Naha Tug of War Festival｜Okinawa Self-Guided Travel Experience

Naha Outline Pull

Translation: Naha Tug of War Festival

On the first night, when taking the monorail from Naha Airport to the hotel's station and passing by Tsukugawa Station, I found a brightly lit festival market. I checked the Internet and found out that those days happened to be Naha's annual festival. Tug of war. After returning from Nagaru Island, it was also the time for the Great Tug of War Festival to start, and the location was very close to the hotel, so my travel companions and I immediately decided to change the itinerary to watch it.

three-day carnival

There are three days of the Great Tug-of-War Festival this year. On the nights of these three days, there is a festival market and a performance stage at Owusan Park near Tsukugawa Station (which is also the location of Okinawa's eight major shrines, Okinawa ). Okinawans and tourists will frantically drink awamori and beer in the stage area. When we entered the venue, we happened to meet a stage performer leading the audience to perform an Okinawan-style shout-"IYASASA~HAIYO", which was very lively and moving.

A "city-wide" tug-of-war

After the rehearsal on the first day, the tug-of-war festival will be officially held on the second day. There will be a lot of locals and tourists in Naha to participate in this large-scale tug-of-war competition - yes, a tug-of-war competition. There will be a super thick rope in the middle, and there are several smaller ropes at both ends so that everyone can hold the rope. Basically, because there are many people, it is impossible to lean back like a real tug of war.

Because there are so many people, at the moment of victory, the process of the victorious side falling backward will be very dangerous. On the same day, I saw a group of people sitting together and being held down and unable to get up. Those who are interested should check their physical condition. Participate and be careful.

After the festival is over, the staff of the festival will cut the rope into small strips for citizens and tourists to take back as a souvenir. However, the rope is very prone to crumbs. It is recommended to bring plastic bags to pack it, otherwise it will cause confusion in the hotel.

fireworks

On the third day, the last day of the festival, fireworks are set off at the end of the festival market. The level is probably similar to that of Taiwan's Dadaocheng fireworks. Although it is not magnificent and gorgeous, it is very dazzling. The slightly drunken meat smell wafting from the market is showing the unrestrainedness of Naha people.

There are also many people wearing yukatas during the festival, both locals and tourists. It's a pity that we couldn't find a vendor who rented yukata, so we didn't go to the market wearing a yukata, otherwise there must be a sense of festival in Japan.

transportation

Since there are many people entering and leaving the market, if you take the monorail, you must buy a return ticket in advance to save some time. There are three monorail stations near Ouwushan Park, you may consider walking to other stations to avoid some crowds (although they are all very crowded).

The first day I came to Naha was like this, and I was already excited by the blue water and the lively festival. There was no plan but I came across the Great Tug of War Festival. I was really lucky, and I also got a glimpse of the charm of Japanese festivals and Okinawan carnivals. There are many large festivals in Okinawa, and I think it would be great to include the festival as part of the itinerary if you know the date of the festival in advance and plan the itinerary based on the date.