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Okinawa Memorial Day
Today (June 23rd Okinawa time) is our Okinawa Memorial Day (Irei no Hi). 🙏 … During the occupation of Japan, in 1961, Okinawa Memorial Day was made a holiday by the Government of the Ryukyu Islands in order to remember and pray for their family members and relatives who were killed during the Battle of Okinawa. In 1972,…
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Ichariba Choodee Podcast
A recently launched podcast called “Ichariba Choodee” gives a new voice to our community. There are many more names for the peoples of these islands. Hear the many voices and stories of those identifying as Shimanchu (or Uchinachu). Celebrating and preserving our culture, connecting the diaspora, and both proudly and humbly educating and learning along the…
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Hawaii’s KIKU-TV RIP
You may have heard a rumor that KIKU will stop airing Japanese and Filipino programming soon. Unfortunately, the rumor is true. Starting Monday, June 28, 2021, KIKU and other stations owned by RNN National, LLC will air ShopHQ 24/7. via the station’s FB page Definitely sad news to hear that KIKU-TV will no longer show…
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Floating Room’s Upcoming EP “Shima”
Floating Room was recently featured in an NPR article for 11 Oregon Artists to Watch in 2021 and this little bit got me really excited: Floating Room is set to release an EP called Shima on Famous Class Records in November. https://www.npr.org/2021/06/02/1002272360/11-oregon-artists-to-watch-in-2021 I’m looking forward to listening to Shima and I have so many questions about it…
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7th Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival Logo & Slogan Contest
Showcase your creativity and earn fame and money by submitting a logo and/or a slogan for next year’s 7th Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival! The application deadline is Friday, July 9, 2021, and the winner(s) will be announced in late August (subject to change). As the slogan can be emailed and multiple entries are being accepted, I’ll…
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Freshly Made Spam & Egg Onigiri at Potama
I recently went to check out a restaurant chain from Okinawa that has a location in Waikiki (Honolulu, Hawaii) called Potama (short for Pork Tamago Onigiri). In Okinawa, pork usually refers to pork luncheon meat that’s made by Hormel (Spam) or by Tulip. Hawaii has a similar popular local food called Spam musubi that’s readily…
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Sanshin from Ichintou Arakaki Sanshin-ten
Previously. we posted about ordering sanshin and supplies from Okinawa from an online store that ships internationally. Now I’m happy to announce another established store that you can order sanshin to be shipped outside of Okinawa/Japan (please check with the store if your region is supported): Ichintou Arakaki Sanshin-ten. Although you still won’t be able…
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7th World Uchinanchu Festival
The 7th World Uchinanchu Festival has a date set! It will take place in 2022 from October 31st to November 3rd (note the website counts October 30th as the Festival eve). The “World Uchinanchu Festival” honors the achievements of Okinawan people from all over the world, recognises the great value of the community heritage of…
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May 15th
If you follow Japanese Twitter, you may have noticed a few hashtags (like this one #沖縄本土復帰記念日) and tweets leading up to May 15th which marked the 49th year of Okinawa returning to Japan (Okinawa reversion 祖国復帰 and 本土復帰 is also used). NHK Okinawa also hosted a 5-episode special series to commemorate the date. The hashtag…
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@kanasaorganics on Twitter
One of my new Twitter follows, KANASA Co-Operative, is one that shares words and stories from Ryūkyū in English. They also have a website with longer form articles about Ryukyuan culture that’s a great resource to deepen your knowledge. One of my favorite articles is about the hidari-gomon that I see everyday when I pick…
Karakui 