“Ukimi soo chii,” said the teacher, Chogi Higa. “Ukimi soo chii,” the students repeated. For student Tokie Koyama, the greeting was a bittersweet echo of her childhood on Okinawa. “It makes me cry,” ...

Byron Fija found his direction in life after an identity crisis. His father was thought to be a US soldier, but he was never told anything about him. His mother, who was Okinawan, left him to his aunt ...

LOS ANGELES -- As June 23 draws near every year, 78-year-old Chogi Higa experiences a mix of emotions as he reflects on the preciousness of peace, and the issue of United States military bases in ...

Byron Fija is working to keep Okinawan language alive. He teaches it to students and has a radio show that he conducts entirely in Okinawan. In this audio clip he says: "Hello, I am Fija Byron. It is ...

Counted among the native-born Japanese people in Polk County are people from Japan's Ryukyu islands. One of the southernmost islands in Japan and the largest in the Ryukyu chain, Okinawa is populated ...

For the past year I've been researching, as a school project, the decline of the Shimakutuba dialect spoken in Okinawa. We even went on a trip to Okinawa for three nights and four days; one night was ...

“One night at a pub I heard the sound of traditional Okinawan folk music, and it was like being hit in the head with a hammer. The impact was like a bolt of lightning! The song told the story of how ...

NAHA--After a rocky start, Kariyushi wear (the Okinawan version of the Hawaiian shirt) has become unique formal summer attire in the southernmost prefecture. People are often seen here wearing the ...

Byron Fija says Okinawans should be taught about their cultural heritage Byron Fija found his direction in life after an identity crisis. His father was thought to be a US soldier, but he was never ...

Byron Fija found his direction in life after an identity crisis. His father was thought to be a US soldier, but he was never told anything about him. His mother, who was Okinawan, left him to his aunt ...