established relations with Chuzan in 1372. During this period, many Okinawan castles (gusukus) were constructed.
1404 - 1609: Ryukyu Kindgom’s Establishment & Golden Era of Trade
In 1404, King Sho Hashi of Chuzan unified the island into a single kingdom: the Ryukyu Kingdom.
The kingdom became center for trade between China, Japan, Korea, the Phillipines, Thailand, and other places in East and South East Asia. In 1429, the Ryukyu Kingdom officially entered the Imperial Chinese tributary system with the Ming Dynasty. During this time, Okinawa flourished and Okinawan culture became a unique blend influenced by Chinese, Japanese, and other Asian cultures.
1609 - 1879: Ryukyu Kingdom under “Dual Subordination”
In 1590, Japan asked the Ryukyu Kingdom to help them invade Korea. The Ryukyu Kingdom refused, since China supported Korea. In response, the Japanese Satusuma Domain invaded the Ryukyu Kingdom in 1609.
Although it became a vassal state of Japan, the Ryukyu Kingdom maintained legal and cultural independence, as Japan did not want to provoke military conflict with China. During this time, the Ryukyu Kingdom paid tribute to both the Ming Dynasty and the Satsuma Domain in Japan. The Ryukyuan people were not permitted to adopt Japanese clothing, names, or customs. Okinawans spoke Ryukyuan, which is different from Japanese, although both are in the Japonic linguistic family. Throughout this period, Japan was an insular warrior society, while Ryukyu was an open merchant society.
Furthermore, Japan was in its Edo Period during this time, a period of over 250 years of isolation from the rest of the world. However, the Satuma Domain’s relationship with the Ryukyu Kingdom allowed it to have a loophole to international trade, making the Ryukyu Kingdom Japan’s main avenue to the wider world.
1879 - 1945: First Okinawa Prefecture
Following the Meiji Restoration, Japan worried that they would lose influence over the kingdom to outside forces from the West. In 1879, Japan annexed the Ryukyu Kingdom and renamed it Okinawa Prefecture. Japan ordered Okinawa’s tributary relationship with China to end, and the Ryukyu King Sho Tai was exiled to Tokyo.
Following annexation, the Japanese government sought to promote the Okinawan people’s assimilation into Yamato Japanese society. They banned the use of the Ryukyuan language in schools and Okinawans were treated as second-class citizens, discriminated against for their culture and background.
1945: Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa was the bloodiest battle in the Pacific during WWII. During the 82-day battle, 50,000 allied soldiers and 100,000 Imperial Japanese soldiers were killed. The Okinawan people suffered the greatest losses: 150,000 Okinawan civilians were killed or ordered to commit suicide during the battle, which was more than 1/4 of the island’s population. 80% of the buildings on Okinawa were destroyed or severely damaged during the battle, and many Ryukyu cultural heritage sites and documents were lost.
1945 - 1972: United States Military Government of the Ryukyu Islands / United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands (USCAR)
For 27 years following the war, the United States governed Okinawa under the name United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands (USCAR). The United States constructed military bases and stationed U.S. soldiers on the island, using it as a key staging point for U.S. troops during the Vietnam War.
During this time, Okinawans absorbed aspects of U.S. culture, adding to the mix of cultural influences on the island.
1972 - Present: Okinawa Prefecture
In 1972, Okinawa reverted back to Japanese administration, once again becoming the Okinawa Prefecture. Today, the Okinawa Prefecture is home to 1.4 million people, with tourism accounting for more than 80% of its economy. Okinawa is also Japan’s poorest prefecture, with a poverty rate of 35%, twice the national average.
There are currently 32 active U.S. military bases and nearly 30,000 U.S. soldiers on the island. Okinawa represents 0.6% of Japan’s land mass yet hosts 70% of the American troops stationed in Japan.
Okinawa still maintains a distinct culture from mainland Japan, with a more laid back island vibe, pride in its Ryukyu heritage, and influences from around the world. Beautiful beaches, strong communities, kind people, and many cultural festivals have already made living here very enjoyable.
