Okinawa Reflections

Blog on Hiatus

noreply@blogger.com (Aki) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 20:33:00 +0000

I'm on temporary blogging hiatus while I try and finish my novel. I'm working with an agent on a final revision, with the goal of approaching publishers in the very near future. I'm also planning a trip to Okinawa this fall, so might have something to post after the trip. Thanks for checking in and come back soon...or follow me on Twitter for brief and sporadic updates! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

Tokyo Dreaming: Japan Quake and Tsunami Disaster: Please Help

noreply@blogger.com (Aki) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 20:43:00 +0000

Tokyo Dreaming: Japan Quake and Tsunami Disaster: Please Help: "Most of you are aware by now that Japan suffered the effects of a massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake and deadly tsunami on March 11. The resu..."

Nuchi Du Takara: Lessons from the Battle of Okinawa

noreply@blogger.com (Aki) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 04:03:00 +0000

Recreation of the type of cave that Okinawan civilians hid in during the war.

Lack of resources led to creativity. "Kankara" sanshin made from a cookie tin.
Kankara means "from a can."

Hogen fuda, or "dialect tags" were used as punishment when students were caught speaking in the
Okinawan dialect instead of standard Japanese. The idea of young children's native language being
repressed in such a manner is appalling to me. But my mother, who was a bit of a hot-headed tomboy,
joked that she had to wear these often in school.

My mother with her friends of many years, all members of the Nakayoshi singing group.
They sang several songs at the reception.

Our friend Tsutomu's kankara sanshin.

Sushi Cal band and Nakayoshi group performing the stirring "Shima Uta" song.

Every Okinawan get-together has to include a celebratory kachashi dance,
where everyone is urged to get up and participate.

Nuchi du Takara: Lessons from the Battle of Okinawa is an exhibition and program series being held by the National Japanese American Historical Society (NJAHS) at its Peace Gallery through August 14, 2011. The exhibit aims to share the story of the Battle of Okinawa through an Okinawan viewpoint, honoring the spirit of war survivors. My mother is one of those war survivors and she performed with her music group at the opening reception.

"Nuchi du takara" means "life itself is our treasure." This is a message of survival, resiliency and the importance of peace, and the few time-worn artifacts on display convey this in their stark simplicity. The most heart-rending display is a recreation of a cave similar to the ones in which Okinawans sought refuge from the WWII battle known as the "Typhoon of Steel." Over the years my mother has talked about this experience in bits and pieces, but the reality of my own mom having endured such hardships was always difficult to imagine.

This small exhibit helped me understand the sufferings of civilians during wartime a little better. Many tears were shed and there was a somber air during the first part of the reception while traditional songs were performed, but things ended with a lively kachashi dance, confirming the resilient and peace-loving spirit of Okinawans.

Some notes from the NJAHS site:

As with many Asian immigrant groups, very little is known about the history of Okinawans in the Bay Area. A large part of their obscured history is the Battle of Okinawa which claimed the lives of over 200,000 people, including Okinawan civilians, Korean forced laborers and comfort women, and Japanese and American soldiers in the span of 3 months. About 1/4 to 1/3 of Okinawa’s population was decimated and most of its material culture was obliterated. After World War II, many Okinawan women who had survived the Battle, met and married U.S. military personnel stationed in Okinawa and migrated to the U.S. with many settling in the Bay Area because its proximity to military bases as well as its ethnic diversity. It is fitting that this exhibit take place in the Peace Gallery at NJAHS in view of the Peace Plaza and a short distance from where the San Francisco Peace Treaty was signed in 1951.

More information on the exhibit and upcoming symposium on January 29 here.

Masa and Isa go to Okinawa

noreply@blogger.com (Aki) — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 18:19:00 +0000

My friends Masa and Isa took a break from hectic Tokyo life to visit Okinawa. They even visited my mother's home village, Yomitan. Here are some fantastic photos and Masa's commentary from their trip. Makes me so homesick! 沖縄へ帰りたい！

Kokusai Dori

The main drag in Naha city. Very touristy but interesting and loaded with an endless variety of shops and markets. One can enjoy Okinawan food as well as American. Steak houses, hamburgers and tacos are the main western type foods. Blue Seal ice cream is a very popular American type ice cream shop that is unique to Okinawa.

Umi-budou

"Sea grapes" - a type of edible seaweed.

