Remember when you were a kid and played tug-of-war, with three to four people on each side pulling a rope until one side crossed the center line?
Well, Okinawans love tug-of-war, only they do it with 300,000 people.
More than a competition is the Annual Naha Tsunihiki. It is a tradition.
The 40-ton rope that stretches the length of two football fields is made of rice stalks, leftover from the autumn harvest.
The communities of the east test their muscle against the west, with everyone invited to take a tug in the spirit of Chibariyo, the old Okinawan language expression for, “Go for it!”
It wouldn’t be a Mixed Plate without a double serving of Okinawan grinds.
Like goya champuru, soki soba, and of course, andagi in every color and size.
When Uchinanchu party, there’s always plenty of food, footwear, and music.
