It may not be of interest to many how
Map It! Okinawa got its beginnings or why I embarked on this venture...but
it may give you some insight on why it is, the way it is...and the
driving force behind it.
When I came back to Okinawa in 2011, I
never sought out to write about Okinawa's culture or its history. The
truth was, I never cared. I came back to Okinawa for other reasons,
to start a new life in a place that I always felt free. I had no idea
what I was going to do or how I was going to survive. I just had an
urging to come back.
So I packed up my belongings, said
good-bye to my friends and family in California, took what savings I
had left, and moved out here. Fortunately for me, I had a support
network of relatives and friends already here, and as a son of a
Japanese mother, I was allowed to stay legally, given that I filled
out the proper paper work. Getting here was the easy part. What about
the rest of my life?
So with this great uncertainty,
followed a period of being in limbo – not a particular fond stage
in life, but sometimes a necessary one to figure out where you have
to go.
And with no car, I had spent a lot time
wandering around on foot...in Okinawa....in the heat...and in limbo.
This was the best thing that could have ever happen to me. I never
felt rushed. Never felt irritated. Never felt frustrated because of
traffic. I felt free.
But, I also learned two things during
this time. I understood why older Okinawans held water springs in
such high regard (50 years ago there were no Family Marts). Long ago
fresh water was a priceless commodity. You quickly learn this when you spend day in and day out walking under the blistering Okinawan sun.
Second,...you see more when you walk
around.
So, I just took pictures to kill time...a lot of
pictures. But little by little, I would see things that had a beauty
– a kind of intrinsic beauty that isn't always visible to the naked
eye. I would take pictures and wonder about them. What did they all
mean? A water well here, an utaki there, stuff that may not all
seem that significant to a foreigner. But then I got thinking,... it's
hard to respect what you don't understand, and then I realized that
there was more to Okinawa than just the typical tourist attractions
such as Hiji Falls, Shuri Castle, and the aquarium park. There was
something deeper. Something very real here.
It only made sense
to put pictures on the web, rather than have them 'collect dust' on
my hard drive. That idea came from Michael Lynch, better known as
Ryukyu Mike. He was actually a friend of my father's a long time ago. I
met the much younger fella when I was just a kid, and it happen to be
the last time as well. I was about 12 then. I never thought that 25
years later, we would be teaming up documenting everything and
anything about Okinawa.
One day in his bar (his office) he
showed me his Okinawan blog which has become quite popular both
internationally and here on Okinawa. It was great stuff. He had shown
me the power of the camera. My intention, however, was never to do a
website or blog about Okinawa. I just wanted to organize my pictures
so I can have easy access to them anytime without having to search
through my computer. It was a way for me to document my travels. What
better way to do it than to do it online.
So...I posted my first pictures on July
7th, 2011 – not an article...cause you see? I never had
any intentions to write an article. Toguchi Beach and the Yomitan Red
Bridge...that was it, my first pictures. That was easy and I was
happy.
But not being too familiar with Yomitan
at the time, I wasn't sure if I could remember how to find my way
back, OR MAYBE OTHER PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW TO GET THERE AS
WELL. Hmmmm...
So, I added a Google Map. Plotted
Toguchi Beach and the Red Bridge. It was a little painful, but I was
happy and done with it............but
I took so many pictures! Certainly one
will not do. So I added a photo album. The pain just kept adding up.
Finally, I found myself asking the
question...”WHAT AM I LOOKING AT?” and I knew other people might
be asking the same. So I wrote a few sentences explaining what was
there and what to expect. That wasn't too painful (months later I
would realize that this is the most painful part of it all).
So you see? It all naturally came
together; a picture, short explanation, photo album, and...a map
.....all of places here on Okinawa. It all appeared magically...right
there in front my eyes. It had just come to life, and like a baby
just born after a painful labor....
The only thing left, was to give it a
name...
The rest, I'm sure, you can figure out.