Northbound

Long country road on our way north. The most beautiful beaches on the main island are north. There are many posh resorts. Naha City is a larger metropolis than I had expected. A lovely city with a very slow, warm and friendly feeling, yet with all the comforts one expects from a big city. It even has a monorail system. On our next trip, and believe me I am planning to become a repeat visitor, we'll try one of the remote resorts. I've heard from friends that Ishigaki island is one of the most beautiful smaller islands to visit and has wonderful beach side cottages and also large posh resorts - either of which I'm sure I would enjoy.

Glassware

Okinawa is famous for its glassware. This factory has two locations, one in Okinawa and one in Vietnam. They sell glassware made from both sites but I purposely chose items labeled "Handmade in Okinawa." I bought this orange bowl and had it shipped back to Tokyo. I love the slightly oblong, off shape. Despite that, it is not wobbly.

Himeyuri no Tou

Flowers presented at one of the caves that served as a hospital for Japanese soldiers. Caves were linked by tunnels -- like an ants' nest (museum's description). During the last 6 months of the war over 200 girl students were made to serve as nurses for the wounded. Part of their duties were to carry severed body parts out of the caves for disposal. Artillery landed in the cave and many were killed. In the end when the war was ultimately lost, they were basically tossed out and told to fend for themselves. With nowhere to go and no knowledge of whether family was still alive, many committed suicide with the battle of Okinawa raging around them. The museum has a room with over 200 portraits of the girls, some of whom were American Japanese sent to study by their parents. A very moving and important exhibit.

T-shirt

T-shirt with beautiful traditional Okinawan patterns along the side.

Chatan

Chatan is the next city north of Naha. We spent a few hours at this small but beautiful resort beach. It was very nice but the water did not really compare to the purity of what I found on Ikeijima.

Tropical Highway

Gorgeous palms along the highway back to Naha City. It began to rain. I love the tropical warm rain -- puts no damper on my stay in Okinawa at all.

Ikeijima

On the bridge connecting the main island to Ikeijima.

Beach on Ikeijima

The longer I was in Okinawa the more I also wanted to visit its many other islands. You can take short island hopper flights to any of the many many smaller islands but Ikeijima was a option because it's drivable. Arriving at Ikeijima was like finally finding a lost and hidden/forbidden paradise. We could not wait to tear off our clothes and walk out into the sea -- the most beautiful water I've ever seen in my life. Crystal clear and emerald green.

Ikeijima Spider

Not sure if these spiders on Ikeijima are poisonous but I came across them everywhere! Believe it or not, the spider in this photo is as large as my hand. It just sat there waiting for its next meal -- a few feet from where we had camped out on the beach!

Sugar Cane

Ikeijima country road lined with sugar cane. We got lost in the sugar cane looking for Big Stay beach.

Exotic Fruit

Odd pineapple like fruit I found along the beach on Ikeijima. I was told that it is not edible.

Ikeijima - Big Stay Beach

The path down to "Big Stay" beach or "Otamari" Beach on Ikeijima. It was about 1.5 hours drive to the island which is connected by bridge. Emerald green water everywhere.

Kayak Rental

A tiny beach hut was renting sea kayaks for about $30 for 20 minutes use!

Spam Yakisoba

Simple lunch of yakisoba and Spam at the Big Stay beach hut.

Tasty Souvenirs

Purchased Aguu pork, gyoza made with aguu pork and a type of purple potato dumpling to be deep fried. All 3 items were shipped back to Tokyo at a very minimal cost for us.

Bottled Spice

Isa with a typical Okinawan condiment in the foreground. It's peppers soaked in an alcohol. I sprinkled a bit over my soba and it appeared light but it had huge kick. Extremely spicy!

Highway Lunch

We stopped off at a road side cafe and this is my lunch set. Soba with pigs' feet and ribs. The feet were mostly "kolaagen" and fat and stewed to tender perfection. I ate the entire meal and left not a scrap.

Okinawan Soba

Typical Okinawan Soba with stewed pork, fresh onion and fish cake. I loved the soup and Okinawan noodles are the best. They're always firm and flavorful.

Okinawan Homes

A modern residential area just outside of Naha City. Every home has a large balcony and water tower. With some homes the balcony circles the entire home.

Wrap-around Lanai

I could not get over the huge lanais. I just love them and you can tell it's an important part of homes in Okinawa. Note also the water tower. The only other place I've seen similar structures is Guam.

Zakimi Jo Ruins, Yomitan

Entrance to old castle ruins. World heritage site. Walking these grounds, you can still feel the power of a glorious past. It was the only place on the island I could still hear summer cicada in full force. Very unique cicada that can't be heard in Tokyo.

