10,000 Eisa Dancers Parade

Okinawa Hai

11 years ago

This post was originally published on August 1, 2008. We’re pulling it out of the archives for all of you – especially our newer readers – to enjoy. This year’s parade will be held on Sunday, August 7th (rain date: August 14th). Hopefully you’ll all get the chance to see Eisa in person this summer!

CONTRIBUTED BY HEATHER NORDELL

We chose to come to Okinawa so we could experience their rich history and festivals. Long before we even knew we were coming to Okinawa I remember watching the Travel Channel and seeing the Eisa dancers perform. I was mesmerized by the rhythm and movements. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I told my husband that someday I wanted to see the Eisa dancers perform in person.

Now we are living in Okinawa and this Sunday is the 10,000 Eisa Dancers Parade in Naha. I have the chance to see one of the largest Eisa performances right at my finger tips. The only problem is I can find little information about the upcoming event. So I did what any curious person would do – I asked around. Our Okinawa Hai manager, Joelle, was kind enough to share her experience.

When Joelle attended the festival last year, she was accompanied by her mother, her 2-year-old son and her newborn baby. So of course she wanted to park as close as possible. She had never been to Kokuksai Street and looked in vain for parking. Finally she was able to find a parking lot (near Blue Seal ice-cream) with tons of spaces. She was thrilled so she pulled in and got everyone out of the car and ready to go. When she paid the parking attendant he pointed out that now she couldn’t leave. She didn’t realize until then that if she parked on Kokuksai Street she would have to stay until the parade was over!

Joelle decided that rather than pack everything and everyone back up that they would just stay and make a day out of it. It turned out to be a wonderful day. They spent some time watching the parade. Then they enjoyed lunch, playing at the park and shopping with the amazing music in the background. She said she would definitely park on Kokuksai Street again. Here is what she had to say about the parade:

“I had never been to see an Eisa performance before last summer’s 10,000 festival. I knew something about it but had never experienced it close up. And I’ll tell you that when the drummers hit their first beat and began their first song I literally felt my eyes well up with tears. Your body vibrates with the music – it is amazing.”

So dear readers tell us what are your experience or tips? Will I see you at the 10,000 Eisa Dancer’s Parade on Sunday?

10,000 Eisa Dancers Parade

Date: Sunday, August 7, 2016 (rain date: Sunday, August 14)

Fee: FREE to watch!

Location: Kokusai Street, at the intersection of Psion Square and Palette Kumoji

Address: Naha, Okinawa Prefecture 900-0000, Japan

GPS Coordinates: 26.1972632, 127.66704570000002

Directions: There are many ways to get there, but the easiest is to get to Naha (take the expressway or 58) and follow the signs for Kokusai Street. We usually turn left off of the 58 onto the 42, and then turn left on the second light (this puts you right on Kokusai).

I won’t lie to you, one of Kokusai’s biggest downfall is parking. It’s a bit of a nightmare. However, off Kokusai you can find little privately-run parking areas. All of these will have a fee, most are about 200-500 yen per hour, depending of course on how close you are to the main hub. There’s also public restrooms scattered along the street, little parks, and the monorail has a stop for here. It’s also a short walk from the bus terminal to Kokusai, so if you fancy doing away with the car for the day and save on parking, catching a local bus could be a great option. There’s a handy bus route map here.