Beachheads

Gerald Figal is professor of history and Japanese cultural studies at Vanderbilt University.

With its triangulated position at the crossroads of Japan, the United States, and its own past kingdom, contemporary Okinawa provides observers with richly complex material. Figal handles this material well. Based on archival research and fieldwork begun in 2001, his book provides fascinating insights into the branding of Okinawa for the Japanese domestic tourist marketplace, from tropical landscaping to the restoration of Shuri Castle (the former center of the Ryukyuan Kingdom) to the building of swank resorts. In working to create a distinctive brand, the tourist industry sought elements that would make Okinawa distinctive within the Japanese domestic tourist market. Those elements included a tropical image ('Japan's Hawaii') and continuing connection to the United States through the ongoing U.S. military presence. Thus, tropical beaches and U.S. bases are not such uncommon bedfellows in Okinawa. They constitute what Figal calls 'beachheads'—luxury resorts capable of launching their own offense against Okinawan physical and cultural space. Embedding the making of 'tourist Okinawa' within the experiences of wartime and U.S. occupation, Figal's compelling analysis greatly enriches the growing field of Okinawan studies. Summing Up: Highly recommended.

• ProloguePart I: Graves and CavesChapter 1: Tours among the RuinsChapter 2: The Touristification of Sacred GroundPart II: Creations and RecreationsChapter 3: “Tropical Image Up”: Landscape under (Tourist) OccupationChapter 4: Ryukyu Restoration: Shuri Castle and Furusato OkinawaPart III: Bases and BeachesChapter 5: Military Bases as Tourist AttractionChapter 6: Beach Resort InvasionEpilogueBibliography