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Okuma Private Beach & Resort

Okuma Private Beach & Resort

This is my favorite hotel, the memorable first one.
I have stayed there many times.
Okuma Private Beach & Resort.

Since I live in Okinawa, I like coming here (it is quite far north) and being surrounded by the nature of the mountain fields, it feels like a “vacation”.

It is a good hotel with many cottage type buildings, a large bath and sauna, and a swimming pool and continuous beach. The pools are easy for small children to play in, and there are also larger pools, and it is easy to go back and forth to the beach, and it is easy to go back to your room in your bathing suit.
As for meals, there are a few izakayas (Japanese style pubs) in the area, but we use the buffet at the hotel exclusively.
When we stay for consecutive nights, we sometimes have lunch at a restaurant outside the hotel, but breakfast and dinner are basically served in the hotel. I have the impression that it is expensive for the locals, perhaps due to inflation, but I am satisfied with it.

One special thing about this place is that the base recreation area is right next door, and the annual Okuma Beach Fest and other events are often held there.
There are often events at various locations on the base, but I really like the scale, the location of the recreation area, and the feel of the beach here, so I come back every year.
I have the impression that many of the live performances are geared toward Japanese and Okinawan people, and I enjoy the fact that HY was here not long ago, and Mongol800 was here this year.
In addition to the beach festival, there are various events such as Halloween, and many of them are good for children.

There is also a camping facility on a nearby mountain,hiji waterfall, and although I don’t use it very often, there are various activities at the beach, so I recommend this hotel for enjoying your vacation.

I think that the luxury and the service are different for each person, but this is one of the hotels that you should definitely consider when staying in Yannbara, Okinawa.

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What is a “Spirit” Azuki?

What is a “Spirit” Azuki?
– Rarest tier in the entire 10 k collection – only 97 pieces exist, or 0.97 % of all Azukis. Their trademark glowing aura, butterflies, fireflies, or flames instantly signal “grail” status.
– Spirits have repeatedly set price records: Azuki #9605 sold for 420.7 ETH (≈ US $1.4 M) on 30 March 2022, the highest sale in the collection so far.

– Beyond bragging rights, holding a Spirit often unlocks VIP perks at Azuki IRL events, early access to collaborations, and an invitation to an influential private group called Spirit DAO.

Spirit DAO in a Nutshell

– A collector‑run DAO originally formed by early Spirit holders who wanted to safeguard rarity premiums and help expand the Azuki brand. Think of it as a cross between an investment club and a cultural guild.
– Membership is kept small (dozens of top holders and builders) and decisions are made by on‑chain votes in the DAO’s multisig treasury. Public posts describe the group as “entrepreneurs, collectors & investors, united to grow Azuki”.

– What they do:

* Market stewardship – coordinating OTC buys of Spirits to keep supply tight, or providing liquidity when a member wants to exit.
* Venture investing – seeding Web3 startups they believe complement Azuki culture (Pixelmon’s turnaround funding is one public example).
* Brand amplification – producing high‑end merch, co‑hosting TOKEN2049 side events, and sponsoring art activations that spotlight Azuki IP.
– Myth‑busting: press reports from 2022 show the DAO occasionally invites non‑Spirit holders who actively build for the community, so owning a Spirit is the easiest–but not the only–path to join.

Why Spirits (and the DAO) Matter

1. Scarcity you can see: only 97 ever, no future mint can dilute them.
2. Collector signalling: on Crypto‑Twitter, a Spirit PFP is viewed like a Lamborghini avatar—instantly recognizable social capital.
3. Built‑in network effect: the DAO pools influential holders world‑wide, giving members early intel on partnerships, token drops ($ANIME), and macro NFT trends.
4. Brand guardianship: by aligning their own bags with Azuki’s long‑term success, Spirit holders supply both liquidity and grassroots marketing that a central team alone could never match.

Key Take‑aways for Newcomers

– A Spirit Azuki is digital fine art + membership badge + venture ticket in one asset.
– Prices are high and liquidity is thin; you buy for status and conviction, not quick flips.
– Even without a Spirit, you can still enjoy Azuki by owning a regular Azuki, Beanz, or Elementals—and follow Spirit DAO events on X to learn from the power users shaping the ecosystem.

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History and evolution of Azuki NFT

History and evolution of Azuki NFT

Azuki is an NFT project with a unique worldview that combines anime and street culture, launched in January 2022 by Chiru Labs, with the goal of building a “brand of culture” on the Web3. In a short time, it has attracted the attention of NFT collectors around the world.

