 Last additions - Kokusai-dori & Nenes/Nenez 国際通り・ネーネーズ |
Shuri Castle illumination monument was lit up in the evening until midnight from Oct. 28 to Nov 15, 2020. Many local businesses sponsored the artwork. (首里城うむいの燈(あかり)モニュメント)Mar 29, 2021
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Kencho-mae Station on the Yui Rail, the closest station to Kokusai-dori. 県庁前駅Mar 29, 2021
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Kencho-mae Station on the Yui Rail, the closest station to Kokusai-dori. 県庁前駅Mar 29, 2021
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Pallet Kumoji steps.Mar 29, 2021
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Shuri Castle illumination monument at Pallet Kumoji in Nov. 2020. (首里城うむいの燈(あかり)モニュメント)Mar 29, 2021
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Shuri Castle illumination monument at Pallet Kumoji in Nov. 2020. (首里城うむいの燈(あかり)モニュメント)Mar 29, 2021
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Shuri Castle illumination monument at Pallet Kumoji in Nov. 2020. (首里城うむいの燈(あかり)モニュメント)Lit up in the evening until midnight from Oct. 28 to Nov 15, 2020. Many local businesses sponsored the artwork. Mar 29, 2021
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At Pallet Kumoji mall, there was this Shuri Castle illumination monument complemented by paper lanterns. (首里城うむいの燈(あかり)モニュメント)Mar 29, 2021
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At Pallet Kumoji mall, there was this Shuri Castle illumination monument complemented by paper lanterns. (首里城うむいの燈(あかり)モニュメント)Mar 29, 2021
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Intersection in front of Kokusai-dori, looking toward Pallet Kumoji mall.Mar 29, 2021
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Beni-imo soft service ice cream cone from Blue Seal.Mar 29, 2021
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Blue Seal ice cream, another brand associated with Okinawa.Mar 29, 2021
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Washita Shop sells CDs besides food and drink.Mar 29, 2021
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Washita Shop's Kokusai-dori branch. Well-known chain selling Okinawan products. They also have branches in Tokyo (near Yurakucho) and major cities in Japan. https://www.washita.co.jp/info/shop/ginza/Mar 29, 2021
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A&W restaurant (Kokusai-dori branch) is another Okinawa favorite from the US. Took only a few root beer sips to relish teenage memories. Too much sugar for me now.Mar 29, 2021
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A&W restaurant's Kokusai-dori branch is at the entrance to Kokusai-dori on the 2nd floor.Mar 29, 2021
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Go to Travel discounts were great in autumn 2020 in Naha, Okinawa.Mar 29, 2021
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Lizard on Kokusai-dori.Mar 29, 2021
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Another Okinawan live house on Kokusai-dori.Mar 29, 2021
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Not so many tourists in Okinawa during the coronavirus pandemic.Mar 29, 2021
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Don Quijote does have an impressive selection of Okinawan products.Mar 29, 2021
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Raunchy artwork and graffitti on Kokusai-dori.Mar 29, 2021
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Rawhide on Kokusai-dori.Mar 29, 2021
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Lots of Okinawan restaurants on Kokusai-dori.Mar 29, 2021
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Noren-gai restaurant complex.Mar 29, 2021
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Noren-gai restaurant complex.Mar 29, 2021
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Noren-gai restaurant complex on Kokusai-dori. のれん街Mar 29, 2021
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Tenbusu Naha てんぶす那覇 Mar 29, 2021
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Naha Bus stop on Kokusai-dori.Mar 29, 2021
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Naha Bus on Kokusai-dori. There are larger buses too.Mar 29, 2021
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Mar 29, 2021
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Sam's Maui on Kokusai-dori, Naha.Mar 29, 2021
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Nice Okinawan shop signs here and there on Kokusai-dori.Mar 29, 2021
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Colorful neon signs at Kokusai-dori, Naha.Mar 29, 2021
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Goya chips.Mar 29, 2021
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Don Quijote on Kokusai-dori in Naha, Okinawa.Mar 29, 2021
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Surprised to see Don Quijote on Kokusai-dori. One of the few shops that's not Okinawan, but I was glad to see Kokusai-dori not overrun by non-Okinawan businesses. Hopefully we'll never see Gucci, etc., here either.
