Faraway places attract people
In Okinawa, there are songs of a different scale, cuisine soft to your tongue,
words that resonate in your ears, a sea full of light,
customs that connect us to the distant past.
And an even more profound history of the Ryukyu kingdom.
Take yourself there, if you can.
If not now, send out your mind entrusting yourself to these keywords.
Send your longing heart to the islands.
May “Amakuma Ryukyu” be that port of entry.
Editor's Pick

Yonaguni Horse
At a meadow on top of a sheer cliff, the … Continued

Translation Houses
Following the Pacific War, there was a place among the … Continued

N’tama Girū
N’tama Girū was a gentleman thief named Girū, who lived … Continued

Sea Grapes (N’kyafu)
Sea grapes’ classical Japanese name is kubiredzuta. In the Miyako … Continued

Pineapples
Every year when the old date for the Bon Festival … Continued

TERUYA Rinsuke
Teruya Rinsuke (1929-2005), nicknamed Terurin, was a beloved mandan1 comic … Continued

Ryukyu Ayu-fish
A while back, ayu-fish different from those of mainland Japan … Continued

Tanetori Festival (Seeds Picking Festival)
Tanetori is an agricultural event in which rice seeds are … Continued

Kuba (Chinese Fan Tree)
It has become harder in city areas like Naha, but … Continued

Pōpō (Okinawan Crêpe)
With its outside wooden walls painted a pale, faint blue, … Continued

Bukubukū-cha (Bukubuku Tea)
The ample foam rising above the teacup, the savory fragrance … Continued

Coral Reef
Rachel Carson classified the seashore into three types: (1) a … Continued

Sashiba (Grey-faced Buzzard)
I don’t know who started it; sashiba are sometimes called … Continued

Tsuki nu kaisha
When me and my wife found out we were having … Continued

Hījā (Goat)
Exhausted after the sports day, a bowl of hījā (goat) … Continued

Kūbu (Konbu kelp)
Kūbu means konbu (kelp). It is one of the main … Continued

Shichi (Arrival of the new season)
On the day to celebrate the new season1 in the … Continued

Naha Otsunahiki Festival
People are suffering from the heat all over Japan, yet … Continued

Shishi-mai (Lion Dance)
Shishi-mai—the lion dance is a folk performing art traditionally handed … Continued

Panari Earthenware
Okinawan wares can be roughly divided into two, Jō-yachi and … Continued

Hachigatsu Odori in Tarama
Tarama Island is located right in-between Miyako and Ishigaki Islands. … Continued

Coconut Crab (Yashigani)
Miyako Island was the first place I saw a coconut … Continued

Medaka (Rice Fish)
As its English name indicates, medaka (rice fish) is a … Continued

Sotetsu (Sago Palm)
Some hot springs are called “Hell of XXX”.1 A heaven-like … Continued

The Ryukyuken
Just as there are uchinānchu humans—in other words, Okinawans—there are … Continued

Happiness Tree
When the wind blows, the leaves of the happiness tree … Continued

Kankarā Sanshin
The year 1995 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the end … Continued

Shikina-en
Shikina-en also known as Shichinanu udwun reduced to ashes in … Continued

Ryūka (Okinawan Poetry)
An assumption says that what was simply called “uta”—song or … Continued

ONNA Nabe and YOSHIYA Chiru
They are said to be the two greatest female poets … Continued

Light Railway
Okinawa is the only prefecture in Japan without a railway. However, … Continued

Suzu-Ishi (Ringing Stones)
A rounded stone, with a size that would fit nicely … Continued

Latin American Dishes
Latin Americans are known for their love of music and … Continued

Field Party (Mō-ashibi)
Mō (毛) means “wild field” in the Okinawan language. It … Continued

Flying foxes
I first learned of flying foxes when I was asked … Continued

Mibae (Fruit Flies)
“Do you know mibae (fruit flies)?” If you ask the … Continued

Sanpin-cha (Jasmine tea)
Living in such a hot climate, Okinawan people have been … Continued

Kanzashi (Ornamental Hairpin)
At the time of the Ryukyu Kingdom (before the abolition … Continued

Tōri-Ike (Passage Pond)
A 40~50 minutes boat ride to the west from the … Continued

Shima Banana (Island Banana)
Everyone knows a banana. That scentless, lightly flavored, thick-skinned, fat, … Continued

Minatogawa Man
Homo sapiens of about 18,000 years ago. The first fossiled … Continued

Kani hanriru
To get senile. Okinawa is an island with a reputation … Continued

Tōtoganashi
In the Amami Islands, people pray to their ancestors at … Continued

Beniimo (Purple yam)
Beniimo is a type of sweet potato that is popular … Continued

Kibinago (Silver-stripe Round Herring)
Kibinago, the silver-stripe round herring, is called sururu in Okinawa. … Continued

War-time Malaria
As the organized resistance by the Japanese military was about … Continued

Yamakunibū
“About yamakunibū...” “What is that?” “You know, the thing hung in a … Continued

Kerama Deer
My father's home island is a small island called Geruma. … Continued

Spoils of War
There was a time when the people of Okinawa took … Continued

Golden Gate Club
The American study abroad program by the Government Aid and … Continued

Kami Asagi
In general, a building where the noro (priestess) performs religious … Continued

The Ruddy Kingfisher
In Kijoka—known as the village of bashōfu fabric—in Ogimi there … Continued

Minyō-sakaba
A minyō-sakaba is a pub where you can see live … Continued

Ryukyu Murasaki
Countless varieties of butterflies can be found on Okinawa Island … Continued