I hope you found that informative! I think it will be helpful to have that context, since much of what I have been learning about present-day Okinawa has to do with this history.
Also, if you’re interested, I recently watched this episode of Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown in Okinawa. Not only is it a helpful and informative overview of Okinawan food, culture, and history, but it also features my Aunt Niya’s friend Kenny, and my grandpa’s friend, former Governor Ota!
PART II: MY WEEKEND IN NAHA – Visiting Cultural Heritage Sites
On Friday, I decided to go to Tsuboya, the pottery district in Naha. It is one of the few neighborhoods in the city that was not razed during the war, and has a stone-paved street and many traditional Ryukyu cottages that are now storefronts. There are so many cute pottery stores here; I bought a mug and a bowl and stopped for buku-buku tea along the way. It was so cool to see all of the work of modern Okinawan artisans as well as imagine what Naha would have looked like a few hundred years
ago.
On Sunday, I went to the Naha Prefectural Museum. The museum had an exhibition about Okinawa which started 32,000 years ago during hunter-gatherer society, all the way up to the present day. I saw a model of a Ryukyu trade ship, many old Ryukyu kingdom bells, traditional Ryukyu clothing, and artwork.
The museum also made clear how much of Ryukyu history has been lost – many of the items in the museum were modern reproductions of artwork that was destroyed in the war. They also had one example of a wooden sign from the palace that had been hand-painted by the king. Today it is severely damaged and lays on the ground with a jagged hole in it – U.S. soldiers used it as a toilet during the war. It’s sad to think how much cultural heritage was lost during the war, not only because of bombs but also because of the carelessness and disregard of both Japanese and American soldiers.
That afternoon I went to the 10,000 Eisa dancers parade. Eisa is the traditional drum dance from Okinawa, and you can see a video below!
Afterwards, I was feeling a little tired and sore, so I decided to get a massage (inspired by Rhea, who did the same thing in New York last week). I just went to a hotel right next to where the performances were, and I went to the spa afterwards as well. The spa had a cold plunge and hot tub, as well as a steam room and dry sauna. I also went completely naked, which is customary in Japan. I was a little bit nervous at first because I wasn’t sure if it was socially acceptable, but I quickly became comfortable once I realized that no one cared. It’s nice to be somewhere where the simple fact of the body is acknowledged, and it’s not awkward or weird or sexual to simply be existing in your natural state.
On Monday, my cousin Makiko gave me a fantastic tour around the neighborhood of Shuri, which hosts the royal grounds. Shuri Castle was the biggest Ryukyuan palace, but it was completely destroyed in the war. Although it was rebuilt in 1992, it sadly burnt down again in 2019 due to an electrical fire. The Japanese government is currently funding the rebuild, which is set to be completed by Autumn 2026. Makiko is an artist, and she is helping to remake the throne (she’s doing the pearl inlay similar to the one pictured in the table earlier) and the dragon artwork adorning the pillars!
First, she took me to an awamori distillery in Shuri. Awamori is an Okinawan liquor; it is the oldest liquor in all of Japan and is the predecessor to shochu. It is made with indica rice from Thailand, unlike shochu and sake, which are made from Japonica rice. The Okinawan people learned how to make it through trading with the Kingdom of Siam (modern-day Thailand).
Usually it’s pretty strong, but we got to try all different kinds, and one of them was actually really good, even though it was 40% alcohol! Awamori is distilled partly by using a specific kind of mold native to Okinawa. It was thought that the mold went extinct as a result of the war, but in the 1990s, a sample of live spores was found in a university in Tokyo. Since 2000, this distillery has been able to once again make the original awamori recipe. I learned a similar story about buku-buku tea; the process was thought to have been entirely lost during the war, but in the 1960s, a still-intact tea set was found in Tokyo, which allowed for the practice to be revived.
Afterwards, we went to the Shuri Castle Royal Mausoleum. At least three of my ancestors – King Sho Sei, King Sho Shin, and King Sho En – are buried here! Like many places, it was damaged during the war, but it has been restored.