[January 2022] Launch and immediate sell out.

– Method of Sale: Dutch Auction (price sold out at 1 ETH)
– Sales: 10,000 units
– Features: High-definition, anime-style PFP (profile picture) + exclusive community called “The Garden”.
– Initial response: High quality of the art and the community has a lot of heat, and it’s a “next generation BAYC”.

At this point, floor price broke through 2-3 ETH within a few days and has been climbing steadily ever since.

[Q1-Q2 2022] Price spike and temporary peak.

– April 2022: Azuki floor price rises to about 29 ETH.
– Factors:
– Global NFT bubble
– Heat of the community
– Expectations for fashion and IRL (real world) collaboration.

[May 2022] Founder Zagabond’s “past rug allegations” uncovered.

– Content: confession that Zagabond had anonymously launched and eventually abandoned three previous projects (including CryptoPhunks)
– Impact:
– Decline in trust from some communities
– Price temporarily fell to the 10 ETH level.
– However, the project itself continues and maintains a following.

[Late 2022-2023] Ecosystem expansion and steady transition

BEANZ release (April 2022)
– Mini-characteristic NFTs (20,000) distributed free of charge to Azuki holders
– Role in expanding Azuki’s worldview

Hilumia release (January 2023)
– A “virtual city” co-created with the community
– New approach to brand and identity development

 Prices have remained stable at 10-15 ETH during this period.

[June 2023] Release and “crash” of Azuki Elementals.

What is Elementals?
– Azuki’s expanded collection: 20,000 units.
– Preliminary mints available for Azuki holders.

Problems.
1. the art was very similar to existing Azuki (“you can’t tell the difference”)
2. oversupply of the collection damaged rarity .
3. general sales ended after about 15 minutes → some holders were left behind and complained

Results
– Azuki’s price: plummeted from 15 ETH to about 7 ETH (halved in 48 hours).
– Elementals’ valuation is also low, with the price languishing at around 0.3 ETH
– Chiru Labs later issued an official apology.

[January 2025] ANIME Token Issuance and Signs of Re-emergence

Purpose
– Utility token to spread Azuki’s worldview throughout the web3
– Starting point for the decentralized anime project “AnimeChain”.

Token Overview
– Total supply: 10 billion tokens
– Distribution:
– To Azuki/BEANZ/Elementals holders 37.5
– Remaining to community support, investors and foundations

Evaluation
– New expectations generated by the community, but also sideways in terms of price due to selling pressure
– Noted as a milestone in the strengthening of the ecosystem.

Spirit DAO coming on the scene (2023-)

– DAO composed of holders of “Spirit Azuki”, one of the rarest Azuki.
– Support organization by investors, collectors and entrepreneurs
– It advises and supports Azuki related projects and organizes IRL events with the aim of maximizing brand value.

—IRL events are organized.

Current Status (April 2025)

– Azuki floor price: approx. 2.5 ETH
– Elementals: approx. 0.25 ETH
– BEANZ: approx. 0.2 ETH
– Azuki is holding its own through community activities and external partnerships while the overall NFT market slumps.

Summary

Azuki has carved its own path in the Web3 space with its artistic perfection, brand development, and community culture, and while it has experienced a major loss of credibility due to the Elementals issue, it is worth noting that it is reinvigorating with the ANIME token and Spirit DAO moves.

Despite the difficult market environment, Azuki continues to evolve from an “NFT collection” to a “Web3 brand” and will be closely watched.

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Do you know Okinawa?

Nice to meet you.
I was born and still live in Okinawa.

Do you know anything about Okinawa?

Okinawa is an island in the south of Japan, known as a tourist destination with a mild climate.

Historically, it is a complicated part of Japan, having been originally an independent country as the Kingdom of Ryukyu, then ruled by Japan, and after World War II by the U.S., which later returned to Japan.

Many of Japan’s U.S. military bases are located on this small island, and there are many U.S. soldiers and their families, making it a unique area in Japan with a mixture of American culture in addition to the culture that originally flowed from the Ryukyu Islands.

The people are calm, but on the other hand, they are not hardworking, as they have a somewhat appropriate or loose “teegee” or “nankuru nai sa” attitude. However, compared to mainland Japan, it is better for me.

Some people from mainland Japan say that Okinawa is not a safe place to live, but Tokyo and Osaka are much worse.

