From Okinawa to my Diary

One lesson that still lingers in my heart from the book Ichigo Ichi is that not to retire living your life just because you are getting old. It says people in Okinawa do not retire even at 90s, fascinating, isn’t it?  

I finally got to be there to see it for myself. The streets were illuminated with lights, restaurants and bars filled with people moving to the rhythm of living one’s life. It is really unusual especially to see Japanese people laughing loudly and even shouting without any reservation and I saw it there. 

It is a thematic place of blue symbolizing peace and every corner has made sure to carry a tint of it. Yet its serenity grew from blood. Okinawa was a war torn island back in the days. The place and the people have seen the worst tragedy where not even a child was spared. The greed and hunger of the country led to the sufferings of Okinawan people and it took years of war until the final battle of Okinawa in 1945 to put an end to it. Even after the war there was no magic to put everything in place with a snap of a finger. The struggles continued for years. It is these struggles that shaped today’s Okinawa, a tourism hub and the messenger of peace.  

Detached from mainland Japan, geographically and historically, it carries its own rhythm. From the facial structures of the people to the architecture of the houses, it carries it off differently. The modest single to two storied houses filled the outskirts of the place while the pine and the palm trees filled every walking aisle. As a cherry topping the moderate temperate lifts the mood of every visitor for any kind of adventure and exploration. 

Okinawa just felt like a warm hug on a cold snowy Christmas Eve. Joining the people here to share their message of peace- from Okinawa to the world through this piece of memory.