Archival fieldwork in Okinawa!
Finally made it to Okinawa to get all the linguistics data and eat all the food!
Top photo is of us and my mum (who tagged along) at Nakijin castle, one of the few surviving ruined castles of the Ryukyu Kingdom, and a UNESCO world heritage site!
We were very lucky to get a grant from the Japan-Scandinavia Sasakawa Foundation to go to Okinawa to visit the University of the Ryukyus and get some very valuable dialect data that’s archived there on microfilm. We want to use it for our new family tree for the Japonic languages that we’ve been working on for far too long now.
Of course, the trip was also a very good excuse to enjoy Okinawan food again and do some sightseeing! See photos and highlights below:
Delicious Okinawa soba, missed this!
Another classic, gooya champuru!
Mum and John at Churaumi Aquarium
Delicious sashimi!
Old stone road in Naha, near Shuri Castle
Taco rice!
Amazing ishigaki beef!
Beautiful chiffon cake in a cafe near the university library (where we actually did work)
Aseroora beer! A local specialty🍻