Mar 29, 2021
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Ichiba-Hondori shopping arcade. Mar 29, 2021
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Mar 29, 2021
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Okinawa MartMar 29, 2021
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Most cheap clothing not made in Okinawa. The cheap ones especially.Mar 29, 2021
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Not so many people during a pandemic.Mar 29, 2021
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Rubber slippersMar 29, 2021
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Heiwa-dori shopping arcadeMar 29, 2021
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Rubber slippersMar 29, 2021
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Heiwa-dori shopping arcade, a side street off Kokusai-dori.Mar 29, 2021
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Pedestrain paradise on Kokusai-dori on Sunday.Mar 29, 2021
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The club had their CDs on sale, but they weren't autographed.Mar 29, 2021
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Live House Shima-uta menu. Reasonable prices. Official website usually has a coupon for a free side dish.Mar 29, 2021
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The food and drinks at Live House Shima-uta are good. This is goya-chanpuru (¥700), my Okinawan favorite. You can eat during the two intermissions.Mar 29, 2021
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Mar 29, 2021
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Taiko drums is also big in Okinawan music. Mar 29, 2021
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Nakazato Haruhi (仲里はるひ) plays many instruments, centering on the sanshin and taiko drums.Mar 29, 2021
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Mar 29, 2021
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Uehara Nagisa (上原渚) plays another common Okinawan musical instrument: the finger whistle (yubi-bue 指笛).Mar 29, 2021
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The sanshin is a modest instrument, used to complement the singing. Okinawan folk songs focus on the singing, not the instruments. This is opposite from the Tsugaru-jamisen (shamisen) in Aomori Prefecture which uses the showy jamisen as the main focus with long jamisen instrumentals.Mar 29, 2021
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Uehara Nagisa (上原渚) is the oldest and current Nenes leader. Member since 2004.Mar 29, 2021
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Okinawan instrument called the "sanba" (三板). It's three small pieces of wood strung together to make clacking sounds. Mar 29, 2021
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Mar 29, 2021
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Yonaha Ruon (与那覇琉音) is the youngest member and plays this Okinawan instrument called the "sanba" (三板). It's three small pieces of wood strung together to make clacking sounds. Love the sanba. Mar 29, 2021
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Rin also plays the ʻukulele as a hobby.Mar 29, 2021
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Still photography is allowed, but no videos.Mar 29, 2021
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The sanshin is Okinawa's main musical instrument. What the sanshin is to Okinawa is what the ʻukulele is to Hawaii. Famous for the snakeskin (python) covered body, but cheaper sanshin might have fake snakeskin which is easier to care for.Mar 29, 2021
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She plays the sanshin (三線), another icon of Okinawa. The three-stringed sanshin came to Okinawa (Ryukyu Kingdom) from China in the 16th century. It later evolved into the shamisen on mainland Japan.Mar 29, 2021
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Kohama Rin (小濱凜) wears a bingata kimono. 紅型 They wear different Okinawan costumes for each set. Colorful eye candy. Wish they also explained the Okinawan design of their gorgeous kimono. Crowd-pleasing entertainment.Mar 29, 2021
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From left to right, the current Nenes/Nenez are Kohama Rin (小濱凜), Yonaha Ruon (与那覇琉音), Uehara Nagisa (上原渚), and Nakazato Haruhi (仲里はるひ). ネーネーズMost are in their 20s, and two of them have grandmothers who were the original Nenes from the early 1990s. Amazing! (As of Nov. 2020.)Mar 29, 2021
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In recent years, they've been spelling their name in English as "Nenez." However, the original spelling is "Nenes" which is how I still spell their name. Not to be confused with the Hawaiian goose. "Nene" means "sister" in Okinawan, equivalent to "ne-chan" in Japanese.Mar 29, 2021
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They've lasted this long thanks to occasional personnel changes. The current members are the sixth incarnation of the group.Mar 29, 2021
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The Nenes have been around since the 1990s, made famous when Sakamoto Ryuichi featured them in his Okinawan CDs and took them on a concert tour.Mar 29, 2021
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The show is great with colorful costumes and singing. There's also audience participation. Not allowed to go up and dance though.Mar 29, 2021
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The show is from 7 pm to 10 pm when they play three sets (two intermissions) for a cover charge of only ¥2,300 (as of Nov. 2020). Food and drink are extra.http://livehousesimauta.com/Mar 29, 2021
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Doesn't feel like I'm in Okinawa until I see and hear Okinawan music. Well-known Okinawan female quartet since the 1990s.They played their original hit songs like "Kogane no Hana" (黄金の花), Okinawan folk favorites like "Tinsagu no Hana" (てぃんさぐの花) and tracks from their latest CD. Mar 29, 2021
