History
Pick Up Stories
Remembering Reversion and Driving on th… [History]
When Okinawa was returned to Japan on May 15th, 1972, part of the package was an entirely new set of challenges that needed to be met. For O...Read More
Shisa get their day on Thursday [History Living]
April 3 is the “Day of Shisa” in Okinawa. Four is SHI, and three is SAN in Japanese. This is why April 3rd is the Day of Shisa. The day was ...Read More
Royal Crown Exhibition [History]
One of Okinawa’s national treasures, the Royal Crown worn by 14 kings of the Ryukyu era, goes on display tomorrow at Naha City Museum on the...Read More
2026.07.28
Remembering Reversion and Driving on the Right Side, or is it the Left? [History]
When Okinawa was returned to Japan on May 15th, 1972, part of the package was an entirely new set of challenges that needed to be met. For Okinawans, the joy of being returned to t...
2025.04.01
Shisa get their day on Thursday [History Living]
April 3 is the “Day of Shisa” in Okinawa. Four is SHI, and three is SAN in Japanese. This is why April 3rd is the Day of Shisa. The day was established in 2002 to expand Shisa from...
2024.05.02
Royal Crown Exhibition [History]
One of Okinawa’s national treasures, the Royal Crown worn by 14 kings of the Ryukyu era, goes on display tomorrow at Naha City Museum on the 4th floor of Palette Kumoji. The Royal ...
2024.04.02
Okinawa’s guardian shisa has its own day on April 3 [History Travel & Beach]
April 3rd is the “Day of Shisa” in Okinawa as four (April) is “shi” and three is “san” in Japanese. The day was established in 2002 to promote Shisa made in the Tsuboya district of...
2023.11.01
Former Japanese Imperial Navy Underground Headquarters [History]
The Former Japanese Imperial Navy Underground Headquarters was built as a bombproof shelter for the Japanese Navy in 1944 towards the end of the World War II in the border area bet...
2021.11.21
Urasoe Castle Ruins: Site called “Hacksaw Ridge” during Battle of Okinawa. [History]
“Hacksaw Ridge” is the title of a movie featuring the battle of Okinawa at “Maeda Kouchi (Maeda hill)” in Urasoe City. The film directed by Mel Gibson is scheduled for release in J...
2020.11.25
The history of the Ryukyu Kings digital animation [History Ryukyu History]
The history of the Ryukyu Kings animation movies are now available on YouTube. The movies were created by Urasoe Tourism Association “Urasoe Navi”. The movies offer English and Chi...
2020.11.07
King Sho-Nei exhibition at the Urasoe City Museum [History]
Urasoe City Museum is holding the exhibition of “King Sho-Nei”. He is one of the Kings in the second Sho dynasty in Ryukyu Kingdom era and the only King who is from Urasoe. He is ...
2020.06.03
Okinawa Peace Memorial Park [History Ryukyu History]
Okinawa Peace Memorial Park is located in the Mabuni district of Itoman City, on the site of the last ground battle of the war on Okinawa at the end of WW II. It’s a place where hi...
2018.04.20
Koza; The Other Okinawa City [History]
If you’ve been in Okinawa for a while, there’s a good chance that you heard the name “Koza” at least once. This is especially true if you’ve been around parts of Okinawa City; plac...
2018.02.09
Take Me Out To the Ball Game! [History]
The U.S. Consulate General in Naha is excited to bring the photo exhibition Pacific Pitch to Okinawa. The photographs in this exhibition span almost the entire length of US-Japan r...
Exhibition showcases history of embroidery in Koza [History]
Representatives of a group compiling the history of Okinawa City are holding an exhibition titled “Kichinoarumachi – Koza to Sishuten” showcasing the history of embroidery in the c...
2016.11.28
Okinawan religion centers on family, based on mix of beliefs [History]
Hoshin Nakamura NPO Okinawa Language Center Religion talks about the “relationship between humans and the Maker of all existence.” The Maker has different name in different culture...
2016.09.29
Okinawa City grew in shadow of multi-cultural Koza, Kadena Air Base [History]
By Lily Kuwae Okinawa City prides itself as being the most multicultural community on Okinawa, and that face of the city is nowhere more visible than in the areas outside of Kadena...
2016.09.17
‘Chushu no Utage’ at Shuri Castle recreates splendor of past [History]
Three Living National Treasures of Okinawa will perform classical Ryukyu music and dance at Shuri Castle Park Saturday, while the main event on Sunday is the election of the King a...
2016.06.30
History of Ryukyus between 1972 and present [History]
By Hoshin Nakamura Instructor NPO Okinawa Language Center In 1879 Japan destroyed and abolished the Ryukyu Kingdom. Japanese military forces suddenly surrounded the Shuri Castle, a...
2016.03.07
Akainko made first music to Okinawan sanshin [History Ryukyu History]
Friday, Mar. 4, is known as the Sanshin Day, and everyone knows that sanshin is the instrument of choice for Okinawan music, but where did that music originally come from? Accordin...
2016.03.07
What happened before and after the First Sho Dynasty? [History Ryukyu History]
Ryukyu Kingdom seems to have had several dynasties early in its history, such as Tenson and Shunten dynasties, An old history document called “Chuzan Seikan” (中山世鑑) tells that ther...
2016.02.23
Emergence of Ryukyu Kingdom [History Ryukyu History]
By Hoshin Nakamura According to archeological findings in the Ryukyu Islands between 1962 and 1983, the oldest human skeleton on Okinawa was found in the Yamashita Cave. The skelet...
2015.11.30
Pictures of ‘Spring’ reflect Japanese erotica through the ages [History]
By David Higgins Reflect if you can how people used to view pornography just 10 years ago, when the Internet had a dial-up connection, and we used to have to wait for pictures to s...
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