http://www.okinawaindex.com/news/ Specializing in News, Events, and Reference on Okinawa en-us http://www.okinawaindex.com/news/?id=357 The Japanese economy is still suffering due to the ongoing weak dollar crisis. Also, the governmental finance and economic problems of Europe and the U.S. have created a strong yen, which casts a shadow over Japanese economic activity. However, in the midst of all this the Asian economy, and in particular China’s economy, continues to grow at an alarming rate and remains an attractive market. Okinawa has the advantage of being the closest Japanese territory to the Asian market. However, in order for Okinawan businesses to successfully venture into the Asian market, they must not only understand about trademark laws and the markets of surrounding Asian countries, but also the varying legal systems and practices impacting doing business in those countries. And so, on November 11th the Japan Hong Kong Society-Okinawa and the Naha Chamber of Commerce and Industry proudly present the Asian Business Legal Investment & Trading Symposium in Okinawa 2011. This symposium invites several legal experts well versed in Chinese, Hong Kong and Taiwanese business laws - markets which are of most interest to Okinawan businesses. These experts will lecture on pertinent business laws and practices of these various Asian markets, providing the vital information on the legal systems in place.
 http://www.okinawaindex.com/news/?id=351 The Okinawa2Go! project run by the Okinawa Prefectural Government provides free interpreting services via telephone for overseas visitors to Okinawa. Languages served are English, Chinese and Korean, and during the Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival, Portuguese and Spanish will also be available. Service times and periods are as follows: http://www.okinawaindex.com/news/?id=356 It came out on September 22 that KDDI (au) are in negotiations with Apple USA regarding sales of the new iPhone smartphone. With the exception of a few import models, the iPhone has only been available in Japan through Softbank up until now, but with KDDI joining the fray, Softbank’s monopoly is set to end. The second largest cell phone company in the world, KDDI was somewhat late to the smartphone race, and with Softbank at third place an hot on its heels, KDDI envision that adding the iPhone to their line up will put them far ahead of their competitors. The smartphone battle between the cell phone companies just got a lot more intense. http://www.okinawaindex.com/news/?id=354 Skymark Airlines started flying their new route between Naha and Miyako Island on September 15. The new route offers five roundtrip flights between Naha Airport and Miyako Airport and between September 15 and 30 the cheapest flight available will be set at ï¿¥2,800. Flight time is just under one hour, with normal fares set at ï¿¥7,500, and discount tickets starting at ï¿¥4,800 for the Maewari 1 deal (must be booked 1 day before departure), and various discount tiers following that: Maewari 2 (must be booked 2 days before departure), Maewari 3 (must be booked 3 days before departure), Maewari 5 (must be booked 5 days before departure), Maewari 7 (must be booked 7 days before departure) and Maewari 10 (you guessed it). One of the cheapest ticket available is the Webwari 21 ticket (must be booked online or through a travel agency 21 days before departure) at ï¿¥2,800. Miyako Island is blessed with white, sandy beaches, turquoise, translucent ocean waters and a culture all of its own. Miyako also has abundant diving spots, various accommodation facilities and more besides – now brought all that much closer. http://www.okinawaindex.com/news/?id=353 The Helios Distillery, known for it's various local beers such as Weizen, Pale Ale, Porter, and Lager, began brewing a special beer which uses Okinawan goya in 2003. Well in the recent International Beer Convention 2011, their Goya Dry beer has received the gold award in the Bottled/Canned Beer Division! One of the key features of this beer is the natural bitter taste of the beer in combination with the bitter character of knobby green goya. What is the resulting taste? You’ll have to try it for yourself and see! http://www.okinawaindex.com/news/?id=349 Ashibinaa, Okinawa’s only outlet mall, located in Tomigusuku City just south of Naha Airport will celebrate its 10th anniversary this December. With increased tenant space, Ashibinaa welcomes a total of 31 new businesses including well-known, acclaimed brand names such as Beams, United Arrows and Gap who will be opening their first ever Okinawan branches. Reconstructing parking areas into tenant space, Ashibinaa will increase the number of stores it houses from 66 to a whopping 101 with as many as 19 stores (Tree Birch, B.C. Stock, the aforementioned, and more, mainly targeting the 20-40 year old market) being the first of their kind in the prefecture. Starbucks Coffee and Bikkuri Donkey are also moving in to provide refreshments and fuel for further shopping. The grand reopening takes place on December 8th! http://www.okinawaindex.com/news/?id=347 This is great news for non-Japanese tourists visiting Okinawa. Okinawa2Go! Project is a new service designed to facilitate and improve your experience of Okinawa by combining 24 hour call support with the advantages of smart phone data functions. You can borrow a smart phone for up to seven days for FREE and if you encounter language difficulties you can call our 24 hour support center and receive FREE simultaneous interpreting service. Moreover, between now and March 2012 you’ll only be charged for the calls you make from local phone or your cell phone. How’s that for service? Smart phones are available on the first floor of Naha Airport International Terminal at the “Smart Phone Rental Counter” TISCO (open: 09:30-18:30). Application forms can also be downloaded from our website (http://www.tiscojapan.com/english/rental_cellphone/index.html). Stocks are limited, so we recommend applying in advance. Support Center For English: 098-916-6180 For Chinese: 098-916-6181 Service available 24/7, 365 days a year. http://www.okinawaindex.com/news/?id=355 Okinawa, only a few hours’ flying time from most of Asia, welcomes a new air route starting in late July. Hainan Airlines will operate the three-and-a-half-hour route from Okinawa to Beijing with one flight per day on Thursdays and Sundays. Furthermore, pending governmental approval, Continental Airlines will operate a three-and-a-half-hour route from Okinawa to Guam, with one flight per day, four days per week, starting in September. http://www.okinawaindex.com/news/?id=348 Ocean Expo Park is home to several major tourist attractions including the Oceanic Culture Museum, Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, Oki-chan Theater, Emerald Beach, and Tropical Dream Center. On June 25, the Oceanic Culture Museum opened a new planetarium that is the talk of the town. The planetarium has the distinction of projecting the largest number of stars (up to 140 million) in the world. Using highly sophisticated projection equipment known as a 4K projector, the planetarium is transformed into a romantic sky filled with twinkling stars. With the very realistic sound effects, visitors are taken on a fascinating 3D journey through space. The program runs for 30 minutes at various times (depending on the season) from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. http://www.okinawaindex.com/news/?id=350 In the Okinawan dialect, Uchinanchu means someone native to Okinawa. Before and after World War II many Okinawans left their home prefecture and moved overseas. With approximately 400,000 people of Okinawan descent now residing in North and South America and throughout the world, Okinawa has one of the largest emigrant populations of any Japanese prefecture. Once every five years about 5,000 of these “World Uchinanchu” gather in their native Okinawa at the Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival. In the photograph here you can see the parade on Kokusai Street at the 4th Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival five years ago.