“I visited Urizun, a dark, smoky izakaya [Japanese gastropub] in the capital city of Naha, to begin my deep dive into goya champuru, a bitter melon stir-fry with eggs, tofu, and sometimes pork or Spam, seasoned with dashi and soy sauce and garnished with bonito flakes. Champuru means ‘mix,’ referring to the jumble of ingredients and flavors — by turns bitter, salty, sour, sweet, and earthy — that compose this defining Okinawan dish.”

“The overriding Okinawan grievance against both the Japanese and the U.S. governments is the disruptive presence of thirty-two U.S. military bases on the main island of Okinawa and six more on smaller islands within the prefecture. Although Japan has forty-seven prefectures, Okinawa, with just 1 percent of the Japanese landmass, is home to 75 percent of U.S. bases and the majority of U.S. forces stationed in Japan. The bases occupy 20 percent of the main island, concentrated in the most densely populated southern areas. Okinawans have persistently fought to diminish the number and scale of these installations, but policymakers in Tokyo and Washington insist on maintaining the bases at current levels. Many local inhabitants view the U.S. military as an occupying power, both because their own police are powerless to control the lawless behavior of U.S. troops and their dependents, and because the bases officially exist to protect them from enemies that few fear. The salient fact for many Okinawans is that both Japanese and American officials insist that they accept incorporation into national and international military systems on terms they find not only repugnant but discriminatory against Okinawans.”