Author Archives: loochoo77

Op-Ed: President Obama’s Visit to Japan and the Okinawa Question

Posted on April 28, 2014 by loochoo77

Updated 4/29/14, 5/13/14 In an editorial dated 4/29/14, the Ryukyu Shimpo pleaded with President Obama to unconditionally close the Futenma U.S. Marine Corps Air Station and return, to Japan, the land that it now occupies. The current agreement to close … Continue reading →

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Taketomi Island: Living in Harmony with Nature

Posted on April 26, 2014 by loochoo77

This is a wonderful 28 minute video made by a German visitor to this tiny coral atoll, which is part of the Yaeyama Islands in Okinawa. The images are beautiful, as are the people. The island is only 2 square … Continue reading →

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Tule Lake Relocation Center – A Personal Reflection

Posted on April 26, 2014 by loochoo77

Updated 4/27/14 For “place of birth” in the hundreds of forms I’ve filled out since grade school, I’ve always written “Newell, California,” but I’ve never known much about the place and don’t recall anything about it. I grew up on … Continue reading →

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Color Film of Shuri Castle Strafing in 1945

Posted on April 23, 2014 by loochoo77

Updated 5/4/14 A film clip shot by a U.S. military reconnaissance aircraft during a bombing and strafing run in the Battle of Okinawa in mid-April 1945 was shown in a recent ANN newscast. The image above was captured from the … Continue reading →

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An Amazing Collection of Okinawa Photos

Posted on April 20, 2014 by loochoo77
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Chinese Influence in Naha – Late 14th Century

Posted on April 20, 2014 by loochoo77

Updated 4/21/14 The following is an excerpt from Katrien Hendrickx’s The Origins of Banana-fibre Cloth in the Ryukyus, Japan, Leuven University Press, 2007.

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Okinawa-Related Courses at University of Hawaii-Manoa

Posted on April 20, 2014 by loochoo77

The following are courses that are available at the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus. Please check the class schedule to see what’s offered for the upcoming semester. ANTH 487 Okinawa and Its Diaspora – (3 credits) Explores the ties … Continue reading →

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Okinawan Festival 2014 Aug 30-31

Posted on April 20, 2014 by loochoo77

Update 8/17/14: Click here for the program. Click here for the latest flyer.

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Yafaiian Music Concert 2014 in Hawaii – May 18

Posted on April 20, 2014 by loochoo77
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Okinawan-Americans in Hawaii Targeted for WWII Study

Posted on April 20, 2014 by loochoo77

Updated 4/21/14 According to the Ryukyu Shimpo (10 Apr 2014), “the Okinawa Prefectural Government (OPG) will carry out a project to interview and collect the stories of Okinawan Americans who worked for the U.S. military during the Battle of Okinawa.” … Continue reading →

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‘Karakara’ – 2012 Canada-Japan Film Set in Okinawa

Posted on April 4, 2014 by loochoo77

Updated 5/3/14 Karakara is a joint Canada-Japan film, released on August 31, 2012. It was written and directed by Claude Gagnon and stars Gabriel Arcand, Youki Kudoh, and Megumi Tomita. At the 2012 Montréal World Film Festival, it won the … Continue reading →

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Miss International 2012 Contestants Visit an Okinawa High School

Posted on March 22, 2014 by loochoo77

The following HD (1280×720) video was uploaded to YouTube by missinterokinawa on 10/15/12. The central focus is the Miss International contestants, but just as if not more fascinating is the glimpse at Okinawa’s high school students. Note appended to the … Continue reading →

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Takuya Uemura: All-Japan High School Kata Champion 2010

Posted on March 22, 2014 by loochoo77

The following video was uploaded to YouTube by TheOKINAWATIMES on 8/10/10. Uemura’s spirit and concentration is phenomenal. “At ‘Churasima-sotai,’ All Japan High School Athletic Meeting in Okinawa, 2010, Takuya Uemura [Konan High School] won the 1st prize for male Karate … Continue reading →

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Miss Universe Japan 2014 Originally from Okinawa: Karate Champion in High School

