Ayakaru--everyone does it, and Okinawa even has a word for it.
Do you feel like shaking hands or getting a hug when you come face to face with a winner? Having something of theirs to take home with you as a lucky talisman? On some level, we humans like to believe that top achievers have a special power, and if only we could get close enough, some of it might rub off on us.
That is what ayakaru is all about.
In one special Okinawa version, ayakaru is applied to old people. Living beyond the age of 90 and still being able to enjoy the daily round of activities is a very special way of winning in the game of life. People who have lived a very long time are treated like heroes at their birthday celebrations, with friends and strangers alike trying to get close to them through greetings or handshakes and sharing a drink poured by the elderly superhero at a celebratory party. There is a feeling that, through ayakaru, the secrets of healthy longevity can be shared.
Okinawa Looks Like This
Peaceful: a beautiful place for a walk
自己紹介
- Chura
- Born and raised in the USA (NJ), I’ve spent most of my adult life in Japan. One of my favorite places in Japan is Okinawa. To me, Okinawa is a land of stories and an island of music, magic and mystery. The music is shima-uta, songs sung to the rhythm of a three-stringed lute called a sanshin. The magic is in the colors of land, sea and sky. The mystery? Mystery begins where the line between legend and verifiable human memories begins to blur. I am a member of the Archaeological Institute of America, chapter chief of a sanshin study society, and a founding member of the Marine Culture Research Association of Okinawa.