In order to understand the different styles of Okinawan music, you first have to know their origins. The use of the sanshin in traditional Okinawan music is believed to have originated with the Ryukyuan nobility during the reign of Sho Shin (1477-1525), when a significant amount of trade was conducted with the Chinese. These noblemen [...]

The sanshin is a traditional three-stringed instrument with a small body and thin neck and is covered with snakeskin. Okinawan minyo cannot exist without the sanshin. Okinawan entertainment culture developed when the Ryukyu Kingdom welcomed Chinese envoys with music and dance performances as well as with Ryukyu food. The envoys used to say, “Ryukyu samurai [...]

The tug-of-war used to be held to pray for rain and a good crop or to give thanks for a bountiful harvest. It is believed that the tug-of-war in every area was held on June?s kashichii day, when people offered steamed new rice on an altar to rid the rice fields of pests, and on [...]

The haarii, or dragon boat races, is one of okinawa?s traditional events and is held on May 4 of the lunar calendar. This is a festival for fishermen, who live with danger, to pray for a safe voyage and a good catch and to thank the sea for its blessings. Fishermen compete against each other [...]

July 15 according to the lunar calendar is the busiest and most colorful day in okinawa. To Uchinanchu (Okinawans), this day is a most chim-dondon (exciting) occasion.
Eisa dancing is performed on the last day of the three-day Obon celebration (a traditional Japanese summer festival to pray for the ancestors) to bid farewell to the ancestors? [...]

Okinawan cuisine is distinctly different from that of mainland Japan and bears notable Taiwanese influences. Okinawans too proudly proclaim that they use every part of the pig except the squeal and pork makes an appearance in almost every dish, including bits like ears and trotters which are generally disdained by the Japanese. Even Spam has [...]

okinawa has some of the best offshore fishing in the world. Some fish are seasonal, but there are fish for every season of the year. Marlin, mahi mahi, and various species of tuna are some of the fish that are teeming in okinawa’s crystal clear seas. There are many places where you can find a [...]

Scuba diving is very popular in okinawa, but very expensive compared to, say, South-East Asia — you’ll usually be looking at around ¥12,000 for a day’s diving off a boat plus an additional ¥5,000+ if you need gear rental. For a 3-day certification course you’ll need to fork out a cool ¥70,000 or so. To [...]

Currently in the news is the issue of Russia returning the northern islands to Japan. Although under different circumstances, okinawa also had its period under a foreign administration, the United States.
At Hedo Cape on the northernmost tip of okinawa stands the Memorial Tower for the Reversion of okinawa. The inscription on the tower, entitled Present [...]

The Aha Hamlet Community of Kunigami Village, located in northern okinawa, still has scenes of the farmers lifestyle of pre-war okinawa. Houses with thatched roofs stand on small hills along both sides of the Aha River. Stone pavement connects the pathway to homes on the hillside, and surrounding the village, is a deep green forest. [...]