CULTURE
Pick Up Stories
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
Hina dolls bring health, happiness to sm… [CULTURE]
‘Hina Matsuri is one of the customs that most people in Japan no more observe but that gives an insight to the Japanese thinking and traditi...Read More
Valentine's Day in Japan is all about ro… [CULTURE]
February 14, Valentine’s Day, is considered world over a day when romance blooms and lovers whisper sweet nothings to each others’ ears. See...Read More
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
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...
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 ...
Nago City is large, beautiful and center of controversy [Okinawa Series]
By Jun Ikemura Okinawa’s Nago City to the north is the largest autonomous community on the island, and spans the breadth of the island from Pacific Ocean on its eastern boundary to...
WWII Japanese Army cave hospital adds new dimension to visits [History]
Haebaru Town Culture Center officials have made a visit to the WWII Japanese Okinawa Army Hospital cave a bit more realistic. Official at the Haebaru Town Culture Center that maint...
Hanta Path is walk through history [History]
Hanta Path was once a part of the Ryukyu Kingdom’s main road connecting Katsuren Castle, now part of modern day Uruma City, with Shuri Castle, the seat of the government, through N...