Category: Culture

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Medicinal Herbs
On a corner along the building of the Public Market … Continued

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

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

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

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

Niraikanai
A world different from ours, where the gods live, an … Continued

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

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

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

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

Orion Beer
Beer produced in Okinawa. It owns a one and only … Continued

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

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

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

Rising Sun
Just before dawn, the sky is a shade darker. On … Continued

Ryukyu Glassware
Also called “Okinawan glass,” this glassware is lightly colored with … Continued

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

Ryukyu Limestone
Rock created by the coral reefs that rose from the … Continued

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

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

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

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

Shīmī (Qingming Festival)
“We had shīmī yesterday.” … Continued

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

Sugarcane Field
“I’m off~” … Continued

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yamakunibū
“About yamakunibū…” … Continued