Mushama Harvest Festival Hateruma Island Yaeyamas, Okinawa, Japan

Hateruma is the most southerly inhabited island in Japan. It has its own police station, post office, school, awamori distillery and a summer festival called Mushama. I took a day off from scuba diving off Ishigaki and took the ferry down to Hateruma for the festival.

Mushama Harvest Festival Hateruma Island Yaeyamas, Okinawa, Japan

The festival, as so many are, was a gold mine for a photographer. So many interesting faces, great costumes and a welcoming atmosphere. The majority of the spectators were island residents and their families that had returned for the event. Nobody minded that I was wandering around taking photos of everyone, and as usual I was up in people’s face shooting portraits.

Mushama Harvest Festival Hateruma Island Yaeyamas, Okinawa, Japan

Mushama Harvest Festival Hateruma Island Yaeyamas, Okinawa, Japan