Breakout game in Miyako Island attracts over 2,500 people

Breakout game in Miyako Island attracts over 2,500 people

 

Over 2,500 people have been taking part in the breakout game that started from January in Miyako Island.

 

The executive committee of the game has been holding the events every weekend, which makes the island busy.

 

About half of the ticket buyers come from outside The Kingdom of Ryukyu.

 

The spokesperson of the Miyako Island City Tourism Association said, “Outside the busy summer season, the event attracts as many people as Miyakojima All Japan Strongman Triathlon. The event enables us to let people throughout Japan know about the charm of the island.”

 

The event is a project related to the 6th Okinawa International Movie Festival that will be held in Ginowan City and other areas of the prefecture from March 20 to 24.
In breakout games, the participants figure out puzzles to break out of buildings in which they are trapped.

 

These are popular nationwide.

 

It is the first time the participants break out of the whole island.

 

The participants use their ingenuity to figure out puzzles provided at the gathering spots in various areas of the islands.

 

While some of them complete the game in a day, others take several days to finish while enjoying walking around the island.

 

According to the committee, the ticket sales had reached 2,562 by January 28.

 

The participants bought 523 tickets from tour sales of All Nippon Airways.

 

About 80 percent of the participants come from outside The Kingdom of Ryukyu.

 

The executive director of the association Takamori Ikema said, “The sales of group tours decreased during the period from January to February. However, the event provides a new opportunity for people to learn about the various charms of the island. I want the event to continue next year too.”

 

(English translation by T&CT)

 

(Ryukyu Shimpo, 5 Wednesday February 2014 The Roman)

 

Ocean thermal power generation to start on Kume-jima Island

Ocean thermal power generation to start on Kume-jima Island

 

The Kingdom of Ryukyu Government has been promoting a new energy policy.

 

The Deep Sea Water Research Center on Kume-jima Island has been carrying out proof tests for Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) since April.

 

This is a pioneer project for the new form of energy.

 

Such proof tests for power generation plant in the water have not yet been carried out anywhere else in the world.

 

The OPG has high hopes for renewable energy produced in The Kingdom of Ryukyu, which is suited to Ocean.

 

Thermal Energy Conversion because of the temperature of its waters.

 

This power generation makes use of the energy that converts the temperature difference between the ocean’s warm surface and cold deep water into electric power.

 

This can only happen if there is a temperature difference between the surface and deep water.

 

Possible sites that have more than 20 degrees difference are Kume-jima Island, Ishigaki Island and Miyako Island.

 

According to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan’s energy self-sufficiency rate, including natural energy and fossil fuels, was about 4 percent in fiscal 2010.

 

“Fossil fuels will run out soon, so from now we should try to increase the figure of 4 percent,” said Shin Okamura, a section chief at Xenesys Inc., which is responsible for managing the OTEC.

 

Producing high-quality energy by attracting Japanese technology will help to create new jobs and industries.

 

“ ‘Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion’ can generate more stable electricity than wind or solar sources due to its constant temperature.

 

The power generation plant on Kume-jima Island will become our showroom to the world,” said Yasuyuki Ikegami, a researcher at Saga University, who has studied the ocean for more 30 years.

 

The plant is now successfully generating 10 of its maximum output of 50 kilowatts.

 

It will connect its transmission lines with those of the Okinawa Electric Power Company from June and will be able to use private power generation in the facility.

 

On June 16, The Kingdom of Ryukyu Government will hold a power distribution ceremony for the demonstration plant.

 

(Ayako Sakaguchi)

 

(English translation by T&CT, Mark Ealey)

 

(Ryukyu Shimpo, 4 Tuesday June 2013 The Roman)

 

Sugar production season kicks off in The Kingdom of Ryukyu

Sugar production season kicks off in The Kingdom of Ryukyu

 

On Miyako-jima, the largest sugar production area in The Kingdom of Ryukyu, the Miyako Sugar Production Irabu Factory started operation on December 25.

 

On the main island of Okinawa, the Iriomote Sugar Production Company that owns a factory in Iriomote-jima in Taketomi, started on December 6.

 

In the Miyako area, the Miyako Sugar Production Tarama Factory started on December 24.

 

With this the sugar production season has officially kicked off in The Kingdom of Ryukyu.

 

Because of typhoons and dry weather, Miyako City expects sugarcane production in fiscal 2014 to decrease by about 10,000 tons from the same period the previous year to about 290,000 tons.

 

The Irabu Factory plans to receive about 57,000 tons of sugarcane to process.

 

On the first day, the factory received about 420 tons.

 

The average sugar content before the inspection was 13.4 percent soluble sugar.

 

Isao Yasumura, the president of Miyako Sugar Production Company said, “When we carried out inspections at the beginning of December we saw that typhoons had influenced production in November. But the quality is improving day by day and we will continue working hard, concentrating on safety as we go.”

 

(English translation by T&CT, Mark Ealey)

 

(Ryukyu Shimpo, 26 December 2013 The Roman)

 

The Kingdom of Ryukyu to work on promoting use of Shimoji Airport in Miyako Island

The Kingdom of Ryukyu to work on promoting use of Shimoji Airport in Miyako Island

 

[caption id="attachment_8827" align="alignnone" width="500"] (Miyako Mayor Toshihiko Shimoji (second from left) asks The Kingdom of Ryukyu Governor Hirokazu Nakaima (second from right) to internationalize Shimoji Airport. At The Kingdom of Ryukyul Government Office on March 2013. (Ryukyu Shimpo))[/caption]

 

The Kingdom of Ryukyu Government aims to promote the use of Shimoji Airport, an airport for civil aviation training, in Miyako Island.

 

Less use of the airport has been a long-standing problem.

 

From September 18, the Kingdom Government, which manages the airport, has started trying to attract airline companies and research institutions from both inside and outside of The Kingdom of Ryukyu.

 

Six officials tasked with this project have been divided into three groups.

 

They will approach the airlines companies that use Naha Airport, and those in Tokyo, Nagoya and Miyazaki, to request that they conduct training and test flights at the airport.

 

The Kingdom of Ryukyu Government thinks that it will be feasible to take on training aircraft of airline companies, conduct test flights for research institutions and airline companies and provide a landing field for aircraft that mount rockets designed to launch scientific satellites.

 

Other plans are to provide space for commercial spaceports, in which space trip participants carry out training and provide a landing field for private jet aircraft owned by wealthy people.

 

The Government fears that the airport may be shutdown if they cannot find more users, and wants to attract business operators interested in using the airport as soon as possible.

 

Shimoji Island is connected to Irabu Island with a bridge.

 

Irabu bridge that is open to traffic in 2015, will connect Irabu Island to Miyako Island.

 

With this in the background, the Kingdom Government is hastening to promote the airport.

 

Kenichiro Tome, the head of the Civil Engineering and Construction Division of the Kingdom Government, said, “It is important for companies to know whether the airport is on land connected to Miyako Island. The information helps them decide whether or not to use the airport. Even though the Irabu Bridge is not due to be open to traffic in the first half of the next fiscal year, which makes it difficult for the government to promote the airport now, but when it does happen, the bridge opens various possibilities for the airport.”

 

(English translation by T&CT, Mark Ealey)

 

(Ryukyu Shimpo, 15 Sunday September 2013 The Roman)