It''s Always a Festive Season in Okinawa

Hope the Island Don't Tip Over

Starting tonight, I'll be out and about, day and night, with the cameras.

Just a quick peek at some of the events will be posted and, I'm gone.

If you don't hear from me in awhile, that just means I'm too busy to blog.

Promptly at 6:30 PM this Live Concert kicks off in Kin Town Active Park.

A bellydancer, guy in a hula hoop and a few bands are performing.

You know, I have to be there for the belly gal and, the guy I just call Conehead-san.

We've crossed paths, a few times before  and, he's sort of a hero, to me.

Here's a poster, promoting a film Okinawa, Back to 1966.

It's about Kudakajima, the island of the gods and, I'll probably miss the showing.

This program, was under a stack of books, getting pressed for photography.

Oops, little did I know, the event takes place at 2 PM tomorrow.

Well, some of the folks, visiting for the Uchinanchu Festival, may want to attend.

Kin Town Matsuri

That poster, is still hiding, somewhere under a stack of books. I'll find it next week, maybe.

Anyhow, the festival goes Saturday and Sunday, this week.

Of special interest, Diamantes Band is playing, Sunday and, there will be fireworks.

What Could Tip an Island ?

Something, I heard a U.S. Congressman say once and, he could be smarter than, me.

Something like 5,000 extra people will be aboard Okinawa next week.

It's time for the once-every-five-years Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival.

Okinawans and their families, from around the globe, will be here celebrating.

It probably, won't have any effect on the slant of this big rock.

But, I'll be out there meeting them and partying, too. Who knows what could happen ?

Here's what will keep me busy, through the end of the month.

For details in several languages, including English, Check It Out.

A Quick Trip to an Outer Island

Okinawa Island is over there under the blue skies.

Today, we took a drive across a few bridges and visited Hamahiga-jima.

It Pays to Get Out of the Office

 

The plan was to accomplish certain tasks over there.

There was a photo, I wanted to deliver, from one of last year's events.

And, there is some sort of sacred ritual, coming up soon, that I wanted to confirm.

Hamahiga is a neat little island.

On the way over, Doc and I were trying to decide whether to visit Hama or, Higa first.

The small island, has a population of about 600 but, there are two villages.

One is Hama, the other Higa and I wanted to visit both village offices.

Joking, I said, "Maybe these people are like the Hatfields and McCoys."

Just in case there's a feud going on between the Hama and Higa folks, we better be careful.

It's best to only talk about Hama stuff at the Hama village office.

We went west, first to see this place. It's a sacred grove, where a special event happens.

Both of us have probably photographed this sign a dozen times.

For one reason or, another, we have missed the event every year, over the past five years.

It tells me, the rituals take place on June 28th and August 28th by the Lunar Calendar.

Once I took the photo, we headed over to the Hama Village Office.

Then, off came the yellow flip-flops and into slippers, I went.

When you meet the head the village and tell him what you are doing, good things happen.

Let him know you are interested in Okinawa culture and want to take photos of the event.

This image was displayed on my camera LCD screen and, I showed it to him.

Then, I told him, I know the next event will be on the 28th day of the 7th month of the year.

But, I don't have a Chinese calendar handy and, couldn't read one, if I did.

Before you know it, we left there with a goldmine worth of information.

And, through a little bit of joking, in Ryukyu dialect, have a new friend.

Over at the Higa End of the Island

Things couldn't have went any better if we had been paying somebody.

Some gentleman was leaving the office, as we entered.

He didn't seem overly friendly.

The framed photo, I had taken last year was a present for the office.

This gal, who remembered me, told the man, who I was.

She let him know, I gave the office a CD with about 200 photos on it, from last year's event.

And, told us, the event for this month is less than 3 weeks away.

We're invited, of course.

Now the guy, was smiling.

In local dialect, I told him, "Let's go drinking together, someday."

It got him laughing and maybe, we have another friend on the east side of town.

That's how we getterdun.

Look at What I Stumbled Upon !

UNBELIEVEABLE GOOD FORTUNE !

This is a scene I literally stumbled upon around 1PM yesterday afternoon.

Months of preparations, visits to the remote location, translators helping, interviews with the locals, researching online, nothing prepared me for this.

Saturday night we drove to the village of Ogimi. We scouted out the area in the rain as the sun was going down.

In a little Mom and Pop store I found sake. I asked the woman at the checkout which was the most popular with the locals and bought a bottle.

We asked about the village office and discovered it was still open. We got a ride there in an air-conditioned van. It was quite a distance away and I'm glad we didn't have to walk in the rain.

My translator met with some officials. She gave them the sake and they put it on the table with the sake and beer they were drinking.

Real nice folks, they shared some drinks with us while we asked lots of questions about the events that would take place Sunday. The Unjami is a Festival held only once a year. I like to know what's going to take place and where so I can get the best photos possible when it happens.

We camped out under a bridge right alongside the ocean. The place had a great breeze and felt better than air-conditioning when I'd been there before.

It rained on and off all night long. It was dry under the bridge but I almost froze to death. It was cold.

I cat-napped on and off all night long. It rained on and off all night long.

It was good to see the sun come up. I wanted it to get back up in the 90's like it usually does. I like it hot even if I do cuss the heat occassionally, I'd rather be hot than cold.

It warmed up pretty well after sunrise but, still rained on and off through the morning.

We had three seperate districts to visit in the village to catch all the festival events.

It was pretty much a gaggle of photographers stumbling over each other at every event I went to throughout the day.

A mad dash here, rush to get there and set up a camera to shoot from the best location. Then, just when you think you're all set, another dozen idiots with cameras show up. And they screw up your preparations. You move, adjust and recompose. And another dozen idiots show up.

Then there was a mad dash back towards town where the main event would take place in a harbor.

No parking was available. Streets were blocked off. No problem, we drove back to the outskirts of town. We'd park under the bridge where we slept and walk back into town.

That's when I stumbled upon this scene. No other photographers were there.

To be continued.....