CULTURE
Pick Up Stories
Itoman Haaray; a traditional and fun eve… [CULTURE Festival]
The Itoman Haaray takes place on the May 4th of the Lunar Calendar. This day is actually June 18th 2026 of the Gregorian Calendar. Most peop...Read More
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
2015.02.01
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...
2015.01.19
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...
2015.01.16
Mochi-making festivities held Saturday at KIP [Community]
Koza International Plaza is the venue for Saturday’s New Year’s Mochitsuki Taikai, a traditional rice cake pounding. The rice cakes, known as Mochi, are created by the literal poun...
2014.12.28
Shuri Castle celebrates heritage with New Year ceremonies [History]
The symbol of the Ryukyu Kingdom, the world heritage-listed site Shuri Castle Park will host many ceremonies to open the New Year. The ceremony ‘Ukejo’, which heralds opening the c...
2014.12.15
Machigwa illumination set to catch holiday revelers’ eyes [Community]
The biggest shopping arcade on Okinawa, Naha’s Makishi Kosetsu Ichiba, is aiming to dazzle visitors through the end opf January. The so called ‘Machigwa’ shopping district is ready...
2014.12.15
Onna Industry Fair focusing on local produce, unique foods [Community]
The 17th Onna Village Industrial Festival is putting the final touches on its program for Dec. 20th and 21st, when the village, which is surrounded by rich nature, showcases its lo...
2014.12.04
Everyone SHOULD be a Santa on Saturday [Community]
Ever thought about being a Santa Claus? Ever wondered what it would be like to be Santa and bring joy to the community? Feel like getting into the holiday spirit on Saturday? Org...
2014.11.21
Ink-wash paint artist stages exhibition [CULTURE]
The Ichiro Kikuta Byobu Exhibition is at the Nakamura House this weekend, providing aspiring artists a chance to see one of the island’s most famous ink-wash paintings expert’s bes...
2014.10.17
Celebrate Okinawa Soba Day with big bowl [CULTURE]
By Bill Charles There are numerous holidays and ‘special days’ on the Okinawa calendar, but few evoke a more fervent interest than today’s Okinawa Soba Day, during which tens of th...
Okinawa Times runs all Okinawan Internet radio [Community]
A 24-hour Internet podcast with all Okinawan dialect programming has been broadcasting since May. 73 groups, including senior citizens’ clubs, Okinawa performing art groups, and a ...
Saving Rai fund gets big boost from Saving Miyu fund [Community]
Administrators of the ‘Charity of Saving Miyu-chan’ that supported Miyu Kaname to get a heart transplant in the U.S. in 2011, have decided to donate ¥125 million from their reserve...
2014.10.11
Mega Karaoke Contest hits Marine bases [Community]
Mega Karaoke is back by popular demand, and preliminary rounds are coming to MCCS clubs on Marine bases. The preliminary karaoke round was held at 8 p.m. at Thirsty’s on MCAS Futen...
2014.10.05
Kadena Town promotes non-military image [Okinawa Series]
By Jun Ikemura To many, Kadena Town is synonymous with hosting the largest U.S. military base in the Pacific, but the town is eager to turn peoples’ eyes beyond that to discover it...
2014.10.05
Okinawa rallies to save 12-year-old boy [Community]
A 12-year-old Chatan youngster’s life hangs in the balance today, dependent upon the generosity of Okinawans to help him get a new heart. Rai Matsushima was a normal youngster unti...
2014.09.25
OIST presents rare Koto & Shakuhachi concert [CULTURE]
Four musicians specializing in traditional Japanese music will be entertaining Okinawa at an October 2nd concert at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology. Admission is fr...
2014.09.25
Ryukyu Garden is proud of Okinawa traditions [Community]
By Jun Ikemura An Okinawa firm proud of the Ryukyu customs, culture and history is reaching out to visitors and others to promote the islands. The Kouwa-kai group is promoti...
2014.09.21
Northern Okinawa’s special fabric is bashofu [CULTURE]
Kijoka in Ogimi Village is synonymous with bashofu, a Japanese fiber banana, which is a family of common banana trees but unlike bananas not grown for eating. ‘Fu’ means textile or...
2014.09.18
Ogimi Village residents live longest in world [Okinawa Series]
By Jun Ikemura Okinawa is famous for being the island where people live to be the oldest, and Ogimi Village has some of the longest living citizens in the world. Ogimi Village is l...
2014.09.11
Drums, dancers performing at Worldwide Eisa Festival [CULTURE]
The Eisa season rolls on, and there are Eisa festivals everywhere on Okinawa. For that matter, Eisa is performed around the world as well. Eisa is categorized into two kinds, trad...
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