One of the largest events in Okinawa during the GW “Naha Haarii” attracted 210,000 visitors!

The big and famous event in Okinawa during the Golden Week is “Naha Haarii”!  The annual festival welcomed its 41^st anniversary this year and was held for three days from Friday, May 3 to Sunday, May 5.  Totally 210,000 people from Okinawa and abroad visited the Naha Shinko Wharf with pleasant smiles.

Naha Haarii is a traditional event for praying for an abundant catch of fish and marine safety and held during the Golden Week, when you feel a comfortable ocean breeze of urizun (an Okinawan word meaning “early summer”) every year.  

You can find two main stages at the festival: one is at sea where three “haryusen (dragon boat)” creates exciting races and the other is at ground where two special stages (main and sub) as well as many food and drinks vendors are set up. 

Haarii held at sea has different contents each day.  On the first day, the race are held by teams formed by junior high school students and adults.  On the second day, haryusen riding experience, which is free for all, is held.  On the last day, there are three different categories of races: One is races by adults, another is the Ugan Baarii, and the other is Main Baarii, which crown the festival.  

If you come from outside of Okinawa, please try the experience ride on the second day.  Young staff members will take pictures for you, so you can bring back photos of good memories from the festival.

Special stages on the ground provide you a variety of events for three days such as music live performances by local popular artists, comedian stage shows, eisa (a traditional Okinawan folk dance) and sumo competition by local boys!  You can find a lot of attractions and shows for children, so everybody from visitors with families to visitors with friends to visitors as couples can fully enjoy the festival no matter when they come.

And another best part of the festival is a gorgeous firework display to conclude the event at each day of the three days.  For 20 minutes from 20:40 to 21:00, you can enjoy every minute of light fantasy created at the night sky and on water surface in Naha a little earlier than mainland Japan.

By the way, it is said that generally a rainy season starts in Okinawa after the Golden Week.  Please check with weather forecast and make a plan for joining the festival.  Please note that the event is, of course, free, but the venue has no parking lots available.

Every fan of Okinawa loves to watch and ride in the haryusen.  We will be waiting for you on the haryusen next year!

The 41^st Naha Haarii

Dates: Friday, May 3, 2015 to Sunday, May 5, 2015
Hours: 10:00 to 21:00
Venue: Naha Port, Shinko Wharf
Host: Naha Haarii Executive Committee
TEL: 098-862-1442（Naha City Tourism Association）
　　　・098-862-3276（Tourism Section, Naha City）

Official Website: http://www.naha-navi.or.jp/nahahari.html

Okinawa CLIP Photo Writer  Kiwamu Ogawa

▼Related Websites：
*Ishikawa Haarii Festival Community Peace Brought By Traditional Event
*Sea God Festival of Miyako Island