Zakimi Jo

This is from the first entrance to the castle grounds.

Yomitan Seafood Restaurant

We happened upon this small restaurant along the coast in Yomitan. Serving freshly caught fish, it turned out to be the best food we enjoyed anywhere in Okinawa.

Yomitan Lunch

Fish fry lunch set with a hearty miso soup and sashimi included. Unique was the shikuwasa fruit included with the sashimi. I squeezed it over everything and it added a fantastic tartness with a very unique aroma, different from any citrus I've ever eaten.

Fish Fry

This is a close up of fresh catch of the day fish fry. Juicy, white fish and needed no sauce or dip.

Mozuku

Mozuku is a type of seaweed marinated in a vinaigrette. I've never been a big fan of it and have always found it to be a bit too sweet. This was the real thing from the waters of Okinawa however, and I loved it!

All photos (c) Masa Motohashi.
You can follow Masa's tweets about Japan at @hizaga.

沖縄そばの日: Okinawa Soba Day

noreply@blogger.com (Aki) — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 13:18:00 +0000

I was pleased to learn via @Okinawa2Go's tweets that October 17 is Okinawa Soba Day! The story goes that Okinawa-type soba noodles, made from wheat, was not recognized as real soba by Japan's soba association. Officially soba needed to be made from buckwheat flour. The Okinawa Noodle Maker's Union persisted, and in 1978 the won official recognition.

In Okinawa if your ask for "soba" at a restaurant, you'll get the thick wheat noodles in ramen-like broth with toppings. If you want Japanese style buckwheat noodles in Okinawa, you have to specify nihon soba (日本そば)m which means Japanese soba.

Links:
Japan Update article

Photo:

Wikipedia, ayustety from Naha, Okinawa

Okinawan Cuisine in the Bay Area

noreply@blogger.com (Aki) — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 21:13:00 +0000

This is a monumental Okinawan foodie moment: I found an izakaya in Berkeley called Ippuku that offers awamori, goya tempura and tofuyo (pictured above)! We still have a ways to go towards the full-on Okinawan izakaya, but if you are in the Bay Area this place is a must-visit. Read the full review with more pics on my other blog, Tokyo Dreaming.

Food and Fun Celebrate Okinawan Culture | The Star Advertiser

noreply@blogger.com (Aki) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 20:42:00 +0000

Festival celebrating the 110th anniversary of Okinawan immigration to Hawaii, and the 50th Anniversary of the Naha-Honolulu sister city relationship.

Campaigning to save the languages of Okinawa | The Japan Times Online

noreply@blogger.com (Aki) — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 19:46:00 +0000

Campaigning to save the languages of Okinawa | The Japan Times Online

Interesting article about Byron Fija, a half-Okinawan sanshin player and Okinawan language advocate.

New Fiction: Tokyo Dreaming, Chapter 1

noreply@blogger.com (Aki) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 22:57:00 +0000

Some new fiction on my Tokyo blog - the first chapter of my novel. Check it out here and let me know what you think.

Performer Narrates Okinawa's History Through Dance

noreply@blogger.com (Aki) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 06:21:00 +0000

Nice article in The Mainichi Daily News about an Okinawan dancer from Yomitan, my mom's village. The dancer Junko Fisher teaches a workshop on Okinawan dance at Queen's Library in New York.

Junko-san used to perform Okinawan dances at events such as festivals, but she felt "something was missing." "I would typically perform a piece for about 10-20 minutes and that was it. People will only remember it as a 'Japanese dance.' But I felt I needed to interact with the audience to tell them about Okinawa." Read the entire article here.

Note: the photo is mine, and is not connected to the article.

Irei No Hi - 65 Years

noreply@blogger.com (Aki) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 05:38:00 +0000

This year marks the 65th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa. Someone like myself, of my generation, raised in California in comfort and peace, has difficulty grasping the devastation that Okinawans experienced during the final days of WWII. The suffering that so many civilians went through, my mother and her family included, is unimaginable.

In Okinawa there is a public holiday on June 23rd, Irei no hi, that commemorates the end of this battle and remembers all the lives lost. This day is a holiday on Okinawa but not in Japan. The excellent Power of Okinawa blog talks about commemoration events for this day, with the addition of photos, and about how this year current circumstances surrounding Futenma air station added political tension to the ceremony. Read more about it here.

