If I may be forgiven for making such a statement, Okinawa is not Japan. I would like to think it as an independent nation. It's so entirely different from the mainland. That is why they have an i ndependent culture they are proud of, that they can continue introducing to the rest of the world. Okinawa is Okinawa.
People dance and sing in their everyday lives.
People always had their island songs for when they were happy and when they were sad. And they had their songs, of course for when they were in love. And today, people still gather to sing and dance for weddings, when a baby is born, when a house is built, when the crops are full, when fishing is good and also to pay respect to the ancestors. Maybe it's due to the island songs that Okinawa people can claim the foremost longevity in Japan. You can feel the souls of the strong but gentle folks of the Okianawa in the island songs or folk songs that have been handed down the generations.