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Famous Nenes/Nenez perform at Live House Shima-uta on most nights. Third floor of Haisai Okinawa Building on Kokusai-dori.http://livehousesimauta.com/Mar 29, 2021
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Live House Shima-uta. About 50 people can fit into the club. Entirely non-smoking. Reservations recommended.Mar 29, 2021
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Haisai Okinawa Building on Kokusai-dori is where the Nenes/Nenez perform at Live House Shima-uta on the 3rd floor.Mar 29, 2021
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Haisai Okinawa Building on Kokusai-dori. ハイサイおきなわビルMar 29, 2021
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Haisai Okinawa Building entrance on Kokusai-dori. ハイサイおきなわビルMar 29, 2021
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Haisai Okinawa Building on Kokusai-dori. ハイサイおきなわビルMar 29, 2021
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Haisai Okinawa Building on Kokusai-dori. ハイサイおきなわビルMar 29, 2021
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Mar 29, 2021
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Haisai Okinawa Building on Kokusai-dori. ハイサイおきなわビルMar 29, 2021
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Mar 29, 2021
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Mar 29, 2021
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On Sundays, Kokusai-dori is closed to traffic.Mar 29, 2021
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Okinawan dolls for sale on Kokusai-dori.Mar 29, 2021
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Okinawan dolls for sale on Kokusai-dori.Mar 29, 2021
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Sanshin for sale on Kokusai-dori.Mar 29, 2021
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Taiko drums for sale on Kokusai-dori.Mar 29, 2021
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Kariyushi shirts, Okinawan-style Aloha shirts.Mar 29, 2021
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Kariyushi shirts, Okinawan-style Aloha shirts. Make sure the shirt is made in Okinawa. Cheaper ones are made elsewhere in Asia.Mar 29, 2021
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Haisai T-shirt. "Haisai" is a "hello" greeting for men.Mar 29, 2021
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"Okinawa Aloha," apparently Hawaii is idolized in Okinawa.Mar 29, 2021
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Lots of T-shirt shops on Kokusai-dori, but most are not made in Okinawa.Mar 29, 2021
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Habu liquor or habu-shu with a dead habu snake inside. Made with awamori or brandy. The extract from the snake supposed to be good for you. The snake's venom is somehow neutralized by the alcohol, so it's not poisonous when you drink it.Never tried it. What do people do with the snake after drinking the sake? Would a bird of prey eat an alcohol-soaked snake? ハブ酒Mar 29, 2021
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Beni-imo tart shop.Mar 29, 2021
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This new tart flavor is also good.Mar 29, 2021
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Inside the Okashi Goten (御菓子御殿) tart shop.Mar 29, 2021
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Mar 29, 2021
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Beni-imo tart is sold everywhere in Okinawa. Like macadamia nut chocolates in Hawaii, there are many Beni-imo tart brands in Okinawa. I'm told the most famous brand is Okashi Goten (御菓子御殿), the confection's inventor. Mar 29, 2021
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Beni-imo tarts are Okinawa's most famous confection and omiyage gift. Made of Okinawan sweet potato (purple yam) in a boat-like crust.Mar 29, 2021
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Mar 29, 2021
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Gift shop modeled after Shuri Castle.Mar 29, 2021
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Gift shop modeled after Shuri Castle.Mar 29, 2021
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Map of Kokusai-dori.Mar 29, 2021
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Mar 29, 2021
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In central Naha, Kokusai-dori (国際通り), main drag of tourist shops and restaurants. Lined with palm trees.Mar 29, 2021
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Mar 29, 2021
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Shisa guardian lion-dog at the entrance of Kokusai-dori.Mar 29, 2021
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Shisa guardian lion-dog at the entrance of Kokusai-dori.Mar 29, 2021
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Shisa guardian lion-dog.Mar 29, 2021
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Entrance to Kokusai-dori.Mar 29, 2021
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Entrance to Kokusai-dori is flanked by two shisa guardian lion-dogs.Mar 29, 2021
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Entrance to Kokusai-dori.Mar 29, 2021
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Intersection in front of Kokusai-dori.Mar 29, 2021
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In central Naha, Kokusai-dori is the city's main drag of shops and restaurants. Mostly for tourists. The nearest rail stations are Kencho-mae and Makishi Stations on the Yui Rail. Large building on the right is the Okinawa Prefectural capitol.Mar 29, 2021
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Pickled vegetables.May 01, 2009
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My lunch.May 01, 2009
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She's selling goya (bitter melon) juice. I tried it.May 01, 2009
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Colorful fish in the old Makishi Public Market where you could pick the fish to be cooked for your meal.May 01, 2009
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