The graves in Okinawa are a little startling. They’re large and quite ostentatious tombs. Seriously, more gorgeous than the farm houses I saw. And they seem to pop up everywhere, in the most unexpected places. There are three just at the entrance to my hotel. I know that ancestor worship is a big deal in Japanese culture. It may be an even bigger deal in this Ryukyu island culture. I was told that the graves are so big because families congregate there and have big parties and drink a toast to celebrate their dead. The strange locations might have something to do with Chinese feng shui too. I know that the Okinawa has been tugged between the influences of China and Japan for centuries.
Sunday 17 June 2007
A grave issue
The graves in Okinawa are a little startling. They’re large and quite ostentatious tombs. Seriously, more gorgeous than the farm houses I saw. And they seem to pop up everywhere, in the most unexpected places. There are three just at the entrance to my hotel. I know that ancestor worship is a big deal in Japanese culture. It may be an even bigger deal in this Ryukyu island culture. I was told that the graves are so big because families congregate there and have big parties and drink a toast to celebrate their dead. The strange locations might have something to do with Chinese feng shui too. I know that the Okinawa has been tugged between the influences of China and Japan for centuries.
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