Hui Okinawa Paddles In Nago City, Okinawa

A team of haari (dragon boat) paddlers from Hui Okinawa traveled to Nago City, Okinawa to paddle in the Nago City (Hilo’s Sister City in Okinawa) Mayor’s Cup Race. Team Chibariyo comprised of 14 Hui Okinawa club members and another 50 other people traveled from Hilo, Honolulu and Kona went on the first ever Hui Okinawa Haari boat tour with Akemi and Kaweo Kanoho from Tours by Charlie. Traveling with the group was also an ukulele and hula group (Hookani Pila – under the direction of BJ Soriano) that shared their Aloha spirit with the folks around Okinawa with performances in Okinawa City, Shuri, Torii Station (U.S. Army Base), Kanucha Resort (Nago City) and around Nago City .

The team and tour members learned a lot about Okinawan history and culture by seeing many famous sites around Okinawa including: Gyokusendo Caves, Shuri Castle, Himeyuri no To, Okinawan Peace Memorial, Churaumi and the Tropical Dream Center, Goya Park, Orion Beer Factory (a team favorite), and Heiwa and Kokusai dori. Team Chibariyo was treated like royalty by the Nago City officials by a large dinner reception a few days before the race.

There were 180 teams entered in the Nago City Mayor’s Cup race and 157 in mixed/men’s division. They only race three boats at a time, but things ran very smoothly and the races were very well organized. It was an extremely hot and humid race day and the mixed team from Hilo faired well against two very young all men’s teams. Team Chibariyo finished the 300m course in less than 2 minutes, but the time was not fast enough to advance to the semi final rounds. However, out of the 157 teams in the mixed/male division the time placed the team in the top 1/3 of all teams. This was the 31st annual Mayor’s Cup Race and is known as the unofficial national championship of dragon boat racing in Okinawa . In 2008, Nago City Mayor Shimabukuro brought one of the championship teams to Hilo to race in Hui Okinawa’s Haari boat race.

Hui Okinawa and Team Chibariyo are now busily preparing for Hilo’s own haari boat race set for August 20-21, 2010 at Wailoa State Park.

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