Senagajima Umikaji Terrace, a Mediterranean-esque shopping mall located near the west coast of Senaga Island in Okinawa Prefecture, usually sees crowds of tourists and lines of buses and rentals cars. Starting in around mid-February this year, however, the number of tour group from overseas ...
Japan government aims to restore Okinawa's gutted Shuri Castle by 2026
The government on Friday decided it would aim to restore the gutted Shuri Castle in Okinawa by 2026, with full-fledged reconstruction to begin in 2022. The government aims to enhance fire-prevention measures by installing sprinklers, previously missing at the castle, and automatic fire-detector alarms. Structural ...
Top court rejects Okinawa's bid to stop government filling in Henoko bay
The Supreme Court on Thursday backed a lower court’s rejection of a petition from the Okinawa Prefectural Government to block landfill work for the planned relocation of a U.S. military base within the prefecture. In the lawsuit, Okinawa sought to revive its withdrawal of approval ...
Volunteers pitch in to help restore gutted Shuri Castle in Okinawa
Volunteers joined in Monday to help with the reconstruction of the historic Shuri Castle, an Okinawa landmark destroyed by fire last year, cleaning the distinctive red roof tiles that are to be used in the restoration. The volunteer work had been delayed nearly three weeks ...
In the footsteps of Okinawa's forgotten priestesses
Utaki (sacred sites) are scattered throughout the islands of Okinawa. Historically the purview of priestesses and kings, these sites have recently seen an uptick in visitors interested in exploring their own history.
Some schools in Japan planning to reopen despite coronavirus outbreak
Municipalities nationwide are beginning to break with the government's request to close schools in a bid to contain the new coronavirus outbreak, with some opting to reopen schools earlier than planned after briefly closing their doors. The city of Urasoe, in Okinawa Prefecture, said Monday ...
Altered perspectives: The 'interactive' Okinawan garden
If Japanese landscape gardeners looked toward mountains and river valleys for inspiration in creating the rock arrangements that form the power grids of their gardens, infusing natural elements with Taoist and Buddhist principles, it is likely that Okinawans cast their eyes over the seas ...
The spread of the new coronavirus across Japan is forcing many people to temporarily abandon some of the country's traditional customs. Amid fears of infection, many are refraining from drinking powdered green tea from shared bowls during tea ceremonies. Meanwhile, Kochi Prefecture on Thursday called on ...
From Tokyo to Wakayama to Okinawa, Japan on edge as COVID-19 spreads
Japan was on high alert Friday due to the rising number of confirmed COVID-19 cases nationwide, including that of two taxi drivers and a doctor, as well as the nation's first death blamed on the virus. The latest cases bring the number of people who ...
Naha goes on high alert, days after visit by virus-hit cruise ship
A Naha official said the municipal government was trying to verify whether any passengers who left the Diamond Princess had spread the virus while it was docked in the city.
Fire at Okinawa's Shuri Castle barely damaged original ruins
The agency told UNESCO that damage to the ruins of the original Shuri Castle accounts for only 0.05 percent of the area covered by the World Heritage sites.
Probe into fire at Shuri Castle ends without identifying cause
Police have ended their investigation into the fire that devastated Shuri Castle in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, last autumn, without identifying the cause. The fire was not caused by arson, negligence or other reasons for which a criminal liability can be established, according to a report ...