I'm ambivalent about the military presence in Okinawa. On one hand, if there never had been a U.S. military presence on Okinawa, my parents would never have met, and I wouldn't be who I am today. However, the war is over and the military has served it purpose. I think it's time to give the islands back to Uchinanchu. The Okinawans have lived with the military in their backyard for 65 years now, reminded daily of the horrors of WWII. Time to put the past to rest and return the islands to peace.

I want to write more about WWII, Okinawa, and the experiences of my mother and her family. I've found it daunting and I'm still trying to figure out a way to do justice to these stories. As the years pass, I feel a pressing need to tell them.

For a moving and unforgettable first-hand account of a child's story of survival during wartime Okinawa, I recommend The Girl with the White Flag by Tomiko Higa.

Note on the Power of Okinawa blog mentioned above: this is a companion to the Power of Okinawa book, about roots music from the Ryukyu Islands, which I will review soon.

Photo: via Wikimedia Commons. Okinawan civilians during the Battle of Okinawa. Photographed by: T. Sgt. Glen A. Fitzgerald. (Marine Corps) Exact Date Shot Unknown

Beni-imo: Okinawan Purple Sweet Potatoes

noreply@blogger.com (Aki) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 04:14:00 +0000

Yomitan, my mom's home village, is known as the hometown of beni-imo (紅いも). You can see beautiful, lush beni-imo fields everywhere. Beni-imo are sweet potatoes with off-white skins and deep purple-hued flesh that is flavorful and nutrient-rich.

The versatile beni-imo is used in baked goods, candies, ice cream and other desserts. It can be served french-fried or as crispy chips, as tempura, or mashed. When simply boiled until soft, the texture is creamy and dense.

Beni-imo isn't easy to find here in the States, but it is grown in Hawai'i and shipped to the mainland. I'm fortunate to be near enough a couple of markets that offer a wide variety of Asian produce. If you're in the Bay Area, you can find it at Berkeley Bowl.

This is how I like to eat beni-imo: leave skins on and boil until cooked through. Submerge in cold water and peel skins by hand. Slice potatoes into half-inch discs. Pan-fry in olive oil (or other good quality oil) until browned and caramelized on both sides. Salt generously and serve. Creamy, crispy, salty, sweet--delicious! Or in Okinawan, maasan!

Sencha "Okinawa"

noreply@blogger.com (Aki) — Sun, 09 May 2010 01:20:00 +0000

I found this Sencha "Okinawa" green tea from Lupicia Fresh Tea, a large Japanese retailer with a shop in San Francisco. I know nothing about it other than the information they provide, that this is an Okinawa-grown tea made from the Benifuki strain, which contains properties effective against hay fever. The description on the package states that this is a "mild green tea," but I found it to be rather bitter. Quite honestly it's not my favorite product from Lupicia, but they do carry a large variety of excellent tea, tea-making products, and nice Japanese gift items. I noticed on their site that they also offer a Taiwanese oolong flavored with "shekwasha" which is an Okinawan citrus fruit.

Short Fiction: The Punch-Permed Proposal

noreply@blogger.com (Aki) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:13:00 +0000

I just posted some of my fiction on the Tokyo Dreaming blog, a short story called The Punch-Permed Proposal. You can read it here.

Yanbaru Okinawa Shokudo in Shinjuku

noreply@blogger.com (Aki) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 19:51:00 +0000

More Okinawan food in Tokyo! This time a fast-and-simple shokudo in Shinjuku. Buy your meal ticket from their vending machine, sit at the counter, give the cook your ticket, and dig in to a very satisfying set menu including soba, champuru and fried rice. They even had awamori in a cup.

Hanauta Okinawan Izakaya in Akasaka

noreply@blogger.com (Aki) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 18:24:00 +0000

I wrote this up on my Tokyo Dreaming blog: the best meal I had during my visit last October. Tried something new: goya grilled with miso. Delicious! Had lots of other dishes too. Check out my post here.

San Francisco Okinawa Kenjin-kai New Year's Celebration

noreply@blogger.com (Aki) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 19:34:00 +0000

The San Francisco Okinawa Kenjin-kai has been active for 30 years. My family and I have been participating in their annual lunar New Year celebrations for the past 25 years or so. This means a day of feasting and watching community musical and dance performances with old friends. I've performed a traditional dance or sanshin number myself back in the day when our little troupe was active. These days my mother is the only one in our family still active performing with her Nakayoshi Group, photo above.

