Category: Community

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Obaa, Anmaa, Nēnē
The women of Okinawa are powerful. Whether or not this … Continued

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

U.S. Military Bases
Tu nu yū kara Yamatu nu yū From the Chinese era … Continued

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

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