i-O Blog

Free Lecture/Performance

Hearing Uta-Sanshin: An Introduction to Appreciating Okinawa's Main Musical Artform

By Norman Kaneshiro
Instructor of the Nomura Ryu Ongaku Kyo Kai. Mr. Kaneshiro is an active performer of both Okinawan classical and folk music, has appeared as a soloist and ensemble player in Okinawa and across the U.S. Mr. Kaneshiro is also a lecturer with the UH Ethnomusicology Program.

TIME: October 14, 2005 (Friday); 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm

PLACE: Tokioka Room, Moore Hall 319 (located across the street from Center for Korean Studies); University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1890 East-West Road

SYNOPSIS: The origins of the Okinawan musical artform of uta-sanshin (song & sanshin) dates back about 500 years. In recent times, the tradition of playing sanshin (a three-stringed snakeskin cordaphone) and singing has become symbolic of the free-spirited nature of the Okinawan people and their island culture. Many people fail to realize, however, that under the simplistic melodies of uta-sanshin lies the heart of a resilient people who have beared centuries of suffering and insult. This lecture will provide an introduction to Okinawan music as a window into the world of Okinawan thought and culture.

Okinawa Fair

Daiei Hawaii is sponsoring an Okinawa Fair at their 3 locations on Oahu from June 19 thru July 2. You'll find imported food items for sale such as instant Okinawa Soba, Nama Konbu, bottled Sanpincha (woo!), a variety of different Awamori, and of course, Orion Beer.

Selected locations will also be making Okinawa Bentos (Kaheka), Goya Champuru (Kaheka & Pearl City), Okinawa Yakisoba (Kaheka & Pearl City) and Andagi (Kaheka) fresh in-store as well.

So, if you're on Oahu, be sure to get your taste of Okinawa at Daiei!

Monkey Waterfall in Concert

Monkey Waterfall--a dance theatre production with masks and stilts--will hold a concert on February 4 & 5 (a Friday & Saturday, 7:30pm) at Windward Community College. Please visit the website for ticket information.

Using masks, movement and music, Monkey Waterfall tells "stories that amuse and enchant audiences." The performance is not recommended for children under 8 years old.
Co-founded by Yukie Shiroma and Ben Moffat, Monkey Waterfall has performed in England, Scotland, Spain, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, and across the mainland.
Teachers and their students are featured in the program. Cheryl Yoshie Nakasone, an Okinawan dance master, will appear in a piece choreographed by her student, Yukie Shiroma. [via the WCC concert website]

Nifee for the link Charlene!

Photos from 2004 Okinawan Festival

If you were in Hawaii this past weekend, I hope you were able to stop by to enjoy the Okinawan Festival held at the Kapiolani Park on September 4 & 5. If you couldn't make it, you can vicariously enjoy some of the performances by viewing the great photographs taken by Taro Nobusawa. Click on the "Okinawa Festival 2004" album to view the photos.

Okinawan Festival in Hawaii

The Annual Okinawan Festival in Hawaii, held every year at the Kapiolani Park Bandstand in Waikiki is coming up in on Labor Day Weekend, September 4 and 5.

If you're in Hawaii, don't miss this great event which features Okinawan cultural performances, culture tent, children's games, and of course, lots of great Uchinanchu food!

If you're interested, the Hawaii United Okinawan Association has posted a program schedule.

There will be a Bon Dance on Saturday night at 6:00 pm, followed by a concert by Okinawa group BEGIN at 8:00 pm.

If you're from out of town, or maybe just a local who doesn't want to drive into Waikiki on both days, they also have a rate sheet of hotels which offer special "Okinawan Festival" rates.

All above links are courtesy of huoa.org.

Okinawa Festival in Hawaii

This year's annual Okinawa Festival in Hawaii will be held on September 4 & 5 at the Kapiolani Park Bandstand. The grand event of the year, the festivities begin with a parade, feature Okinawan music and dance, and lots of great Okinawan and local food!

Some highlights include a performance by BEGIN and an obon dance on Saturday evening.

If you're an out of town visitor or a Hawaii resident who wants to be closer to the action, several Waikiki hotels are offering special rates for attendees of the Okinawa Festival. For more information, please click this link.

