REDONDO BEACH —?“Origin: The Heart of Okinawa’s Uncommon Charm,” featuring a selection of images from award-winning photographer Shokyu Otsuka, will be on exhibit at the Woman’s Club of Redondo Beach, 400 S. Broadway in Redondo Beach, on the weekend of July 23 and 24 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In a series of photographs donated by Itoman City in Okinawa, Otsuka captures everyday scenes of family, colorful festivals, and the breathtakingly beautiful world in which they live.

Celebrations and rituals are seen in “Mandara Kajimaya (97^thBirthday Party),” where all of the villagers join together to commemorate Mandara-san’s auspicious occasion, and “New Year for the Deceased” shows a family gathered for a meal outside their ancestral tomb (ohaka), while other images show the island’s captivating landscapes and the innate joyfulness of its people.

Redondo Beach Mayor Steve Aspel will attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday at 10 a.m. Refreshments will be served.

Examples of Okinawan ceramics and indigo hand-dyed textiles will be on display all weekend. Okinawan dancers and live music will be performed on Saturday starting at 2 p.m. and an artist talk with Otsuka and a lecture on Japanese lacquerware will be held at the clubhouse on Sunday starting at 1 and 2 p.m., respectively.

This special engagement is free and open to the public. Donations can be made the Redondo Beach Sister Cities’ Japan Committee. For more than 50 years, the organization has provided unique opportunities for cultural exchange between Redondo Beach and its sister cities in Mexico, China and Japan. For more information, visit http://redondosistercities.org.

Event sponsors: New Uchinanchu Goodwill Ambassador Tamiko Uyehara; Okinawa Prefecture New Uchinanchu Goodwill Grant; City of Redondo Beach; Redondo Beach Sister Cities; Okinawa Association of America; Itoman City, Okinawa.

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