Reading Okinawa

Japanese Text:
Yoshida, Sueko. “Kamāra shinjū.” 1984. Okinawa bungaku zenshū. Vol. 9. Tokyo: Kokusho kankōkai, 1991. 161-177.

English Text:

Yoshida, Sueko. “Love Suicide at Kamaara.” Trans. Yukie Ohta. Southern Exposure: Modern Japanese Literature from Okinawa. Eds. Michael Molasky and Steve Rabson. Honolulu: U of Hawai‘i Press, 2000. 214-34.

Click here to get Japanese-English flashcards for “Kamāra shinjū.” Strongly recommended for anyone who wants to read the story in Japanese.


1. Introduction

Sueko Yoshida is an Okinawan writer who was born in Motobu Village in Okinawa in 1947. She graduated from Hokubu Agricultural and Foresty High School. After graduating, she tried to write stories. In 1984, she won the New Okinawan Literature Prize with “Kamāra shinju.” The story which was later translated into English by Yukie Ōta. Yoshida also wrote Amanogawa no shojo in 1985, and Basu teiryūjo in 1989.

“Kamāra Shinju” was published by Kokusho Kankō Kai in 1990. The story tells about the relationship between a middle-aged Okinawan prostitute and an American deserter. Kiyo, the protagonist, is an aging Okinawan prostitute from one of Okinawa’s remote islands. She faces many troubles and conflicts in her life as a prostitute, for example, poverty, age, and family. Many of her troubles are not easy to solve. However, these problems were common for prostitutes who catered mainly to U.S. servicemen in Okinawa right after the war. Many prostitutes came from the remote islands in Okinawa to get work.

Okinawa’s economy was recovering after the war because of the destruction of the war and because of the U.S. occupation. Jobs were available on the main Okinawan island for military bases, services, housings, and so on. For this reason, many people immigrated to the Okinawan mainland from the remote islands. Being a prostitute by moving to the mainland made it difficult for such women to live, make a family, or stay in touch with friends and relatives. According to Lee Hyodoc, however, many women were living like Kiyo.


2. Characters

Kiyo Yafuso 屋富祖キヨ

Kiyo is a 58-year-old Okinawan prostitute who works in Kamāra. She has two children who are over thirty years old. Kiyo is divorced, even though she used to meet her ex-husband who was often drunk. She is from Tsuken Island and lives in an apartment in the Kamāra section of Koza City in Okinawa. She tries to sell her body to American servicemen, but nobody pays attention to her because of her mediocre looks and old age. She is always afraid of losing Sammy, whom she enjoys having sex with. She loves his looks and childlike manner.

Samuel Copeland サミュエル・コープランド

Samuel Copeland is called “Sammy” in the story. He is an 18-year-old deserter from the U.S. Marine Corps on Camp Courtney in Okinawa. He ran away from the military to avoid being court-martialed for stabbing his commander during an argument. He lives with Kiyo, whom he recently met in front of a burger shop, but he never pays for rent or other expenses. In addition, he gets money from Kiyo sometimes because he doesn’t have a job. He meets his friends on occasion. Sammy is thinking about going back to the States, or fleeing to North Korea, Russia, or mainland Japan to start a new life.

Jim Obrender McGuire ジム・オブレンダー

Jim Obrender is Sammy’s friend from the same hometown in the States. Sammy asks Jim to get money from Sammy’s mother for him. However, Jim refuses to do so.

Sergeant Anderson　アンダーソン軍曹

Sergeant Anderson is an officer in the U.S. military. He had some trouble with Sammy in training and was stabbed by Sammy. However, he was only slightly injured.

Shiroma　城間

Shiroma is the owner of a pawnshop. He lent some money to Kiyo because he feels sorry for her. His wife is from the same hometown as her.

Tom Moore　トム・ムーア

Tom Moore is a person who knows Kiyo. He lives on Center Street.


