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Sumo Wrestler Churanoumi (Yup, That Name Says it All)
We haven’t been following sumo lately but now we have a very BIG (no pun intended) reason to watch! Churanoumi Yoshihisa, is you guessed it (for those who noticed the Okinawan word chura), a sumo wrestler from Okinawa (Uruma City). Here’s his profile on the official Japan Sumo Association page. The next tournament starts this…
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Bigknot Records Teases New “Tinsagu nu Hana” MV
On January 12th (Okinawa time) be sure to check out the Bigknot Records YouTube page to check out the new MV (music video) for “Tinsagu nu Hana” featuring their collaboration with KUNIKO, MuKuRo, and OZworld! It’s sure to be special!
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Amazing 1/8 Scale Miniature Sanshin from Nabbie Sanshin
This. Is. Amazing. We want it so much but it’s limited to 100 pieces. What is it? It’s a 1/8 scale miniature sanshin showing the how it’s made from start to completion. They’re currently taking reservations on their website with sales to start on January 5, 2024. We’ve had items shipped from Nabbie Sanshin before…
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Kuninaka Ryoko in 2024 NHK Taiga Drama
Actress/singer Kuninaka Ryoko (“Churasan” series) will be starring in the 2024 NHK Taiga Drama “Hikaru Kimi e” which tells the story of Murasaki Shikibu (author of the “The Tale of Genji”). Kuninaka will be playing the role of Shikibu’s mother, Chihaya, and as amazing as it sounds, it’ll be her first appearance in a taiga…
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The Dream Collab? Arinkurin x Okinawa Channel
Ending the year with a YouTube dream collaboration? No, it’s not Taylor and Beyonce but Arinkurin and Okinawa Channel! If you’re not already familiar with both, now’s a good time as any to become their fan. Arinkurin is perhaps the hottest comedic duo (Ryuta and Chris) from Okinawa since Garage Sale and they do a…
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Our Favorites of 2023
It’s almost the end of the year 🎊 so here’s our favorite releases from 2023 🔥. We’re keeping to songs that are readily available on streaming services outside of Okinawa and Japan so sadly this leaves out all(?) of the shimauta music 😥 Favorite Rock Song: “Yoake” by seven oops (released on 3/26/2023) — This…
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NHK Archives for Okinawa
We’re surprised and happy that the NHK Okinawa archives are still intact. But for how much longer? Although it’s in Uchinaaguchi and Japanese, it’s still worth watching as it features many famous Okinawan actors and musicians. Here’s one featuring the word “Gancho” (can you figure out its meaning from the video?) to get you started.
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Speaking of the Los Angeles Dodgers
As a bonus to one of our recent posts (Okinawa Everywhere All at Once), we wrote a bit about a large number of Japanese pro baseball players from Okinawa to kind of tie it in with the big baseball news of Otani Shohei signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now their manager, Dave Roberts, who…
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Okinawa Everywhere All at Once
A long time dream come true to see my hero pro cyclist Arashiro Yukiya (if you don’t know him, he is the 🐐 [G.O.A.T. means greatest of all time] in all of Asian cycling and he’s from Ishigaki Island) in a road race during the Saitama Criterium in Japan. Although I wasn’t able to meet…
Karakui 