“Okinawa Craft Fair (31st Okinawa Craft Communication Square)” will be held at the Ginza Jiji Press Hall from September 21st (Saturday) to September 23rd (Monday, national holiday)!!

The Okinawa Crafts Exhibition will be held again this year from Saturday, September 21st to Monday, September 23rd, 2024 at the Jiji Press Hall in Ginza.
We have prepared a program that allows you to experience Okinawa, including lectures by a stellar lineup of instructors, a mini sanshin live show, demonstrations and experience menus by artisans, and a questionnaire raffle where you can win small crafts.

[Event Summary]
■Dates and times: Saturday, September 21, 2024 to Monday, September 23, 2024 (10:00-18:00, until 17:00 on the final day ■Venue: Jiji Press Hall, 2F Jiji Press Building, 5-15-8 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo ■Organizer: Okinawa Crafts Fureai Hiroba Executive Committee ■Special website: https://okinawakougei.studio.site/

Exhibited crafts and origins:
Kijoka's Bashofu (Ogimi Village) Yomitanzan Hanaori and Yomitanzan Minsa (Yomitan Village)
Chibana Hanaori (Okinawa City) Urasoe Weaving (Urasoe City)
Shuri weaving, Ryukyu bingata, Tsuboya ware, Ryukyu lacquerware, sanshin (Naha City)
Ryukyu Kasuri, Haebaru Hanaori (Haebaru Town) Ujizome (Tomigusuku City)
Kumejima Tsumugi (Kumejima Town) Miyako Jofu (Miyakojima City)
Yaeyama Jofu and Yaeyama Minsa (Ishigaki City) Yaeyama Minsa (Taketomi Town)
Yonaguni weaving (Yonaguni Town)

[Special Event/Lecture Venue] Program
September 21st (Sat) Part 1: 11:30 (approx. 40 mins) Part 2: 15:00 (approx. 40 mins)
Freelance announcer and narrator Sato Kondo gives a special lecture entitled "Okinawa Crafts x Kimono"

<Profile>
Graduated from Nihon University College of Art, Department of Broadcasting.
In 1991, he joined Fuji Television as an announcer.
He became a freelancer in 1998. Since then, he has worked extensively as an announcer and narrator.
The official YouTube channel "Satoyomi." broadcasts kimono projects and readings of classic works.

September 21st (Sat) 13:00~ (approx. 40 minutes)
Special lecture by Takayuki Oshiro, master of the Ryukyu Classical Music Afuso Ryugenshoukai, "Okinawan Crafts x Ryukyu Music"

<Profile>
Winner of the Grand Prize in the Japanese Music category at the 34th Ichikawa City Cultural Promotion Foundation New Artist Competition.
Won a special prize in the general classical category at the 4th K Japanese Music Competition.
The group is active in a wide range of fields, focusing on Ryukyu classical music, and has given numerous performances both within and outside the prefecture, including performances sponsored by the National Theater Okinawa.

September 22nd (Sun) 13:00~ (approx. 40 minutes)
Special lecture by Ryukyu dancer Keiko Miyagi: "Okinawa crafts x Ryukyu dance and costumes"

<Profile>
Representative of the dance troupe Haru, run by the Tamagusuku-ryu Udoi Haru Dojo, Miyagi Keiko.
Ryukyu hairdresser and kimono dresser. Judge for the dance category of the Ryukyu Classical Performing Arts Competition.
She began learning Ryukyu dance at the age of three and started the Keiko Miyagi Ryubu Dojo in 1995.
She has expanded her activities in many areas, including performing in entertainment shows, volunteer work, overseas performances, television appearances, music videos, and modeling, and through rehearsals and performance experience she trains children to strengthen their minds and develop their mental strength.
Furthermore, as the word "Hiryu" suggests, we are focusing on nurturing children who will fly from Ryukyu to the world and become bridges of peace through Ryukyu dance.

September 22nd (Sun) 15:00~ (approx. 40 minutes)
Special lecture by Ryukyu History Researcher and Special Researcher at the Okinawa University Regional Research Institute, Mr. Ninzen Kazu, "Okinawa Crafts x History and Culture"

<Profile>
Graduated from Waseda University Graduate School of Human Sciences (majoring in life sciences).
We are currently promoting the history and culture of the Ryukyu Kingdom and Okinawa through various media, with the theme of fusing entertainment with the history and culture of the Ryukyu Kingdom, which is a World Heritage Site.

■Local Lecture September 23rd (Monday) 14:00~ (approx. 40 minutes)
Theme: The relationship between crafts and local regions This is a corner for "yuntaku" (talks) about the relationship with craft production areas in each region.

Participating production areas: Ryukyu Kasuri Business Cooperative Association Miyako Textile Business Cooperative Association Tsuboya Pottery Business Cooperative Association MC: Enami Kamijo

Sanshin mini live
September 22nd (Sun) 16:00~ (approx. 20 minutes)
September 23rd (Monday) 15:00~ (about 20 minutes)

Sanshin singing party
September 23rd (Monday) 13:00~ (about 30 minutes)

[Permanent Exhibition/Demonstration/Experience] Program

・Demonstration Corner In the demonstration corner, you can see up close the techniques that have been handed down by artisans from each production area amid the nature and culture of Okinawa.

・Experience Corner In the Experience Corner, you can experience Okinawan craft techniques such as Shuri weaving, Ryukyu Bingata, Ryukyu lacquerware, Uji dyeing, and playing the sanshin.

・Display and sale of accessories in the colors of your favorite idol to add color to your favorite idol activities. We will support your favorite idol activities with Okinawan crafts.

・Permanent event: Sanshin Clinic. Authentic sanshin craftsmen will carry out sanshin maintenance, such as tuning the karakui and replacing the strings (chiru) and body wrap (tiger).
If you have any concerns about your sanshin, please take this opportunity to consult with a sanshin craftsman.
*If repairs are required, a fee will be charged.

[A business meeting where you can meet Okinawa's craft production areas will also be held at the same time!]
At the same time as the Okinawa Craft Fair, we will hold a business meeting where you can consult directly with craftspeople. Why not talk to the artisans who actually make the crafts?
Please apply using the application form below. If you submit your desired date and time, our office will contact you.
(Advance reservations will be accepted until September 20th. Please feel free to join us even if you just want to take a look around the venue.)

Application Form
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSctAXrZXQsN0vF3ArrWuW793T3Fj1UxBzakFrvkNR0RY3yDmA/viewform

From the Okinawa Crafts Fureai Hiroba Executive Committee press release

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