Archive for October, 2012

Recent News

Daughter makes kimono for mother’s beiju celebration

Daughter makes kimono for mother's beiju celebration

September 28, 2012 Ryota Shimabukuro of Ryukyu Shimpo

In the night of September 22, a celebration was held for Kikue Akamine at her home in Yakena, Yonashiro, in Uruma, to mark her 88th birthday (as calculated in the East Asian age system), which is known as beiju. Her daughter Asae Matayoshi, a weaver of Chibana hanaori, one of the Okinawan textiles designated as a national traditional craft, made a kimono for Akamine out of the woven cloth. Akamine wore the kimono during...

 

Low-frequency noise from MV-22 Osprey at take-off exceeds assessment standard

October 05, 2012 Ryukyu Shimpo

In the morning of October 4 when MV-22 Osprey training began at Futenma Air Station, a team led by Takeshi Tokashiki, an associate professor the University of the Ryukyus conducted a noise survey on the occurrence of low-frequency sound recorded at take-offs....

Nissin Holdings uses feed-in tariffs in renewable-energy project

Nissin Holdings uses feed-in tariffs in renewable-energy project

September 26, 2012 Ryukyu Shimpo

On September 25, Nissin Holdings Co., Ltd. officially launched a renewable-energy project using feed-in tariffs. The company has been working on projects to sell solar generated electricity by leasing the roofs of residential housings, and will sell all of the...

Gan-go Festival held at Takayasu in Tomigusuku

<em>Gan-go</em> Festival held at Takayasu in Tomigusuku

September 25, 2012 Ryukyu Shimpo

On September 24, the Gan-go Festival was held in the area around the Takayasu Public Hall in Tomigusuku. The festival is held once every 12 years, on August 9 of the year of the Dragon in the Chinese lunar calendar, to wish for residents’ good health...

Members of the Okinawa-kai enjoy a picnic in Washington, DC

Members of the Okinawa-kai enjoy a picnic in Washington, DC

October 1, 2012 Tamiko Suzuki Correspondent of Ryukyu Shimpo

On September 15, the Washington DC Okinawa Association held its annual picnic under a clear autumn sky in a park in Potomac, Maryland. Committee members and volunteers from the Okinawa-kai busied themselves setting up the tables,...

Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko creates Eisa-cise

Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko creates <em>Eisa-cise</em>

September 20, 2012 Ryukyu Shimpo

Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko has completed a film of Eisa-cise, which is a fusion of exercise and eisa that they invented. From October 6, which is during the Worldwide Eisa Festival 2012, the product will be available for a fee on DVD and for...

Sugar Train, Inc. to open a theater for Okinawan performing arts

Sugar Train, Inc. to open a theater for Okinawan performing arts

September 19, 2012 Ryukyu Shimpo

In October 2013, film production company Sugar Train, Inc., will open a permanent theater for plays composed of Okinawan performing arts such as Ryukyuan dance, eisa, and karate. The Okinawan Nonverbal Entertainment Performance “Tee! Tee! Tee! Project”...

August dance festival held on Tarama wishing for a good harvest

August dance festival held on Tarama wishing for a good harvest

September 24, 2012 Ryukyu Shimpo

From September 23 (or August 8 in the lunar calendar) to September 25, the August dance festival, which is designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, was held on Tarama-jima. On the opening day, local people dedicated traditional performances...

Yonaguni Town Assembly rejects local referendum on deployment of Self-Defense Forces

September 25, 2012 Ryukyu Shimpo

On September 24, the Yonaguni Town Assembly voted on a bill proposing a referendum to ask the public about the construction of a Self-Defense Forces base in the island. The bill was rejected with two in favor and three opposed. Local residents initiated the...

Citizen group sit-in block gates to U.S. Futenma base

Citizen group sit-in block gates to U.S. Futenma base

September 28, 2012 Ryukyu Shimpo

From 9:00am on September 28, in front of the Oyama gate of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, about 100 people from civil groups such as the Okinawa Peace Movement Center and labor unions held a rally to protest against the deployment of MV-22 Osprey...

First landing of MV-22 Osprey in Okinawa amid strong protest from residents

First landing of MV-22 Osprey in Okinawa amid strong protest from residents

October 2, 2012 Ryukyu Shimpo

On October 1, the U.S. Marine Corps began to deploy MV-22 Osprey vertical take-off and landing transport aircraft to MCAS Futenma. At 7:11am, two MV-22s that had been temporarily at MCAS Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture, landed at Futenma, and by 11:47am a total...