Books about Okinawa

A statue of John Manjiro at the John Manjiro Landing Place Monument in Itoman City, Okinawa I was first introduced to the historical figure John Manjiro through a presentation by a student nearly 20 years ago. Who knows why certain people and places remain in your mind? I honestly can’t tell you what any of the other students presented on that day or why he made such an impression. Perhaps it was because he was an unintentional immigrant and I could see parts of my own immig

I try to read as much about Okinawa as possible, and while at the local library researching the history of goat fights, I came across the book A Daughter of Uminchu (ウミンチュの娘) by Tsuneko Imai, which I had never seen before. Originally written in Japanese in 2011, it was later translated into English and released in English in 2021. Most of my reading about Okinawa centers on the history, archelogy and culture of Okinawa, which, in all honesty, can be rather dry at times, so th