3. Plot Summary

Section 1 (371-5)

Kiyo wakes up to the sound of a lighter falling on the floor. Sammy has a cigarette in his mouth. Kiyo turns away to hide her looks. She thinks Sammy wants to leave her and won’t come back anymore. Sammy is gazing outside. Kiyo asks him what time he came back home last night. He lies, but she knows it is a lie. She asks Sammy what he did last night, and he answers that he went to see his friend Jim to get money from Sammy’s mother in the States. However, Jim declined the offer. Kiyo tells him to take off his pants and tries to get his attention. She is in love with his looks.

Section 2 （376-86）

Kiyo doesn’t have any money, though she had 2,000 yen until yesterday. That money is gone because she bought three beers, some snacks, and breakfast for Sammy. Kiyo stands in front of the mirror and realizes she is no longer beautiful. She puts on make up to look more attractive. It’s raining outside when she leaves her apartment. She considers going back to get an umbrella, but she stops because she is afraid to wake up Sammy. She is looking for some customers for the night. She looks for a chance to say hello to soldiers eating some burgers or hotdogs at the shop. Most people don’t pay attention when she says “Hey” to them because of her looks. However, she just waits for the opportunity to say “ten dollars” happily. It’s so cheap that some people stop.

Kiyo thinks back to when she first met Sammy. Sammy appeared at midnight when she was about to give up for the night. He was like a high school kid when she first saw him. Kiyo said, “Ten dollars.” He answered, “Five dollars.” She felt uncomfortable with the price and his disrespect, but she tended to go with younger men. Sammy gave her five dollars when they arrived at her house. She asked if he was serious. He disclosed the truth that he was a deserter from the Marine Corps on Camp Courtney. Now he wants to go to Korea, Russia, or mainland Japan. He stays in her apartment at night because there is nowhere for him to go. They talked about the reason why he was a deserter. He explained that he stabbed a U.S. officer during training. Some newspapers reported on the incident, but Kiyo is not afraid that she slept with a criminal. He is planning to stay with her for about three more days. Sammy went to see a friend from his hometown to ask him to get some money from Sammy’s mother in the States.

One day, a Japanese police officer came to Kiyo’s house to ask about Sammy. Kiyo woke Sammy up and had him escape from the window. The officer asked her some questions, and Kiyo answered that she didn’t know anything. After that, the police officer never came again. A half year has passed since then. Now Kiyo gives money to Sammy to support him. The money from the States hasn’t come yet.

Section 3 (386-93)

It’s already three in the morning. Rain starts falling on Kiyo’s face. She gets some money at a pawnshop for her ring. The owner is generous. Kiyo eats some Okinawan noodles. She is afraid that Sammy will be gone when she goes back home. She goes to Nakagusuku Park where she can see her hometown, Tsuken Island. She thinks about her ex-husband. She has met him about three times, but he was always drunk, so they couldn’t even talk. She has two children, but they never write anymore. She walks by a cherry tree and passes two tourists from the mainland. She walks down a gravel road and sees a couple of high school students playing badminton. She goes to the burger shop to buy a hotdog. The number of US soldiers is small compared to the past. She decides to go to Miyazato, which is known as a district for black people. She takes a taxi and then walks to a bar named Pittsburgh, where she used to work a long time ago. She recalls people who spent time with her in the past. A black cat is scavenging in the garbage. Kiyo feels tired. A black man calls to her, but when she turns around, he says he made a mistake and leaves her quickly.

Section 4 (394-400)

Kiyo comes back home and calls for Sammy, but there is no answer. She wonders if he went back to the base to surrender. She goes outside to find him. She visits Corporal Moore’s house, but Sammy isn’t there. Then Kiyo visits some pachinko shops, one by one. If a deserter is found, they are sent to Kawasaki and then the States. Kiyo walks home and sees a light on inside. However, Sammy is not home She lies on the bed and smokes a cigarette. She knows she cannot meet him anymore if he has surrendered.

