Yomitan

Example of yachimun, the pottery of Okinawa

Zanpa Point Lighthouse is a landmark in Yomitan.

Yomitan (読谷村, Yomitan-son, Okinawan: Yuntan) is a village located in Nakagami District, Okinawa, Japan. As of 30 September 2005, the village has an official population of 38,532. The total area is 35.17 km².

The village has adopted as its symbol the flying phoenix, playing on the fact that the shape of the village resembles a bird in flight. The village flower is the bougainvillea.

Government

The mayor of Yomitan is Keizo Yasuda. As Yomitan is designated as a village, it is under the administration of Nakagami District. Once Yomitan reaches a population of over 50,000 it can then be classified as a city shi (市), thereby gaining a measure of autonomy and independence.

Geography

Yomitan is bounded to the north by Onna (恩納村), to the east by Okinawa City (沖縄市), to the south by Kadena (嘉手納町), and to the west by the East China Sea.

31.5% of the land area is zoned for agriculture, 35.7% is zoned as forest, 12.3% is zoned for housing, and the remaining 20.6% is zoned for other uses.

History

The Hijagawa River in Yomitan was the site of the initial landing of the Allied Forces in the Battle of Okinawa.

Industry

6% of the working population of Yomitan is engaged in so-called "primary" industries, including agriculture and fishing. 25% is engaged in the "secondary" industries, i.e. food processing and manufacturing, and 69% is engaged in the "tertiary" industries: services and trade.

Agriculture

The chief cash crop of Yomitan is the chrysanthemum, which, unlike in mainland Japan, can be grown in Okinawa during the winter months with the aid of artificial light at night. Chrysanthemums are followed in value by sugarcane and pigs, in that order.

Sugarcane is particularly suited to cultivation in Okinawa, as it does not require significant infrastructure (such as irrigation), grows well in Okinawa's soil, and can be left unattended for 18 months until harvest. The harvesting, refining, and butchering of commercial agricultural products are coordinated by the National Mutual Insurance Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives (JA), and the growers receive a share of the profits.

Another important crop in Yomitan is the purple sweet potato (紅いも, beni imo), if not for its value as a cash crop then as part of the local culture and tourist industry; the town promotes itself as the "beni imo hometown" (紅いもの里, beni imo no sato), and holds a Miss Beni Imo (紅いも娘, beni imo musume) contest each year. Sweet potato cultivation first reached Japan via Okinawa from present-day Taiwan, predating rice cultivation, and either Yomitan or neighboring Kadena can lay claim as the first cultivators of sweet potato in Japan.

Tourism

In addition to beautiful and largely unspoiled beaches, Yomitan attracts tourists for its folk crafts, including pottery (yachimun, or やちむん in the local dialect), glassblowing (Okinawan glass being a famed product), sugar making, and salt making. There are several facilities where tourists can try their hand at these crafts, and take their handiwork home as souvenirs.

Also of interest are the Zakimi Castle (座喜味城, Zakimi Gusuku) ruins.

U.S. military bases

Approximately 36% (1,261 ha) of the village is leased from the village and local landowners to the Ministry of Defense of Japan and used as the United States military bases under the U.S.-Japan Status of Forces Agreement. Two Facilities: Torii Communication Station (Army) and a part of Kadena Ammunition Storage Area (Air Force and Marine) are located in the village. Senaha Communication Site (Air Force), Sobe Communication Site (aka Elephant Cage, decommissioned in 2006, Navy), and Yomitan Auxiliary Airfield (Marine) were returned in 2007 and are now under local development.

External links

Media related to Yomitan, Okinawa at Wikimedia Commons

• Yomitan official website