Photo courtesy of Naha City Kokusai Dori Shopping Street Promotion Association Federation ()
Before the pandemic, summer on the island meant reverberating drumbeats and music throughout its local communities. If you were on Okinawa back then, you may remember locals in colorful costumes parading on the streets or at festivals dancing to the rhythm.
The dance is called Eisa and it is a traditional dance performed on the last day of Obon, a yearly custom usually held in August, welcoming the spirits of ancestors in Okinawa and Japan. Eisa dance is how spirits are sent off on their journey back to the afterlife.
These days Eisa matsuri, or festivals, are held as early as June making it a seasonal event of summer. Like other Okinawan traditions such as the Naha Tug of War or Naha Dragonboat Race, Eisa was also postponed over the last two years due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Though many of the usual summer events are still canceled in 2022, Eisa Matsuri events are making their triumphant return. So far, you have the following summer Eisa gatherings to look forward to:
・Eisa Night 2022, a preview of the Zento Eisa Matsuri, is scheduled for July 17 at the Southeast Botanical Garden near Camp Shields.
Date: July 10 and July 17
Time: 7 – 9 p.m.
Location: Southeast Botanical Garden
GPS Coordinates: N 26.3755770, E 127.8065695
*After 5 p.m., admission to the garden becomes free on this day.
・Eisa Natsumaturi hosted by the Okinawa Zoo & Museum near Kadena Air Base will take place on July 31. The zoo will be open at night so visitors can enjoy dancing and the resident animals.
Date: July 31
Time: 6:20 p.m. – 9 p.m. (last admission at 8 p.m.)
Location: Okinawa Zoo & Museum
GPS Coordinates: N 26.327193, E 127.804239
Admission fee: 500 yen for adult, 200 yen for ages 13 - 18, 100 yen for ages 4 – 12, free admission for 3 years old and below.
・Ichimannin no Eisa Odoritai (10,000 eisa -dancers parade) returns August 7. Naha City’s Kokusai Street is usually a busy shopping street, but the pandemic has meant many closures on the once-bustling area. Expect dancers for the event to light up the street again.
Date: August 7
Time: noon to 6 p.m.
Location: Kokusai Street (Naha City)
GPS: N 26.216666, E 127.689324
・Zento Eisa Matsuri (All Island Eisa Festival) returns for the 67th installment on Aug. 21. This is the biggest Eisa event and will be held at the Okinawa City KOZA Sports Park, just south of Kadena Air Base.
Date: August 20, 21
Time: TBD
Location: Okinawa City KOZA Sports Park
GPS Coordinates: N 26.333288, E 127.788523
*No parking available on site.
・Uruma City Eisa Festival, another major summer dance event, will return on Aug. 27-28 to an athletic field near the Kaichudoro Causeway.
Date: August 27, 28
Time: TBD
Location: Uruma-shi Yonashiro Sogokoen Rikujo Kyogijo
GPS Coordinates: N 26.328699, E 127.906150
*No parking available on site
In Okinawa, each local community has its own Eisa team. To prepare for the events in summer, the dancers make tremendous effort to present the best performance.
Even if you’re not familiar with Eisa music and dancing, the summer festivals are wonderful cultural tradition you’ll enjoy. Let the Eisa dancers and the reverberating drums lead you to a unique experience the island’s been missing for the last two summers.
