{"id":909,"date":"2022-05-20T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-20T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/userblogs.fu-berlin.de\/urban-rural-migration-japan\/?p=909"},"modified":"2023-02-06T09:36:48","modified_gmt":"2023-02-06T08:36:48","slug":"15-may-2022-the-50th-anniversary-of-okinawa-prefectures-reversion-to-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/userblogs.fu-berlin.de\/urban-rural-migration-japan\/2022\/05\/20\/15-may-2022-the-50th-anniversary-of-okinawa-prefectures-reversion-to-japan\/","title":{"rendered":"15 May 2022: the 50th anniversary of Okinawa Prefecture’s ‘reversion’ to Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Sarah Bijlsma<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week, Japan celebrated the 50-year anniversary of Okinawa\u2019s return to the mainland. After being governed by the US since the end of WWII, the administration of the prefecture was handed back to prime minister Eisaku Sat\u014d (1901-1975) on the 15th<\/sup> of May 1972. On the anniversary day, the central and national governments held ceremonies simultaneously in Tokyo and Okinawa including a video message from the Japanese Emperor and Empress. In the months before the anniversary, national and local media platforms took the opportunity to publish articles, interviews, and visual content that address various aspects of Okinawa Prefecture. In this blogpost, I will discuss two examples that illustrate the different ways the Japanese media represents the prefecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One strand of publications echoes hegemonic discourses of \u2018Okinawa difference,\u2019 including romanticized representations of the islands\u2019 distinct culture and social life [1]. NHK, for example, since April broadcasts the morning drama Chimudondon<\/em>. The asadora<\/em> tells the story of a farmer\u2019s daughter from the lush Yanbaru area, who opens an Okinawan restaurant in Tokyo in her adult life. The scenes are full of natural sceneries, local dishes, traditional crafts, and the large families Okinawa is known for. In the third episode, when the girl is still a child, she talks with the father of a friend who just moved from the capital to her small village. Standing under a shikuwasa<\/em> tree with the blue sea shines bright in the background, she wonders out loud, \u201cIsn\u2019t Tokyo a much more interesting place?\u201d The man replies: \u201cYou know, to you this village is your hometown.\u201d \u201cMy hometown?\u201d the girl looks confused [2]. The natural environment, genuine human relationships, and use of the Japanese term furusato<\/em> for hometown instantly evokes a nostalgic feeling for all that is lost in urbanized Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n