Kiyo is about to cry when Sammy comes home. She tells him to be more careful of MPs. However, he just answers that it’s already over. Kiyo suggests going to Tsuken Island to hide. He holds his head in his hands and lies down on the bed. Another long silence continues. He asks Kiyo if there is any beer, but they don’t have any. After another long silence, he starts talking about his day. He explains that he has contacted the military to surrender. Kiyo can’t even smile but asks him about going to her island to live together. However, he is not thinking about her anymore. After Sammy goes to sleep, Kiyo decides to put on makeup. Then she puts on some traditional Okinawan clothes. Finally, she closes all the windows and turns on the gas. After lying next to Sammy, she feels thirsty and drinks two cups of water. Sammy moves his body slightly. Kiyo picks up a lighter and clicks it. Although the explosion is not described, readers can assume that both Kiyo and Sammy die.


4. Historical Background

US Deserters During the Vietnam War

According to Wikipedia, the largest number of US deserters was recorded in 1971. The number is 33,094, which accounts for 3.4% of the US military’s total population at the time. Because of the large number, the US military did not put in a lot of effort into tracking down all deserters. Okinawa is known as a place where soldiers tended to run away from the military because it was a safe place, far from the States. In addition, Okinawa was close to Vietnam.

Recreation clubs for men in Okinawa

Recreation centers for US servicemen were called service clubs. According to Fukuko Tamashiro, 136 clubs were founded in Okinawa for sexually servicing Japanese soldiers. The women working at these clubs included Okinawans, Koreans, Taiwanese, and Japanese. However, such clubs served US servicemen after the war. Most clubs were located around U.S. military bases, such as Kadena Air Base, Camp Hansen, Camp Foster, Camp Kinser, and so on, many of which still exist today. Tamashiro argues that not much support was provided for woman working at such clubs. When the Vietnam War ended, the clubs began targeting tourists in order to survive, but many went out of business. Many Filipinos immigrated to Okinawa to work in these clubs.

G.I. Babies

Babies who were born between U.S. soldiers and Japanese were called G.I. babies. According to Wikipedia, there were between 20,000 to 30,000 G.I. babies born after the war. Not only prostitutes but also civilians were the mother of these babies.

SOFA

SOFA means Status of Forces Agreement. According to this treaty, the Japanese government and courts do not have the power to judge US servicemen, even if they commit crimes. Thus the gap of power between America and Japan was one of the causes of many incidents. The Japanese government has tolerated this unfair agreement, but has been trying to find some solutions. This is one reason why the RAA (Recreation and Amusement Association) was needed to decrease the number of rapes and to protect Japanese women.


5. Setting

The Kamāra bus stop

“Kamāra Shinjū” mainly takes place in the Kamāra section of Koza City in Okinawa, a section of the city that actually exists. As suggested by the title, Kiyo lives in an apartment in Kamāra. The place is a well-known entertainment district. Many American servicemen went there and still do. There are many drinking places and a lot of adult entertainment. The story takes place during the Vietnam War. The period recorded the largest number of deserters from the US military, so Sammy was not unique in escaping to an Okinawan civilian’s home. According to Wikipedia, the largest number of deserters was 33,094 in 1971 during the Vietnam War. Love suicide, however, is extremely rare.


6. Point of View

The story is narrated in third person from Kiyo’s point of view. Kiyo is the protagonist of the story, so readers can understand how she thinks, but not anybody else. For example, she thinks about Sammy while she is walking (377). Even though the story is narrated from Kiyo’s perspective, readers are not given her thoughts at the end when she decides to commit suicide. The narrator seems reliable, but Kiyo’s motivations are not always clear. In addition, Sammy’s feelings are never mentioned clearly in the story. However, Sammy tells Kiyo what he wants to do several times, but most of what he says is unreliable, because readers don’t know if he is being honest with her.