It's a tradition we all look forward to and I encourage others interested in Okinawan or Japanese culture to check it out next time. These events have taken place at a hall in Fairfield the past few years. I guarantee you'll find yourself sitting in a room full of the most genki octogenerians you've ever seen.

I have a couple of videos but unfortunately I'm having trouble uploading them to my blog at the moment. I'll keep trying.

Check out the kenjin-kai website here.

Takako and the Great Typhoon

noreply@blogger.com (Aki) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:03:00 +0000

Cover of Takako and the Great Typhoon by Kelly Garcia.

Sugar cane fields behind Kelly's house in Yomitan.

Similar fields as illustrated in Kelly's book.

Scene on Rte 12 down the road from the library/post office...

...becomes magically transformed into a world of playful shisas.

Takako and the Great Typhoon is a delightful children's book written by Kelly Garcia and illustrated by Carmen Daniel. Kelly lived in Yomitan for four years, where she was inspired to write this story about a spirited little shisa (lion-dog) named Takako and her brother caught in a typhoon. Day-to-day details in this Okinawan village is brought to life through her lively adventure and its charming illustrations. The author's love of Okinawa comes through in a warm, wonderfully illustrated story.

I was thrilled to discover a book written about my mom's home village of Yomitan, so of course promptly ordered this book online, which you can do through Kelly's site, here.

Kelly was kind enough to do a Q and A with me, and also provided me with photos that show real-life sites in Yomitan that can be seen illustrated in the book.

Q and A with author Kelly Garcia

Q: What inspired Takako and the Great Typhoon? Was there a particular event or experience?

I move around a lot and wherever I live, there seems to come a moment where I think, "Wow. I'm really happy to be here on this earth at this time in this place." Well, in Okinawa, that moment seemed to come all of the time. I'd take walks around my neighborhood in the evening and there was this wonderful sense of life happening all around me. Kids coming home from school or going to baseball or karate practice. The sounds and smells of cooking coming through the windows. Old folks sitting around chatting, tending to their beautiful gardens, speaking in Hogan. I absolutely loved it. I wanted somehow to capture the sights and sounds and feelings I was experiencing there, particularly after giving birth to my son. I wanted him to always know what a special place he was born in.

Q: I liked the thrilling typhoon description. Have you experienced many typhoons in Okinawa?

A few, but only one severe one (Typhoon Man-Yi). The winds were crazy, but I was impressed by how little damage there was afterward. Nowadays in Okinawa most of the buildings are made of concrete. While they may not be considered particularly attractive upon first view, after a storm like that, you come to really appreciate them! Those things are tough!

Right before I left Okinawa, I was fortunate to meet the mayor of Yomitan (the village inspired the book). I thought it interesting that the illustration that stood out to him wasn't of the Eisa drummers or scenes of Yomitan. Rather, it was one in which the two shisas are doubled over, holding up a wooden house about to be blown away by a huge typhoon. (In the book, most of the homes depicted are the traditional wooden style structures, before they went to concrete.) He said it reminded him of what was like during typhoons when he was growing up, when the houses were still made of wood.

Q: Did you include many real-life details from your Okinawa experience in the story?

I tried to. Everything Takako sees going on in the village is something I saw in my own neighborhood. The gateball, eisa practice, gorgeous banyan trees, etc. It's a pretty selfish story that way, because it's really a list of things that I loved and wanted to remember about my time in Okinawa. Before the illustrator began her work, she and I walked around my neighborhood together. I pointed out lots of things I felt were important to include in the story and she snapped pictures of details that caught her eye too. So, many of the images you see in the artwork -- plants, garden gates, vending machines, even the grates in the street and the tiny signs at the end of a wall, really exist right around the corner from my old house. I love that!

Q: I love how the shisas have so much character. Was it difficult finding the right illustrator? Did you have a certain look in mind for the illustration style?

Well, when I set out to find an illustrator for the story, I spoke with several local artists and they submitted "a scene" from the book. Carmen's jumped out at me because it captured the detail of the surroundings and at the same time depicted a really playful, child-friendly looking shisa. It was also super colorful and vibrant looking. Carmen had a really positive view about Okinawa and I knew I also wanted to work with someone who had a love for the island.

But really it was when we started working together on the initial sketches I realized how lucky I was to have teamed up with her. The task of bringing the words of the story to life visually required, I think, a lot of mutual respect and trust. As we talked together, she was able to figure out the images I had in my head and translate them into the wonderful pictures you see in the book. Not an easy task! I was very lucky. Also in finding Erin Blunt (the book designer), who brought Carmen's art and my text together. She worked some magic too. It was fantastic working on my first book with those two.

