Okinawa is sunny and shady.

It takes two hour half flight from Tokyo to Okinawa that is the same time to spend visiting Korea. Taiwan and China are closer than Tokyo. That is the reason why this island seems to be more south eastern Asian on its food, architecture, culture, nature and appearance than main island of Japan. Though Okinawa used to be one of the most prosperous kingdom as a major port for trading between China and Japan, she was tossed back and forth by these countries.

(photo: This is Syuri castle rebuilt in 1994 as it was completely destroyed at WWⅡ)


She is the only place on which American army landed and battled during WWⅡ. I hear that 150,000 people were killed or killed themselves, notorious for the group suicide forced by Japanese military. The number of civilian dead was counted up one quarter of the total population then. I read a book about teen age girls who worked for injured soldiers as nurses killed themselves before American army was coming. Though I was a elementary school girl, I remember even now I cried and felt my heart pressed by a tank.

(photo: Kadena base, the biggest one in east asia. We can see a combat plane called "Eagle" in the air.)


My first visit in Okinawa was a trip for scuba diving in my early twenties. I was fascinated by the beauty of ocean and nature there. One day I asked an inhabitant in Tokashiki island when I saw some wild goats on small rocks in the ocean,” Why are they in the wild?”. He answered me,” People who had had their ancestors let them go at WWⅡ. They believed it was the only way for them to survive.”
I was a little bit shocked at him because his talk was so natural as if he told me what that day’s meal was. This story was sinking into me gradually.

It is no doubt that Okinawa has the stronger contrast between light and darkness. People there seems more humorous, sometimes passionate(especially when dancing and singing),shy, patient and natural. Moreover She has a lot of spiritual power spots to give us Mana to purify ourselves.

Some of my friends and I went to a sacred place called "Seifa Utaki". There used to be many shamans there, there have been still be there. As soon as we came in this utaki, we convinced the atmosphere reminded us of the cave of fern in Kauai island.

Next place we visited was Kutaka island which is well known among okinawan people as the island which have had powerful shamans praying for Okinawan kingdom. The rules for them are very strict. For example the woman who is supposed to be the leader of shamans never allow to go out this island until her death. Amazing! I can never become a shaman.