Blog Entries

Trying to find my friend in Okinawa.

misa

I am trying to find my dear friend that moved to Okinawa in August of 2008.

Her name is Misa Stroh, Miyagi.

My name is Susan Kaufman and I live in NY USA.

Bonsai Trees

mikego6194

Does anyone know of a Bonsai School or Shop on Okinawa? If you do contact Mike Golab at mikego6194@msn.com I'm planning to visit Okinawa in November and would like to take a class or two..

Mike golab

Okinawa Taxi Driver!

backdoor

It has been a lifelong dream to become an Okinawa Taxi Driver that tours english speaking people. My time on Okinawa was wonderful and still have relatives that live there. I only wish I had the means to set up a business that could share the beautiful sights, history and culture of Okinawa. Folks who are interested please respond.

Bill

Beniimo

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Beniimo (sometimes spelled benimo, beni-imo; sometimes referred to as ube) is a variety of sweet potato with a distinctive purple color. Sweet in taste, the potato is an integral part of Okinawan diet and culture, with its history on the island dating back more than 400 years.

Before the introduction of beniimo in 1605, famine commonly swept through villages on Okinawa. The island�s crops were subjected to a variety of natural torments ranging from the torrents of rain and [...]

Yachimun no Sato (Village of Potters)

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Yachimun no Sato is a cooperative village of artisans located in Yomitan. The village centers around three large kilns, though more than 40 studios and smaller kilns are scattered throughout the area.

After the Battle of Okinawa, Naha City lay in ruins. But slowly, the capital rebuilt. As the area�s economy stabilized and the population density increased, residents grew tired of the smoke that was being spewed into the air by the traditional kilns in the Tsuboya pottery district. Rather tha [...]

Eisa

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Eisa is a lively, high-spirited dance that has become one of Okinawa�s most notable performance arts. Eisa dances are traditionally associated with Obon celebrations but can also be seen throughout the year at locations such as Okinawa World and Ryukyu Mura.

For hundreds of years, eisa dances were reserved solely for Obon, the festival during which Okinawans honor deceased ancestors. During the festival, those offering prayers often recited incantations of a poem called "Iro Iro no Esa Omor [...]

Obon

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Obon is a three-day holiday set aside each summer to honor deceased ancestors. During this period, family members celebrate the return of ancestral spirits by gathering together, feasting, and praying.

Some label the events of Obon as ancestor worship. But �worship,� in the sense that many Westerners think of the term and associate it with Christian rites, is something of a misnomer pertaining to this three-day holiday. A more appropriate term for Obon rituals might be ancestor ve [...]

Kinjo-cho Stone Road

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Kinjo-cho Stone Road (Kinjo-cho Ishidatami Michi) is a two-meter wide, 300-meter long path paved with large blocks of Ryukyuan limestone. It is located in Shuri, Okinawa, to the south of Shuri Castle.

Kinjo-cho is one of several ishidatami on Okinawa. Others include Hijigabira in Shuri, Okoku Stone Road in Sashiki and Yamada Stone Road in Onna.

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Katsuren Castle

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Katusuren Castle is located on the Katsuren Peninsula on the eastern coast of Okinawa. Today, the ruins of the castle are an educational attraction, hosting tourists, schoolchildren, amateur historians, and curious passersby.

Excavations and historical research show that Katsuren Castle was constructed during the 12th century. During its first two centuries of existence, successive occupants (which were primarily local chieftains known as aji) increasingly fortified its wal [...]

Hamahiga Island

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Hamahiga Island is a small landmass located off the Katsuren Peninsula on the eastern coast of Okinawa Honto. Roughly 2.5 square kilometers in area, Hamahiga�s small size belies its importance in Ryukyu mythology. The island�s name comes from the two communities on opposite sides of the small mass: Hama and Higa.

According to Okinawan lore, Hamahiga was the home of husband and wife Shinerikiyo and Amamikiyo (sometimes spelled Shirumichu and Amamichu), the god and goddess (respect [...]

Tama-u-Dun

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Tama-u-dun (also Tamaudun) is a limestone mausoleum that houses the remains of members of the Sho En dynasty of the Kingdom of Ryukyu. It is located in Shuri, roughly 200 meters from the Shureimon.

