May 10th is Brown Sugar Day

As part of Okinawa Prefecture's "FY2026 Okinawa Brown Sugar Market Expansion Promotion Project," the Okinawa Brown Sugar Cooperative (Head office: Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture; Representative Director: Naohiko Uehara) and the Okinawa Branch of the Distribution Economics Institute (Office: Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture; Okinawa Branch Manager: Megumi Yoshima) will hold a ceremony and other events in Okinawa Prefecture on May 10th (Brown Sugar Day), which was established by the Okinawa Unrefined Sugar Countermeasures Council. The purpose of this event is to raise awareness of "Brown Sugar Day" among Okinawan residents and promote increased consumption of Okinawa brown sugar.

This year, at San-A Naha Main Place, a ceremony, live radio broadcast, stage performances, and sales of Okinawa brown sugar and products using Okinawa brown sugar by businesses from within and outside the prefecture will be held. Through a sales promotion period starting with this event and lasting until September 6th (Black Day), efforts will be made to expand recognition and stimulate consumption of Okinawa brown sugar within Okinawa Prefecture.

### Date and Venue
* May 10th (Sunday) 10:00~18:00
* San-A Naha Main Place 1st Floor Central Court
* (Address: 4-4-9 Omoromachi, Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture)

### Event Details
* Opening Ceremony (10:30 AM – 11:00 AM)
* Live Radio Broadcast (1:00 PM – 3:30 PM)
* After Stage (3:35 PM – 5:30 PM)
* Okinawa Brown Sugar of the Year (Tasting & Voting: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM, PR Time: 12:30 PM – 12:45 PM)
* Sales of Okinawa Brown Sugar and Products using Okinawa Brown Sugar (10:00 AM – 6:00 PM)

### Opening Ceremony
Mr. Morito Kiyan, Chairman of the Okinawa Unrefined Sugar Countermeasures Council, and representatives from each sugar refinery will perform a brown sugar breaking ceremony using 30kg blocks of new sugar, praying for the further development of Okinawa brown sugar. (Photo below shows last year's event)

### Live Radio Broadcast
A special live broadcast of Radio Okinawa will be held at the venue. The two-member music unit "e-dushi" (Kana Haneji and Namika Momohara), active farmer-musician "Aimoco", and guest Hitoshi Kakazu will deliver talks. Reports on participating companies at the exhibition booths and brown sugar products will also be conducted. Please enjoy the rich program.

### After Stage
Stage content to promote Okinawa brown sugar is planned, including live performances by "e-dushi" and "Aimoco", and the Okinawa karaoke group "Waiwai-dan" with a "Brown Sugar Day Special" singing festival. The event will conclude with the awards ceremony for "Okinawa Brown Sugar of the Year" (see below). Last year, Hateruma Island won, and this year, attention is focused on which island's product will receive the award.

### Okinawa Brown Sugar of the Year
"Okinawa Brown Sugar of the Year" will accept popular votes from visitors starting at the beginning of the event. From around 12:30 PM, representatives from each sugar refinery of the eight remote islands will promote the charms of their proud brown sugar on stage, aiming to determine the "Okinawa Brown Sugar of the Year" 2026 Champion. We look forward to your active participation in voting.

### Participating Businesses and Main Products (in no particular order)
- Okinawa Brown Sugar Cooperative: Yashima Brown Sugar, small bags of crushed brown sugar from various islands, Okinawa Brown Sugar T-shirts, etc.
- Sanko Foods Co., Ltd.: Tarama Gelato Brown Sugar, Brown Sugar Ice Cream, etc.
- The Sinmay: Fresh Brown Sugar Latte, etc.
- Takeshoji Gushiken Shoten: Brown Sugar Agarasar, Brown Sugar Warabimochi, Brown Sugar Karintou, etc.
- Komeya Co., Ltd.: Okinawa Brown Sugar Yokan, Brown Sugar Manju, etc.
- Marutama Co., Ltd.: Tannafakuru, etc.
- Shima Gelato MAON: Brown Sugar Caramel Soft Serve, etc.
- Birdland Cafe: Rice Flour Chiffon Cake Hateruma Brown Sugar, Rice Flour Castella Hateruma Brown Sugar, etc.
- brown sugar cafe KAFLO: Brown Sugar Tofu Pudding

### About Okinawa Brown Sugar
Okinawa brown sugar is a representative unrefined sugar produced in limited sugar refineries (8 remote island factories). It is made by boiling down sugarcane juice as is, then cooling it without further processing. Besides sugar, it is rich in many minerals such as potassium, calcium, and iron, and is characterized by its unique aroma. It is widely used from traditional Okinawan home cooking to modern sweets and beverages.

### Information Dissemination
Efforts are being made to disseminate information about Okinawa brown sugar. You can find information about Okinawa brown sugar and new products using Okinawa brown sugar on the Okinawa Brown Sugar Cooperative's website, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and X.
Website: Okinawa Brown Sugar Cooperative
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@okinawa.kokuto
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/okinawa.kokuto/
YouTube: Okinawa Brown Sugar Cooperative okinawa-kurozatou - Yo