Okinawan Obon in Hawaii

The months of August and September will feature the following Obon Dances in Hawaii featuring Okinawan music and bon dances by several groups:

Friday & Saturday, August 5 & 6
7:00 pm - 10:45 pm
Sheridan Shingon Mission
915 Sheridan Street, Honolulu (941-5663)
Group: Hawaii Eisa Shinyuu Kai

Friday & Satuday, August 13 & 14
7:30 pm
Pearl City Hongwanji
858 2nd Street, Pearl City
Group: Young Okinawans of Hawaii

Friday & Saturday, August 20 & 21
7:30 pm - 11:00 pm
Mililani Hongwanji
95-257 Kalopau Street, Mililani
Group: Ryukyu Bon Dance Group

Jodo Mission of Hawaii
7:00 pm
1429 Makiki Street, Honolulu
Group: Hawaii Eisa Shinyuu Kai

Saturday, August 28
7:30 pm
Aiea Hongwanji Mission
99-186 Puakala Road, Aiea
Group: Hawaii Eisa Shinyuu Kai

Saturday, September 4
After festivities at the Okinawa Festival
Kapiolani Park Bandstand, Waikiki
Group: Hawaii Eisa Shinyuu Kai

Saturday, September 18
Autumn Dance Festival (last bon dance of the year)
Hawaii Okinawa Center
94-587 Ukee Street, Waipio
Group: Young Okinawans of Hawaii

Rinzai Zen Mission Obon Dance

The Rinzai Zen Mission of Paia, Maui, Hawaii will be having their Obon on August 20 and 21, 2004. They will be featuring Okinawan music and obon dance and local Okinawan entertainment.

If you have any questions about this event, please contact Rev. Ryozo Yamaguchi at the church Phone (808) 579-9921.

Rinzai Zen Mission
120 Alawai Road
Paia, Maui, HI 96779

Nifee deebiru (thank you) to Janet Miyahira who informed us about this upcoming event!

If you have an Okinawa-related event that you would like to inform i-O visitors about, please drop us an e-mail at info@internet-okinawa.com..

Lorraine Kaneshiro Cultural Benefit

The HUOA (Hawaii United Okinawa Association) will be holding a cultural benefit for the late Lorraine Kaneshiro on Sunday, May 23, 2004, from 10:30am to 2pm at the HOC (Hawaii Okinawa Center). For more information (as well as where to buy your tickets) please visit the HUOA website or call the center at 808-676-5400.

[View the flier--Adobe PDF 1.59 MB]

Koto players day in the sun

(via The Ryukyu Shimpo News)

"300 take part in koto festival"

September 10 (ku-tu in Okinawan Hogen) has for the past three years provided an occasion for players of the koto to perform together. This year's event, which was moved from the Ken Min Hiroba, the public area in front of Pallette Kumoji, to the central court at Main Place, Ameku due to the threatened arrival of the season's 14th typhoon, brought together 300 members of Ryukyu Koto Association who performed 12 pieces of traditional music. (Sep 10 pm ed)

Ryukyu Shimpo's account of Hawaii's Worldwide Uchinanchu Conference

(via The Ryukyu Shimpo News)

The Worldwide Uchinanchu Conference opened on September 1 at the East West Center at the University of Hawaii, Honolulu. It was the first time that the gathering had been held overseas for overseas Okinawans, and for Okinawans at heart.

The 7th Worldwide Uchinanchu Business Association also met that day in Honolulu.

During the two-day meeting about 400 people from ten countries including the US,and South American and Southeast Asian lands participated.

They reaffirmed ties with all Uchinanchu worldwide and discussed ways and means of building new Uchinanchu networks in various fields.

In the 22 sub-sessions, conference members debated wide ranges of topics such as Uchinanchu identity and international marriage.

The conference confirmed that the next meeting would be held in Brazil in 2008. It will mark the 100th anniversary of immigration from Okinawa.

At the opening ceremony, organizers' representatives George Tamaki (sic. Tamashiro -- ed.), chairman of the Hawaii Okinawa Federation (sic. Hawaii United Okinawa Association -- ed.), and Wesley Sakamoto, chairman of the WUB Hawaii, welcomed the participants.

Okinawa governor Keiichi Inamine responded by expressing his good wishes for the success of the conference.

Lecturers included Shinichi Maehara, Okinawa TV's chief of news and reporting, and Koji Omi, the former minister for Okinawan Affairs. (Sep 2 pm ed)

Monorail records millionth passenger

(via The Ryukyu Shimpo News)

Rumiko Katsure (43), from Samukawa, Shuri was feted as the millionth passenger to use the monorail on August 31, only 22 days after it opened to the public. In a ceremony held at Shuri Station the Naha office worker was presented with a gift and a bouquet of flowers by monorail company president Hidetomo Kogo. The company was able to celebrate the occasion 10 days earlier than initially expected as the 45,500 passengers using the service per ay had exceeded initial estimates of 31,000. Meanwhile, police again reported lower than usual volumes of traffic on Naha's streets, but remained unable to confirm whether or not the monorail was responsible for the fall in congestion levels. (Sep 1 am ed)

Karii Kampai Cheers Bottoms-Up Salute!!