Although there are some news stories about the U.S. military, most Americans are kind and cause fewer problems than the Japanese.

For those coming from overseas, the image of Hawaii or Guam may be close, but is it close, inexpensive, or combined with other mainland Japan destinations? The train network is poor, and many visitors use rental cars, but you need to plan your schedule keeping in mind the traffic jams in the south-central part of the country.

We recommend Taketomi Island in the Yaeyama Islands as a place where you can feel the old Okinawa.

It takes less than one hour by plane from the main island of Okinawa to Ishigaki Island, followed by a 15-minute ferry ride, but the village itself has the feel of old-fashioned Okinawa, and is highly recommended.

I will introduce some resort hotels in Okinawa in the future.
I hope this will be of some help to those who come to Okinawa from overseas.

投稿日:

Azuki #1

WHO THEY ARE

At Azuki, they are building the future of anime through decentralized IP co-created with the community and innovative products that enrich the anime fan experience. Their Azuki collectibles have generated over $1B in secondary trading volume. Here are some things they have created so far.


From left to right: Raizan (Azuki #131), JD (Azuki #55), Zero (Azuki #87) and Shao (Azuki #187).

Azuki is an anime-inspired collection of 10,000 characters designed by Steamboy, former Character Art Director for Overwatch.

Collectors can earn emblems for collecting specific traits. For example, owning an Azuki with a Gold trait earns the Gold emblem on their Collector Profile.

Collectors create identities, stories and businesses around their Azukis, building the open anime universe together with us and our main characters depicted above. Together, we’ve formed a digital world and community called the Garden.

The Azuki contract enabled minting multiple NFTs for essentially the same cost of minting a single NFT with ERC721A, significantly reducing gas costs.

投稿日:

Nice to meet you.

Now that I have become an AZUKI holder, I would like to share information about AZUKI and also introduce Okinawa, where I am located.

First of all, I would like to briefly introduce how I came to know about NFT and how I became an AZUKI holder.

I started to touch crypto currency around June 2021, and the first meme coin I tried to buy was TITAN, which was sold at IRON finance, a DEX of polygon chain, and you may know it because the value of the currency plummeted to 4.2 billionth in one day. It was actually the first time I tried to buy it during that crash. In fact, since I was trying to buy it for the first time during that crash, the transaction did not go through and I was not able to buy it. And it was the first time I saw the currency increase in value by more than 200 times after that.

At that time, NFTs were also popular, but at that time they were all very expensive and unaffordable.　

Cryptopunks, BAYC, MAYC, clone X, etc.

While I couldn’t afford them, I became interested in other chains and held many NFTs of ICP chains.

Then there was CNP in Japan, a mint of NFTs that also involved influencers.
We were able to make a little profit there, but we didn’t anticipate it until the subsequent run-up.
It has fallen a lot in terms of price, but in terms of community, it has sustained itself since then, and I feel that it can be expected to continue to do so.
My wife still owns it (gutted or neglected).

I myself was also quite serious about STEPN, and remember walking around even on typhoon days to consume energy, and I think I could have taken a large profit on STEPN if I had sold it at the right time when the E country was created, but even with this, it was a small profit. Incidentally, STEPN continued after that, but I parted with it this time to purchase AZUKI (I am still in the habit of walking).

As for NFT, I love the design of clone X, and I have always treasured the cloneX that I bought for 3 ETH a little over 2 years ago when the price had dropped to a certain extent. So I was very disappointed when I heard the news of RTFKT’s closing earlier this year. However, I believed that clone X would never end, and I planned to keep owning it for a long time.

I was earning points on Blur for fun, but there are only a limited number of NFTs that are actively trading in that market.
If it is an asset, it needs to be liquid.
Something that has some value, is liquid, and will remain.
Cryptopunks remain expensive.
BAYC and Pudgy penguine are somewhat expensive.
MAYC is not pleasant.
In this context, looking again at AZUKI, the most important thing is that COMMUNITY is growing.
CNP is the same, but I felt it is spreading on a larger scale.
Short animations are also very well produced and interesting.
There has been a lot going on recently and it is much easier to buy because of the crash!
AZUKI’s FUNDAMENTAL is not getting any worse, so I wanted this one, and after much searching, I purchased the image that is now as PFP.
I also purchased Beanz and elementals since I went through the trouble.

I look forward to AZUKI’s future growth.