"Shimanchu nu Takara" (島人ぬ宝, Okinawan for "Treasure of the Islanders") is a song by Okinawa-based J-pop band Begin.[1] It reached number 47 on the Oricon weekly charts and the band performed the song on NHK's 53rd annual Kōhaku Uta Gassen in 2002. It has become a song iconic of Okinawa Prefecture due to its use of eisa-inspired chanting. Its B-side that begins with "Soredemo Kurashi wa..." is noted as being one of the longest song titles in Japan.
"Soredemo Kurashi wa Tsuzuku kara, Subete o, Ima, Wasureteshimau Tame ni wa, Subete o, Ima, Shitteiru Koto ga Jōken de, Boku ni wa Totemo Muri dakara, Hitotsuzutsu Wasureteiku Tame ni, Aisuru Hitotachi to Te o Tori, Wakeatte, Semete Omoidasanai Yō ni, Kurashi o Tsuzuketeiku no Desu" (それでも暮らしは続くから 全てを 今 忘れてしまう為には 全てを 今 知っている事が条件で 僕にはとても無理だから 一つづつ忘れて行く為に 愛する人達と手を取り 分けあって せめて思い出さないように 暮らしを続けていくのです, "Still We Live, All of Us, Now, in Order to Forget, Everything, Now, to Know the Reason, Because It Is Out of the Question for Me, in Order to Forget One by One, Holding Hands with the People You Love, Divided, so as to at Least Not Remember, That We Will Continue to Live")
Because of the popularity of "Shimanchu nu Takara", it has been covered many times, including by Allister on the EP Guilty Pleasures, by Hearts Grow on their album Summer Chanpuru, by Speed member Hiroko Shimabukuro on her solo album Watashi no Okinawa,[2] and by Beni on her album Covers 3.[3]
