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Obon is time for family gathering to rem… [CULTURE CURRENT ISSUE]
For three days starting on Tuesday, August 25th through Thursday, August 27th, many privately owned businesses on Okinawa will close their ...Read More
Day of Naha: Immerse Yourself in the Cap… [Community CURRENT ISSUE]
July 8th is Naha Day in Okinawa. This special occasion originated from the use of play-on-words or rather, a play-on-numbers. Naha’s two syl...Read More
June 23rd, Okinawa’s Peace Memorial Day [CURRENT ISSUE]
June 23rd is ‘Irei-no Hi’. This is Okinawa’s Peace Memorial Day. It is a prefectural holiday formally recognized in 1961. It is to memoriali...Read More
USJ mulls Nago location [News]
According to local press reports on Jul. 4th, Universal Studios Japan (USJ) is considering Nago City as a possible location of a new theme park. Specifically, the company has its e...
Ryu Shichinohe wins Judo World Championship [Sports]
The 2014 Judo Grand Prix contest was held in Ulan Bator, Mongolia over the weekend. Ryu Shichinohe, an alumni of Naha Nishi High School, participated as one of the Japan Team membe...
Runners wanted for Sho Hashi Half Marathon [Sports]
Applications for the 13th Sho Hashi Half Marathon in Nanjo City on Nov. 2nd are accepted now through Aug. 7th. The start and finish line of the marathon is at the Nanjo Culture Cen...
199 mongooses captured [News]
Okinawa Prefecture Wildlife Preservation officials announced that since the beginning of the year they had captured 199 mongooses by the end of June. The Ministry of Environment an...
Irabu Bridge to open in January [News]
The longest bridge within the prefecture connecting Miyako Island to Irabu Island has been under construction for about 10 years, and has now only about 150-meter span left to be b...
Baseball spring camps bring ¥8.8 billion boost [Sports]
Ryugin Research Institute Ltd. that has studied the impact of the annual pro-baseball spring training camps on the local economy announced the conclusion of their study on Jul. 3rd...
Okinawa’s population still on increase [News]
According to Okinawa Prefecture Statistics Division the total population of the prefecture stood at 1,419,395 as of Jun. 1st, 2014, an increase of 5,672 from the same date a year a...
Yambaru Manabi no Mori offers Medical herb baths [News]
Inochigusui no Yu spa was opened inside the Yambaru Manabi no Mori (Yambaru Discovery Forest) on Jul. 22nd. Yambaru Manabi no Mori is a facility in Aha, Kunigami Village, built to ...
Sugar Ride Kumejima cycle race set for Nov. 29th and 30th [Sports]
The dates for the 4th Sugar Ride Kumejima Bicycle Race has been set for Nov. 29th and 30th. Every year the race receives an increasing number of participants who enjoy the beautifu...
Land value around Gibo Monorail Station increased most [Business]
According to the Okinawa Regional Taxation Office, land in front of all 15 monorail stations have risen an average 2.8% from last year marking the 2nd consecutive year of increase....
2014.07.03
Chatan’s newest resort is open for business [Business]
The central Okinawa western skyline is brighter today as the Hilton Okinawa Chatan Resort opens its doors, featuring 346 guest rooms, including a dozen suites –with 286 units facin...
2014.07.03
Manza Beach Governor’s Cup haarii races this Sunday [Sports]
The boats are in the water, ready for action Sunday as ANA Intercontinental Manza Beach Resort stages the 31st Okinawa Governor’s Cup “Manza Haarii Festival”. The festivities kick ...
2014.07.03
And this week’s winner is… [Weekly Winners]
The lucky winner of the Japan Update raffle this week was Sile Nic Chormaic. She won a pool voucher to the new Spa & Resort Hotel Monterey in Onna. Sile is originally from Leix...
Yoshimoto Theater to move into Okinawa Mitsukoshi Bldg [News]
Yoshimoto Theater, a subsidiary of Yoshimoto Kogyo show business agency, will move into the Okinawa Mitsukoshi building on Kokusai Street in Naha, according to Yoshimoto Kogyo anno...
Tomari fish market to move to Itoman [News]
Basic plans to relocate Tomari fish market in Naha to Itoman was made public on Monday. The new market to be constructed in Itoman is going to be 4.4 times larger than the current ...
Hotel Orion to open in Motobu [Business]
Hotel Orion Motobu Resort & Spa is scheduled to open at the former site of the Expo Land amusement park at the northern end of the Ocean Expo Park in Bise, Motobu, on Jul. 26th...
Peach Aviation cancels some Okinawa flights [News]
Peach Aviation, one of Japan’s low cost carriers, announced Monday they would cancel almost 20 percent of their scheduled flights in September and October, a total of 740 flights. ...
Black bass found in Asato River [News]
Named as one of the 100 invasive alien species in Japan is the Black Bass, a fish native to North America. Because it’s highly valued as a game fish, it has been transferred to man...
Tokashiki Seal found dead [News]
A seal discovered off Tokashiki Island on Jun. 24th, was found dead in the morning of the 28th. According to the Tokashiki Fishermen’s Cooperative, there were no external wou...
Hilton to go into resort wedding business [Business]
Just before opening the new hotel for business on Jul. 2, Hilton Okinawa Chatan Resort officials announced on Jun. 28th that they would construct a resort wedding chapel on the lan...
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