Fantastic Okinawa

Ringing in New Year Okinawa style is all night jobBy Bill Charles

The festive lights of the holiday sea-son are burning brightly, but formany, the eye is on next week’sbig event, celebrating the New

Year.New Year’s Eve is less than a week

away with all the modern celebrations thatgo with New Year’s celebrations, includingsome that are uniquely Okinawan. Beyondnext week, there is February 19th whenthe Lunar New Year ushers in the Year ofthe Goat. The Chinese New Year is TetNguyen Dan in Vietnam, Korean NewYear in South Korea, or Setsubun here inJapan. In Okinawa, the Chinese New Yearis celebrated mostly in fishing ports andvillages, including Itoman City.

First, a look at the traditional NewYear’s celebrations with customs and tradi-tions from around the world being prac-ticed here in Okinawa. New Year’s is theoldest of all holidays celebrated, firstbegun about 4,000 years go in ancientBabylon. Starting about 2,000 BC, theBabylonians celebrated their new year onMarch 23rd, an interesting choice sincethey had no written calendars. At any rate,Babylonians weren’t content with only aNew Year’s Eve; they celebrated 11 days,with each having a special theme. TheRoman Empire kept the March date forcenturies, but the emperors’ constant tin-kering with calendars finally led theRoman Senate, in 153 BC, to declareJanuary 1st to be the official beginning ofeach year.

That baby we see wrapped in diapersand holding the New Year’s Banner?That’s a gift to America from the Germans,who used the image of a baby as the sym-bol of the New Year since the early 14thcentury. The tradition of using the babyitself began in Greece about 2,700 yearsago as they honored, Dionysos, their god ofwine, by parading a baby about.

Visits to the Shrines and Temples area tradition in Okinawa. Naminoue Shrinewill attract tens of thousands beginningNew Year’s Eve, as will Futenma andOnoyama shrines. Shortly before midnight,listen for the sounds of bells ringing at tem-ples. The Japanese tradition, Joya no Kane,the ringing of the bells 108 times, ushers in

the new year while warding off evil spirits.After bidding farewell to the year

that has just ended, it’s time for manyJapanese people to pay their first visit ofthe new year to a local shrine. Hatsumodeis a traditional Japanese custom of visit-ing a shrine or temple at the beginning ofthe year. When performing hatsumode,one thanks the gods for the blessingsreceived during the previous year, praysfor another happy and prosperous year,writes wishes on a wooden plate called an

ema and draws an omikuji (paper with afortune). Lucky charms purchased in theprevious year must be returned to thesame shrine to be burned. Most shrinesand temples are open through the nightand filled with a great many worshippersduring the first three days of the newyear.

Peace Memorial Park, the site of thelast fighting during the Battle of Okinawaat Mabuni in 1945, forms the backdropfor the Itoman City Peaceful Illumination.Entry fee is ¥200 for adults and youth 15and older. An estimated 160,000 areexpected to trek south to absorb thesplendor of more than 1.3 million lightsin the display. There will also be fire-works on New Year’s Eve.

Even as the Itoman PeacefulIllumination is under way, plans are beingfinalized for the 38th Mabuni Fire & BellObservance New Year’s Eve into NewYear’s Day. The ceremonial festival takesplace at Okinawa Peace Memorial Hall,which also stands in Mabuni, withprayers being offered to the 230,000 whodied during the Battle of Okinawa. Justbefore the new year arrives, momentsbefore the stroke of midnight, the flameof prayer will descend from the 45-meter-high bell tower to light participants’torches as they welcome in the new year.As a choir sings, the Bell of Peace is rungas participants light the large flame hold-er with their torches. It’s a solemn, chill-

ing festival that’s not to be missed.With changing times, stores aren’t

closed on New Year’s, like they used tobe. Banks and government offices,including post offices, ARE closedthrough January 3rd, but major depart-ment stores and supermarkets are open.

Tying "Omikuji" fortune telling piece of paper to a fence at the temple ensures that theprediction comes true.

Futenma Shrine is one of the most popular destinations for people to visit during the new years.

About 160,000 people are expected to visitthe Mabuni Fire and Bell Festival.

Dec. 25, 2014 - Dec. 31, 2014 www.japanupdate.com

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2Japan Update Classifieds Dec. 25, 2014 - Dec. 31, 2014

Plans --as well as preliminary con-struction and landfill research—areunder way for construction of thereplacement airfield facility at

Henoko in northern Okinawa, despite avariety of voices promising to disrupt orterminate the project.

Futenma Marine Corps Air Stationremains the most active news story affect-ing Okinawa, and it hasn’t lost tempothroughout the year. The project plodsalong, although a newly elected governor,Takeshi Onaga, is now in office and con-tinues to vow he’s going to stop the move.At best, it promises to be an uphill battle.

As 2014 was about to dawn, PrimeMinister Shinzo Abe and the central gov-ernment in Tokyo promised then-governorHirokazu Nakaima ¥346 billion for the cur-rent year, and even more for the comingfiscal years. On top of that, ¥33 billionwas added to the pot for building the sec-ond runway at Naha International Airport,and ¥184.5 billion was handed to the pre-fecture for infrastructure improvements.Some called it a ‘buyout’ or bribe to thegovernor, but it did spur movement on get-ting Henoko rolling.