7. Imagery

Lighter ライター

The lighter first appears at the beginning of the story, after Kiyo and Sammy had sex. At the end of the story, Kiyo clicks the lighter to commit suicide. Thus, the opening scene foreshadows the tragic ending. Kiyo does many things for Sammy such as clicking the lighter for him, buying him groceries, and offering to take him to Tsuken Island to start a new life. Sammy wants to start a new life by surrendering, but he doesn’t act. He seems to just be waiting to get caught. The lighter symbolizes the fact that small flames can make a huge explosion. So, the small flame that Kiyo set at the end of the story kills them both. Most lighters are disposable, which suggests that Kiyo and Sammy are disposable, too. Throughout the story, they seem to smoke cigarettes when they have decided something. For example, after having sex and when Kiyo decides to commit suicide. Quite simply, the lighter is a symbol of “ends.”

Cigarettes 煙草

Kiyo and Sammy sometimes smoke cigarettes. Sammy is still young and doesn’t really want to smoke, but he wants to feel independent. Cigarettes represent a short life because they burn out in about five minutes. Since smoking is a major cause of lung cancer, the cigarettes also indicate destructive and risky behavior. Needless to say, both Kiyo and Sammy act in destructive ways.


8. Themes

Difficulty of Prostitutes’ Lives

Not surprisingly, most American servicemen think that prostitutes are just sex objects. In“Kamāra Shinjū,” Sueko Yoshida depicts an especially troubled relationship between an older prostitute and a U.S. serviceman. By focusing on Kiyo’s perspective, Yoshida shows us some of the troubles that prostitutes in Okinawa have faced.

First, there are economic problems. Immediately after the war, most Okinawans lived in intense poverty. Women who lost husbands and girls who didn’t know how to make money needed to become prostitutes in order to survive. Kiyo became a prostitute because she needed to make money by going to Okinawan Island from Tsuken Island because remote islands didn’t have enough jobs for everybody to live right after the war. In addition, the RAA (Recreation and Amusement Association) was organized by the government to provide prostitutes to U.S. servicemen in the hope of decreasing the number of rapes.

Second, prostitutes often do not receive any social support. According to Tamashiro Fukuko, there wasn’t any official support from the Japanese government for prostitutes. In addition, older prostitutes such as Kiyo couldn’t find other work. According to the Japanese Cabinet Office, the current employment situation for people over 65 years old is 75.3%, mostly as irregular employment workers. This fact, combined with the discrimination that prostitutes face, makes finding a job close to impossible. Society should have supported prostitutes; however, there has not been any official support from society or the Japanese government—even when they were hired through the RAA, a government-sponsored program.

Third, prostitutes faced social ostracism. In the story, Kiyo faces problems with her family. Her children never try to contact her, and her ex-husband was drunk whenever she tried to talk with him. In the story, Kiyo never gets in touch with her children and rarely has contact with her ex-husband. She does not have much community in Kamāra either. She knows some people, such as the police officer and Shiroma, but she is not particularly close to them. One reason why she doesn’t have much community is that she works at night. Kiyo wakes up after noon and gets ready to work at nights, so she has no chance to relate to ordinary Okinawans who work during the day.

In conclusion, Kiyo finds hope in her life with Sammy. She can dream of a new life with Sammy on her island and forget everything that she has done before. However, Sammy won’t allow this to happen. Kiyo might not have committed suicide if she had never met Sammy. Because she found hope, it was impossible for her to go back to her unpleasant life again after Sammy said he was going away. In other words, feeling hope in the hopeless situation can lead to total despair.

Status of Prostitutes in Okinawan Society

Another theme of this story is the low status of prostitutes. According to Wikipedia, there have been over 55,000 rapes committed by U.S. servicemen in Japan. The problem was so bad that a Japanese government association called the Recreation and Amusement Association (RAA) was created to help decrease the number of rapes. In other words, prostitutes were organized to protect Japanese women from U.S. servicemen. However, prostitutes have often been discriminated against.

According to Chō shū shinbun, people who used to be prostitutes were discriminated against and called “Pan pan.” Furthermore, such women already knew how to make money quickly with their bodies, so they tended to stay in the profession. In addition, employers of most companies hire highly educated people, which is another barrier for many prostitutes. People who work as prostitutes don’t have a lot of support, so it might be hard for them to get an education. According to Wikipedia, RAA recruited girls between 18 and 25 years old. Young girls who lost their families or husbands often became prostitutes. If a girl joined the RAA once, she would have a difficult time leaving.