Tama-u-dun was built in 1501 (Koji 14) by order of King Sho Shin, who wanted to the remains of his father (King Sho En) closer to Shuri Castle. As successive generations passed away, their remains were also placed here.

The total area of the site of Tama-u-dun spans 2,442 square m [...]

Fukushu-en

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Fukushu-en (Fukushu Garden) is a Chinese-style garden located in Naha City. It was constructed to celebrate the city�s historical ties to China�s Fujian province and current relationship with the city of Fuzhou.

In 1981, Naha City (the capital of Okinawa Prefecture) and Fuzhou City, China (the capital of the Fujian province, with which Okinawa traded a great deal) cemented their historical ties by becoming modern-day sister cities. To mark the 10th anniversary of this tie, as well [...]

Sonohyan Utaki Stone Gate

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Sonohyan Utaki Stone Gate (Sonohyan Utaki Ishimon) is located in Shuri Castle Park, roughly 50 meters to the rear of the Shureimon.

For centuries, prior to departing the grounds of Shuri Castle, the King of the Ryukyus stopped at Sonohyan Utaki to pray. In 1519, King Sho Shin ordered a gate to be constructed in front of this sacred grove of trees and commissioned a man named Nishito to accomplish the task. Nishito hailed from Taketomi Island, and his skills as a stonemason [...]

Hakugin-do Shrine

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Hakugin-do Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Itoman City, Okinawa.

Itoman has long been associated with fishermen. Even today, residents of this southern city refer to themselves as uminchu, or �people of the sea� in the local dialect. So, appropriately enough, the legend of Hakugin-do begins with a fisherman.

Centuries ago, a fisherman (named Bidun in some versions of the story) was down on his luck and needed to borrow money. He turned to a samurai from Satsuma (an area i [...]

Naminoue Shrine

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Naminoue Shrine (Naminoue-gu) is a Shinto shrine located on a bluff overlooking the East China Sea in Naminoue, not far from present-day Naha Port.

The exact date of Naminoue�s construction is not known, but it was built during the reign of King Sho Kinpuku (1449�53). At the time, Japan was introducing Shinto to Okinawa and working to push out the local, mystic religion. Thus, the Ryukyu king ordered the construction of the Eight Shrines of Ryukyu, most of which were paired with [...]

Shiraume-no-To

meg

Shiraume-no-To is a monument dedicated to the 22 girls of the No. 2 Okinawa Prefectural Girls� High School while serving as nurses during the Battle of Okinawa in World War II. Shiraume translates to mean �white plum blossom� or �white apricot blossom� and was the insignia of the school.

As American generals targeted Okinawa in the Pacific island-hopping campaign of World War II, Japanese military leaders had a grave understanding that each day the tiny island could hold out was another day [...]

Gokaku-ji

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Gokaku Temple (Gokaku-ji) is a Buddhist temple located next to Naminoue Shrine in Naminoue.

Founded in 1367 and supported by King Satto and the royal family, Gokaku-ji aligned with the Shingon sect of Buddhism. Previously leveled by several fires, as well as the intense barrage of artillery during the Battle of Okinawa, the temple has been rebuilt on several occasions.

Gokaku-ji is perhaps most famously known as the home of English missionary and medical doctor Dr. Bernard Bettelhei [...]

Kozakura-no-To

meg

Kozakura-no-To is a large monument in Asahigaoka Park (Asahigaoka Koen), only a few yards from Gokoku-ji (Gokoku Temple) and Naminoue-gu (Naminoue Shrine) in Naminoue. It is dedicated to the children killed aboard the S.S. Tsushima Maru, an evacuation ship sunk during World War II.

The S.S. Tsushima Maru left Naha on August 21, 1944, carrying 1,418 passengers, including 775 children. Late on August 22, while near the Tokara Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture, the ship was sunk by [...]

Battle of Okinawa

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Chatan

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Chatan Town is located in the central portion of Okinawa, bordered by Kadena Town to the north, Ginowan City to the south, and Okinawa City.

The kanji for Chatan translates to mean �northern valley,� and humans are thought to have lived in the area for more than 5,000 years. Remains of a small castle (gusuku) built on a hill not far from Camp Foster�s Spot Gate.

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