(via The Ryukyu Shimpo News)

Sour taste of distilleries' success

"Research findings indicate that moromi su, a vinegar drink produced from the lees of the awamori distilling process, has become a major sideline for producers of Okinawa's favorite liquor. According to estimates compiled by Okinawa Bank, annual sales of the drink last year earned awamori companies ¥4bn., or 25% of their total sales revenue. the bank's figures were based on information supplied by 47 of the islands' distilleries, which revealed that almost half were also engaged in vinegar brewing. As many as 80% of these went into vinegar production after 1998, catering to the recent surge in demand, especially in mainland Japan, where four fifths of current output is consume." (Aug 26 am ed)

(and this via The Okinawa Times Weekly Times 2003.9.6)

The One and Noni

"The 'Noni' health drink is now making a big hit on Okinawa. Noni is a fruit that is distributed in tropical regions of the South Pacific like Indonesia and does not grow further north than Okinawa, growing wild along the seashore. Said to have widely beneficial effects on such afflictions as high blood pressure and diabetes and as an anti-cancer agent, it has long been called a 'miracle fruit' or 'a gift from the gods.'

The Prefectural Products' Public Corporation started selling the Noni drink in January, and from the first it has constantly been in the top five items in sales. With sales in mainland Japan starting last month, 'Production can not catch up with orders,' makers of Okinawa have said.

They are now preparing an increase in production and are expecting that Noni products will become best sellers like ukon (turmeric) and Moromi-su (unrefined Awamori vinegar).

Noni drinks began achieving popularity abroad in the last few years. In Japan, demand rose dramatically after a TV marketing program broadcasted its merits. Most of the stock is grown abroad or a blend of foreign and local fruit, but Okinawan makers are now trying to secure a greater foothold for totally Okinawan Noni."

Eisa Festival / Rinken Band Concert

For those of you in Hawaii, I hope you were able to make it for last night's grand finale to the 1st Worldwide Uchinanchu Conference Eisa Festival and Rinken Band Concert at University of Hawaii's Les Murakami Stadium! Over 3 hours of exciting entertainment and as always, the audience enjoyed a phenomenal performance by the Rinken Band that had the crowd singing and dancing kachashii in the aisles! We will have some recaps and photos of this year's Okinawan Festival in the upcoming days, so be sure to check back again soon!

Okinawa National Theater

This bit of news comes via The Japan Times Online. Story by Tai Kawabata (Staff Writer). Below is an excerpt from the online article.

It is a dream come true for Tatsuhiro Oshiro, a native Okinawan and Akutagawa Prize-winning novelist and playwright.

A national theater, designed to nurture and promote the traditional performing arts of Okinawa, Japan's southernmost prefecture, was completed July 31 in Urasoe, adjacent to Okinawa's captial Naha.

Another important task of the theater will be to facilitate the study of the performing arts of the Asia-Pacific region and provide a venue for presenting them.

Link: New Okinawan theater completes missing link in performing arts

Jacob the Shisa

An interesting bit of news via The Okinawa Times Weekly Times (2003.8.16) -- especially if you're an anime buff.

"All Okinawan Animation"

An animation feature series by 3 Dimension Computer Graphics will have its entire process of planning, directing, producing, and editing all done in Okinawa City. The animation is called "Jacob's Roof" and it will be telecast on OTV from the end of October. A person concerned stated, "It is an Okinawan-made animation, of which there is no precedent. It will provide great momentum for the digital content industry to solidify, and to promote it."

The production base is in the Okinawa City IT Work Plaza in Awase, Okinawa City. The 3DCG Studio, a tenant of the plaza, and animation producer Mr. Hiroshi Matayoshi will plan and produce the feature. The Silicon Studio, another tenant, will produce it, and OTV will edit it. Okinawa City, which manages the plaza, will also cooperate in the project.

A motion recording studio with the world's largest image production equipment has attracted people's attention. Deputy Mayor Takeshi Takara of Okinawa City stated, "We expect to strengthen the industrial base of the city and prefecture."

The main character of the 3D animation is called Jacob, a "Shisa," the Okinawan lion-dog guardian deity, and the stories will describe the life of Shisa. The series will start from October 24 and show every Friday night at 1:10am with one story three minutes long. There will be 10 stories in total.

Let's wish them much success with this project!

