*whew, really a massive phew because I managed to print out the survey so I am officially VERY LUCKY!

Jap class was interesting today. I was always intrigued by the whole Jap National Identity (crisis) of sorts. While we have US, Europe and our very own SEA countries* celebrating diversity and multiculturalism (is there even such a word), here we have Nippon happily proclaiming her homogeneity and her extremely singular national identity.

Then in comes Okinawa culture and how now there's a new spin on things because Okinawa is like a throwback to the past and a source of nostalgia.

According to the lecturer (Mr very-cool-funkily-dressed-Romit) Okinawans have the longest life expectancy, high QOL and well a less stressful (dare I say stress-free) type of life. And he did point out, is this really something to champion, publicise?, specially when you put two and two together and you notice that young Okinawans are heading out of the island and onto the main islands for jobs. Investment in Okinawa is afterall, selective, tourism and real estate. Frankly, it's going to become another Hawaii or -insert idyllic island name-.

So it's food for thought. And when you throw in US occupation, you're going to get a real major crisis of identity. Okinawans were once described as noble savages and well, it's not just a non-sequitur of a term but insulting too.

And afterall, the whole Okinawan-nostalgia thingymajig is profit-driven concept. His point being, is your traditional culture still a way of life? Even if we look at home, do we really celebrate traditions and stick to them as strictly as we ought to? Uh uh that's definitely not a way of life, but if you look at tourism ads you would think that we wear cheongsams and play five stones and maybe India= elephants....you know that sorta thing? What is popularly projected as the norm could differ from reality.

Food for thought.

*though I do feel that it's kinda selective diversity if you get what I mean in these times (grumble)

ps. it's interesting to note that Gackt is an Okinawan (he's a coughcough vampire I thought?). Watch his Shima Uta cover. Gackt has got a good voice but it's sure weird he's performing ol' style.