White Beach Festival Returns and Brings Together Community

Thousands gathered at a small naval base in Heshikiya, Uruma City, Okinawa, for the return of White Beach Festival onboard Commander, Fleet Activities Okinawa (CFAO) White Beach Naval Facility, April 15-16, 2023.
White Beach Festival combined Americana and Japanese festival elements with traditional festival fare, live entertainment from Japan-based performers, carnival rides, a car show, and static displays of equipment from military and firefighting organizations. Returning after a three year-hiatus driven by the Coronavirus pandemic, the festival included notable firsts and special guests, thanks to support from the local community and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).
Uruma City farmers participated for the first time this year, introducing their fresh produce to American consumers. More than 30 food vendors from across Okinawa also participated, highlighting their diverse specialties from Japanese grilled meats to Hawaiian poke. On Sunday, 80 vehicles lined the pier for a car show.
The musical stages jumped both afternoons with traditional Japanese, soul, funk, rock, and reggae, creating an open air soundtrack that permeated the festival grounds. World champion human beatboxer SO-SO and his crew, SARUKANI, headlined the venue, closing out the weekend on a high-energy note.
The nautical centerpiece of the festival was touring American and Japanese naval vessels visiting from the mainland of Japan. JMSDF sailed the Aomori-based Murasame-class destroyer JS Yudachi (DD-103) and alongside it was U.S. Navy Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship USS Chief (MCM-14), forward deployed to Commander, Fleet Activities Sasebo in Nagasaki Prefecture. Together, they allowed visitors to see the similarities and differences in how both forces operate and perform their missions.
Lt. Cmdr. Randy Hayes, Chief commanding officer, said he liked the opportunity to showcase his vessel side by side with Yudachi. “I am always impressed on how professional our JMSDF allies are as mariners. Our presence together in Okinawa shows the bond that has been forged over generations of friendship and mutual support and respect for each other's navies.”
“Like a whirlwind and quick as lighting,” Yudachi allowed visitors to tour its flight deck and get up close to its main gun. Simultaneously, Chief brought visitors through narrow passageways to the bridge, the blue-light tinged Combat Information Center, and to see its mine-hunting gear, including the shark-mouthed mine neutralization vehicles.
One of the vehicle maintainer tour guides, Mineman Seaman Kay Yang, said he was proud to share his knowledge with curious visitors and that sharing it also challenged him to stay sharp.
“I feel great about getting to do this,” said the Sacramento, California, native. “This is my first sea tour, and it’s nice to see the smiles on kid’s faces after being away from home for a long time.”
On shore, a kid-friendly and enticing static display of Navy Seabee heavy equipment mingled with a ship-launched target drone and firefighting vehicles. According to White Beach Fire and Emergency Services Fire Inspector Kazuma Tengan, this is the first time they have been able to bring together vehicles from Uruma City, JMSDF, the Marine Corps, and Air Force fire departments. “Even in Saturday’s heavy rain and on Sunday, we had 2,000 visitors just to see the fire engines,” he said. “Mostly children came to try on fire gear and take pictures with the engines. We were able to teach them about fire safety and how cool firefighters are.”
More than 14,000 visitors came over the weekend, even with heavy rain on opening day. Capt. Patrick Dziekan, Commander, Fleet Activities Okinawa, credits the festival’s success to the partnership between CFAO, Uruma City, and JMSDF.
“This festival celebrates the relationship we have with our local community and JMSDF, and it’s those relationships that have allowed us to bring the festival back better than ever,” he said. “We all brought something to the table, and our strong partnership made the weekend a big hit.”
CFAO maintains and operates facilities to support the U.S. Navy’s naval and aviation assets in the Indo-Pacific region. JMSDF Sub-Area Activity Okinawa is co-located on White Beach Naval Facility.