Then, we went to a bingata and a kumejima tsumugi workshop. Bingata is an Okinawan art that uses stencils to make patterns on textiles; kumejima tsumugi is a kind of silk weaving.
It was so lovely to see all of these Okinawan crafts that are still alive today, despite war and many years of cultural suppression. After that, I went to gyoza dinner with my two American friends :)
PART III: MY WEEKEND IN NAHA – Karaoke with Classmates & Sushi with a Military Couple
On Friday night, I went to an izakaya with my classmates. We had Okinawan food like goya chanpuru, purple sweet potatoes, and squid ink pasta that stained my lips and teeth black! Afterwards, we went to a karaoke place nearby. It was actually really fun –I was a karaoke skeptic before, but I realized that singing and watching old music videos while drinking is something that I already enjoy doing anyways. We sang “You Belong With Me,” “Dancing Queen,” and ended with “What Makes You Beautiful” in memory of Liam Payne (rip).
We also sang a few Japanese songs. Cheyenne, my classmate who works on the base, brought her best friend, Genesis, to join for the night. Genesis is from Virginia but has lived in Okinawa for 8 years, since her dad is in the Marines. Now her whole family is now back in Virginia, but she chose to stay. She went to language school, learned Japanese, then got her master’s in Manga Studies. Now she is the social media manager for one of the bases, and her boyfriend is in the Air Force. It was crazy to see them both sing Japanese songs, speak Japanese to the karaoke staff, and lead us around the city. They have so much knowledge of Okinawa and Japanese culture, and despite being Americans, they have lived more of their lives here than in the U.S.
One of the songs they showed us was called Heavy Rotation by AKB48. The music video is from 2010 and was very sexual and childish at the same time – it’s the type of video that looks very dated now and would never be made today. My classmate Victor (who everyone calls Vep) also showed us a music video from 2011 that he was in as a child. It’s for the song The Greeks by the band Is Tropical and features a group of middle school boys repeatedly shooting each other with plastic guns – at one point they are dressed up as Jihadis. The video has millions of views, and Pitchfork listed it as one of the best music videos of 2011 (alongside A$AP Rocky’s “Purple Swag,” another video that I watched the first 30 seconds of and instantly felt like it would not be made today). It was funny to see these videos and think of how much has changed socially and technologically in the past 15 years or so. It was also pretty cool to hear more about Vep’s lifelong career in the film industry; he was also a child model and was in a TV ad for the French cookie Pepito.
On Saturday, I went to omakase in Naha. I sat at the counter next to an American couple who just moved here a couple months ago. The husband is an orthopedic surgeon in the Navy, and the wife just quit her job to move to Okinawa. This is the first time she hasn’t worked since high school, and she told me she’s enjoying finding hobbies again, like snorkeling and running and walking the dog, and is adjusting to military life. They just got married last year – they met in San Diego while he was in residency – and when I told her that I know nothing about the military, she said, “You know nothing about the military? – I know nothing about the military!”
She’s from San Francisco, and she said that being dropped into the base world has felt a little bit like being plopped into the 1940s. I asked what she meant – socially or infra-structurally – and she said both. Recreational spaces on the bases are only updated when they actually become non-functional, so she said that the movie theater, for example, feels ancient. Socially, she said it’s odd to be coming from San Diego and now be in an isolated bubble in which every family structure consists of the husband going to work, and the wife staying home and having a bunch of babies. She explained that it’s pretty hard for military wives to find work out here, and remote work isn’t an option for tax reasons. She also said there aren’t that many people from the coasts, and they both feel as though they are suddenly the most liberal people in their community – “The base feels like they picked up Kansas and plopped it in the middle of the Pacific.” But she also went out of her way to say that not everyone in the military is the hyper-masculine clubbing type that I might encounter on the streets in Naha.
I asked him what drew him to the military, and he said that he just had a quarter-life crisis where he worried that he wouldn’t have an interesting life, and the military allowed him to both be a doctor and live abroad. On top of that, the military paid for his master’s and med school entirely, and will pay for one of his children’s college, so logistically it made a lot of sense for him.
