Naha Hari

Naha Hari is a spirited dragon-boat rowing race festival held every Golden Week (May 3rd–5th) in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, using "haryūsen" dragon boats. "Hari" is a distinctive Okinawan annual observance in which traditional small boats shaped like dragons are rowed in races of speed, carrying prayers for safety at sea and bountiful catches.

The origins of hari are ancient, said to derive from an event transmitted from China that took root in Okinawa during the era of the Ryūkyū Kingdom. Dozens of rowers board the vividly decorated dragon boats and row powerfully with their oars to the rhythm of drums and gongs. The sight of the boats starting all at once with a signal gun and speeding across the sea amid spray is full of intensity, and the cheers of spectators packing the shoreline echo across the waters of Naha.

Naha Hari is a large-scale modern event held at the new port wharf of Naha Port, developed as a tourism event separate from the traditional hari originally held in the fifth lunar month at fishing villages across the region. During the period, fireworks displays and stage events are also held, drawing crowds of hundreds of thousands. It is a representative festival coloring the early summer of the southern islands, conveying to this day the culture and faith of the people of Okinawa and Ryūkyū, who have lived together with the sea.