Okinawa Things to Do

February
- 22 Feb - Okinawa Marathon
- 28 Feb - National Biscuit Day
- 29 Feb (1000-1700) - Okinawa International Festival (Okinawa Children's Zoo)

March
- 4 Mar (1400-2200) - Shashin Day - Yomitan Village Culture Center
- 7 Mar - Benoki Dam Festival & Marathon (Benoki Dam, Kunigami Village)
- 21 Mar - Higashi Village Azalea Festival (Azalea Eco Park, Higashi Village)

April
- 10 Apr - Ryukyu Kaien Festival (Ginowan Kaihin Park next to Okinawa Convention Center)
- 10 Apr-10 May - Okinawan Moon Princess Cosmos Festival (Gesashi, Higashi Village)
- 25 Apr - Hija River Koinobori Festival (Hija River Park, Kadena Town)

May
1st week - Golden Week

October
- Kume Marathon (Nakazato Athletic Park, Kume Island)

November
1st weekend - Okinawa International Carnival (Gate 2 Street)
1st weekend - Ishigaki Festival (Shinei Park, Ishigaki Island)
1-3 Nov - Ginowan Culture Festival (Ginowan City Community Center, Ginowan Athletic Park)
1-3 Nov - Shuri Castle Festival (Shuri Castle Park and Kokusai Street Naha)
Okinawan Jazz Music Festival (Ginowan City Convention Center Outdoor Theater)
Urasoe Music Festival (Urasoe City Hall)

Winter camps for mainland Japan's professional baseball league are held in Okinawa.

Nago - Nippon Ham Fighters
Urasoe - Yakult Swallows
Okinawa City - Hiroshima Carp
Ginowan City - Yokohama Baystars
Miyako Island - Orix
Ginoza - Hanshin Tigers

Take a Ferry from Motobu (west of Nago) to the island famous for being the site of famed WWII reporter Ernie Pyle's death/memorial and for it's annual lily festival. Rent a bike on the beach and take a ride around the island.

Heading out to see the great lighthouse on Cape Zanpa pack up some carrots and celery for the animals. There is a place to see goats, ducks and rabbits close up and your kids can feed them through a fence.
Also you will see the largest ShiShi that I have yet to see!

If you're US military you can check out Okuma, a resort located near the north side of the island. At Okuma you can stay in hotel room like Cabanas, Cabins, or tent camp on the beach or in the grass at the adult camp site.

While at Okuma you can venture out and hike Hiji Falls or check out Hedo Point, the northern most point on the island.

The Okinawa Flower and Food Festival is held every February at the Okinawa Convention Center.

Come and enjoy all the Okinawa has to offer in the way of agricultural and seafood products. Flowers, fruits, vegetables, pork products, seafood, sugarcane and many more items are showcased during the festival and are available for purchase.

Setsubun marks the end of the winter season (duting the first week of February). Celebrants perform a ceremony alleged to rid their homes of bad spirits and call in good ones. Each year, people don scary oni masks and throw soy beans out the window while shouting "oniwasoto," or "devils go out." Temples and shrines hold ceremonies where priests lead a purification process and throw packets of soybeans and candy to the assembled crowds.

Even if you don't make it out the the Naminoue Shrine for Setsubun, head out to see the traditional Japanese architechture and seek spiritual well being.

Peace Prayer Park is located in the southern part of the island, off route 331. It was built in 1995 and displays the names of both Allied and Japanese who died during the Battle of Okinawa

The park is nicely done. A marble marker reads, "...the Cornerstone of Peace will help spread the peaceful spirit of Okinawa and will contribute to everlasting world peace." Despite this, I found it disconcerting that an exhibit located in an adjacent building featured the drawings of child survivors of the Battle of Okinawa. The majority of the drawings showed Americans bombing and otherwise killing Okinawan civilians. Needless to say as the only Americans visiting this portion of the park, we felt extremely uncomfortable. There is a similar sentiment at the Japanese Naval Headquarters located nearby.