Naha Giant Tug of War Festival

Naha Giant Tug of War Festival

Naha Giant Tug of War Festival
4.5
About
Various places in Okinawa have a custom believed to have been practiced since the 1600's that involves predicting sunshine or darkness by way of a tug of war. After having a moment of popularity during the war, the practice faded out, but in 1971 it was revived as the Naha Festival (renamed the Naha Giant Tug of War Festival in 2011). The event is currently held every October for three days that include the Japanese holiday Health and Sports Day. On the first day, about 50 groups put on dance performances on Kokusai Street known as the People's Performance and Ethnic Arts Parade. The giant tug of war main event takes place on the second day, with tens of thousands of people representing respective leaders pulling all at once on the giant rope. A new rope close to 200 meters long is made every year out of straw. The event made it into the Guinness Book of World Records in 1995. The longest rope thus far was recorded in 1997 to be 186m long, with a diameter of 1.58 Meters, and weight of 40.22 Tons.
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4.5
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jilly802
Brisbane, Australia31 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2017 • Couples
Held every October the Naha Tug of war is an event started in the 17th century and is held as part of a festival held in Naha, Okinawa, Japan.
The 200 metre rope is made up of many layers and is in two parts until joined by a ‘toggle’ shortly before the tug of war begins. We joined in with some hesitation, helping to pull the rope for the ‘west side’. What an scary but exhilarating experience! We were squashed in with thousands of other pullers, all chanting and heaving the rope. Our reward was souveniring a a piece of the rope to take home for good luck. Our side lost but no one seemed too worried!
Written 7 March 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

yinjimin1
Alexandria, VA46 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2016 • Family
This festival is held once a year. I was there in 2009 and it was a great experience. I was lucky to have visited it during a sunny calm water day
Written 11 December 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Carolyn_Kuan
Singapore, Singapore49 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2015 • Couples
This is an annual event in Naha. Basically anyone can participate. The main rope is in the middle but it has many longer smaller ropes extending from the main rope for participants to pull. It is a battle between the East side and the West side. It is customary for participants to cut apart the rope, and take a length of it as a token. There are many participants who came wearing gloves, to prevent rope burn and blisters. My husband and I both suffered from blisters after. But it was an interesting once in a lifetime experience. You just have to be careful to keep all your belongings into your bag, or come emptyhanded, and get a good balance to start pulling at the ropes! It was fun and we took a length of the rope home!
Written 15 September 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Naha Giant Tug of War Festival

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