MANGA: Okinawa Chapter 10: Island Duty

Continuing Mabui, by Susumu Higa

This week’s installment of Okinawa moves to Tonaki, an island off the coast of the main island of Okinawa. At the end Higa-sensei describes it as a work of fiction (spoilers!) as opposed to some of his true stories, or those that have been adapted from real life, but it still features the Yuta Mrs. Asato offering unique wisdom and insight. The next time I speak to Higa-sensei, one of the questions I absolutely want to ask him is whether Mrs. Asato is a real person, or perhaps an amalgamation of the religious women he has met in his life.

This installment also talks about the very severe issue of depopulation in the small towns and outlying areas of Japan. It’s a pretty complicated topic, and while local towns and villages (and mayors) are fighting to keep going, there are some very innovative solutions that are being put into action across the country. Obviously in Okinawa, tourism has become a massive industry, though it’s suffering quite a bit due to the lack of travel caused by the Corona Virus. A few months ago, I saw this episode of Japanese Youtuber John Daub’s Only In Japan, which focused on a small town that welcomed a number of Americans who wanted to open a brewery in the town, as part of its revitalization. It’s a good overview of depopulation in general, and it’s also about Craft Beer, which I love, so this mini-doc was right up my alley… maybe you’ll enjoy it too?

Okie doke! So without any further ado, here’s this week’s installment of Okinawa: ‘Island Duty’. For paid subscribers, you can find the PDF and CBZ links at the end of this email, and/or on the website, http://mangasplaining.substack.com.

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