While numerous younger immigrants came to Taiwan soon after graduating from school, a significant number of Okinawans with dependent families journeyed to Taiwan in search of better lives. The second and third-generation Okinawans shaped their identities quite differently from their parents, who had been born and raised in Okinawa. Ara Kinue also explains about how she lived with both Taketomi and Japanese traditions, and articulates her complex feeling toward Taketomi Island.

The author: Did you talk with your family in Taketomi dialect at home?

Ara: Numerous Taketomi immigrants were living in Taiwan. When they got together, they all spoke in Taketomi dialect. My parents also spoke with each other in Taketomi dialect at home. Thus, although I never spoke it, I was able to comprehend. Yet, my parents usually spoke to me in the standard Japanese. I was grown up with the mainland Japanese settlers in Taiwan. I was so used to speak in the standard Japanese, and never spoke in Taketomi dialect. My parents also spoke the standard Japanese outside. Hence, it was very natural to us. On the one hand, my brothers and I never spoke Taketomi dialect, but only spoke in the standard Japanese. On the other hand, my parents continued to play Taketomi folk song with sanshin (Okinawan traditional musical instrument).

The author: I see. I would imagine your family maintained Taketomi tradition at home, didn't you?

Ara: I gather the essence of Taketomi tradition is Tanedori festival (harvest festival). The harvest festival (honensai) is the central to Taketomi islanders' collective identity. Therefore, I would say we lacked the essence of Taketomi identity since we were unable to join the harvest festival from Taiwan.

Perhaps because of that, I never feel nostalgia about Taketomi Island. I never missed the Island. On the contrary, I was wondering why my family were from such a small island, which is almost invisible on a world map. Okinawa Island is bigger, Kyushu is bigger, and China is even larger than them. I regretted I was from such as small island, but had no nostalgia about the island at all.