2007 HUOA Leadership Tour
By Daniel Chinen, Hawaii Sashiki-Chinen Doshi Kai
 
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:
 - A meeting with the Triumvirate: Governor Nakaima, Vice Governor Nakazato, and Vice Governor Asato
- A preview visit and special tour into the soon-to-be-open Okinawan Prefectural Government Museum.
- Special bus entry into the Peace Memorial Park.
- Complementary admission into the attractions arranged by the OPG, including Shuri Castle, Himeyuri Peace Museum, Okinawa Peace Memorial Museum,
- Complementary bus provided.
- Meetings with some of the other departments and officials in the OPG.
- Meetings with the Naha City and Kin City officials.
- Having a special speaker at Sugarloaf Hill talk about the history of the battle of Okinawa, as well as a couple of officials from the urban planning dept of Naha to explain the development of the area.
- They even met us at the airport late at night when we arrived, and also saw us off at the airport when we left, on a holiday.
 
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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