Fisby suggests that they "set up machines and turn them out by the gross," but Mr. Oshira explains, "I take pride in making one cup at a time.... How can I take pride in work of machine?"

This exchange demonstrates the process by which industry, and mass-production, as practiced by American capitalism, undermines the value of traditional skills and traditional works of art. Although they follow Fisby's intentions, the villagers fail to market any of their traditional crafts. Fisby then hits on the idea of mass-producing the locally made, traditional sweet-potato brandy to the nearby military bases. He calls the business The Cooperative Brewing Company of Tobiki. This proves an extremely successful industry by which the village of Tobiki prospers.

The title The Teahouse of the August Moon suggests the central theme of this play. When Fisby asks, “Why an August moon?” Sakini answers that “all moons good but August moon little older—little wiser,” a way of saying that, in spite of an initial lack of cross-cultural understanding, it is possible for East and West to learn from each other, given enough time and the willingness to learn.

On the Okinawan side, several important cultural concepts, cloaked in satire and irony, are addressed. Saying one thing and meaning another (honne and tatamae) is crucial to understanding the Okinawan mind. Thus, when Sakini calls Colonel Purdy a “very wise man” because he can predict the weather, the audience understands that Sakini is, in fact, making fun of Purdy’s ignorance of the weather patterns on the island. Language differences that influence ways of thinking are also addressed. Unlike English, the Luchuan dialect has no future tense; thus, when Sakini answers Fisby’s question about how long the ride to Tobiki will take by saying, “Oh—not know until we arrive, boss,” he is not merely being funny; he is reflecting a cultural difference.

Beneath the humor, the perception of Americans as wasteful is conveyed in a scene in which the jeep that is to take Fisby to Tobiki ends up carrying an old lady, her daughter, her grandchildren, some goats, much baggage, and an old man. To the villagers, it is a wasteful luxury to use the jeep only for Fisby and his staff when many needs can be met with a single trip. In numerous ways, the play conveys the message that causing someone to lose face must be avoided. Though Sakini seems to be manipulative, he also upholds his cultural orientation when he is the go-between to save face with various villagers: The old woman on the jeep is the mayor’s grandmother; Fisby must receive gifts before delivering his speech; the loser of a wrestling match is declared winner, though everyone knows better.

Because Fisby does not understand the important concept of on (obligation), he interprets as bribery the idea of appointing as village officials those who have given him the best gifts. The precedence of the aesthetic over the pragmatic is demonstrated in the villagers’ suggesting that watching the sun set is more important than meeting to learn more about democracy.

The play also speaks to a tendency of Americans to impose their customs on others without understanding the rationale for native ways. Purdy advocates impracticable requirements for the Okinawans regarding laundry. Similarly, issuing one order that will require disobeying another satirizes inept policy-making: Sakini cannot keep his oversized socks pulled up and hurry at the same time. Colonel Purdy is made to look ridiculous in other ways. His ego is deflated when he realizes that Captain Fisby, supposedly the “cream of the Army’s geniuses,” is in fact a misfit rejected elsewhere. Purdy makes signs for every possible situation, but he looks at a map upside down when he tells Sakini, a native of Tobiki, where it is located.

The theory of democracy is perceived differently by the American and the Okinawan: To the angry townswomen, real democracy would not allow Lotus Blossom to have all kinds of beauty enhancements that they may not also have. The true role of the geisha is not understood by Fisby; he must learn that a prostitute is not an exact counterpart. By the end of the play, misperceptions of both sides have been shared, and the well-meaning, if bungling, efforts of the Americans are complemented by the ability of the Okinawans, with a long history of occupation by foreign forces, to adapt in order to survive.