We also talked about orthopedic surgery – I would say that I know more about orthopedic surgery than the average person (thank you Posie, Margot, and my dad), so that was an easy conversation starter!
I asked his opinion about the future of medicine, and if he thinks that the path towards hyper-specialization is a good thing, or if he thinks that it draws too many doctors away from rural areas. He said that he thinks that generally more and more specialization is good, since it allows the field of medicine to advance, but it’s unfortunate that that means that someone in Wyoming may have less access to the care they need as opposed to someone in a large urban area.
As for the solution to the dearth of doctors in middle America, he said that one logistical barrier to getting more doctors in the U.S. is a lack of residency spots. While medical schools have expanded, the number of residencies have not; as a result, hundreds of people each year graduate with an MD that is essential worthless. I asked him why hospitals don’t just add more if there is demand, and he said that the government has a cap on how many residencies there are in the U.S. That definitely seems like a big problem, but not one that I’ve heard about in the news much.
It was funny to sit next to them, because on my way to the restaurant I had been thinking about two things: A) How I am curious about learning more about the military world; and B) What it’s like to be a doctor.
On the military part, I was just thinking about Cheyenne and Genesis, and how strange it must be to spend your life in service of a country that you may not even be that familiar with. Wikipedia describes military brats as “one of America’s oldest and yet least well-known and largely invisible subcultures.” I’m definitely already feeling like it is a subculture, one that I have never had exposure to before.
As for the doctor part, it had just been on my mind that practicing medicine is one job that cannot be converted to the brain-in-a-jar work model.
I was thinking about how much of our modern lives are disembodied – I live in Japan, and yet I wake up and call my friends and hear about their weekend in New York; I get my information about the world not from first-hand experience, but from what I see on the internet; and for 2 years, I was in a relationship with someone who lived more than 1,000 miles away from me. We are essentially living our lives outside of the context of physical space.
This phenomenon of disembodiment was only exacerbated by the pandemic, which told us that remote learning was just as valuable as in-person learning and that Zoom calls were equivalent to being face-to-face. The fact that more than half of Americans can now “work from anywhere” for all or some of their job only further proves this point. And when rotting in bed watching TikTok, the brain is taken to a strange, liminal space, one in which it becomes completely unaware that it is attached to a body at all.
This isn’t to say that the internet is all bad – I think that the internet does a great job helping to maintain already existing connections (like this newsletter!) – but having digital communication readily available at all times can certainly inhibit connection to the physical world around us. And today, most jobs consist of sitting in front of a screen, and then we go home and sit on a screen to relax.
Anyways, I was then thinking about how being a doctor is one profession that is inherently connected to the body, and therefore cannot be “work from anywhere,” so it was funny to then spend my dinner talking to a doctor about what it’s like to be a doctor.
I came to the conclusion that it is important to treat your mind as a part of your body, not separate from it. The way we eat, move, touch, and breathe affects the workings of our minds and our overall health. Doing things that actually require the intentional use of your full body is probably a good way to grow, especially in an age when so much of our spiritual and intellectual life is cleaved from our physical being.
Love,
Alexandra ❤️
What a fascinating, beautiful and insightful read. I feel like I am with you going through these wonderous days!! I particularly enjoyed reading your ending thoughts on the realm of technology vs. physical space. I have always loved being either a painter or a gardener because it is work where I am required to use my mind & body in unison, with the goal of creating real things in real space. Gardening is especially complex and challenging because of the material (plants!) and the natural life cycles that occur, and environmental demands..... I also thought of you, and how the physical act of real-space travel is such an incredible way to grow. Keep exploring! xo
Many thanks for the history lesson, Alexandra, and your adventures which are prompting much reflection. Your reports are not only insightful but also fun to read. One observation about medical practice, yes, although it is more physically oriented (no pun intended) than many other vocations, it has become far more digitized than it used to be, with online diagnoses, Zoom consultations, remote imaging and the like. We adjust to technological advances faster in some professional fields than others, but there's no escaping it entirely.
Éniwé (French for “anyway” 😉), onward to your next exposure to something new and completely different!
Love, Papa