If you think tug-of-war is just kids yanking on a rope in gym class, Okinawa is here to prove you wrong. The Naha Great Tug-of-War Festival is back in 2025, and this thing makes every other tug-of-war on Earth look like a warm-up stretch.
We’re talking a 200-meter rope, 15,000 people pulling until their arms fall off, and 300,000 spectators yelling advice like it actually helps. Oh, and Guinness says it’s the world’s largest straw rope. Basically, this rope has a résumé.
Where and When
📍 Kumoji Intersection (Route 58), Kokusai Street, and Onoyama Park, Naha
📅 October 11 (Sat) – October 13 (Mon, Holiday), 2025
Why It’s a Big Deal
This festival is older than your grandma’s grandma’s grandma—over 560 years old, straight out of the Ryukyu Kingdom era. Originally, it was a ritual offering during the harvest moon (Juugoya) to pray for peace, prosperity, and a baby boom. Now it’s a massive excuse for everyone to grab a rope and nearly dislocate their shoulders in the name of tradition.
In 1995, Guinness showed up, took one look, and said, “Yep, world’s biggest rope.” As if Okinawans needed outside validation for a 200-meter monster rope blocking traffic on Route 58.
The Main Events
🎭 October 11 (Sat) – Civic Performing Arts & Traditional Parade
The warm-up show: parades, stage performances, and enough taiko drums to make your chest vibrate. Kokusai Street turns into one big block party.
Time 17:30 – 20:30 (scheduled)
Location Kokusai Dori | Google Maps
🚩 October 12 (Sun) – Flag Head Parade (Ufunnasunei)
From 11:30 AM, 14 giant flags are marched down Kokusai Street by 2,000 performers. These aren’t your grandma’s garden flags—each one looks like it could signal a pirate invasion.
Time 11:30 – 14:00 (schedule)
Location Kokusai Dori | Google Maps
💪 October 12 (Sun) – The Tug-of-War
At 2:30 PM, the rope is assembled at Kumoji Intersection. After rituals, karate demos, and enough ceremony to make the Olympics jealous, the pulling starts around 4:00 PM.
No tickets, no sign-ups—just show up, grab some rope, and pull like your dinner depends on it. After about 30 minutes of sweaty chaos, the winning side celebrates, and everyone dances the Kachāshī like they didn’t just pull their rotator cuffs. Don’t forget to cut yourself a chunk of rope as a “good luck charm.” Nothing says fortune like lugging home a frayed rope souvenir.
Time 14:00 – 19:00 (schedule)
Location Kumoji Intersection on Rt. 58, Naha | Google Maps
What To Expect
After the powerful flag head parade, everyone gathers at Kumoji Intersection on Route 58 around 2:30 PM. At about 2:45 PM, the official tug-of-war ceremony begins with speeches, greetings, karate demonstrations, and traditional rituals such as rope joining, inserting the kanuchi pole, and shidaguwae performances.
A little after 4:00 PM, the sound of drums and gongs signals the start of the world’s largest tug-of-war, kicked off by the mayor of Naha himself. For about 30 minutes, east and west sides battle it out until one wins bragging rights for the year.
The grand finale? The traditional Kachāshī dance, where everyone shakes off their sore muscles like it never happened. By 5:00 PM, traffic restrictions start to lift, the massive rope gets cleared away, and by 7:00 PM, Route 58 is finally back to normal—until next year when the rope returns to clog the streets all over again.
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🎶 October 11–13 – RBC Citizen Festival @ Onoyama Park
While downtown is gridlocked by rope, Onoyama Park is rocking with three days of food stalls, idol performances, karaoke, and fireworks every night at 8:30. Basically, it’s a festival for people who like their fun without rope burn.
Location Onoyama Park Sport Ground | Google Pin
Pro Tips
🚇 Get there early. By 3 PM, the crowd is packed tighter than a can of spam. If you want a decent view, stake it out at lunchtime.
👀 Best viewing spots:
- Right at Kumoji Intersection if you enjoy being squished.
- A little further back on Route 58 if you value oxygen.
✂️ Rope souvenirs: After the match, it’s a free-for-all to cut pieces off the giant rope. Bring scissors. Yes, you’ll look like a weirdo packing scissors to a festival, but trust me, you’ll be jealous when everyone else goes home with their “lucky rope keychain.”
🥤 Pack water and snacks. Once you’re in the crowd, getting out is harder than explaining Okinawan traffic to your in-laws.
📸 Take photos early. Once the tug starts, you’ll be too busy hanging on to your dignity.
🍶 Easy on the awamori. Alcohol + tug-of-war = festival fail. Nobody wants to be the guy who faceplants into a 200-meter rope.
☀️ Dress light. It’s October, but Okinawa heat laughs at calendars.
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Disclaimer
⚠️Disclaimer: Our passion for supporting local businesses drives us to share information about events in the Okinawa area. Please note that Oki Social is not responsible for hosting this event. It’s important to be aware that the event’s host reserves the right to make changes or even cancel the event without prior notice. Some photos and videos may come from various sources on the internet, whether official or unofficial. It is possible that some photos and videos may have been taken from the same event in previous occurrences.
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