Hello Okinawa! We're Ryo & Hiro – Performance-Makers on a Research Trip 🌊

We are Hiro (from Penang, now living in Taiwan) and Ryo (from Japan)

 

🌺 Okinawa Research Trip & Call for Conversations in June and July! 🌺

 

Hello everyone! We are Ryo and Hiro, two performance-makers currently embarking on a self-initiated research trip in Okinawa. One of us is from Penang (currently based in Taiwan), and the other from Nagoya City/Aichi from Nagoya, Japan), two performance-makers currently embarking on a self-initiated research trip here in Okinawa. We're here to delve into Okinawa's unique landscapes, rich histories (both prewar and postwar), and the vibrant lives of its people today.

 

【As "outsiders" from different parts of Asia/Japan】

We're here to reflect on how we, as "outsiders" from different parts of "Asia," relate to Okinawa: its unique landscapes, its complex prewar and postwar histories, and the vibrant people living here today. For Ryo, this trip is about questioning the "vertical gaze" from mainland Japan. For Hiro, it's about confronting how Southeast Asian histories have been shaped by similar imperial logics. We have no set objectives or academic framework, but we are here with a strong desire to listen and learn, not to document Okinawa but to reflect on our relationship with this complex and resilient place.

 

🌊 Why Okinawa?

Okinawa holds a fascinating position, having historically navigated powerful neighbors like China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. We're particularly drawn to Okinawa's historical "in-betweenness" – its capacity to foster its own identity while interacting with powerful neighbors – and what its "survival techniques" might teach us about coexistence amidst, and engage in genuine conversations.

 

Our three research phases:

1.  Solo Site Visits & Reflection: From June 15, Hiro begins exploring historical, tourist, and often overlooked sites across Okinawa, capturing intuitive reflections.

2.  Revisiting & Response: Ryo will join to revisit these sites and respond artistically – turning text into voice, creating movement, or offering new perspectives. We'll record this as a layered dialogue with the landscape.

3.  Sharing Session (Workshop): We are inviting local artists, students, and activists to participate. While outsiders often view Okinawa through the lenses of tourism or trauma, we want to hear how local people perceive these challenges not as theory, but as a lived reality on their land. This is not extractive research. Instead, we hope these conversations will help us question our own perspectives and imagine new approaches. To that end, we'll also invite them to witness and engage with a part of our work-in-progress. This won't be a polished presentation, but an open workshop where we share our evolving questions and insights.

We warmly welcome your feedback, critical responses, or even a "response to our response," as we collectively deepen our understanding of Okinawa.

 

🤝 We're Seeking Conversations!

Our purpose is not to document Okinawa or speak on its behalf, but to engage in dialogue with those who are already doing, thinking, and resisting here. We're especially curious about:

*   How do people in Okinawa understand their position in relation to "Asia" and "Japan"?

*   How do memory, protest, and everyday life overlap in creative work?

*   What are individuals actually working on, thinking about, or quietly resisting right now, beyond typical narratives?

*   What are younger generations talking about – personally, artistically, politically, or quietly?

 

We know Okinawa's story is rich and diverse, extending far beyond common narratives of identity politics or anti-base activism. We're here to listen to the unexpected, the overlooked, and the truly lived realities. This is a non-extractive research; we hope these conversations will challenge our own gaze and help us imagine new ways of understanding Okinawa.

 

🗓️ Our Stay & Connect With Us:

Hiro will be in Okinawa from June 15th to July 29th. Ryo will join for two periods: June 27th-30th and July 11th-14th.

 

If you know of any ongoing events, gatherings, exhibitions, protests, or impactful actions that might be relevant to our research, please let us know! Likewise, if you're interested in meeting up for a casual chat or a deeper exchange of ideas, please feel free to reach out.

 

Looking forward to connecting with the vibrant Okinawan community!

 

 

👤Profile

 

👤Ngo Tjer Hong ｜ 呉 哲弘

 

Hiro/Ray is an independent researcher, critic, and playwright from Malaysia. His writing explores memory, postcolonial identity, and transnational belonging through site-specific performance, multilingual storytelling, and research-driven practice. He has presented works such as Memories of the New Village, Justice in Malaysia, and Will You at Taipei’s Guling Street Avant-Garde Theatre, Voleur du Feu’s Experimental LAB, and COEX. His current research focuses on “Okinawa as a method” in relation to decolonial practice, war memory, and the imagination of a Southeast Asian peace community.

 

 

👤Ryo Kobayashi｜ 小林 遼

​

Born in Japan in 1991. Psychiatrist/director. The theme of his creative work is to “Sensing an invisible”. By using nonphysical media such as voice-over and AR, and by having the bodies of visitors to the site reenact a specific act, he creates an invisible “sense of presence”. Through the performativity of the visitors, he explores the imagination of others and lands. He also works as a workshop facilitator, looking for the intersection of health promotion, education, community and theater.

 

 

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