2007
HUOA Leadership Tour
First of all, I
would like to thank HUOA for partially funding and organizing the Leadership
Tour. I had a wonderful time in Okinawa. I would also like to thank my club, the
Hawaii Sashiki-Chinen Doshikai for sponsoring and funding 1/3 of my Leadership
Tour trip. I also would like to thank the organizers and fellow members of the
Leadership Tour for the great experience.
The Leadership
Tour, from September 27 - October 9, 2007, in Okinawa was a good learning
experience, as well as great opportunity to make some important contacts. We had
exemplary support from the Okinawa Prefectural Government, especially from
Director Masayuki Oshiro, Supervisor Takashi Okuda, and CIR Gabriel Crawford who
was our main translator. The OPG provided us with a filled schedule of important
Okinawan places to visit, and special access to make us feel even more
privileged.
Some of the special
items we had:
In addition, the OPG helped arrange a meeting for me with the
newly-formed Nanjo-city government, which includes Sashiki Town and Chinen
Village which are the roots of the Hawaii Sashiki-Chinen Doshikai. I had a
meeting with Mayor Koja, where I gave him a lei and some Hawaiian
chocolate-covered macadamia nuts. There was also a reporter from the newspaper
there, and they snapped a photo of Mayor Koja and I together, both wearing leis.
I was also able to meet with several other members of the Nanjo city government,
who treated me very well. They helped me find some records of my grandfather,
and we agreed to continue the search deeper, once I get more information about
my grandparents on both my mother's and father's side.
Coincidently, a department from Nanjo City also had a BBQ party that
night I was there, so I was invited, and gladly accepted. There I saw some
people playing gateball, and met other Nanjo City people, including another
"Chinen"! The food was also wonderful--BBQ dishes, teriyaki beef, hot dogs,
veggies, chicken, and also sushi and other Okinawan foods such as goya. Reiko
Nagamura from the Nanjo City office was very helpful to me, picking me up in
Naha to take me to Nanjo City, and even taking me on a short city tour. I
haven't been to everywhere on Okinawa, but I will say the Nanjo city coast is
one of the most beautiful places I've been to so far in
Okinawa.
I also appreciated the opportunity on this Leadership Tour to have a
homestay with relatives. I stayed with the Nagayama's in Sobe, Naha. It was
great to see many of them again. I was so tired from all the activities of the
Leadership Tour, I just told my relatives I wanted to rest ... but we had
delicious meals ... both at a restaurant, and also a few home-cooked Okinawan
meals. We tried to go to the Okinawan demonstration in protest of the Tokyo
textbooks changing some Okinawan history, but we turned around after being stuck
in traffic for almost two hours. We figured the attendance had to be pretty
good. Turns out 110,600 people were there, when the organizers were hoping for
50,000.
Returning to the Tour after the homestay, I was welcomed back to the
Leadership Tour group with an impromptu birthday party (just another excuse to
go out and have fun) at a local restaurant/bar called HUB just a couple blocks
away from our hotel. The gang sang Happy Birthday to me, but luckily, no one
danced, haha!
Our first full week started with a very reflective day. We visited the
Gyokusendo Cultural Park, where we walked through an amazing cave that some
Okinawans hid in during the Battle of Okinawa. We were also treated to an eisa
performance, and some members of our group even participated on stage. After
Gyokusendo Park, we visited the Okinawa Peace Memorial Park, where Laverne Higa
Nance and I took 1000 origami cranes made in Hawaii to the shrine there as a
gift from the people of Hawaii. The group also toured the Peace Memorial Museum,
where we got a better understanding of some of the horrors of war.
After the museum, we walked outdoors to the Heiwa no Ishiji (Cornerstone
of Peace), where I was able to see the names of some of my ancestors inscribed
on the granite walls. There are more than 230,000 names inscribed, all
casualties of the war. Very sad. A significant proportion of Okinawans died
during the war. We also visited the Himeyuri Peace Museum, where we learned more
about the teenage student nurses, and how many of them died during the war.
There was even a survivor there telling her story. Riveting. Sad. It makes one understand why Okinawans
are such strong proponents for peace.
On Tuesday, we started off with a tour through the remains of an actual
underground hospital during the war at the Haebaru Cultural Center. It's amazing
how the nurses, many just teenagers, had to endure working in such primitive
conditions, while witnessing gruesome injuries, pain, and
death.
We then went to
Murasaki Mura where we cooked our own Okinawan lunch. Goya Champuru,
tempura,jushime and even andagi! Our instructors were wonderful, everyone helped
a little, and the food was definitely some of the most fresh and healthy we ate
on the trip, and tasty, too.
After our late
lunch, we stopped at the Katsuren Castle. A few of us took the short but steep
hike up the uneven path to the top, for a wonderful panoramic view from the apex
of the castle ruins.
The day was capped
off by one of my favorite parts of the trip, hanging out with Daiichi Hirata
where we learned some Eisa Paranku moves and did a little song, guided by
Hirata-san himself, as well as some of his student leaders. We also did a hula
performance of 'Ulupalakua for our Okinawan hosts there, and they were very
appreciative. We also got a preview look at one scene of a play they are
rehearsing. It was very well done by the students. Just seeing one scene got my
emotions involved. I think the entire play will be something to see, and I hope
to attend.
On the Leadership
Tour, we also met up with the HUOA Study Tour, and took a trip together up to
see the Northern part of Okinawa Island. We stopped in Kin Town, to see the
statue of Kyuzo Toyama, the "Father of Okinawan Emigration." I got to speak to
some of the Kin Town officials about a project I am working on to help increase
awareness of Kyuzo Toyama. We also visited Ryukyu Mura (Takoyama Park) where we
had lunch and watched a Ryukyu Dance performance. There was also the
much-anticipated (by some in our group) visit to the Orion Beer Factory, where
we had a brief tour, followed by some free samples.
