NAHA, Okinawa Pref. -- For goodbyes, Okinawans no longer say "anayagabu sabira" -- Ryukyuan for "I pray for your happiness." They sing it.
As the sky darkens on Taketomi Island, the tones of a "sanshin," a traditional three-stringed instrument, resonate. From somewhere in the rice fields, a man's voice rises and sings the words to the melody. Soon, a woman's voice joins the refrain.
The song came about to raise people's spirits under the harsh rule of the Shimazu clan of the Satsuma domain (today's Kagoshima Prefecture) on Taketomi Island in the 19th century, when an 83 percent tax on produce was exacted.