Festival
Pick Up Stories
Chasing the Dragon – The Naha Haarii [Festival]
The Naha Haarii Festival will happen during Golden Week from May 3-5, 10:00 ~ 19:00 at the Naha New Port. Haarii — meaning “dragon boat” in ...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
Cherry Blossom Festivals on Okinawa kick… [Festival]
Northern Okinawa has long taken pride of having the earliest cherry blossoms in Japan. Although cherry trees in Okinawa are not the same var...Read More
2013.11.13
White Beach Festival cancelled [CURRENT ISSUE Festival]
The annual White Beach Festival, an open house event that was scheduled for this weekend has been cancelled. According to Navy MWR officials, the festival was cancelled in the last...
2013.11.09
Goeku Jouka Machi Festival highlights forgotten castle [Festival]
Okinawa City’s Goeku Park, a river waterfront park near the Koza crossing, is the venue for this weekend’s 6th Goeku Jouka Machi Festival, paying homage to the district’s pa...
2013.11.09
Zanpa Jam 2013 beckons music lovers [Festival]
Zanpa Jam 2013 booms two days in Cape Zanpa Park this weekend with two days of rock’n roll and arts ontwo stages that guarantee a non-stop music experience on both days. The line-u...
2013.11.01
Yomitan Village shows off traditional culture at weekend festival [Festival]
The summer is changing into fall, and the days are getting cooler, but Yomitan Village, which is about to become the most populous village in the nation on Jan. 1, is getting into ...
2013.11.01
Yachimun Street Festival introduces traditional pottery [Festival]
Approximately 300 years ago, the Ryukyu Administration gathered the many pottery skills and artists from all over Okinawa and set them up in the Tsuboya district of Naha City. On S...
2013.10.27
Mihama Halloween promises to be a frightful experience [Festival]
By Bill Charles Halloween is a time for ghosts, goblins and ghouls to put in appearances on Okinawa, and nowhere is that more the case than at Mihama American Village, where next T...
2013.10.25
Nakagusuku Castle Site is venue for weekend Gosamaru Festival [Festival]
The Nakagusuku Gosamaru Festival rolls into action this weekend at the Nakagusuku Castle Site on Okinawa’s east-central side, providing events, music and food. The two-day event ru...
2013.10.25
Ryukyu Kingdom traditions come alive at Shuri Castle Festival [Festival]
Ryukyuan classical dances, musical drama, ceremonies and a parade filled with pageantry are about to take place at Okinawa’s historic Shuri Castle and on Kokusai Street in downtown...
2013.10.25
Okinawa businesses put on best face Saturday and Sunday [Festival]
“Okinawa products that glue us together” is the theme for this year’s Okinawa Industrial Festival, long billed as a real-world products festival with an appeal to everyday citizens...
2013.10.17
New town mascot star at Haebaru festival [Festival]
The 1st Haerun Festival 2013 is coming up Sunday, a brand new festival being sponsored by Haebaru Town in honor of its imaginary character ‘Haerun’. Haerun was ‘born’ in April as a...
2013.10.17
Uruma City ready to party this weekend [Festival]
Okinawa’s summer isn’t over yet, at least in the eyes of Uruma City officials who are hosting the 8th Uruma City Festival this Saturday and Sunday. Uruma City Comprehensive Athleti...
2013.10.17
Kinser Festival features top notch entertainment [Festival]
Okinawa may cool a bit in October but MCCS festival season is still going on strong with Kinser Festival. This year’s festival is scheduled for this Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 1...
2013.10.10
Granddaddy of all tug-of-wars on Sunday in Naha [Festival]
By Bill Charles Naha Matsuri, Naha Tsunahiki, the Naha Giant Tug-of-War Festival. All names for the biggest and best known of ages-old tug-of-war competitions taking place each ye...
2013.10.09
Three days of rock’n roll, fun on Torii Beach [Festival]
It’s being billed as the ultimate rock event on Okinawa, and the U.S. Army’s Torii Station officials say the Oct. 11-13 weekend on-base event this year is even bigger and better th...
2013.10.09
Futenma Festival brings spiritual aspect to folk fun [Festival]
Futenma shrine was built in 1459 at the King’s behest. For many years the shrine was known to be a place where many people came to pray, do community gatherings and was even used a...
2013.10.04
Ghouls wanted for annual Mihama Halloween Costume Contest [Festival]
Ghosts and goblins—not to mention a host of other Halloween ghouls who start coming out this time of year—are again being offered an opportunity to show off as Chatan Mihama Americ...
2013.10.04
Noguni Soukan Festival honors introduction of sweet potato [Festival]
Every year Kadena Town celebrates its great man Noguni Soukan, who, in 1605, brought the sweet potato to Okinawa from China, saving the people from starvation. The annual Noguni So...
2013.09.28
Blue Lagoon Festival focus on ocean and music [Festival]
With Typhoon Pabuk a mere speck on Okinawa’s far eastern horizon, it’s smooth sailing this weekend for the 9th Blue Lagoon Festival at 21st Century Forest in Nago City. The two-day...
2013.09.28
Nakijin combines three festivals into one [Festival]
There’s no shortage of excitement coming up this weekend as Nakijin Village stages its 4th annual Nakijin Festival, an all-in-one event that combines three different styles of acti...
2013.09.05
Seinen Furusato Eisa at Onoyama this weekend [Festival]
Sounds of Eisa with its distinctive beat of drums has been an Okinawan summer tradition since the beginning of times, and has eventually evolved into a way to promote Okinawan cult...
RYUKYU PRESS