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“The eggs are Okinawa’s pollock roe!” 76 year-old fisherman’s solo pursuit of in-season Hichiguwa

“The eggs are Okinawa’s pollock roe!” 76 year-old fisherman’s solo pursuit of in-season Hichiguwa

May 6, 2020 Ryukyu Shimpo
Text and Photography by Hiroyuki Takatsuji

“People used to call these the fisherman’s bonus, but no one spares them a second glance in this day and age,” says Yoshikatsu Yamashiro showing the fish he caught. Katsu, as his friends call him, is a suntanned 76 year-old fisherman in Kaganji, Kunigami. His catch is the pearl-spot chromis, called hichiguwa or hikaa in the local dialect. These fish are in-season in early summer when their bellies are full...

 

Teachers at Ohama Elementary School in Ishigagi write message for children in flowers on the sports ground, “It will certainly be soon”

Teachers at Ohama Elementary School in Ishigagi write message for children in flowers on the sports ground, “It will certainly be soon”

May 7, 2020 Ryukyu Shimpo

Ishigaki – In order to cheer up the children whose school has been closed due to the spread of the coronavirus, the teachers at Ohama Elementary school in Ishigaki (Takashi Urasaki, principal) wrote out a message using flower boxes that said, “Beat the coronavirus...

Ninth Circuit deems DOD judgment “reasonable” in possible final ruling of “dugong case”

Ninth Circuit deems DOD judgment “reasonable” in possible final ruling of “dugong case”

May 9, 2020 Ryukyu Shimpo

On May 6, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco ruled against the Japanese and American environmental groups that brought a “dugong suit” against the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) in an effort to stop the construction of a new military...

As Okinawan mangoes and pineapples begin to ripen, a call goes out for locals to consume the harvest to overcome the headwinds created by the coronavirus

As Okinawan mangoes and pineapples begin to ripen, a call goes out for locals to consume the harvest to overcome the headwinds created by the coronavirus

May 5, 2020 Ryukyu Shimpo

By Erina Ishii

 

Okinawan mangoes and pineapples are popular all throughout Japan as high-class gifts. However, as the coronavirus pandemic will now extend later into the year, anxieties have arisen around slumping sales in the summer. Farmers, who...

Editorial: Safeguarding democracy in a pandemic surveillance state

May 1, 2020 Ryukyu Shimpo

Is intolerance plaguing our society as we become engulfed in the crisis brought on by the novel coronavirus pandemic? The increasing downplaying of our freedom and rising social pressure is alarming.

Prefectures have requested businesses to shut down and urged...

Okinawa prefectural government expert committee recommends continuing call for visitors to avoid travel to Okinawa, suggests “coexistence with coronavirus”

Okinawa prefectural government expert committee recommends continuing call for visitors to avoid travel to Okinawa, suggests “coexistence with coronavirus”

May 5, 2020 Ryukyu Shimpo

On May 4, in light of the national government’s decision to extend Japan’s state of emergency regarding the coronavirus, a committee of experts formed by the Okinawa prefectural government held a meeting at the Okinawa Prefectural Medical Association hall in Haebaru...

Active Grandpa Turns 100 “I wish I were 18 or 19 Again!” To the Fields Again Today Mr. Yamajiro of Ie

Active Grandpa Turns 100 “I wish I were 18 or 19 Again!” To the Fields Again Today	Mr. Yamajiro of Ie

April 30, 2020 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Yukito Kinjo

Ie – Mr. Yoshio Yamajiro of Nishiue, Ie Village drives his beloved tractor, humming a tune. Yoshio, who was born on April 10, 1920 and turned 100 years old this year, is an active “farmer-grandpa.” Hard of hearing and with mild pain in...

Third unexploded bomb found at Naha Airport construction site

Third unexploded bomb found at Naha Airport construction site

April 30, 2020 Ryukyu Shimpo

Around 2 a.m. on April 29, a U.S.-made 250-kilogram bomb, presumed to be a World War II relic, was found at Naha Airport’s Runway 1 construction site. Due to this, Runway 1 will be closed from April 29, leaving only Runway 2 operational. According to Naha Airport,...

Shisa statue dressed in a Kariyushi mask, but the mask cannot cover its large nose

Shisa statue dressed in a Kariyushi mask, but the mask cannot cover its large nose

April 29, 2020 Ryukyu Shimpo

A shisa statue standing at the side entrance of the Okinawa Prefectural Office on Kokusaidori in Naha could be seen wearing a cloth mask through April 28. The mask was placed there by Mari Ishikawa from Okinawa Ryusoen, a nearby store that makes and sells Kariyushi...

On 68th anniversary of San Francisco Treaty, Governor Denny Tamaki calls for dialogue between Japan and U.S., reduction of base burden

On 68th anniversary of San Francisco Treaty, Governor Denny Tamaki calls for dialogue between Japan and U.S., reduction of base burden

April 28, 2020 Ryukyu Shimpo

At a regular press conference on April 24, Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki, in advance of the 68th anniversary of the signing of the San Francisco Peace Treaty on April 28, 1952, stated, regarding his hope to see the overwhelming burden of bases on Okinawa reduced,...

Large amounts of omiyage in danger of being discarded due to decrease in tourism, and sellers are sending out an SOS “We need Okinawan’s to eat these, now more than ever.”

Large amounts of omiyage in danger of being discarded due to decrease in tourism, and sellers are sending out an SOS “We need Okinawan’s to eat these, now more than ever.”

April 26, 2020 Ryukyu Shimpo

By Eriko Tamaki

The effects of the continued COVID-19 pandemic have rippled out to effect Okinawan-produced goods. Since almost all omiyage stores and other tourist facilities are currently closed for business, there has been a steep decline in sales of souvenirs...