Learning To Laugh

I’ve recently found myself in a different place in life and took a little vacation to southern Japan to relax, unwind, and maybe even get a tan. The tan didn’t come, but I did discover things about life through the eyes of another culture–and even got some laughs in.

In southern Japan there’s an entirely different culture found on the island of Okinawa. This island is the most subtropical region of Japan and the culture and history goes back thousands of years. According to wikipedia in 1609 the Satsuma clan, which controlled the region that is now Kagoshima Prefecture invaded the Ryūkyū Kingdom. Following the invasion the Ryūkyū Kingdom surrendered to the Satsuma and was forced to form a tributary relationship with Satsuma and the Tokugawa shogunate, in addition to its previous relationship with China. Ryukyuan sovereignty was maintained since complete annexation would create a problem with China. The Satsuma clan earned considerable profits from trades with China during a period in which foreign trade was heavily restricted by the shogunate.

Okinawa is covered in UNESCO World Heritage Sites like Castles, that are believed to be created around the 15th century. Gusuku means castle, and there are around 300 around Gusuku in Okinawa. There are several of these castles located across Okinawa such as Shuri Castle, Nakijin Castle, and hundreds more.

Kouri island is said to have artifacts that date back over 3,000 years. That’s a long time ago, and that shows you just how ancient the culture of Okinawa is. They have a culture and history that is rooted in influence from China and Japan.

For anyone wanting to go to Japan, I recommend you to do some research on Okinawa Travel and make the call yourself, I think you will find that Okinawa is a culture that is all smiles and laughs.