A Sorrowful Case for Okinawan Society

A story via the Okinawan Times Weekly (Saturday, July 12, 2003 evening edition) tells of a sad story that you don't often hear of in Okinawa. Is Okinawa flowery, down-to-earth, and free from violence? Of course we know the answer to be yes, but kind of sort of, right? Like any place in the world, Okinawa sees its share of violence from within and this story is an important reminder of that. Yet as the story unfolds we are left wondering what's the true story behind this act of violence? Tsutomu will never be able to defend himself so perhaps we'll never know. Truly a "sorrowful case for Okinawa".

Thirteen year old Tsutomu Zakimi was killed and buried by his supposed school friends. The Okinawa City police station arrested a high school boy, 16, and a junior school boy and girl, both 14, for the alleged murder and abandoning the body. They all confessed to the crime, they who had all hung out together in Chatan Town. They had accused the victim of stealing money from the wallet of the mother of one of the suspects and beat him to death.

A man had called the police on the early morning of July 5th, saying that he had heard of the burying of a murdered boy at a tomb in his neighborhood. The police waited until daylight and went to dig up the body at the appointed site.

According to police, it is thought that the boys and girl beat the victim with a steel and wooden stick at a tomb near the victim's residence on the day of June 28th. They put the body behind a tomb and covered it with dirt to hide their crime. The girl did not participate in the beating but helped in the burial.

The arrested boys and girl said, "We just intended to punish him but not to kill," according to police. The high school boy told an attorney that he did not hit the boy; the girl said she just watched; and only the junior high school boy admitted to assault.

"They said they cried when they found the boy had died," said the attorney. For a week after the crime, they discussed turning themselves in to the police, however, they were afraid of arrest.

On the night before the deadly beating, a man, Tsutomu's neighbor, took him to a game center to have some fun. Tsutomu's parents were separated and he lived with his father. The man sometimes acted as a big brother. Tsutomu was found by the boys at the game center and they ordered him to "Come at 10am tomorrow. We will clear it up." The man told Tsutomu never go to, and he also told the father not to let him go when he took him home from the game center. The man told reporters, "I said never. But from the next day I did not see Tsutomu," he said in a choking voice.

According to police, the boys accused Tsutomu of stealing money and they started beating him at 1pm. The assault continued until 4pm until Tsutumu died. They moved his body about ten meters behind a tomb and placed it at the foot of an incline. They put dirt on the body to hide it, which was partially skeletonized when dug up by the police.

Both victim and perpetrators were long-term truants from school, and used to gather at the house of one of the boys. Except for the high school boy, all of the gang were from single parent homes and they were left alone. One of the boys had been picked up by the police thirty-two times for juvenile delinquent infractions.

Wonder Okinawa

(From the Ryukyu Shimpo Internet Weekly News for Wednesday, June 18, 2003.)

"¥1.5bn e-book Wonder Okinawa"

Available on the Internet with over 10,000 pages, Wonder Okinawa, an electronic book was published on June 10. Opening that afternoon, the digital production covers Okinawan history, natural history, and the performing arts, as well as other topics.

With a text both in Japanese and English, the "book" is one of the biggest regional digital "archive" in Japan. The running text with high-definition pictures lasts over 10 hours.

The national government provided ¥1bn. and the Prefectural Governement ¥500m., a total of ¥1.5bn., for a venture that is available on DVD as well as the Internet.

The package also includes a large-scale exhibition. That, too, is available on DVD.

The website has 25 sections in all, including history, natural history, art crafts, the performing arts, folklore, Shuri Castle, karate and food culture.

The DVD is available in three places: the Mihama Media Station, Shuri Castle Park, and the Washita Shop in Tokyo's Ginza.

www.wonder-okinawa.jp is the Internet website address.

We here at i-O.com have been receiving a lot of emails about this newly opened site. I first read about it on i-O.com's logo designer Travis' weblog about a week or two ago. It's an awesome site that's definitely the pride of Okinawa. I'll have to get me one of those DVDs too.

A Grander Shuri Castle (via The Okinawa Times)

(From The Okinawa Times Weekly Times 2003.6.7)

A Grander Shuri Castle

Plans are being carried out to enlarge Shuri Castle Park. The Okinawa General Bureau gave permission to Naha City to construct three new buildings on June 2.

A building called the "Shoin, Sasunoma", where the Ryukyu kings carried out everyday administerial affairs of state and entertained guests of honor, is headed for completion and scheduled to open in the 2006 fiscal year with a 7 to 8 hundred million yen budget. The completion date for the other two buildings has not been set.

According to the Okianwa Commermorative National Government Park Office, the function of the "Shoin, Sasunoma" was to serve as a drawing room where soon "visitors will be able to enjoy a gorgeous atmosphere different from the main hall."