Q: Are you working on another book?

Right now I'm working on translating Takako and the Great Typhoon into a dual Japanese/English edition. It's going to be a little bit of an undertaking because the addition of the text will affect the layout of the book pretty significantly. Also, I'll need to find a printer or publisher on island and learn about distributing to the Japanese market. But, it's a project I'd like to take on. Let's hope it's successful! I've got some other projects in mind too, but I'm having a baby in February so I'll be concentrating on that for a little while!

View the YouTube preview for Takako and the Great Typhoon below, with great music!

Okinawa on a plate | The Japan Times Online

noreply@blogger.com (Aki) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 20:53:00 +0000

Okinawa on a plate | The Japan Times Online

Excellent article on Okinawan food culture.

Umaku Kamade by Ryukyu Underground

noreply@blogger.com (Aki) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:06:00 +0000

Ryukyu Underground has finally come out with a new album, "Umui." Check out the beautiful video of one of their new songs, "Umaku Kamade."

Video: YouTube / Ryukyuunderground

Yugafu Okinawan Izakaya in Tokyo

noreply@blogger.com (Aki) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:49:00 +0000

I'm currently in Tokyo - which means I'm eating as much Okinawan food as I can! Okinawan cuisine is a rarity in the States (no restaurants yet in the San Francisco area - somebody pleeeease open one!) but lucky me, it's a big trend here in Tokyo. Restaurants and izakayas specializing in Okinawa-ryoori and awamori can be found everywhere.

On my first night here my sister took me to a charming place in Meguro. Check out the post on my Tokyo blog here. Still thinking about their jimami dofu...

"Kyu-bon and Eisa Festivals" Documentary

noreply@blogger.com (Aki) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 11:48:00 +0000

I recently caught an episode about Okinawa from the "Fantastic Festivals of the World" series on Discovery HD theater. This episode was called "The Kyu-bon and Eisa Festivals" - Okinawa, Japan. Although the content isn't entirely new for anyone who has been to Okinawa or is familiar with the culture, I enjoyed the production very much--great music, nice cinematography, made me homesick for Okinawa for sure. It captured the youthful energy of eisa performers and talked about the importance of these festivals. There was also some background into general history and culture of the Ryukyu islands, including a visit to the Makishi Market in Naha. There was even mention of Yomitan, my mother's village.

After a little searching I found the site of the producer of this documentary, Marc Pingry Productions. You can purchase a DVD for $12 by inquiring via email. I think it's a worthy addition to anyone's collection.

Okinawan/Polish/American Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Aki) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:46:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I attended the wedding of a family friend. The bride was an Okinawan hapa like myself. Her mother shared a dance that is traditionally performed at celebratory occasions. I found it somewhat poignant, watching Kazuko-san's solemn, solitary dance in a modern wedding banquet hall on a golf course in the glow of the setting sun. Giving away her youngest daughter, honoring the occasion with a piece of tradition.

Okinawa New Year Festivities

noreply@blogger.com (Aki) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 19:18:00 +0000

Our Okinawa Kenjinkai New Year celebration was held in Fairfield, as has been the tradition the past few years. We all look forward to this annual event of music, dancing, food, and reconnecting with other Bay Area uchinanchu.

Akabanaa Okinawan Shop in San Francisco

noreply@blogger.com (Aki) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 23:40:00 +0000

Okinawan products are hard to come by in the States, so I consider myself lucky to have this specialty store in easy traveling distance. Akabanaa means hibiscus in the Okinawan dialect--a flower you'll see thriving in Okinawa's subtropical climate, as well as recurring often in design motifs.

Akabanaa claims to be the only retail store of this kind outside of Japan, and I believe it. Their aim is to promote Okinawan culture through their unique imported products. They offer a range of food items such as dried goya, sea salt, mozoku seaweed, and sweets made from beni-imo (purple sweet potato). You can also find beautiful gift items like pottery, totes and aprons crafted from colorful, distinctly Okinawan bingata (stencil dyed) fabric, or CD's featuring traditional music. Their products are not cheap, but worth it for a rare taste of Okinawa. (I'm still hoping they'll bring awamori in soon!)

Akabanaa is located in San Francisco's Japantown, 2nd floor of the Miyako Mall. They're open every day but Tuesday.