🍠Noguni Sōkan Festival – Celebrating the Pioneer of Sugarcane and Awamori🍠
When: Early October (dates vary each year)
Where: Kadena Town, Okinawa
Highlights: Traditional sumo, sweet potato digging, children’s performances, fireworks, and cultural parades.
The Noguni Sōkan Festival is a vibrant annual event held in Kadena Town, Okinawa, celebrating the historical figure who brought sweet potatoes to Okinawa in the 17th century. Even today, Noguni Sōkan is regarded as a symbol of sweet potatoes and their cultural significance.
The festival offers a wide range of cultural experiences that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Visitors can take part in traditional Okinawan wrestling (sumo), try their hand at digging sweet potatoes, and enjoy energetic dance performances by local children. The venue is filled with the rhythmic sounds of Eisa drums, joyful laughter, and a strong sense of community.
As night falls, the celebration reaches its climax with a dazzling fireworks display that lights up the Kadena sky in honor of Noguni Sōkan’s legacy. With food stalls, local crafts, and cultural parades, the festival beautifully blends history, tradition, and Okinawan hospitality.
What’s the fun point?:
1. Found the sweet potato game, you have only 3min so this is sounds like digging fight!!
2. Eat something local food, such as Yakitori, Yakisoba,
3. Felling and Watching big firework