Posted on March 22, 2014 by loochoo77

Last updated 10/31/14 Okinawa High School Sports Competition 30 May 2011, the final of karate do individual kumite, female. First Place Winner: Keiko Tsuji (Koza Highschool, Okinawa City). Second Place Winner: Erika Spina (Koza Highschool, Okinawa City). At Naha International … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, International, Karate, Video | 2 Comments

London Okinawa Day 2014

Posted on March 22, 2014 by loochoo77
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Doll Festival: Parade in Traditional Ryukyuan Costume

Posted on March 22, 2014 by loochoo77

“For the Doll’s Festival, people dressed in traditional Ryukyuan costume walked through the streets in a michijune parade in the First Commercial Avenue in Okinawa City on March 1″ (Ryukyu Shimpo, 3/2/14). “Okinawa (沖縄市 Okinawa-shi?, Okinawan: Uchinaa) is the second-largest … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Festival, History, Images, Travel | 2 Comments

‘Okinawa Hai’ Blog – All About Okinawa in English

Posted on January 14, 2014 by loochoo77

Okinawa Hai blog was started by Meredith Novario. Here’s a brief excerpt from their about page: This is a blog for all of you in or on your way to Okinawa, Japan.  Most of us are connected, in some capacity, to … Continue reading →

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Matt Gillan: ‘Imagining Okinawa: Japanese Pop Musicians and Okinawan Music’

Posted on November 22, 2013 by loochoo77

Excerpts from Matt Gillan’s “Imagining Okinawa: Japanese Pop Musicians and Okinawan Music,” Perfect Beat, Equinox, 2009. Gillan is an art and music faculty member at International Christian University, Tokyo. In addition to Okinawan popular music being used to construct Okinawan … Continue reading →

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Ryukyu Underground – Okinawan Fusion Duo Jon Taylor & Keith Gordon

Posted on November 22, 2013 by loochoo77

The following are excerpts from Stephen Mansfield’s “Putting Down Roots with Ryukyu Underground” (Japan Times, 11/22/13). The Englishman, who hails from Newcastle in the northeast, met his future wife, an uchinanchu, or Okinawan, while backpacking in Australia. He confesses to … Continue reading →

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‘Relocation Arkansas: Preview’

Posted on August 17, 2013 by loochoo77
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‘Shima Uta’: One of the Best Known Okinawan Songs

Posted on August 1, 2013 by loochoo77

Last updated 5/21/17 9:42am “Shima Uta” (“島唄” or “Island Song” released in 1993) was written by Kazufumi Miyazawa (宮沢和史), the lead singer of the band The Boom, based on his impressions from visiting Okinawa for a photo shoot in 1992. … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Video | 5 Comments

‘Karate in the Ryukyu Kingdom, Okinawa Prefecture, and Hawaii’ with Pat Nakata and Charles C. Goodin

Posted on August 1, 2013 by loochoo77

“Karate in the Ryukyu Kingdom, Okinawa Prefecture, and Hawaii: How Is Okinawan Culture Spread Through Karate?”1 is a video from a 9 Feb. 2012 presentation by Sensei Pat Nakata2, Okinawa Shorin-Ryu Karate Association (Chibana Shorin-Ryu), and Charles C. Goodin, president, Hawaii … Continue reading →

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A Haunting Image from the Battle of Okinawa

Posted on July 15, 2013 by loochoo77

Last updated 10/9/14, 8/13/15 The photo above is from the video1 below. The video is brief. Only three minutes long. But it’s high definition and in color, and it looks as though it could have been shot yesterday. But it … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Images, Video | 13 Comments

Yukie Nakama: One of the Most Successful Actresses from Okinawa

Posted on July 14, 2013 by loochoo77

Yukie Nakama (仲間 由紀恵), a Japanese actress, singer and former idol, was born in Urasoe, Okinawa, Japan. Her list of dramas and movies from 1996-present is long (see Wikipedia). Highlights from her career: 14th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix (Jan-Mar … Continue reading →

Posted in Actor/Actress, Film, Video | 4 Comments

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 →

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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 →

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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