Shimanchū
A Memoir of Ishigaki Island
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5.0 • 3 Ratings
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- $3.99
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- $3.99
Publisher Description
Ishigaki Island in Okinawa Prefecture is home to the southernmost city of Japan and known for its coral reefs, village traditions, and folk performing arts. Stephanie calls Ishigaki City her new home while serving on the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme.
As she immerses herself into the rich and vibrant culture, Stephanie discovers that behind the pristine blue and rosy red colors of the island lies a dark history of bloodshed, malaria, tsunamis, and more. Through her interactions with islanders, she comes to understand the meaning of Shimanchū, the term they use to identify themselves.
Shimanchū: A Memoir of Ishigaki Island offers a captivating glimpse of past and present life in the Yaeyama Islands from the days of the Ryukyu Kingdom to modern-day Japan through the author’s lens as a nisei from Hawaii.
Customer Reviews
Highly recommend
Enjoyable read. The author does a great job of highlighting the beautiful yet complex history of the Yaeyama islands and Okinawa. Would highly recommend to anyone with an interest in Okinawa.
An enjoyable read!
I once visited Ishigaki years ago for a brief vacation and reading this book made me want to go again soon. I learned lots of new things about the history and culture of the island, I think I will have a different perspective on my next visit. The author tied everything together nicely with her own personal experiences there.