My journey for 2008 commenced in Okinawa, Japan. The day I arrived it was quite warm and humid, quite a contrast tothe type of weather I experienced for most of my Journey. It commenced with an interesting episode at the airport, one which I would least have expected, given my previous experience. It has been my usual habit to exchange my Australian currency upon arrival in the new country I was visiting, to the local currency, believing, wrongly so, as it proved in this instance, that it would be easy to do so, to ensure I had money available in the local currency to pay for busses,trains, taxis or any other incidentals that might be required to enable me to arrive at my destination without too many hassles.
Imagine my dismay when I approached the currency exchange people on arrival at the airport, to be told that it was impossible for me to do so. They most definitely could not exchange Australian dollars and the reason given was that the banks were not open on the week-ends in Australia, and this just happened to be a Saturday. I was informed that if I had a credit card I could withdraw money from the ATM at the post office which was in the airport building, and directed how to find it. So off I went in search of the post office to discover a strange looking, ancient machine covered with Japanese characters, which of course I could not read. Eventually, with the assistance of the staff, I was able to deduce the machinations of this rather formidable piece of engineering, and lo and behold up came the instructions in English. Having come thus far, I felt the next step would be relatively simple, a "piece of cake", so to speak. Such was not to be, with the machine continually returning my card with a note to the effect that my pin number was incorrect.
Now here was a real dilemma to be sure, for I did need to have local currency to enable me to get to my place of abode, before I could review my situation, as I most certainly did not relish the idea of spending the next two days camped on the floor of the airport, until such time as the banks opened in Australia. So back to the money changers to discuss my problems with them. The eventual out-come was, that I could exchange US dollars, which I fortunately happened to have, thus alleviating any further concerns - for the moment at least, regarding money.
The next step along the way was to find my place of abode - the Love and Peace Guest House.Up till now the airports that I have visited have had some form of Shuttle Bus. It soon became apparent that this was not the case in Okinawa. It soon became obvious that it was necessay for me to catch the local bus. In this I felt I was fortunate due to the fact that it was a Saturday afternoon with very few passengers to add to the confusion of arriving in a strange city, not speaking the language, where I was going, how to pay the fare,where to get off etc.
When it came to paying the fare, I found you were required to take a ticket from one machine as you boarded the bus, and when you arrived at your destination there was a display board telling you how much you owed, which you then deposited in another machine. Well I was able to negotiate that step along the way and arrived safely at the bus stop where I was to alight. But where to from there? I again read the instructions carefully, which only said that it was a three minute walk from the bus stop. It did not say which way to go. The question was do I go right, or do I go left? Is it on the other side of the road, or is it this side? I decided the safest way was to ask some-one for directions. Being a Saturday afternoon though, very few people were around, and being in Japan, fewer still that could or might be able to speak English.
As usual, the God's were smiling upon me and along came a young couple, who although not able to speak English themselves knew some-one who did, and set about find them, which they truly did.Amazing as it may seem, they did not know the place I was looking for, yet,as it turned out, it was withing sight. They very kindly phoned and were then able to direct me where to go. Upon arrival at the spot to which I had been directed, I could not see any indications of its whereabouts, the sign being very inconspicuous, and somewhat hidden. I again had to resort to asking for directions, and was directed to a rather dilapidated looking building with a rather daunting looking staircase up which I was to clamber to the third floor.
In for a penny,, in for a pound, so they say, and it is through these experiences that I feel able to experienc life as it really is, in the places that I visit, and not the artficiality of some up-market hotel. Fortunately for me too, the people who worked in the resataurant at ground level took care of my luggage and carried it up the stairs. I say fortunately, because even for them it was a struggle, so am not sure how I would have coped on my own. Here again was another case of the many kindenesses I have experienced from total strangers on my travels.
My next involvement was to find some food. Upon enquiring, was advised , with a rather vague wave of the hand, that was,"that way". So off I set walking "that way", for over an hour without finding anything which remotely looked like it might sell fruit and vegetables. And I must say that I looked diligently in every shop that sold food, or looked as though it might, all to no avail. I had expected, and wrongly so again, that as with all the other Asian countries I have been in, that they might sell,alomg with other pre-packaged foods a few fruits and vegetables. I then retraced my steps, and lo and behold, I spied an old man with a barrow on the other side of the road selling packets of oranges. This saved me from the monotony of supping on just the cucumbers which I had brought with me from OZ. I must say that the oranges were the most delicious I had tasted for many a year.The next day I again went in search of food and struck out in the opposite direction from the previous day. To commence with it was the same scenario as on the previous day, until eventually my finding a very limited array of citus fruit, kiwi fruit, and bananas. Not being a great lover of kiwi fruit that was not ripe, and these most certainly were not, I settled for more oranges, and some bananas. That was in the morning. In the afternoon I walked in an entirely new direction for over an hour without any success, and without it looking as though I would be, if I continued in the same direction. I then decided to re-trace my steps.
As I had headed out I had noted a building, built of bright red brick for orientation, as it was near the intersection where I neede to turn to return to the guesthouse. On my return, I must have been concentrating on the traffic, and walked right past it without being aware. It was a most fortunate happenstance, as I then discovered a store with a wide range of fruits and vegetablesI was interested to note that it was a "Family Fare" store, a number of which I had earlier visited in my search. Those visited previously had sold only pre-packaged foods. My missing the turn off was therefore a blessing in disguise.
