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Okinawa Tourist Visitors Exceeded Hawaii in 2017 [News]
In 2017, the number of tourists who visited Okinawa exceeded Hawaii by about 13,200 people, with Okinawa tallying to 9,396,200 visitors to Hawaii’s 9,382,986. This marks the first ...
P-time teams up with Nikken Housing to expand into hotels [News]
P-time, Co., Ltd., an operator of several pachinko halls in Okinawa, has teamed up with Nikken Housing Co. to establish a new company to manage hotels. The first project of the new...
OCVB invites private investors to bid for new business plans [News]
The Okinawa Convention and Visitors Bureau (OCVB) is inviting private sector investors and companies to bid for new business projects “promoting tourism in the northern areas of Ok...
Elderly German arrested for carrying stimulant drugs [News]
Okinawa Prefecture Organized Crime. Control Division announced Wednesday that they have arrested a 76-year-old male German national living in Switzerland at Naha Airport on suspici...
Elementary & junior high students get free entry to 12 national parks [News]
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced Tuesday that the entrance fees to 12 of 17 national parks in Japan for elementary and junior high school students would...
Cold New Year 2018 forecast [News]
The Okinawa Meteorological Observatory announced its 3-month weather forecast from January through March on Monday. According to the forecast, the temperature during the period wil...
Okinawa Fruit Land to add lodging facility in 2018 [News]
Okinawa Fruit Land will construct a condo type hotel “Rietta Nakayama” on its premises in Nago. The new facility is scheduled to open in October 2018. The hotel will have 40 rooms ...
Okinawa New Year holiday fight reservations reach record 334,912 [News]
Air carriers serving Okinawa announced new records of reserved seats on flights to and from Okinawa during the New Year holidays. The total reservations JAL and ANA fights exceed t...
Endangered orchid stolen from Mt. Nago [News]
A civil servant from Nago Municipal Office confirmed that a wild orchid, Goodyera hachijoensis var. matsumurana, that is registered as an endangered species, was taken from a park ...
Jaywalker dies after ran over by two cars [News]
A man jaywalking on Highway 58 died when he was run over by two cars early Friday morning on Highway 58 in Mihama, Chatan Town. According to Okinawa City Police, 61-year-old Tsutom...
Okinawa tourists expected to break 9 million mark this year [News]
The Okinawa Prefecture Department of Culture, Tourism and Sports announced that 762,000 tourists visited Okinawa in November, which is 17.3% more than in November last year. That b...
Six-car crash closes 330 in Kohagura [News]
A crash involving six cars took place about 4 p.m. on Thursday on national road 330 in Kohagura, Naha City. Two people were taken to a hospital, but their injuries are not life-thr...
Part of outer wall of Nakagusuku Palace discovered [News]
The Okinawa Prefectural Buried Cultural Properties Investigation Center has conducted and excavation at the site of Nakagusuku Palace on the grounds of Nakagusuku Castle since 2015...
Okinawa’s budget allocation for 2018 to shrink by ¥10 billion [News]
In its budget draft for Okinawa for fiscal 2018, the Japanese central government plans to reduce the allocation to the prefecture to ¥301 to ¥303 billion that is about ¥10 billion ...
Share of foreign residents in Okinawa increasing [News]
The estimated population of Okinawa Prefecture as of Oct. 1, 2017, was 1,443,802 that is 3,889 more than the previous year. Of the total, Japanese nationals comprised 1,429,944 tha...
Kankyo Solution starts accepting waste from U.S. Military [News]
The business suspension of a main industrial waste disposal company on Okinawa, Kurashiki Kankyo, led to the disruption of waste collection from the U.S. military bases. On Wednesd...
Taiwan habu increasing in Nago area [News]
An increasing number of cases has been reported of Taiwan habu snakes entering into private houses in the Nago area. Taiwan habu is 1.2 times more venomous than the Okinawa habu. I...
Futsal tournament for disabled slated for January [News]
“Mix Soccer Okinawa Cup 2018”, a futsal tournament with the all-star Ibaraki Prefecture disabled players’ team as a guest team, is scheduled to take place in the Kadena Town Sports...
Hyakuna Garan again candidate for Forbes Travel Guide 2018 wards [News]
Hyakuna Garan, a luxury resort in Tamagusuku, Nanjo City, has been named for the 4th time a candidate for the “Best Resort” by Forbes Travel Guide 2018. The results will be announc...
OCVB aims to better tourism for sexual minorities [News]
Okinawa Convention Bureau (OCVB) has applied for a membership in the “International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association” (IGLTA), an association to advance tourism experiences for...
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