Ryukyu Mura

One of the places we've been to thus far is a place called Ryukyu Mura or 'village of the Ryukyu's (the collection of islands down here)'. It is a small cultural 'theme park' of sorts with a parade held twice daily showcasing some of the traditional dances, festivals, and songs. This dance called Yotsutake was used to welcome officials and royalty. The flower hat is very recognizable as Okinawan and some buildings feature it as the roof.
Here the 'king and queen' are welcomed to watch the festival.
There are two festivals featured in this picture, the guy with the mask is the Miruku parade. He is the Bodhisattva of happiness, rich harvests, and prosperity. It takes place on the 16th of July and he fans the audience as he passes, blessing the crowd. In the background you can see a guy pulling a handcart... it has a lady who is 97+ years old, it is a celebration of Kajimayah passage. On Sept 7th they decorate pinwheels for those turning 97, it is the age at which one is old enough to be a child soul again.

This is the Shishi or shisa liondog and has his own dance and show. the guy in the background is his master. Shishi is the protector and is found on most rooftops/gateposts/or somewhere on the grounds. It used to only be one, but somewhere along the way they decided to have a male and female, one with open one with closed mouth, warding off danger and keeping the happiness in. Most of the versions you see aren't quite so vividly colored.