One of the other two buildings that were requested is called the "Kuganiudun, Yuinchi" which were the living quarters of the king and queen, a bedroom with 500 square meters. The other is called the "Yohokoriden" of 175 square meters with details yet to be decided.

Shuri Castle is registered with the World Cultural Heritage Foundation, therefore the restoration will be done with agreement from the Agency for Cultural Affairs. However, there are few remaining records concerning the castle so restoration is expected to be quite difficult.

Link: Shurijo Castle Park (Okinawa Commemorative National Government Park).

Okinawa Contest Recent Entries

Already recieved our first Okinawa Design entry by Patrick Johnson...

You can view entries as we recieve them here.

Okinawa T-Shirt Design Contest 2003

Jaymorgan.com, and Travis Jay Morgan presents: The Okinawa T-Shirt Design Contest 2003!

Calling all graphic designers! Design a T-shirt relating to Okinawa and win a prize and be featured... For more details on the Okinawa T-Shirt Design Contest visit here.

Okonomiyaki in Okinawa

"And the Winner is..." (The Okinawa Times Weekly Times 2003.5.10)

Okonomiyaki is a pancake with chopped meat and vegetables. The okomiyaki shop "Yuyu-ya" opened on Central Park Avenue, Okinawa City, subsidized by the city to promote shops in its commercial area, which has been facing difficulty.

Among many applicants, YuYu-ya recieved the privilege to get funding to open shop. Owner Mr. Kenji Honbara, 33, from Osaka City, wanted to have a shop that was familiar to local people. One okonomiyaki sells for 100 yen and snacks for kids are also available. Okonomiyaki is suitable for a light meal and as a beer complement.

At the opening ceremony Mr. Honbara stated, "It was lucky for me to be chosen for the subsidy. I hope business goes well not only for my shop, but also for Okinawa City." Yuyu-ya is open from 11:30am to 8:00pm.

We here at i-O are pretty big fans of this tasty Japanese delicacy and I can't wait to check this restaurant out. If you're ever in Hawaii, check out Okonomiyaki Chibo, located in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center in the heart of Waikiki.

Have any restaurants you want to recommend to our viewers? Drop us a line at volunteer@internet-okinawa.com.

Say Hi to HY

This is very big news if you're into J-Pop (Japanese pop music) or are interested in Okinawan pop culture because HY has scored a rare feat indeed. If you check out Oricon's Daily Album Ranking's top ten, you'll find HY's "Street Story" (released on April 16) is the lone indies artist there (the band's debut album, "Departure", is number 14).


Could this be the second coming of the '90s Okinawan-bred J-Pop boom that brought us Amuro Namie, SPEED, and DA PUMP?

[Story from The Ryukyu Shimpo Wednesday, April 30, 2003 online ed.]

"Okinawan Indees (sic. Indies) comes out on top"

Oricon, Japan's famous hit chart magazine, has ranked independent Okinawan music group "HY" as current top album seller, it announced in its April 28 edition.

HY are having their great success with their second album, titled "Street Story" which it released on April 16.

A sub-editor at Oricon praised HY's triumph as an amazing victory because it is the first time in the magazine's history for an independent band (a category known as indees [sic. indies], i.e. those not recording with major record labels) to jump to number one on its first appearance in the charts.

Many are closely watching HY in high hopes that they will be as successful as (punk rock band) Mongol 800, another popular Okinawan (indies) band.

HY's sound is a sprarkling mixture of rock, rhythm and blues, hip-hop and rap. The team con-sists (sic. consists) of four lads and a girl, aged between 19 and 20.

The members are vocalist Hideyuki Shinzato, keyboard player and vocalist Izumi Nakasone, bass player Shinsuke Kyoda, lead guitarist Yuhei Miyazato and drummer Shun Naka.

They all come from Yonashiro Town, the name HY deriving from Higashiyakena, a district of Yonashiro.

HY debuted in Okinawa in 2001 with "Departure", their first album (which btw, is also high on the Oricon chart). It sold 10,000 copies. The next year the album's popularity spread nationwide. It ranked in the top 20-30, an unusual achievement for an indees (sic. indies) band.

HY comes from Climax, the Chatan-based music producer stable. It has a strong following among many teenage fans in Okinawa and has a growing following in mainland Japan also.

The group will hold a homecoming gig in July.

Only time will tell if this is merely a fad or a trend that will define J-Pop music and the important role young musicians from Okinawa will play in the 21st century. I, for one, will be rooting for the band and for their brilliant indies record label. Go HY!