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Okinawa / 沖縄

CatalanNation

後輩
26 Jun 2006
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The other day was shown on the Catalan TV a girl that came from Brazil. Obviously, she had some Asian traits, and when the moderator asked about her origin, she said her grandparents emigrated to Brazil. The moderator said "So they were Japanese?", and she replied, "No, they were from Okinawa, and spoke the Okinawan language".

After this, I started looking for information about Okinawa, and its language. Maybe because I came from another minority (Catalans), I became very interested in that culture. I've seen some web pages about the US occupation, the location and the former kingdom of the Ryukyus... but that's all. No word neither about the language nor the political situation of the Okinawans nowadays.

So, the question is; should the Okinawans have the self-determination right, or they are just part of the Japanese culture and are not a Nation?
 
They are no longer an independant Kingdom. They really should be though. The language is called Hogan, and is derived from Japanese. Many Japanese who hear it do not understand it at all. But, there are not that many people who can still speak the language. It is becoming a lost art. Much like the native American languages.
 
CC1 said:
But, there are not that many people who can still speak the language. It is becoming a lost art.
This is really bad! When a language disappears, it is also disappearing a bit of the world's diversity! I guess the Japanese Government is not doing too many things to solve it...
CC1 said:
They really should be though.
Is there an organized independentist movement in Okinawa? How is the political situation?
 
In reality Okinawa has not been an independent country for well over 150 years. Politically the people are pretty much the same as in any other prefecture in Japan.

The language, Okinawa Hougen, has numerous different sub dialects, just on the main island alone there are probably 4 or 5. The outler islands have their own dialects as well, and as one gets further away from the main island the languages get more difficult to understand.

There is no independence movement here in Okinawa that is active in any way shape or form. The group listed on a link above would be considered fringe at the least. The people here consider themselves to be Japanese 1st then Okinawan, oh you may find some that may say they are Okinawa 1st then Japanese, but you see they all include Japanese. I have never heard one call themselves a Rykyujin.

The people of Okinawa are very much assimilated into Japan. However Okinawa's rich culture and history are still a part of daily life.
 
so Hachiro when i plan to take my 5-7 trip down to Okinawa i should ask if you can help me out? lol a ride i mean guide from Kadena would be great.😊
 
Carlson said:
so Hachiro when i plan to take my 5-7 trip down to Okinawa i should ask if you can help me out? lol a ride i mean guide from Kadena would be great.😊

Let me know when you get here! I've been guides for countless numbers of people that have come here. Only problem I could see is a conflict of scheduling.
 
well if thats the case ill bring the beer and sleep at your house... lol

More or less some insight would be best.
 
Carlson said:
well if thats the case ill bring the beer and sleep at your house... lol

More or less some insight would be best.

I know a great place that you can stay at that costs around 2,000 to 3,000 per night, it has AC, kitchen facilities and is REALLY close to Kokusai Street in Naha, the capitol of Okinawa. The closest beach is only about 10 to 15 minutes away by car or taxi. I've taken JET's to this place before and they had a great time there.

When you get your schedule down, PM me and I can probably make to the time to pick you up at the airport and take you where you want to go.
 
Communists love to call Okinawa "Ryukyu" because the word was given by China, a suzerain in the past.
Hachiro said:
There is no independence movement here in Okinawa that is active in any way shape or form. The group listed on a link above would be considered fringe at the least.
True. Related post

Paper media in Okinawa is dominated by Ryukyu Shimpo and Okinawa Times, both known for being even leftier than Asahi. They never ever report news like:

Marines Combat Red Soil Runoff

The undertaking is a joint effort between the Okinawa Prefecture Government and the Marine Corps.

"We use Okinawa laboratories to get our water tested and regularly meet with government officials," Soenen said. "We're here as guests of the Japanese Government and are serious about taking care of the land we train on."
 
Hachiro said:
I know a great place that you can stay at that costs around 2,000 to 3,000 per night, it has AC, kitchen facilities and is REALLY close to Kokusai Street in Naha, the capitol of Okinawa. The closest beach is only about 10 to 15 minutes away by car or taxi. I've taken JET's to this place before and they had a great time there.

When you get your schedule down, PM me and I can probably make to the time to pick you up at the airport and take you where you want to go.

i will probably be flying into kadenda or Fukuoka
 
Carlson said:
i will probably be flying into kadenda or Fukuoka

Are you active duty military or allowed to use the MAC flights?

Also Fukuoka is nowhere near Okinawa, it is in Kyushyu.

Might you mean Naha? That is the public airport in Okinawa.
 
shiroma said:

How very true about news stories like that one. There is much that the US military does to assist needy people in the communities around the bases.

You never hear of the Marines that visit orphanages and donate their time, love, energy and money for orphaned children here in Okinawa. Nor do you ever hear about the numerous volunteers that teach in local public schools.

It's a shame that more of their "good" actions are not reported.
 
How big is Okinawa from your perspective? I know its a small island but how small? is it really crowded? is it big enough to comfortably hold a city?.

I'de love to visit Okinawa sometime, but then again, I want to see everywhere.

👍
 
nurizeko said:
How big is Okinawa from your perspective? I know its a small island but how small? is it really crowded? is it big enough to comfortably hold a city?.

I'de love to visit Okinawa sometime, but then again, I want to see everywhere.

