japan but not quite
Visiting Okinawa from mainland Japan almost feels like stepping into a different country. It’s not only the differences in culture and physical appearance, but the architecture. These red roof tiles are an iconic feature of Okinawa’s landscape. Dating back to the 17th century, the roofs were designed to resist strong winds and harsh sunlight. The tiles are made of clay that naturally turn red during the heating process. Lion dog statues are placed on rooftops to ward off evil spirits. They normally come in pairs, one with an open mouth to scare away evil and the other with a closed mouth to keep in good spirits. A modern twist on Okinawa’s cityscape is the use of neon, not colorful LED lights, but gases inside a glass tube neon. After the war under United States occupation, entertainment areas adopted the use of English neon signage for the Americana aesthetic. Businesses in downtown Hanaha and the American village bathe in the warm glow of neon, adding a nostalgic vibe that’s neither fully Japanese nor American. The blend of tradition and post-war history is unlike anywhere else in Japan.
i’m obsessed with neon signs #japantravel #okinawa #japaneseculture
23 Comments
…Weeeeee 😂
It's super interesting to learn about other cultures I didn't know about before 😊
Okinawa looks 100% identical to Vietnam which is awesome
those neon signs are very pretty
Okinawa's architecture is so similar to that of Vietnam!
Why do many westerners say Ryukyu is free, while Ryukyu people live for hundreds of years and live peacefully in Okinawa?
Why don't Westerners call out the Uyghurs? Because there's a lot of CCTV there and journalists are banned from going there.
Free Uyghurs
@Pigallisme Love your videos, will you visit Hokkaido some day in the future. Okinawa and Hokkaido are the two prefectures I'd love to deep dive into it's unique culture.
The first Okinawan traditional house shown reminds me of old houses in Indonesian villages too! I guess it's also caused by similarities in climate, I assume it's also hot and humid in Okinawa?
Wait this is just India
I didn't know there were any other kind of neon lights. Do you call LED lights neon? That's so strange.
That's because Okinawa was a different country, they got conquered by Japan. They had their language, royalty, fashion, foods, everything. You could consider them a native minority group, or a conquered people group, but it's the same thing either way.
interesting, I've seen those exact same lions (the yellow painted ones) at the airport of Beijing.
Those traditional wooden houses seem like they belong in Southeast Asia 😂
You sound like you’ve filmed tons of footage in Japan, but then a maniac broke into the house, and you locked yourself in the basement, can’t get out, and the only thing left for you to do is upload videos and narrate them in a way that the maniac won’t hear.
The landscape and trees look pretty similar to Polynesia I’m surprised Japan has places like that
it was different country.
You pig 🐷??????
All you????
😔😔😔😔😔😔
You don't have to speak all the time with that breathy annoying voice. You'll have no voice in 10 years if you keep on doing it.
THE STEAKHOUSE SIGN
i want to visit!!!!!!
it is different country, free ryukyu kingdom from japanese imperialism
Thank you for sharing Japan beyond mainstream tourism! I appreciate your transparency. Your videos are highly enlightening. 💜
beautiful video tour, thank you!
I'd highly recommend a visit to Korea, Taiwan & Vietnam as well as Mongolia, all are great places to visit