By the time it came to Monday, there were many other stores open, who, in the Asian tradition, sold a few fruits and vegetables, along with the clothing, or other non-food items they stocked. These fruits and/or vegetables were grown by the owner of the shop in a small plot of land adjoining, or behind the shop .
One thing which rather surprised mewas the absence of homes built in the traditional style of Japan. That is, until I realised that Okinawa had been almost completely razed in WW2, so that most, if not all, of the buildings had been built since that time, and were mainly re-inforced concrete. One very traditionalbuilding I did discover though was the bathhouse, which displayed a very prominent sign saying it was for Japanese only.
During my stay in Okinawa there were two days of quite heavy rain, with it raining all night one night. I recall hearing a heavy dripping sound , and upon investigation found the roof was leaking in the passageway just outside of my room. Subsequently it ran down the passage and under the door to my room. For a short while I imagined that the whole room was to be flooded. Fortunately this was not to be the case, with it staying on one side of the room and exiting through an aperture in the floor.Okinawa Prefecture
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Capital | Naha |
| Region | Ryūkyū Archipelago |
| Island | Okinawa |
| Governor | Hirokazu Nakaima |
| Area (rank) | 2,271.30 km² (44th) |
| - % water | 0.5% |
| Population (October 1, 2000) | |
| - Population | 1,318,218 (32nd) |
| - Density | 580 /km² |
| Districts | 5 |
| Municipalities | 41 |
| ISO 3166-2 | JP-47 |
| Website | www.pref.okinawa.jp/ english/ |
| Prefectural Symbols | |
| - Flower | Deigo (Erythrina variegata) |
| - Tree | Pinus luchuensis (ryūkyūmatsu) |
| - Bird | Okinawa woodpecker (Sapheopipo noguchii) |
 Symbol of Okinawa Prefecture | |
Okinawa Prefecture (沖縄県 Okinawa-ken?, Okinawan: Uchinā) is one of Japan's southern prefectures, and consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over 1,000 km long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū (the southwesternmost of Japan's main four islands) to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of the largest and most populous island, Okinawa Island, which is approximately half-way between Kyūshū and Taiwan. The disputed Senkaku Islands (Chinese: Diaoyu Islands) are also administered as part of Okinawa Prefecture at present.
Contents[show] |
[edit] History
- See also: History of Ryukyu Islands
- See also: Ryūkyū Kingdom
The oldest evidence of human existence in the Ryukyu islands was discovered in Naha City and Yaese Town[1]. Some human bone fragments from the Paleolithic era were unearthed, but there is no clear evidence of Paleolith remains. Japanese Jōmon influences are dominant in the Okinawa Islands, although clay vessels in the Sakishima Islands have a commonality with those in Taiwan.
The first mention of the word Ryukyu was written in the Book of Sui. This Ryukyu might refer to Taiwan, not the Ryukyu islands. Okinawa was the Japanese word depicting the islands, first seen in the biography of Jianzhen, written in 779. Agricultural societies begun in the 8th century slowly developed until the 12th century. Since the islands are located in the center of the East China Sea relatively close to Japan, China and South-East Asia, the Ryūkyū Kingdom became a prosperous trading nation. Also during this period, many Gusukus, similar to castles, were constructed. The Ryūkyū Kingdom had a tributary relationship with the Chinese Empire beginning in the 15th century.
In 1609 the Satsuma clan, which controlled the region that is now Kagoshima Prefecture invaded the Ryūkyū Kingdom. Following the invasion the Ryūkyū Kingdom surrendered to the Satsuma and was forced to form a tributary relationship with Satsuma and the Tokugawa shogunate, in addition to its previous relationship with China. Ryukyuan sovereignty was maintained since complete annexation would create a problem with China. The Satsuma clan earned considerable profits from trades with China during a period in which foreign trade was heavily restricted by the shogunate.
Though Satsuma maintained strong influence over the islands, the Ryūkyū Kingdom maintained considerable degree of domestic political freedom for over two hundred years. Four years after the 1868 Meiji Restoration, the Japanese government, through military incursions, officially annexed the kingdom and renamed it Ryukyu han. At the time, the Qing Dynasty of China asserted sovereignty over the islands of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, since the Ryūkyū Kingdom was a tributary nation of China. The Okinawa han became a prefecture of Japan in 1879, while all other hans had became prefectures of Japan in 1872.
Following the Battle of Okinawa and the end of World War II in 1945, Okinawa was under the United States administration for 27 years. During the trusteeship rule the USAF established numerous military bases on the Ryukyu islands.
In 1972, the U.S. government returned the islands to Japanese administration. Under the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, the United States Forces Japan (USFJ) have maintained a large military presence. 27000 personnel, including 15000 Marines, contingents from the Navy, Army and Air Force, and their 22,000 family members are stationed in Okinawa.[2] 18% of the main island was occupied by US military bases and 75% of all USFJ bases are located in Okinawa prefecture.[3]
85% of the Okinawans oppose the large presence of the USFJ and demand the consolidation, reduction and removal of US military bases from Okinawa.[4] Repeated accidents and crimes committed by U.S. servicemen have reduced local citizens' support for the U.S. military bases. The Japanese and the US government consider the mutual security treaty and the USFJ absolutely necessary and neglected the awkward situation in Okinawa for decades. The rape of a 12 year old girl by U.S. servicemen in 1995 triggered large protests in Okinawa. As a result, both the U.S. and Japanese governments agreed to the relocation of the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma and other minor bases. However, at present, the closure of the bases has been indefinitely postponed. These disagreements also contribute to the relatively recent anti-Japanese sentiment and subsequently Ryukyu independence movement.
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