Welcome to Nishihara!

The Nishihara Theater was founded to preserve the history and culture of Nishihara, a town that grew from humble agrarian beginnings. The theater is a public space where anyone can learn about local history through photos, diagrams, and dioramas.

Nishihara began as a village of farmers who grew rice and sugar cane, but around the turn of the twentieth century, sugar production emerged as a major industry in the region. The creation of this new industry was partially thanks to Nishihara local Sukeso Oshiro, who developed a more efficient sugarcane press in 1914.

Each neighborhood of Nishihara has its own unique traditions that are rooted in its early agricultural identity. These traditions are preserved in annual festivals, and footage of those events is shown here at the Nishihara Theater to ensure that this cultural heritage is preserved for future generations. The theater’s central exhibit and even the shape of the building represent the annual tradition of chinahichi, in which the town’s men and women compete in a huge tug-of-war to pray for prosperity and a good harvest.