Okinawa the history of an island people is the definitive book available in english on the history of okinawa and the ryukyu islands and an influential scholarly work in the field of japanese studies the histories of japan okinawa and the entire pacific region are crucially intertwined therefore the review of this fascinating chain of islands is crucial to understanding all of east asia. Okinawa the history of an island people is the definitive book available in english on the history of okinawa and the ryukyu islands and an influential scholarly work in the field of japanese studies the histories of japan okinawa and the entire pacific region are crucially intertwined therefore the review of this fascinating chain of islands is crucial to understanding all of east asia. The first full length monograph on the history of the ryukyu islands in any western languagea standard work pacific affairs okinawa the history of an island people is the definitive book available in english on the history of okinawa and the ryukyu islands and an influential scholarly work in the field of japanese studies. I really enjoyed learning about okianwas fascinating history in george kerrs book okinawa the history of an island people 1958 it highlights the special relationship okinawa had with both china and japan it also in some ways resembles the history of mainland japan itself as it was part of the globalization that opened the country to the world when it was briefly occupied by commodore matthew perry who also forced open the mainland i was bemused by the doings of the missionaries that f