I recently visited Okinawa, Japan for the first time and while I didn’t go far off the beaten path at all (just visited the city of Naha and Tokashiki) I was completely taken by the island
My favorite thing was visiting the natural history and art museum in Naha. I want to know more about the prefecture, the history, contemporary looks on everyday lives, etc.
Can anyone recommend me good books based on Okinawa? Could be historical, modern, fictional, educational, maybe even just an author that was raised in Okinawa and incorporates their experiences into their work.
Looking for things in english, translated or otherwise- unfortunately I can’t read japanese. Hopeful to have some new things to read!
by Phrisbe
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Okinawa by Susumu Higa (translated by Jocelyne Allen) is a collection of 2 manga from an Okinawan perpective, with a particular focus on history and spirituality. Sword of Sand covers the Battle of Okinawa, and Mabui (“Spirit”) deals with the ways in which the American occupation is changing the area.
Southern Exposure: Modern Japanese Literature from Okinawa, edited by Steve Robson is a collection of short stories and poems by Okinawan authors
In the Woods of Memory by Shun Medoruma (translated by Takuma Sminkey) is a novel influenced by historical events. It covers the sexual assault of a teenage girl by a group of US servicemen in 1945, her friend’s desire for revenge, and the concequences of those events to the present day. Medoruma is probably the most famous author born in Okinawa.