April 26, 2022 Ryukyu Shimpo
The Okinawa Department of Culture, Tourism, and Sports announced the 2021 tourist visitor totals (April 2021 – March 2022) on April 26, reporting a 26.7% year-over-year increase (an increase of 690,700 people) for a total of 3.27 million visitors.
The is the first increase in visitors in three years.
While there are still lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as an absence of foreign tourists, the results show a trend...
January 20, 2022 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Shinji Sano
Miyakojima – The earliest mozuku harvest in Okinawa has begun in Miyakojima. On January 19 at Oura Fishing Port in Hirara, Miyakojima, fishermen unloaded basket after basket of glittering, dark green mozuku seaweed. Koji Kuriyama,...
November 25, 2021 Ryukyu Shimpo
One of Japan’s largest food industry expos, “The Great Okinawa Trade Fair 2021” (hosted by the event’s executive committee) was held November 25 at the Hotel Collective in Naha. For the first time the event implemented a hybrid model, with...
October 26, 2021 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Chie Tome
Due to an undersea volcanic eruption in the waters near the Ogasawara Islands creating a large amount of pumice stone, which is washing up on the beaches and in the harbors in Okinawa, it was learned by October 25 that 14 of the...
September 15, 2021 Ryukyu Shimpo
Family Mart (Tokyo – Kensuke Hosomi, CEO) started selling a pork and egg musubi “SPAM Musubi – Tuna Mayonnaise” (248 yen, tax included) throughout Japan in August, and it has quickly overtaken staples such as their grilled salmon musubi...
September 7, 2021 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Wu Li Jun
Okinawa Products Enterprise Corporation (OPEC, Naha, Tomoaki Haneji, president) has imported farming technology from Taiwan, and are continuing on constructing a plant factory in Tomigusuku. They are planning on getting it operational...
July 22, 2021 Ryukyu Shimpo
Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki announced at a press conference on July 21, just before the four-day holiday that is asking people travelling to and from Okinawa to get tested for COVID-19 before travelling.
Starting on July 22, Naha Airport will...
July 6, 2021 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Yuki Nakamura
In 2021, Okinawa again saw a trend of schools postponing or changing the destination of their school trips.
According to the Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau (OCVB), the number of schools planning to travel to Okinawa...
March 12, 2021 Ryukyu Shimpo
With the Japanese holiday Higan approaching in March, the busiest time of the year has come for shipping Okinawa-grown chrysanthemums. The chrysanthemums, which are used to adorn graves and Buddhist shrines, has seen a relatively minor impact from...
November 16, 2020 Ryukyu Shimpo
As part of the reconstruction of their headquarters in Kumoji, Naha, the Bank of the Ryukyus will be temporarily moving their main office and headquarters to the Naha Port Building in Higashimachi in December. The headquarters, which is scheduled...
November 3, 2020 Ryukyu Shimpo
The executive committee for “Tourism EXPO Japan, Travel Festival in Okinawa” (hosted by the Japan Travel and Tourism Association (JTTA), the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA), and the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO)), announced on November...
Webcam(Kokusai Street)