Category: Community

Brandon Ufugusuku Ing’s “Chijuyaa” on the DisOrient 2023 Film Festival

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We think we first saw the video for Brandon Ufugusuku Ing’s “Chijuyaa” during one of the HUOA’s YouTube channel livestreams and thought it was an amazing arrangement of “Hamachiduri” and a very beautiful video. Now we’ll have a chance to watch it again as it’s been selected to be streamed on the DisOrient 2023 Film Festival! And if you love it be sure to support him on his Bandcamp.

Chijuyaa – the plover. Descendants of Okinawan immigrants in Hawai‘i perform a traditional Ryūkyūan song and dance, evoking memories of the past, and emotions of loneliness and yearning. Sung in Uchinaaguchi, one of the endangered Ryūkyūan languages.

https://disorient2023.eventive.org/films/chijuyaa-63c8c7f1f76a4000cd32dab5

It’ll be available for streaming from 3/13 to 3/19. The trailer is down below.

“Chijuyaa” Trailer via the 2023 DisOrient Film Festival

Amazon Smile Charity Raises $850 for HUOA in 2022

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(Pictured: Hat In4mation Purple Bingata)

There are many ways to donate to the Hawaii United Okinawa Association (HUOA) and one of the easiest is to choose them as your AmazonSmile charitable organization. So every time you shop on AmazonSmile, you donate to HUOA! I think they just added their organization to AmazonSmile late this year so let’s chip in and make it a big 2023 for them. By the way, pictured is an amazing bingata design cap (there’s also one in red) that continues to sell out for them but they now have it back in stock!

Cesar Farro Yamaguchi & His Grandfather’s Sanshin

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(via Twitter)

Here’s a heart-warming story about a 3rd generation Peruvian-Okinawa, Cesar Farro Yamaguchi, who brought his grandfather’s sanshin to Okinawa. Currently studying sanshin craftsmanship in Okinawa at Naha’s Shoukoubou (尚工房) under sanshin maker Kishimoto Naoto, Cesar had his grandfather’s sanshin appraised by the Ryukyu Sanshin Musical Instrument Preservation and Development Association and it was determined to be around a hundred years old. His grandfather brought the sanshin back to Peru with him around 1970 and Cesar is working on fixing it in Okinawa and making it playable again. His goal is to learn how to repair sanshin and return to Peru to help out others like him with broken sanshin. It’s such an amazing thing he wants to do and we wish him the best!

Okinawa Web Drama “Akari no Akari ka.” Off to a Great Start

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Preview of the Okinawa Web Drama “Akari no Akari ka.”

A new Okinawa web drama just completed its 2nd episode and it looks to be worth watching till the end (9 total episodes). “Akari no Akari ka.” (presented by the Okinawa soap brand SuiSavon) stars upcoming actress Sakihama Rico as Akari and she’s supported by an amazing cast of actors starting with Yamauchi Chigusa, Tanahara Riho, and Toguchi Masato among others. The drama is Okinawa-made and is filmed on Okinawa, has an Okinawan cast and director (Nagata Kensaku).

The story follows Akari who returns to Okinawa with her mother after her mother’s divorce. We see Akari meet new people and encounter new things in Okinawa as the mother and daughter learn more about each other as the story progresses. New episodes are released on the last Sunday of every month on SuiSavon’s YouTube channel with the final episode expected to run on 4/30 of next year.

Crossing Cats: Enamel Pins! (Kickstarter)

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Less than a week to go to help back artist Nami Oshiro’s Kickstarter project “Crossing Cats: Enamel Pins!“. As the name of the Kickstarter hints at, the enamel pins are inspired by our favorite game Animal Crossing! Here’s an excerpt about the project:

Hello! I’m Nami, and I design cat pins. I’ve spent the past few years making designs for every single cat from a certain beloved video game about cute animals, and now I’d like to turn as many of them as I can into enamel pins for everyone to enjoy!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/namioshiro/crossing-cats-enamel-pins?ref=user_menu

Although our favorite Luchuan villager Rory (アーサー) isn’t one of the featured pins (he’s too big of a cat 😆), there are a lot of other cool cats to choose from.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day: Mitzi Carter’s Yuntaku with Awich on 10/11

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“First Language” Poster

Mitzi Carter is going to do a yuntaku with rapper Awich! She just kicked off her Queendom Tour 2021 so this must be an exciting time for her.

Save the date-Oct 11th (Indigenous People’s Day): Film screening of First Language and panel discussion + my short yuntaku (chat) with the one and only @Awich098 on rap and Okinawan identity!

https://twitter.com/gritsnsushi/status/1445342251245264902

It’ll be on Zoom and hopefully someone will upload it to YouTube for those of us unable to attend.

Okinawa: Authors in Conversation (YouTube)

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JAMP on YouTube

If you missed the livestream for the “Authors in Conversation: Akemi Johnson & Elizabeth Miki Brina“, there’s now an archive version for VOD! Mariko Middleton (Ichariba Choodee podcast) did a great job in moderating the conversation.

We will take a brief dive into the elements surrounding this incredible unique land, people, and culture through the the lenses of authors Akemi Johnson, Night in the American Village, and Elizabeth Miki Brina, Speak, Okinawa, in a conversation moderated by Mariko Middleton of the Ichariba Choodee: Okinawan Voices and Stories Podcast. We’ll talk about identity, inspiration, history, and inquire into the future of Okinawa, concluding with hopes and dreams.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hovi5WvoD7E

Having both authors’ audiobooks in our Audible library, who would have thought that we would be able to see this wonderful conversation take place. So awesome.

October 30th World Uchinānchu Day

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via Website

October 30th is World Uchinānchu Day and to celebrate there will be a two-part live talk show with special guests Alberto Shiroma (Diamantes) and entertainer Ryuchell. The talk show will be an in-person event (subject to change) and it will also be live-streamed! It looks like the talk show is being produced by the same team behind the 7th Worldwide Uchinānchu Festival so they will also be doing a presentation and award ceremony for its official theme song. We’ve been waiting to see/hear the official theme song and to see who the lucky musician is. Here’s a link (YouTube) to last year’s event.

Himeyuri and Hawaii Special Exhibition

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The Himeyuri Peace Museum will hold a special exhibition from 10/1 to 2/27/2022. The special exhibition is called “Himeyuri and Hawaii“:

In 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa, the Himeyuri Student Corps were mobilized as assistant nurses. This exhibition, “Himeyuri and Hawaii,” is an examination of the various relationships that exist between Himeyuri and the people of Hawaii over the years, even as it tells the story of the Himeyuri students.
Herein you will learn about the Himeyuri and the ties that they—and their homeland—share with Hawaii.

https://himeyuri-and-hawaii.com

Just to highlight the special part of this exhibition is that they’re using a special Twitter account, a special website (using dot-com nonetheless), information is also available in English, and you’ll be able to view the special exhibition on their website.