Up north, we stayed
at the beautiful Mahaina Wellness Resort in Motobu, where some of us took
advantage of the amenities by swimming in their pool, and after that I went to
experience the warm waters of their onsen. A few of us also wandered around
later in the night, looking for a path to the beach, but instead stumbled upon a
graveyard! Kinda spooked me, and we got outta there fast!
The next day, we
visited the Ocean EXPO Park, where I was really impressed by the Churaumi
Aquarium. I stood in awe watching the three large whale sharks circle the tank,
along with other large sharks and lots of other fishes and other sea creatures.
I definitely will be visiting Churaumi Aquarium again. We also visited the
Oceanic Cultural Museum and Tropical Dream Center there, but the Churaumi
Aquarium was by far the most enjoyable for me at the Ocean EXPO
Park.
On the way back to
Naha, we stopped at the Nakajin Castle and Museum, one of the components of the
Okinawan World Heritage Site. A few of us took the short but steep hike up the
uneven path to the top, for an wonderful panoramic view from the apex of the
castle ruins. We also stopped by the Nago Pineapple Visitor Park. They had lots
of samples in their store there, and most of it was delicious! Some from the
group took the pineapple-car ride and sounds like they had
fun!
Unfortunately for
us, there was a typhoon brewing in the Pacific, with Okinawa in it's projected
path, which resulted in the postponement (till the following weekend) of the
Naha Matsuri Parade and Tsunahiki (tug-of-war). We were disappointed, however,
we still had some alternate weekend activities that were very
enjoyable.
On Saturday, most
of us went to the Tenbusu Craft Center on Kokusai Dori to participate in some
Okinawan craft. Some chose Bingata, while I chose glass blowing, which was
interesting, and enjoyable. I even have my own glass cup which I made myself
(with a lot of help from their very helpful staff). Most of the group spent some
of the day shopping for omiyage at Kokusai Dori, Heiwa Dori, and some even took
the Monorail to shop at other locations.
On Sunday, several
of us took the monorail to visit Choichi Terukina sensei's sanshin studio.
Terukina sensei is officially recognized in Japan as, "National Intangible
Cultural Asset, Classical Ryukyuan Music Holder." We got to watch a live group
lesson in progress taught by one of Terukina sensei's sons, and were treated to
a performance by the "Living National Treasure" himself.
Delightful.
For lunch, some of
us took taxis to the Ginowan Jimmy's (Restaurant) where we were treated to a
buffet lunch by Jimmy and Seiichiro Inamine. Jimmy Inamine has been to our house
in Hawaii before, the last time about 20 years ago, and he remembered me! What a
memory. In addition to the buffet lunch treat, the Inamine's also gave everyone
a large box of Jimmy's cookies, and then took us on a tour of the Jimmy's
factory, where we all were in "bunny suits" (lab coats and hair nets) to protect
their food products from any contamination.
After the Jimmy's
factory tour, Rena Takushi Reid and I took a cab to the University of the
Ryukyu's to see my "new" school, as well as check out the Ryu-dai festival that
was going on over the weekend. A couple friends I have there told me about it,
and I was glad we went. There was lots of food and beverages, and we even got
cheap massages from some of the nursing students. But what I enjoyed the most
there was the Eisa performances we saw. The final performance lasted about 20
minutes straight, and the performers were so emotionally involved, some were
crying even during the performance, and lots were crying after. You could tell
they were all putting their hearts and souls into the performance. It was moving
to watch.
Sunday night, some
of us went to Setsuko Tamagusuku sensei's Odori class, and learned some Okinawan
dance moves. The women in our group even got to dress up in traditional dance
kimono attire. They looked great.
On Monday, a fellow
Sashiki-Chinen Doshikai member, Tom Gushiken, who is a teacher on an American
base here, invited me to a "picnic with a lot of Hawaii folks." It was on the
water at Kadena Marina, and the food was delicious, and included some Hawaiian
fish such as Palani, as well as poke, and other foods I have been missing from
Hawaii and America such as fried chicken. It was especially delicious for me,
since I was planning on remaining in Okinawa after the Leadership Tour returns
to Hawaii, to be a visiting researcher at the University of the Ryukyu's for a
year. I left the picnic early, in order to meet the rest of the Leadership Tour
members at Naha Airport, to say goodbye, and wish them a safe journey
home.
Of course I need to
thank the organizers/leaders of the trip, Jane Serikaku, David Arakawa, and
Laverne Higa-Nance, for planning and taking care of us on the trip. Thanks also
to Tom Yamamoto for spending many hours teaching us hula, and Bonnie Miyashiro
for our lesson on introductions, and other support for the
trip.
I must also thank
my two roommates on the trip, Troy Sakihara and Russ Awakuni for being good
roomies, especially Troy who had to deal with me for most of the trip. I also
need to thank everyone else on the trip, each one whom I enjoyed traveling and
talking with, some I got to know better on the trip, and I'm glad I did. It was
also wonderful meeting members of the study tour, I enjoyed talking to them,
too. Mahalo also to our Study Tour guides, Myron Akana, Takejiro Higa, and Sumie
Oshiro Consillio.
I feel we also
should thank the people of Okinawa, who all welcomed us with open arms, from the
Governor, Vice Governors, and Mayors, to the OPG staff, to Nanjo City, to our
August Inn Hotel staff, to all employees at the places we visited, to random
strangers we met. Ichariba Chodee.
Ippee Nifee
Deebiru,
Daniel Hiroki
Chinen, Hawaii Sashiki-Chinen Doshikai
Visiting Researcher,
University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa
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