Explore Okinawan Culture @ "World Uchinānchu Day" Mini Expo
**\*\*\* Event @ TOYOTA MEETING HALL next to Armstrong Theatre (free parking) \*\*\***
**Bringing together stories, music, and traditions that highlight our rich cultures and resilient history!**
This mini expo will have **hourly cultural activities** (panel discussions, performances, workshops), a few **booths and vendors** (small traditional food samples while supplies last, local artists/crafters), a **raffle drawing**, and more.
Representatives from the **Okinawa Prefectural Government** will also give a presentation about the **8th Worldwide Uchinānchu Festival or "Taikai"**, a global homecoming for Okinawans around the world to gather in their ancestral islands. Held every five years, the next Taikai will be on October 27 - 31, 2027.
Being held on the day before OAA's BEGIN concert at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, the mini expo aims to set the tone for OAA's year-long The Road to Taikai journey. This campaign of cultural activities, Taikai information sessions, fundraisers, and other special programs will culminate next year with the celebratory 8th Taikai!
**Tickets and more info: https://oaamensore.org/wud, (310) 532-1929**
**What is World Uchinānchu Day?** At the closing ceremony of the 6th Taikai in 2016, the late Okinawa Prefecture Governor Takeshi Onaga declared that October 30 would henceforth be "World Uchinānchu Day." The idea was proposed by Andres Higa and Tadashi Andres Ysa Urbina, third generation Okinawan descendants from Latin America, "to convey the hope that the global Uchinānchu network will continue to grow and be inherited by the coming generations" and "for Uchinānchu communities \[around the world\] to celebrate how far they've come and reflect on how much farther they can go." This year marks the 10th anniversary!
Whether you're Uchinānchu, Uchinānchu at heart, or anywhere in between, everyone is welcome! Come and learn about the Okinawa/Ryūkyū culture and experience the *ichariba chōdē* ("once we meet, we're siblings").
**The Okinawa Association of America, Inc. (OAA) is an award-winning 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is dedicated to preserving, promoting, and perpetuating Okinawan culture in the greater Los Angeles area.** Formed by first generation immigrants *(issei)* over a century ago, the OAA has grown into a multi-generational organization that hosts numerous events throughout the year including cultural presentations, performances, and senior-focused activities. The OAA's decades of service have garnered accolades including the 2025 Community Organization Recognition Award (Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Southern California), 2023 California Nonprofit of the Year (nominated by Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, 66th District) and 2019 Frances K. Hashimoto Community Service Award (Nisei Week Foundation). OAA leaders have also been recognized by the Okinawa Prefectural Government as Overseas Goodwill Ambassadors and Next Generation Representatives.