The fundamental human rights of the sacrificed prostitutes were often disregarded. According to Chō shū shinbun, U.S. servicemen killed a lot of Japanese people right after the war. Traffic accidents, setting fires, rapes, murders, and so on often occurred. Such incidents were especially common around U.S. military bases. U.S. soldiers killed 150,000 civilians during the Battle of Okinawa, but killings continued even after the war. According to Chō shū shinbun, 15,220 incidents and 222 murders were committed by Americans during the 18 years from 1953 to 1971. From 1972 to 1995, U.S. servicemen caused a total of 4,657 incidents. Many researchers point out that the number of rapes is uncountable. Many victims hide the truth that they were raped out of shame. Because Japan was a defeated country, U.S. servicemen ignored or minimized Japanese human rights.

People who use prostitutes usually don’t consider the lives of the prostitutes. They might think that prostitutes are just objects to have sex with. In “Kamāra shinjū,” however, Kiyo seems to be using Sammy. Kiyo might think that Sammy is just an object to have sex with. When Sammy becomes a deserter early in the story, he doesn’t have any money except the five dollars he pays to be with Kiyo. Rather unusually, the prostitute is richer than the customer.

In addition, prostitutes rarely interacted with other civilians. According to Chō shū shinbun, prostitutes who work for U.S. soldiers were called “Pan Pan.” This word also has the meaning of “traitor.” Even though the women’s work helped decrease the number of rapes in Japan, people generally did not appreciate their sacrifice or recognize that the women were being victimized. In many cases, the discrimination did not stop even if the prostitute quit her job. Therefore, they had a difficult time, when looking for other work. So women like Kiyo couldn’t change jobs after they got older.

In conclusion, prostitutes contributed to Okinawan and Japanese society, so that the number of rapes went down, but discrimination towards prostitutes in Okinawa was intense. According to Wikipedia, RAA was disbanded after the number of incidents decreased. However, prostitutes had a hard time finding other jobs even when prostitutes were not really necessary.


9. Criticism

Lee, Hyoduk. “Han shokuminchi gensō: ‘Kamaara Shinjyu’ to Okinawa Bungaku” [Anticolonial Fantasy: Sueko Yoshida Sueko’s “Double Suicide at Kamaara” and Okinawan literature]. Tokyo Gaikokugo Daigaku Ronsyu 86, 2013. 19-30.

In “Han shokuminchi gensō,” Lee Hyoduk explains that love suicide was a common theme during the Edo period because love suicide was a way of protesting against the rules of the government. Lee mentions that many critics fault Yoshida’s story for its overly explicit sexual descriptions, but he argues that the sexual expressions were necessary. Lee argues that “Kamāra shinjū” is a sexual story, but also views the story as literature that addressed a current problem in Okinawa.

In the second section, Lee shows that Yoshida’s story inverted colonialism by taking Pocahontas as an example. In the Pocahontas story, a native American woman helped a British man avoid punishment. The story was often used as a success story for people who invaded the new continent. Lee mentions that the Pocahontas story also emphasizes the sexual aspect. Like the Pocahontas story, “Kamāra shinjū” is about a relationship between a native woman and one of the invaders. Yoshida, however, changes the Pocahontas story. For example, Kiyo is not beautiful, and in contrast to John Smith, Sammy does not have money or power.

Lee also argues against a critic who claims that Kiyo’s thinking about her prostitute friend from Iheya Island was inappropriate. Lee says that this reference was necessary to describe the poverty of many islands around Okinawa, including Amami. Okinawa’s economy was supported by the U.S. bases, but remote islands around Okinawa did not benefit. This is the reason why there were so many prostitutes from the remote islands. Lee argues that Kiyo represents women who suffered as a result of the situation in Okinawa after the war.


