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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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Miyazato Rira to Graduate from AKB48
Surprised? Yes, there actually is (soon to be was) an AKB48 (a popular idol group in Japan) member from Okinawa, Miyazato Rira. She is part of Team 8 (there are 5 teams in total named A, K, B, 4, and 8) which was formed in 2014 and was formed to represent one of the 47…
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Ganeko Yoriko’s Utahime Livestream on YouTube
It’s crazy times that we’re able to watch a livestream of the amazing Ganeko Yoriko‘s performances at her minyou stage Utahime. I visited there a long time ago with a group and we were invited to do an impromptu live performance on her stage. She’s very gracious and kind so if you’re in Okinawa, be…
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Uchinaa-Muuku
Speaking of Aragaki Yui’s marriage announcement, she joins a growing list of popular actresses/singers from Okinawa with Uchinaa-muuku (son-in-law of Okinawa) husbands. 2021 Hoshino Gen (actor) to Aragaki Yui 2017 Kamiyama Ryuji (actor) to Chibana Kurara 2016 Inoue Yoshio (actor) to Chinen Rina 2014 Mukai Osamu (actor) to Kuninaka Ryoko 2014 Tanaka Tetsushi (actor) to…
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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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I-Dushi Announces First & Final Live Concert of 2021!
You’re probably already familiar with the pop duo I-Dushi as we have several posts about them this year. On the 19th through their official Twitter account, they announced their first and final live acoustic concert of the year. No, they’re not breaking up but rather singer/sanshinist Cana will soon be going on maternity leave. So…
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Aragaki Yui’s Marriage Announcement
Japanese Twitter was abuzz with news of popular actress Aragaki Yui’s sudden announcement that she will be marrying actor/musician Hoshino Gen. The pair appeared on the drama The Full-Time Wife Escapist in 2016 (which aired on Hawaii’s Kiku TV) which is interesting as it was about a fake married couple that grew to have true…
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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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FC Ryukyu Football/Soccer Team
Previously we’ve introduced Ryukyu Blue Waves (baseball) and Ryukyu Golden Kings (basketball), and now it’s time to introduce Okinawa’s professional football (soccer) team FC Ryukyu. Currently in the second division J2 League (since 2018), the team was founded in 2003 and of the professional sports teams in Okinawa, I think they have the coolest uniform.…
Karakui 