Nohoho

Nohoho’s Vision

沖縄と八重山諸島の美しさと真心を伝える。
Conveying the beauty and true spirit of the Yaeyama Islands and Okinawa.

Our mission

With an increasing number of both domestic and international visitors to the Yaeyama Islands and Okinawa,
Nohoho is here to support. Maximizing value for…
… local communities while securing that the messages of culture, nature and history are correctly passed on,…
… businesses in helping to grasp opportunities, and…
… those visiting to experience even more fun.

For businesses

Nohoho supports businesses in increasing a more international footprint for their activities on the Yaeyama Islands and in Okinawa and aims to better connect them to the visitors of the islands providing professional services ranging from translation of documentation to customized solutions for information sources and staff development. We aim to provide overall and appropriate solutions reflecting cultural sensitivities and understanding.

For travellers

With a variety of information available online, Nohoho summarizes key sites for reference to help planning your journey.

About

Our Name

Nohoho draws its name from a legendary character called Mr. Ohoho. Mr. Ohoho annually visits Iriomote Island during an annual harvest festival. He resembles a 17th century Western sailor reflecting the rich history of the Yaeyama Islands and their position situated along the former routes of European trading ships. While he hands out money to locals, he doesn’t speak the language and he ends up leaving the island unhappy as an unhappy man. Nohoho combines his name with ‘No’, aiming to achieve the opposite: bridge between the local Okinawan communities and their visitors, enhancing opportunities for local businesses and boosting the Okinawan experience for its guests.

Introduction

Born and raised in the Netherlands, Eric van Rijn has spent more than 17 years living in Japan. With degrees from the Netherlands’ Erasmus University Rotterdam in Economics (M.Sc.) and from Japan’s Waseda University in International Relations (M.A.), he has worked for international companies in the Netherlands, Germany and Japan with functions in Finance, Management Support and Communications.
Having travelled in Europe, North America and Asia including Japan, he has frequently visited the Okinawan islands since his first trip in 2006.

What do we offer

Our Services and business support

Inbound consulting

Together with our customers, we develop tailor-made solutions to cater for inbound visitors. This can range from staff training, preparation of English manuals to representative correspondence such claim handling, web feedback and postings, blogging.

Event planning

We provide support in organization events with on-site services for smooth preparations making arrangements on your behalf.

Translations

From standard information material guides to simple documents like menus, we do not only simply translate one-to-one but offer tailor-made solutions for effective communication.

Freelance staffing

We meet temporary needs for handling overseas visitors through hourly/daily attendance such as check-in, events, tours. Similarly, we support building your businesses in Okinawa for smooth dealings with your Japanese business partners.

For other business support please feel free to contact us to discuss the possibilities.

For visitors

Travel Info

There are several sources for travel information about Okinawa and the Yaeyama islands. At Nohoho we don’t intend to invent the wheel twice. Below list contains a selection of useful links for reference to plan your trip.
For our own contribution please refer to our Instagram account.
There is likely no limit on the number of information sources other than those listed. In case the links do not support your needs, please feel free to contact us. Alternatively, should you have suggestions for links of which you feel they should be added, then please be invited to let us know.

Our favourites

Okinawa Labo
Including guide reports and suggested itineraries for the Yaeyama Islands.
From the locals

Ishigaki-shima Creative Flag
Community for those active in creative fields. Site is partially in English including the introduction of affiliated creators.

Visit Ishigaki
Currently under maintenance.
A bit retro

Ishigaki-Japan.com
Slightly older site but includes interesting suggestions for spots to visit in Ishigaki and surrounding islands as well as background information on the islands, its nature and culture.
The institutions

Be.okinawa
Extensive site maintained by the OKINAWA Convention & Visitors Bureau (OCVB) in various languages. Tempting design but slight overload of information. One of our favourites: http://beokinawa.jp/ocean/

Japan National Tourist Organization, Yaeyama Island section

Ishigaki Airport
Entrance to the Yaeyama Islands. Source for up to date flight information. For tourist information better refer to the other sites listed here.
The basics

Wikipedia
For facts & figures as you can expect from Wikipedia. Verifying is up to you!

WikiVoyage
Comprehensive list-up with basics about Ishigaki island and links to information about the other islands.

Tripadvisor
Where would we be without it?