 The visitor could be forgiven for thinking that Okinawa is an outpost of the USA |
Okinawa is the centrepiece of the Ryukyus, an archipelago of 65 palm-fringed sub tropical islands almost opposite Taipei and closer to Korea, China, Hong Kong and the Philippines than to Tokyo. This is Japan with palm trees. A unique people absorbed not quite seamlessly into a large and powerful nation, the Okinawans have been Japanese since the 17th century, but with interesting Pacific permutations.
Though downtown Naha has shops stuffed full of yankee army surplus goods and phony war trinkets, there is much more to Okinawa than an American military presence. Exquisite lacquerware, pottery, glassware and dyed textiles are evidence of a strong tradition of craftsmanship. Music and dance reverberate around the islands. The annual Eisa Festival sees 200,000 people take part in a drum-driven form of ceremonial street dancing.
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