Okinawans have been dragon boat racing (Hari) for around 600 years. The king’s little brother went to Nanjing in China for studies and there he saw the Chinese compete in dragon boats. He brought this back to Okinawa and they starting having similar races in the river next to Tomigusuku Castle. Since then the trend spread and now there are dragon boat races all over the island, with the biggest one in Naha which has a history of about 40 years.

Naha Hari is during Golden Week, a national holiday in the beginning of May, and the festival is for three days. Each neighborhood have their own fiberglass boat and team consisting of 32 rowers, 2 bellringers, 2 helmsmen and 6 other crewmen, and the more serious ones start practicing several months before the actual race. They race on the first and the third day, while the second day is for the audience to try to ride the boats.

If you are interested in watching Naha Hari, then go to Naha Wharf. Once you get close you can’t miss it, since it attracts more than 200.000 visitors annually. There are many shops and stands selling food, drinks and souvenirs, as well as games for both young and old kids. There are also concerts by local bands playing every day and the Okinawa Sumo Tournament is on the first day. At the end of each day they have a fireworks show. If you want to know when Naha Hari is, just look up Golden Week in Japan and it will be during those three days.