Southwest Air Lines
In a connecting bus at the Haneda Airport, some young … Continued

Tōkachi and Kajimayā
Tōkachi (August 8th on the lunar calendar) is an event … Continued

Unexploded Ordinance
In the summer, I like to go to outlying islands. … Continued

Yonagunisan
Yonagunisan (Attacus atlas ryukyuensis) is one of the biggest moths … Continued

Ōshima Tsumugi
A type of fabric. Albeit the fact that it is … Continued

Ryukyu Wild Boar
An outstanding beast among the land animals of Okinawa—Ryukyu wild … Continued

Shīmī (Qingming Festival)
“We had shīmī yesterday.” “I guess you're having shīmī bento today … Continued

Okinawa Bunko (Okinawa Library)
Okinawa Bunko is a series of mini encyclopedias about Okinawan … Continued

SENAGA Kamejiro
(1907~2001) Senaga Kamejiro, who was nicknamed “Kame-san (Mr. Turtle)” by … Continued

Amami Rabbit
February 23rd 1995, Amami rabbits, Amami jay, and others—both special … Continued

Artificially-Lighted Chrysanthemum
As you drive down Yanbaru or the southern part of … Continued

Thirty-six Families of Kume
The Thirty-six Families of Kume are the Chinese people, and … Continued

JAHANA Noboru
The eldest son of Jahana Katsutaro, Jahana Noboru was born … Continued

Sakurazaka
They say that long ago bandits and highwaymen began to … Continued

Giant Clams
The first time anyone sees any member of the giant … Continued

Praying for Rain
In Okinawa, typhoon and drought are two natural phenomena that … Continued

Hinukan (god of fire)
Hinukan (god of fire) is usually enshrined near the kitchen … Continued

Twunji-bīsa
Twunji-bīsa (winter solstice chill) is the seasonal wind that blows … Continued

Kasutera-kamaboko
A man from Shuri once told me that he didn’t … Continued

Finger-whistling
When the kachāshī dance starts, anyone there would instantly begin … Continued

Folk Music Labels
The Ryukyu archipelago has walked history on a different path … Continued

CHINA Sadao
During the Okinawan music boom in the early 1990s, there … Continued

Shell Ginger
“Hello,” “Nice to meet you” and hand your business card—a … Continued

Rinken Band
In 1990, Rinken Band’s cassette album Arigato (Maruteru Recordings) was … Continued

Harusā and Uminchu
Farmers are called harusā in Okinawa. An Okinawan language, out … Continued

Sātā-andagī
Made of flour, sugar, egg, and milk — pretty round … Continued

Nuchi du takara
“Nuchi du takara” means “your life is a treasure,” and … Continued

Okinawa Prefectural Archives
Tell a taxi driver “please take me to the Prefectural … Continued

Yaeyama Jōfu
If the Yūki-tsumugi is the acme of silk textile, then … Continued

Ryukyu Lacquerware
In Okinawa, lacquerware is called nuimun. The three most common … Continued

Cornerstone of Peace
In 1995, 50 years after the end of the Battle … Continued

Shuri Castle
As its name suggests, the castle is located in Shuri … Continued

Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival
In December 1996, the guerilla attack on the official residence … Continued

Kudaka Island
An island situated 6 km to the east of the … Continued

Nifēdēbiru
The Okinawan language can be very roughly divided into three … Continued

Okinawan Cinema
Movies shot in Okinawa, movies set in Okinawa, movies about … Continued

Ōkuni Rindō
A multi-purpose forestry road located in the northern part of … Continued

Legislature
The legislative branch of the Ryukyu Islands government was called … Continued

Miyako Jōfu
The history of Miyako jōfu textiles goes back four centuries. … Continued

Okinawan Rock
That descending glissando guitar riff from the Ventures spread the … Continued

The Battle of Okinawa
It began on March 26th 1945, when the United States … Continued

Sugarcane Field
“I’m off~” With two candies in his pocket, Ojii1 goes to … Continued

Subtropics
Generally speaking, the Ryukyu Archipelago is considered to be subtropical—anettai. … Continued

Martial Arts
Many different types of martial arts are practiced in Okinawa … Continued

Ryukyu Disposition
The expression “Ryukyu Disposition”' has two different senses. In a … Continued

Senkaku Islands
The Senkaku Islands is a group of islands located north-northwest … Continued

Bull Fighting
Unlike Spanish bullfighting, in Okinawa, two bulls push each other … Continued

Divorce Rate and Unemployment
Nothing is less reliable than official statistics in Okinawa. … Continued

Nicolai Aleksandrovich Nevsky
A Russian scholar of Japan and the Orient (1892-1937). In … Continued

Turtleback Tombs
Kikkoubaka, the turtleback tomb, was named after its exterior shape … Continued

Kagiyadefū
Kagiyadefū is regularly played and danced at the opening of … Continued

Oikomi Ryō
A fishing technique unique to Okinawa for which the fisherman … Continued

Okinawan Society in Hawaii
It is well-known that the people of Hawaii are from … Continued

Memorial Day
This is the story of when a certain minister of … Continued

Immigrants
Many Okinawan immigrants left Okinawa for Taiwan, the Philippines, Borneo, … Continued

Public Market
There is no formal name for the Naha public market. … Continued

ŌTA Masahide
“Is Okinawa part of Japan?” shouted (then) Okinawa Governor Ōta … Continued

Iriomote Yamaneko
The Iriomote yamaneko is a small wild cat found only … Continued

Uchinānchu
An Okinawan. Uchinā is Okinawa, chu is person. It seems … Continued