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Visiting Okinawa:
2nd Generation Heads to Okinawa
Written & Directed by James Knott

This video was created to be shown at the Ohio Tomonokai Spring Gathering for 2007. They put a lot of emphasis on the 2nd generation of Okinawans living in America continuing the culture. That is why that is emphasized in this video.

OKINAWA, JAPAN

Okinawa is Japan's southernmost prefecture. Over 1.25 million people are scattered across nearly 150 islands.

Okinawa has a unique culture that goes back several hundred years to when it was an independent country known as the Ryukyu Kingdom. This kingdom was known to trade frequently with China and as a result adopted much more from the Chinese then the rest of Japan. Map of Okinawa, Japan

The main island, Okinawa-honto, is surrounded by vivid, bright blue ocean and coral reefs. It is densely populated and urbanized in the south, while the the mountainous northern part of the island consists of just a few fishing villages and dense forests.

The beautiful, sub-tropical setting combined with historical roots that are more intertwined with China than Japan, have created a wonderful culture that is distinctly Okinawan.

TRANSCRIPT

My name is James. I am married to Chrissy - who is the daughter of Satoko - who is from Kita Daito and married to Karl. Satoko has another daughter named Annie. Annie has a husband named Joby. Chrissy, Annie, Joby and I are part of the second generation and in October 2006 we got to meet our Okinawan relatives and experience Okinawan culture firsthand.

Our family trip to Okinawa coincided with the 4th Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival. Okinawans from all over the world returned to Okinawa to celebrate Okinawan culture. It provided many opportunities to see traditional dancing... the eisa drums... and the colorful, tradional costumes. There were several large parades with sights and traditions that I had never seen. In one parade, the returning Uchinanchu marched down Kokusai-dori, while the local Okinawans watched and clapped. Dozens of countries were represented... and Tomonokais from all over the U.S. marched down the street. The Ohio Tomonokai proudly represented our state with lots of zest.

One of my favorite events was the tug of war. That was, by far, the biggest rope I had ever seen. This is the largest annual Tug-of-War in the world and it was massive. (Nat Sound)

The Festival also had some impressive ceremonies. At one point the President of the Ohio Tomonokai was recognized. The closing ceremony for the festival was very impressive. It climaxed with hundreds of performers dancing all throughout the convention center.

Beyond the festival, there were so many other fascinating things to see... The shops and restaurants of Kokusai-dori... Heiwa-dori and the fish market... the constant energy of Naha...

We took the Monorail to Shuri-jo to see how the Uchinanchu rulers lived in the days of the Ryukyu Kingdom. The long history of Okinawa is represented well in nine World Heritage Sites - including Nakijin-jo, Sefa-Utaki, Shikina-en and several others.

For an appreciation of the hardships that the Okinawan people have overcome, a stop at the World War II Peace Memorial is a must. The names of the soldiers who died in the battle of Okinawa are written on walls surrounding the Cornerstone of Peace.

We also got to visit Ocean Expo Park, which is home to one of the largest aquariums in the world - the Churami Aquarium. They also have free water shows and a village of native Okinawan Homes.

Okinawa is such a beautiful island. The beautiful blue ocean combined with the Rocky landscape make for a wonderful place to visit, but what makes it even better is having family there. Joby and I got to meet our Okinawan relatives for the first time and even though there was a bit of a language barrier, we were able to form bonds with them that we will cherish for the rest of our lives.

I hope that we all can return to Okinawa at some point, but in the meantime. Let's all help celebrate the wonderful culture and traditions it has provided.