10. Discussion Questions

1. Is the title accurate in calling the final incident a “love suicide”? Why? Or why not?

2. Why did Sammy stab his commanding officer?

3. Why didn’t the police officer who came to Kiyo’s apartment doubt Kiyo or follow up his investigation?

4. Why did Sammy first agree to go with Kiyo?

5. How could Kiyo have solved her problems without committing suicide?

6. Why did Sammy want to go to Korea, Russia, or mainland Japan?

7. Would Sammy have gone away if Kiyo didn’t commit suicide? Why? Or why not?

8. How would Sammy feel if he survived at the end of the story?

9. Why did Kiyo wear traditional clothes at the end of the story?

10. Why did Kiyo’s family stop dealing with her?

11. How would the story change without sexual descriptions?

12. People tend to discriminate against prostitutes, but are there other reasons why Kiyo’s family left her?

13. What is “free” for Sammy? And why?

14. How will the US military tell Sammy’s parents about him? Why?

15. Did Sammy want to be caught by an MP because he went out sometimes? Why did he take such risks?


11. Works Cited

Bensei Shuppan. Okinawa bungakusen [Selections of Okinawan Literature]. 2003. Print.

Cabinet Office, Government of Japan. The Current Movement of the Employment Environment Around Elders. Mar. 2018. Update.

Chō shū shinbun. Okinawa sen to senryō e no shinsen na ikari o [Fresh Anger to the War and Occupation]. 2004.

Cristian, Rudder. DataClysm. Biggu dēta no zankoku na genjitsu. Diamond, Inc. 5 Aug. 2016.

Lee, Hyoduk. “Han shokuminchi gensō: ‘Kamaara Shinjyu’ to Okinawa Bungaku” [Anticolonial Fantasy: Sueko Yoshida Sueko’s “Double Suicide at Kamaara” and Okinawan literature]. Tokyo Gaikokugo Daigaku Ronsyu 86, 2013. 19-30.

Shuei Sha. Okinawa owaranu senso [Okinawa’s Never-Ending War]. 2012. Print.

Okamoto, Keitoku. Gendai bungaku ni miru Okinawa no jigazou [Portraits of Okinawa in Contemporary Literature]. Tokyo: Kōbunken, 1996. Print.

Okinawa Prefecture. Beigun kichi to Okinawa kēzai ni tsuite [About the U.S. Bases and Okinawan Economy]. 11 Mar. 2018. Update.

Oshiro, Sadatoshi. Okinawa bungaku e no shotai [An Invitation to Okinawan Literature].
Ginowan: University of Ryukyus Press, 2015. Print.

Tamashiro, Fukuko. Okinawasen no giseisha o meguru konpasshon no kyōkaisen [The Borderline of Compassion Concerning Victims of the Battle of Okinawa]. Forum Modern Sociology Society, 2011. PDF.

Wikipedia contributors. “Deserter.” Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 28 Mar. 2018. Web. 28 Mar. 2018.

Wikipedia contributors. “G.I. Baby.” Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 24 No. 2018. Web. 24 Nov. 2018.

Wikipedia contributors. “Pan Pan.” Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 11 Oct. 2018. Web. 11 Oct. 2018.

Wikipedia contributors. “U.S. - Japan Status of Forces Agreement.” Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 17 Jul. 2018. Web. 17 Jul. 2018.

Yahoo Japan Corporation. Ōsaka ben de sejō wo kataru. Doko made ittemo josē wa bōhatē. 2018. Updated.

Yoshida, Sueko. “Kamāra shinjū.” 1984. Okinawa bungaku zenshū. Vol. 9. Tokyo: Kokusho kankōkai, 1991. 161-177.

---. “Love Suicide at Kamaara.” Trans. Yukie Ohta. Southern Exposure: Modern Japanese Literature from Okinawa. Eds. Michael Molasky and Steve Rabson. Honolulu: U of Hawai‘i Press, 2000. 214-34.

Original report by Mamoru Matsumoto. Edited and revised by Kasumi Sminkey.