CULTURE
Pick Up Stories
Golden Week, Japan’s Mega Holiday [CULTURE Family Festival]
Spring is here. And in Japan that means warmer weather, cherry blossoms, and rainy season. But, before the rainy season takes hold and shrou...Read More
Shiimi: A time to remember and honor th… [CULTURE]
April marks the beginning of one of Okinawa’s most important and sacred religious ceremonies, known locally as shiimi. This particular cerem...Read More
Sanshin, The Heart and Soul of Okinawa [CULTURE]
The sanshin is easily the most recognizable musical instrument in Okinawa. Its distinctive, high-pitched sound can be heard throughout the i...Read More
2015.06.01
Uchikui Exhibition ~ wrappers of Okinawa [History]
Uchikui is a piece of cloth used in everyday life, and isn’t what people would expect to be the focus of an exhibition, but it really is, at the Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art ...
2015.05.29
1960 movie shot on Okinawa being screened at Garaman Hall [History]
A special film screening in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II is coming to the Ginoza Culture Center’s Garaman Hall this Sunday. The film being scre...
2015.05.21
Yaese Town combines nature and urban environment [Okinawa Series]
By Jun Ikemura Yaese is a new town created by the merger of Kochinda Town and Gushikami Village in 2006, the name originating from the Yaese hills within the town limits. Yaese Tow...
2015.05.18
Light railroads have long history on Okinawa [History]
By David Higgins When we think of progress and the changing times we have traditionally considered that a successful system would develop along the “more, bigger, faster, better” p...
2015.05.15
Ryukyu-koku Matsuri-daiko performs Sunday [CULTURE]
A veteran Okinawa group that’s been performing on the island for more than 32 years is presenting a show Sunday afternoon at Okinawa Shimin Kaikan. Ryukyu-koku Matsuri-daiko plays ...
2015.05.02
Games, classes provide kids fun during Golden Week [Community]
Okinawa Comprehensive Athletic Park Kids Festival 2015 is being celebrated May 4th and 5th during Golden Week, offering plenty of fun for youngsters, and best of all, it is free. T...
2015.04.24
Emergency helicopter service seeks to expand [Community]
By Bill Charles Saving lives that would otherwise be lost is the goal of the Medical Evacuation Service with Helicopter, which is now waging a fund-raising campaign to purchase a f...
2015.03.31
ATELIER SAKURA can teach everything about kimono [CULTURE]
A new business called ATELIER SAKURA, specializing all things related to Okinawan culture and customs is now open in Yomitan. ATELIER SAKURA is the brainchild of Takako Arakaki, a ...
2015.03.28
Okiten invites visitors to largest art exhibition [CULTURE]
The 67th Okiten is an art spectacle, an event featuring a dozen art genres broken into seven categories showcasing some 830 pieces of art. Okiten is the largest local art exhibitio...
2015.03.25
Ryukyu Kingdom exhibition delves into the past [History]
The Ryuku Kingdom, the end of Japan’s Edo period and the Meiji Restoration are the focus of an Urasoe City Museum exhibition that runs through Sunday. The Urasoe City Museum is off...
2015.03.15
Hanami Spring Festival is all Japan occasion [Community]
By David Higgins Surely, you have heard the buzzword around Okinawa that is ‘Hanami.’ Most likely, you have already been a festive participant in these events since th...
2015.03.08
Okinawa’s best snack from hot sweet potato truck [Community]
By David Higgins During the fall and winter months in Okinawa you may have heard a dull moan calling from a slowly passing truck and wondered what was happening. This slow rolling ...
2015.03.01
Nishihara Town is center of Okinawa’s education [Okinawa Series]
By Jun Ikemura Everyone in Nishihara Town thinks education, with a couple of universities and a junior college within its boundaries, and there’s a high school famous for its march...
2015.03.01
On White Day ladies get treats back three times over [Community]
By David Higgins One of the great advantages of living in Japan is not having to worry about remembering Valentine’s day. In fact, if you’re a man living in Japan, you will ...
2015.02.26
Global Culture Festival draws attention to diversity [Community]
A Global Culture Festival is slated for Saturday afternoon to provide people in Okinawa with a perspective of other cultures present on the island. The 1 p.m. festival at the Uraso...
2015.02.26
Kokoro Tsunagaru Project focuses on handicapped [Community]
Professional entertainers, handicapped sports figures and people involved with the Kokoro Tsunagaru Project will be leading the afternoon Saturday at the Ginowan City Gymnasium. Ad...
2015.02.21
Musically diverse concerts at OIST [CULTURE]
Music and art lovers will be fascinated and entertained this weekend as the Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts and the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate Univ...
2015.02.16
Youths from Asia-Pacific unite in fight against corruption [Community]
This week, I would like to introduce JU readers to the pioneering work of Transparency International. Later this year an Okinawa meeting is planned with the hope to empower local ...
2015.02.15
Itoman welcomes Lunar New Year in traditional style [Community]
By Bill Charles The sheep becomes king next Thursday as the Lunar New Year begins. Old calendar traditions are both common and popular in Okinawa, where fishermen will hoist specia...
2015.02.09
Okinawa City completes giant wall paintings [Community]
Huge scale wall paintings are now decorating the outer wall of Gintengai Mall at Koza Crossing in Okinawa City, heralded as the new symbol of Okinawa City. The city government has ...
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