This year´s Japan trip went south, to Okinawa. Okinawa, the former Kingdom of Ryukyu, conquered by the Japanese in 17th century, about at the same time as our home province, Skåne, was conquered by the Swedes.
The Ryukyu was a major long distance sea trade hub, and to be allowed to 
trade with China, it had to accept the Chinese view of the world - that the Son of Heaven, the Chinese emperor, is the supreme ruler of the entire world and foreign places have to submit to him. (Chinese annals record tribute from places as far away as India and Portugal). From Ryukyu ship convoys would go to China with the Kingdom’s tribute to the Emperor, who would graciously send back gifts of larger value. But trade was the important issue. Even the Japanese kept their conquest secret, not to jeopardize the trade (Japan itself did not submit to China, so no direct trade existed). Thus until the Meiji revolution, the Ryukyu king would privately swear allegiance to Japan, but would be formally enthroned by Chinese envoys in an elaborate investiture ceremony. The Okinawan languages are close to Japanese, but Ryukyu culture was greatly influenced by China and formal documents were written in Chinese - so the treaty of 1854 between Ryukyu kingdom and United States, shown in Naha museum, has a parallel text in English and Chinese
trade with China, it had to accept the Chinese view of the world - that the Son of Heaven, the Chinese emperor, is the supreme ruler of the entire world and foreign places have to submit to him. (Chinese annals record tribute from places as far away as India and Portugal). From Ryukyu ship convoys would go to China with the Kingdom’s tribute to the Emperor, who would graciously send back gifts of larger value. But trade was the important issue. Even the Japanese kept their conquest secret, not to jeopardize the trade (Japan itself did not submit to China, so no direct trade existed). Thus until the Meiji revolution, the Ryukyu king would privately swear allegiance to Japan, but would be formally enthroned by Chinese envoys in an elaborate investiture ceremony. The Okinawan languages are close to Japanese, but Ryukyu culture was greatly influenced by China and formal documents were written in Chinese - so the treaty of 1854 between Ryukyu kingdom and United States, shown in Naha museum, has a parallel text in English and Chinese 
There are some striking differences between the island and mainland Japan. One is the presence of lion dogs, shiisaa, warding off evil spirits. 
They are everywhere - on private house roofs, in front of hoses, bank offices and castles, in parks, often in pairs, a female with mouth open and a male with mouth shut.
A masculinist would take it as an evidence of a dominant culture striving to silence males. After all the Ryukyuans believed that spiritual power is the domain of women and had a hierarchy of women shamans/priestesses, noro, at all levels of society and they were the only ones allowed to enter sacred places..
