Monthly Archives: June 2013

Uta no Hi 2013 Photos: A Mahalo to Hawaii’s Okinawan Community

Posted on June 30, 2013 by loochoo77

Updated 1/2/16 I did it. I watched the entire 7:00PM to 1:30AM live webcast, beginning Friday evening and ending early Saturday morning, of the “Uta no Hi” concert from Kadena, Okinawa, Japan. The annual event, I learned, was developed and … Continue reading →

Posted in Concert, Culture, Dance, Festival, History, Images, International, Music, Travel | Leave a comment

BEGIN’s ‘Uta no Hi’ Concert Live Via Internet 6/28/13, 7:00pm-1:30am Hawaii Time

Posted on June 28, 2013 by loochoo77

Click the image above or go to this site to watch the concert: http://stolabo-tokyo.com/?aid=251 Streaming live from Kadena, Okinawa, on 6/29, from 2pm to 8:30pm Hawaii time:  6/28, from 7pm to 1:30am For those who don’t know the popular Okinawan … Continue reading →

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Gackt

Posted on June 27, 2013 by loochoo77

Last updated 3/28/19 8:16 am In the video1 below, Gackt2 and Wang Lee Hom perform “Orenji no Taiyou,”3 theme song from the film Moon Child4. Their co-stars Zeny Kwok and Yamamoto Taro also appear on stage. Missing is Hyde, who … Continue reading →

Posted in Actor/Actress, Concert, Culture, Film, Images, International, Music, Video | Leave a comment

Ryukyu Kingdom’s Lasting Link to the U.S. Naval Academy

Posted on June 25, 2013 by loochoo77

Last updated 10/11/14, 11/18/15 An interesting side story in Chang-su Houchins’s Artifacts of Diplomacy: Smithsonian Collections from Commodore Matthew Perry’s Japan Expedition (1853-1854)1 revolves around a large bronze bell, Gokoku-ji, that was among the items “given” to Commodore Perry during … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Images | 3 Comments

Ryukyuan Artifacts from Commodore Matthew Perry’s Japan Expedition (1853-1854)

Posted on June 25, 2013 by loochoo77

Chang-su Houchins’s Artifacts of Diplomacy: Smithsonian Collections from Commodore Matthew Perry’s Japan Expedition (1853-1854)1 offers tantalizing glimpses into Japan and Ryukyu history in the mid-19th century. After downloading the PDF file, do a search on Naha, Ryukyu, and Ryukyuan to find … Continue reading →

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‘Hana’ (花) – The Most Moving Okinawa Minyo

Posted on June 23, 2013 by loochoo77

Last Updated 3/25/19  2:32 pm “Hana” (花) was written and composed by Kina Shoukichi (喜納昌吉). The full title is “Subete no Hito no Kokoro ni Hana O” (すべての人の心に花を), and a rough English translation is “Flowers for Your Heart.” It’s from … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | 20 Comments

‘Nada Sou Sou’ – Hawaiian Connection

Posted on June 23, 2013 by loochoo77

Not many are aware that Kealiʻi Reichel‘s “Ka Nohona Pili Kai” (“The Living By the Sea” – Kuhi) is a Hawaiian cover of “Nada Sou Sou.” This fusion is a testament to the song’s universal appeal. See the Hawaiian and … Continue reading →

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‘Nada Sou Sou’: Cultural Fusion

Posted on June 22, 2013 by loochoo77

Updated 11/22/13, 6/4/14 “Nada Sou Sou” (涙そうそう )1 was a hit single released by Natsukawa Rimi (夏川 りみ) in 2001. It inspired a movie by the same name, released on 30 Sep. 2006.2 “Nada Sou Sou” was composed by BEGIN … Continue reading →

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Uema Ayano (上間綾乃): Okinawan Soul

Posted on June 21, 2013 by loochoo77

Last updated 3/25/19 1:52pm To get a feel for what it means to be Okinawan, turn to their folk music, or Okinawa minyo. For me, a sansei in the U.S. with Okinawan roots, Uema’s performance provided the first real connection … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | 9 Comments