👍

The main island sits from the southwest to northeast approximately 67 miles long and about 12 miles wide at the widest point in the north, narrowing to roughly 3 miles in the center and back out to roughly 10 miles or so in the south.
okinawamapdod-1.jpg


From about the Kin Bay area south roughly 1 million people live, over crowed as heck. The northern area is sparsly populated. The central to southern area is like one big city.
 
where is the cliff that Okinawa people shouted "Banzai emperor"
and jump down while US army occupied that island in 1945?
I believe at that time, after 80 years of Japanese governing,
people in this former dependency of China already regarded themself
as Japanese.
but Taiwanese and Korean seem not quite sure if they were Japanese
at that time.
 
yeah im active duty. and whatever the airport is. where i work we have flights to both atleast everyother day
 
where is the cliff that Okinawa people shouted "Banzai emperor"

It was actually saipan island if memory serves me correctly where Japanese jumped from a cliff rather then face the Americans who had been made out to be murderers and rapists and all sorts of bad things all governments demonised their enemies as back in those days.
 
nurizeko said:
It was actually saipan island if memory serves me correctly where Japanese jumped from a cliff rather then face the Americans who had been made out to be murderers and rapists and all sorts of bad things all governments demonised their enemies as back in those days.

Actually there are a number of cliffs here in Okinawa where not only the Japanese military jumped from but Okinawan women and children as well. They were brainwashed into believing the US Military were going to eat them alive if captured. Most of the suicides happened at "suicide" cliffs and areas around Mabuni in the southern part of the main island of Okinawa.

Many Japanese military commited suicide rather than face the shame of capture, but here in Okinawa the scale of the civilian suicides was appalling, there are movies that were taken by US Military personnel that showed mothers jumping off the cliffs onto the rocks below carrying babies in their arms.
 
Within the last year I read the book "Okinawa Cold War Island" which
has articles by various scholars on different aspects of Okinawa.
History, economics, the future, forced emmigration to Bolivia, etc.
That last bit written about by Kozy K. Amemiya.

The book also has articles by former governor of Okinawa prefecture Masahide Ota,

as well as Koji Taira, editor of "The Ryukyuanist" newsletter
which is available online which talks about culture, history, etc...
The Ryukyuanist Newsletter

the Okinawa book is highly recommended. The group that put out this
book receives no government nor corporate money.
You can always use inter-library loan. :)



Whether Okinawa should be a sovereign nation or not?
What Okinawans feel on the topic? We'd have to ask them.

It's pretty well known that they do not want to continue to be colonized
by foreign military bases. Okinawa contains 75% of all US bases in Japan.
And Tokyo doesn't particularly want to relocate them to mainland Japan.
Okinawa is also the poorest prefecture of Japan.

I'm not sure if any of that helps you out any?
 
as well as Koji Taira, editor of "The Ryukyuanist" newsletter
which is available online which talks about culture, history, etc...
The Ryukyuanist Newsletter

Which btw is being posted from Los Angeles, the information provided is helpful for Uchinanchu living overseas, yet by being posted in English, tells me that he is posting it as an appeal to others.

Whether Okinawa should be a sovereign nation or not?
What Okinawans feel on the topic? We'd have to ask them.

I've asked countless Okinawan's this question. I live here and have been for quite a long time, and I will tell you that from the thousands of people that I know here, none want to be independent, They are Japanese first, Okinawan's second. Actually they laugh at the thought.

It's pretty well known that they do not want to continue to be colonized by foreign military bases.

Nothing could be farther from the truth, your choice of words here are pretty funny, "colonized", if you knew about the situation as it is now you would realize that the military has returned many base facilities and is planning on more. And the largest base facility here in Okinawa, NTA, THe Northern Training Area, is mostly @99% jungle, which even if returned to Japanese control would stay the same and probably never be developed because of the terrain and location of the installation.

The US military has drawn down it's presence here in Okinawa even in the time that I have been here, and is doing all it can in the current geopolitical climate to lessen the burden on the Okinawan people.

Oh did you also know that there are many Okinawan's that DON'T want the bases to leave here either?



And Tokyo doesn't particularly want to relocate them to mainland Japan.

Actually that's incorrect, Tokyo isn't the problem in so much as the other regions in Japan don't want the bases. Tokyo has already decided and if things go according to current plans, with the US Military moving a good portion of the Marines on Okinawa to Guam, to move military units from Okinawa to other JEITAI facilities in mainland Japan. Making them joint services facilities.


Okinawa is also the poorest prefecture of Japan
That is a well know fact, it has been this way for over a century as well.

There is no independence movement in Okinawa, it would be like the people in Texas saying the same thing. To those that were not aware of this, in the US the state of Texas was once, for a short period of time an independent republic.

To say that Okinawan's want independence or have an independence movement is similar to the fringe movement in Texas that say the same thing.
 
For those interested.

Google earth now has a good portion of Okinawa mapped up even more closer with better detail. You can definately make out the air strips, Naha, and Nago now.
 
Hachiro said:
Which btw is being posted from Los Angeles, the information provided is helpful for Uchinanchu living overseas, yet by being posted in English, tells me that he is posting it as an appeal to others..

So what's wrong with that?
Where else are people going to get news about Okinawa that is not tainted
by government or corporate dollars?




Hachiro said:
Nothing could be farther from the truth, your choice of words here are pretty funny, "colonized",

Funny is the over 700 US known & admitted military bases in over 130 different countries. ! damn !
Now that is funny. :(
Really floor rolling stuff is the utterly overly self-important rediculous notion that if it wasn't for 'us' there now, tyranny would automatically spring up in place. Tyranny of b & w fundamentalism.


Hachiro said:
The US military has drawn down it's presence here in Okinawa even in the time that I have been here, and is doing all it can in the current geopolitical climate to lessen the burden on the Okinawan people.

The US had an agreement to turn over Funtema air base back to the Okinawans. They had 7 years to do it.

"current geopolitical climate" ?
I don't get that one.
 
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