OKINAWAN CULTURE

This is a brutal point of view on COVID-19 from the UK presented by Dr. John Campbell on You Tube, and some text from The Guardian:

• Herd immunity will not be reached.
• Like the flu and colds, everyone will eventually contract COVID-19.
• If  you're unvaccinated, you could get very sick.
• If you're vaccinated, you will have a 90+% chance of only having mild symptoms.
• Testing is a waste of time, and some countries like Germany will soon only test when you get infected and enter a clinic or hospital. 
• It seems unnecessary to vaccinate children, for they generally don't get very ill.  Yes, they can transmit this disease, but, then, if doesn't matter, for you will get it anyway some day.

My apartment is cleaned weekly on Fridays, and I usually wait at a table by the elevators during this 45-minute period and do some reading.  Recently, I saw on the table INTRODUCTION TO OKINAWAN CULTURE, co-authored by Kyoko Hijirida and Tomoko Oshiro.  I thought, this should make for a blog posting, so I borrowed it.  Only later did I realize that Hijirida is our newest occupant with her husband on the 12th floor where I live.

She was born in Nago City, Okinawa and earned her Ed.D. from the University of Hawaii, and became a faculty member in 1970.  I arrived on this Manoa Campus in 1972 and we both are Emeritus Professors.

I four years ago published OKINAWA AND HAWAII:  The Ideal Partnership.  We are so alike in many ways:

• Are the only island states separated from our national capital.
• Naha City is 820 miles from Tokyo.
• Honolulu is 4826 miles from DC.
• Honolulu is 4653 to Naha City.
• Our populations are similar, a little more than 1.4 million.
• They are at latitude 26 north and Hawaii is at around 20 north.
• Our industries are similar:  tourism, agriculture and military.
• 
  World War II between Japan and U.S. was initiated by the attack on Pearl Harbor, while the final major land battle occurred on Okinawa.
• 95,000 Japanese troops died.
• 12,510 American died.
• 149,193 Okinawan civilians died.
• In the negotiations led by General Douglas MacArthur, discussed was the possibility of Okinawa becoming a territory of the U.S.
• 62% of American bases in Japan are on Okinawa, which is only 0.6% the land area of the country.
• Approximately 50,000 American troops are located on Okinawa, 91% of the 55,000 in Japan.
• 73% of Japanese appreciated the presence of American forces on Okinawa, but 71% of Okinawans thought otherwise.  Crimes and the Ospreys are two high intensity problems.  The red areas to the right are American bases on Okinawa

We do have differences:

• The total area of Okinawa is 466 square miles.  Oahu alone is 597 square miles, and the state has 10,931 square miles.
• Maximum elevation of Okinawa is 1650 feet, and Mauna Kea is at 13,796 feet.
• Okinawa has 48 inhabited islands, Hawaii has 6.
• GNP/capita of Okinawa is $27,664, the lowest of 47 prefectures.  The GNP/capita of Hawaii is around $60,000.

The indigenous peoples of the Ryukyu Islands are known as Uchinaanchu, and they are genetically related to the Ainu of Hokkaido.  Hawaii has the largest population of people who moved away from Okinawa.  In the early 1900's 20% of all Japanese immigrants to Hawaii came from Okinawa.  By the time of World War II they owned 80% of restaurants in Honolulu.  Today, around 50,000 in Hawaii consider themselves to be Okinawan.

With that, I'll summarize information from INTRODUCTION TO OKINAWAN CULTURE:

• Okinawa Prefecture has 11 cities, 11 towns and 19 villages, with Naha City the most populated with 313,000 people.
• Kyuzu Toyama is the Father of Okinawa Overseas, who died at the age of 43 in 1909 and is buried in Honolulu.
• Okinawans are united by a spirit of mutual cooperation called yuimaaru.

• 
  This led to moai or tanomoshiko, a financially cooperative system which was utilized to form all those restaurants in Hawaii.
• They say that life in Okinawa has less stress, related to the teegee shugi spirit, whatever will be will be.
• The music of Okinawa is very different from Japan, featuring the sanshin, which came from China.

• 
  Pork is the dominant meat.  Every part of the pig is utilized.
• Seaweed is prominent and so is bitter melon.
• The popular items are Okinawa soba (which is made of wheat, not buckwheat) and champuruu, which is stir-fried tofu and vegetables.

• 
  Awamori is the most popular liquor and is essentially distilled sake made from Thailand rice.  In Japan something similar is called shochu, and shoju in Korea.  The alcohol content varies from 30-43%, but can go up to 60%, which would be 120 proof.

• 
  Saataa andagii is Okinawan-style donuts, and is a heavy malasadas.
• After WWII, Okinawa was occupied by the U.S. until 15May1972 when it again became a Japanese prefecture.

• 
  The Hawaii Okinawa Center was established in 1990 by the Hawaii United Okinawa Association to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Okinawan emigration, partially funded by organizations in Okinawa grateful for the assistance Hawaii residents provided after WWII.

• 
  The Worldwide Uchinaanchu Festival is held in Okinawa every five years, and I'm scheduled to attend in October of 2022.
• In 1997 the Worldwide Uchinaanchu Business Association was established as a business network of Okinawans.
• The 2006 gathering brought 14,000 descendant from Hawaii, North America and South America under the slogan Beyond the Sea, Beyond Language.
• In 2005 there were 169,026 descendants in Brazil, 89,270 in the U.S. (with 50k of them in Hawaii) and 66,542 in Peru

War is terrible, but the Path of the Warrior is worthy of your watch, seen by more than a billion.  November 11 is Veterans Day, for freedom is not free, human lives were lost.

Also in November, ABBA will release their first studio album in 40 years.  Voyage will be a series of virtual concerts featuring a live band and the group performing like avatars.

On September 25, Global Citizen Live: Defend the Planet.  Defeat Poverty.

Emanating out of Central Park again, hope this one doesn't get rained out.  And it won't, for this is said to be another generational event, beaming from six continents over 24 hours.

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