After our last trip to mainland Japan in June, we had about 3 months to enjoy as much of Okinawa as possible before our move. We went to the beach countless times, visited cafes with friends, sang karaoke, experienced an Okinawan bullfight and two festivals, ate all the delicious food and finally visited the Naminoue Shrine.
On the first Sunday of August, my friend Morgan and I headed down to Naha for the 10,000 Eisa Festival. During the one day festival, groups of Eisa dancers from the whole island come to perform on Kokusai Street. If you’re wondering what the heck is Eisa… it’s a folk dance that is a vital part of Okinawan culture, especially during Obon, a period in August where locals welcome their ancestor’s spirits for three days. The dance works as a signal of welcome and farewell to the ancestors.
We arrived early in order to explore Kokusai Street, did some souvenir window shopping, sampled some Baumkuchen cake and had some gelato before the performances began. My favorite performances were the ones with kids, they are so darn cute dancing and banging on their taiko drums!! I’m so glad I finally made it to the 10,000 Eisa Festival before we left the island.
^^ groups of people were splashing water on the street to cool it down for the performers ^^
^ the smell of this Baumkuchen place is the best thing about Kokusai Street ^
^^ hilarious Hulk Hogan impersonator we stumbled upon ^^
^ my favorite photo of the day and the most delicious watermelon gelato ^
Check out more Okinawa posts, here!