Fantastic Okinawa

Daikin Orchid Ladies Golf Tournament

Motocross roars into Nago first time in 15 yearsBy Bill Charles

Professional motorcyclists frommainland Japan will joinOkinawan bikers this weekend forthe first professional All-Star

Motocross competitions on the island in15 years.

More than 5,000 spectators areexpected as the Nago All-Star Motocrosstakes place Saturday and Sunday atImaNAGO Cross Field, a race track at1084 Yofuke, Nago City. Open practiceruns take place Saturday from 1 p.m. ~ 5p.m , while Sunday is dedicated to profes-sional championship runs 9 a.m. ~ 5 p.m.Thirteen racers will start the main Sundayrace, while 11 racers go against eachother in the Women’s Class, also onSunday.

Tickets are ¥3,000, and are good forboth days. Elementary school age chil-dren and younger are admitted free.Parking for cars and motorcycles is per-mitted only at Nago Wharf. Shuttlebusses will leave to the race track everyten minutes beginning at 7 a.m. Racesbegin at 10 a.m., and organizers recom-mend spectators come early. Tickets areavailable at most bike shops, as well asFamilyMarts, and imaNAGO website linkto FamilyMart e+ website. Tickets arealso available at Matsuda Motors BikeShop (098) 866-8119.

Onnarin Sattayabanphot is back inOkinawa, set to defend her DaikinOrchid Ladies Golf Tournamenttitle, while challenges are expect-

ed from three former champions.The youngster from Thailand, playing

only her fourth full season on the JLPGAtour, upended the 2013 Daikin Orchidchampion, Rikako Morita, in capturing hersecond career tour victory. Four birdies onher last ten holes were exactly what wasneeded for her to sweep past the defendingchampion to win the 2014 Daikin Orchidand claim the ¥18 million paycheck. Shewas well ahead of Airi Saitoh and Bo-MeeLee in taking the win.

Groundskeepers have put the finishingtouches on the Ryukyu Country Club

course in preparation for the 28th annualDaikin Orchid Ladies Golf Tournament thisweekend, and the hot talk’s on whether lastyear’s winner can repeat, or either the 2013winner will get revenge.

Action is under way today at the Ryu-Continues on page 2

Weekend's races promise plenty of action, excitement and all the other trappings of a professional motocross race for the first time onOkinawa in 15 years.

13 professional racers take part in themen's championship race on Sundaywhile 11 women start in their own contest.

Daikin Orchid Ladies Golf tournament tee off tomorrow

Participants of the Daikin Orchid Ladies Golf Tournament will tee off tomorrow.

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Naha gourmet food competition pits local restaurants

Continued from page 1kyu Country Club with the Pro-Am event.The first and second rounds of the tourna-ment are Friday and Saturday, with thechampionship Daikin Orchid round set forSunday.

A total of 108 players are slated tostart, with 65 from Japan, 19 from Korea,three from Taiwan, and one each fromThailand, China and U.S. plus another 18,including five amateurs, by organizer invi-tation.

Eight professional players fromOkinawa are competing, including ShinobuMoromisato, who has participated inDaikin Orchid every year since 2000,except 2003, winning her best finish in2010 when she was 2nd. Other Okinawansplaying are Mika Miyasato, Ayako Uehara,Mamiko Higa, Tomoko Kanai, HikariKawamitsu, Satsuki Oshiro and MinamiOshiro.

This year’s Daikin Orchid Ladies GolfTournament participants are smilingbecause the winner takes home ¥18 millionthis year, and second place is worth ¥8.8million and third place ¥7 million. The50th place finisher hauls in ¥400,000. Tee-off for the first round of the 54-hole tourna-ment is Friday 7th at 8:30 a.m.

Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th the tee-offs begin at 8 a.m. Tickets for the first andsecond day cost ¥2,000, final day ticketsare ¥3,000, and are available at all golfcourses, driving ranges and golf shops,

Ryubo, Coop Okinawa stores and Lawsonand FamilyMart convenience stores.

The JLPGA has strict rules for specta-tors. Cell-phones must be on the silentmode, no photos or videotaping are permit-ted, and no high-heel shoes are permittedon or near the course. There’s NO parkingat the club house. Parking is available atNishihara Marine Park, with a free shuttlebus running frequently.

The Tournament is sponsored byDaikin Industries Ltd. The top 50 competi-tors move to the final round on Sunday.That round is televised by Japanese net-works. A popular feature of the DaikinOrchid is its mainly volunteer staff. Morethan 450 ladies donate their services tomake the event a success. Daikin Bounty,a fundraising event promoting Okinawanculture, sports and entertainment, is also apart of the Daikin Orchid event. The grouphas raised more than ¥200 million over thepast few years, donating funds to privateand educational related Okinawa groups.

The 4th Naha Meshi Grand Prix isthe latest of the popular cookingevents to be held this weekend,with nearly two dozen Okinawa

restaurants bringing their chefs and specialdishes to compete for best foods honors.

The gourmet competition Saturdayand Sunday at Onoyama Park’s sub athleticfield in Naha City will see 20 restaurants inNaha area will gather and compete for thegrand prize chosen by people’s vote. Theorganizer expects 30,000 people to come tothe Meshi Grand Prix. Admission is free.

Competition runs 11 a.m. ~ 7 p.m.both days. Picture images of dishes fromparticipants can be seen athttp://nahameshi.uchina.jp/shop/. Visitors

enter free, but must purchase ¥1,000 ticketsfor two dishes, which includes a votingticket. Visitors’ votes determine the bestfoods. Tickets are available at the door.

While the chefs entertain and thefoods cook, there’s also a series of danceand music performances to take place. Theevent tie-up with the OkinawaInternational Movie Festival scheduled atMarch 25th through 29th in Ginowan.There will also be various attractions forchildren.

There are no parking spaces atOnoyama Park, and visitors are encouragedto use the public transportation systems.Paid private parking lots are available inthe Tsubogawa and Oroku areas.

Onnarin Sattayabanphot, the winner oflast year's tournament.

2013 winner Rikako Morita 2010 winner Ahn Sun-Ju

Sinobu Moromisato has played in everyDaikin Orchid except one since 2000.

Mamiko Higa is one of the eight profes-sional players from Okinawa.

Count Basie to be honored at Saturday JASDF ConcertCommemorating the 30th

anniversary of musicianCount Basie’s death, the

Japan Air Self Defense Force ispaying homage at a Saturday con-cert in Ginowan City.

The 29th JASDF Southwest-ern Air Band Regular Concert isfree, taking place at the OkinawaConvention Center. Doors open at5:20 p.m. for the 6 p.m. concert.Although admission is free, guestmust have a numbered entry ticketavailable from the main gate ofthe JASDF in Naha at 301 Toma,from the Okinawa ConventionCenter at 4-3-1 Mashiki, or fromTSUTAYA stores in Naha,

Itoman, at the Ginowan Ueharastore and the Iso store in UrasoeCity.

The band is to play CountBasie songs, as well as having anAfro-Cuban jazz stage Luis Valle,a Cuban trumpeter, as a guest.The 43-year-old musician studiedpiano and trumpet in Havana, andnow packs his performances witha dynampic athosphere with adance-inducing beat.

Parking at the ConventionCenter is very limited, and organ-izers recommend using parkingspaces adjacent to GinowanMarina. Parking is ¥300 per dayper car.JASDF Southwestern Band plays music of Count Basie Saturday.

Creativity is what a gourmet competition is all about at Naha Meshi contest this weekend.

Organizers expect up to 30,000 people tocome and all to have great time.

The Naha Meshi Grand Prix takes placeat Onoyama Park.