February 20, 2018 Ryukyu Shimpo
Itoman – A statue commemorating the landing of John Manjiro on Odo Beach in Itoman, Okinawa, aptly named the, “John Manjiro Landing Memorial,” was unveiled at a ceremony hosted by Itoman City February 18. The day marked the anniversary of his return to Okinawa, and around 220 people gathered to celebrate the completion of the statue.
Tatsuo Wada, 70, born in Kochi Prefecture but currently living in Itoman...
December 24, 2017 Ryukyu Shimpo Digital Edition
The traditional Okinawan ceremony, known as the, “Nubi offering ceremony,” where the year’s first water drawn from Hedo in Kunigami is presented as an offering, was held in the afternoon of December 24...
December 15, 2017 Ryukyu Shimpo
Two Asian elelphants, Buntoon and Tonsai, were debuted on December 14 at the Okinawa Zoo & Museum. The two elephants are visiting Okinawa from the Tohoku Safari Park to stay through the winter.
The elephants...
October 15, 2017 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Chie Tome
Many years of large amounts of trash washing in from the ocean and accumulating in the mangrove swamps of Iriomote Island in Taketomi, a potential World Heritage Site, was having a clear effect on the mangrove and...
October 3, 2017 by Ryukyu Shimpo
An air of nostalgia permeates the Heiwadori shopping arcade in Naha.
The symbol of the area’s shopping district, for years the covered promenade has protected shoppers and the stores they patron from the hot summer sun and the sudden squalls particular...
September 24, 2017 by Ryukyu Shimpo
Kunigami – The Unjami festival, one of Japan’s Important Intangible Folk Cultural Properties, was held in Yona, Kunigami (Tadanobu Miyagi, Mayor), where there were prayers for bountiful harvest and good health. The...
August 28, 2017 Ryukyu Shimpo Digital Edition
Kunigami – The traditional ritual “Shinugu,” which has been performed in Ada, Kunigami for over 400 years continuously, and was selected as a nationally recognized significant intangible cultural asset, was performed...
August 17, 2017 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Hiroshi Uema
Motobu – Ryukyu-ai (Ryukyu indigo) is a plant that has been cultivated in Okinawa as the base material for unbeatable indigo dyes since ancient times.
The Higa Ryukyu-ai Factory (Yoshimatsu...
July 10, 2017 Ryukyu Shimpo
Uruma – The demolition of a ganya, a structure used to store a gan prior to a burial, took place in Yonashiroteruma, Uruma on June 24. A gan is a portable shrine used to carry the coffin. In Okinawa, cremation has long since replaced burial as the norm, and as...
June 2, 2017 Ryukyu Shimpo
On the morning of June 2, riot police removed protestors from Camp Schwab’s gate to allow the entrance of construction vehicles for the Futenma Air Station replacement facility in Henoko, Nago. As riot police removed protestors, one man and one woman were injured...
May 27, 2017 Ryukyu Shimpo
The awamori brewery Kumejima’s Kumesen (CEO: Masaya Shimabukuro) announced the release of their new Ryukyu Awamori “Karate,” at the Okinawa Karate Hall in Tomigusuku on May 26. The label has the kanji for “Karate,” and is decorated with things such as a...
Webcam(Kokusai Street)