Activities Paantu Festival in Okinawa Sarah Koh Okinawa's Miyakojima island celebrates the Paantu festival – an ancient form of exorcism involving supernatural creatures, ma...
Culture Naha Tug-of-War Festival Guilhem Malfre Every October, Naha hosts its annual Tug-of-War Festival, where competing teams face off with a 200-meter long rope – a Guinn...
Culture World Uchinanchu Festival Bonson Lam November 1st is Ryukyu History and Culture Day. Okinawa has a tradition of respect for ancestors and a deep reverence for nat...
Culture Uruma Shimadakara Art Festival Kim The Uruma Shimadakara Art Festival is an art project that takes place across the five islands of Uruma City in Okinawa Prefec...
Activities Okinawa Zoo & Museum Christmas Fantasy Kim The Okinawa Zoo & Museum Christmas Fantasy event has been running for over 25 years now, and is one of the largest illuminati...
Activities Itoman Winter Illuminations Bonson Lam Itoman illumination is like a giant music box, where every child's dream comes true. There are car and panda car rides for ki...
Activities Nago Cherry Blossom Festival Kim Being Japan's southernmost prefecture, Okinawa's cherry blossoms, or sakura, bloom in the months of January and February. A w...
Culture Motobu Yaedake Cherry Blossom Festival Kim The Motobu Yaedake Cherry Blossom Festival has been running for almost half a century now, and takes place from the latter pa...
Activities Ayahashi On-The-Sea Road Race Jannine Myers Ayahashi annual on-the-sea road race, for both competitors and social runners; family-friendly
Culture Ryukyu Lantern Festival Bonson Lam It is said that in many moons ago in China, women were not allowed out of the house at night, except on the 15th day of the C...