Despite protests, initial phases of therelocation project are moving forward,including plans for land reclamation. Thegovernment created on-the-water barri-cades to prevent protest boats from inter-fering, and on-land protests are largelyignored. Nakaima’s landfill approvals riledthe Naha City Assembly, influenced bythen-mayor and now Governor TakeshiOnaga. The Assembly was so angry, itdemanded the governor resign. GovernorNakaima did not.

A mayoral election in Nago City, par-ent to the Henoko district where the newreplacement airfield is being constructed,rocked the ruling Liberal Democratic Partywhen its candidate, Bunshin Suematsu, lostto the anti-base incumbent, Susumu

Inamine, by 4,000 votes. Inamine renewedhis vow to block the Henoko project, butthroughout the year had no means of influ-encing anything. Politics slid the otherway in May, when a pro-bases SachioKuwae won the Okinawa City mayor’sposition. The 58-year-old LDP politicianimmediately began talking with the mili-tary about better relations, including easingthe nighttime curfew.

Futenma moved into the cross-hairs inAugust when the United States began cau-tioning Japan to walk softly, lest the oppo-sition gain traction and initiate moreprotests. Governor Nakaima had demand-ed Futenma be closed within five years,although the new airfield at Henoko would-n’t be ready to transfer operations. TheU.S. wasn’t agreeing to any changes, andconstruction began in the fall.

The battle lines began forming in July,when Governor Hirokazu Nakaimaannounced he would run for an unprece-dented third term, opposing Naha MayorTakeshi Onaga, a former bases supporter-turned-opponent. Two others, perennialcandidate Mikio Shimoji and singer andformer Upper House member ShokichiKina, also joined the race. Nakaima sup-ported Henoko, Onaga and Kina did not,and Shimoji proposed a voter referendumto settle the issue.

Onaga won the November gubernato-rial election, tallying nearly 100,000 morevotes than Nakaima. Onaga’s quest is tofind a way to stop, block or in some wayimpact the ongoing Henoko project. Morethan just stopping it, Onaga must find away to do it without angering the centralgovernment in Tokyo, on which Okinawadepends for financial support.

In August, Kadena Town chimed intothe fray with an announcement it wouldbegin promoting a non-military image forthe community. That’s a stretch, becauseKadena Town is host to the sprawling

Kadena Air Base, and there’s no indicationit would be going anywhere. Communityleaders say they’re going to focus ontourism.

The Ryukyu Golden Kings did itagain, for a third time, sweeping theBasketball Japan League trophy fromanother mainland team. The hometownGolden Kings captured the title by defeat-ing the Akita Northern Happinets atTokyo’s Ariake Colosseum. The WesternConference champion Kings won 103-89in front of more than 10,000 spectators.Okinawa had gone into the match with arecord 43-9 season.

Neoguri was a nasty super typhoon, butit still had its eye on Okinawa in July. In thewaning days before it was to strike, it wob-bled and Okinawa was spared beingslammed by a category five storm. Instead,Neoguri hit the island as a whimpering butstill powerful storm that passed to the westof the main island. It was the eighth namedstorm of the season, packing winds of 55meters per second approaching 75mps at itsstrongest. According to Okinawa Power95,400 households lost power. Severalbuildings collapsed, at least 35 injuries werereported, and airline flights to and fromNaha were shut down for more than a day.

American GI’s got their first taste ofoff-base drinking freedom in Decemberafter nearly two years on restriction. U.S.Air Force Lt. Gen. Sam Angelella, com-mander of U.S. Forces Japan, and U.S.Marine Corps Lt. Gen. John Wissler,Okinawa Area Coordinator, lifted the long-running off-base drinking ban December9th, while also backing off the curfew to 1a.m. ~ 5 a.m. Wissler went on Americanradio and television, as well as Facebook,to encourage military personnel to respectthe Okinawan people, and show the deci-sion to lift the restrictions was a good one.

Tourism jumped in 2014, andChuraumi Aquarium in northern Okinawa

was smiling as increasing numbers of over-seas tourists were flocking to visit the thirdlargest aquarium in the world. Tourismincreased by more than 19%. Ocean ExpoPark, of which Churaumi is a part, has reg-istered 80 million visitors since its 1976opening. Shuri Castle in Naha City alsoregistered large increases in visitors duringthe year.

Okinawa commemorated the 69thanniversary of the Battle of Okinawa inJune. The battle, the last of the fighting,killed more than 241,000. The ceremonyat Peace Memorial Park brought togetherPrime Minister Shinzo Abe and GovernorHirokazu Nakaima. There was controversyat the ceremonies, when GovernorNakaima failed to include a call for remov-ing Futenma Marine Corps Air Stationfrom Okinawa during his remarks.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s govern-ment irritated the nation in April when hehiked the consumption tax to 8%. The taxhad been 5% for 17 years and now affectsvirtually everything that businesses andpeople sell or buy, including daily necessi-ties, transportation and utility charges.The final days before the tax went intoeffect brought millions of dollars worth ofspontaneous sales ahead of the new tax rategoing into effect. The consumption taxwas to jump to 10% next year, but PrimeMinister Abe a few weeks ago announcedhe would postpone that increase.

A nationwide election two weeks agoreaffirmed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’spower in Japan. His Liberal DemocraticParty, together with junior partner NewKomeito, triggered the snap election, leav-ing opponents scrambling to compete.Nationwide, Abe’s policies received a bigboost, but in Okinawa the LDP wasshunned. The LDP candidates were defeat-ed in single-seat tallies, but still retainedtheir seats thanks to the party’s power withthe proportional representation system.

Guard changes, but Futenma remains Okinawa’s issue