Bridging the Gap: Images of Okinawa in Japanese Popular Culture

I. Imaging Okinawa The essential question that Tada Osamu poses to his readers in Okinawa Imeji no Tanjo--Aoi Umi no Karuchuraru Sutadizu is 'When "Okinawa" is mentioned, what kind of image do you think of? Is it "blue sky, blue sea" or a "southern paradise" blessed with red hibiscus.... Or is it "American bases," "the Battle of Okinawa," or "peace" ' (p. 1). Here, Tada outlines some of the essential images that have become associated with what he terms the 'Okinawa image' in Japanese popular culture. He goes on to add that '[I]f, however, you are from Okinawa prefecture...do you feel a sense of unease at these types of fixed images, like they are something being pushed?' (p. 1). This is indeed a valid point. Tada, born in Osaka, educated at Waseda University and now a professor at Ryukyu University admits that it was only through his experience living in the prefecture that he came to realize that the images outlined above are manufactured ones and hardly representative of the experience of the Olkinawan people. Tada's book focuses on the Ocean Expo of 1975, which he argues was a conscious attempt by the Japanese government to create an Okinawa 'brand image' for mainland Japan as a means of incorporating the prefecture back into the nation after decades of American occupation. He also makes the suggestion that regional efforts like this one are really part of a continuing debate within government and popular discourse on the ideal form of the Japanese nation. 'Where did the "blue sea, blue sky" image of Okinawa come from?' (p. 58) is another important question that Tada asks in the work. His answer is '[I]t is from the 1975 Olkinawan restoration memorial event, the Olkinawa Ocean Expo' (p. 58). The first chapter is entitled 'The "Development" of Land and People through the Olympics and Expo', and this is indicative of the general approach.