My name is Kishikoro and I live in Yonaguni.
One day, while out walking, I came across something strange.
Space Broadcasting Company... When you think of a broadcasting company, you think of a television station, but there is no television station on Yonaguni Island. As the name suggests, is it in communication with space?
Apparently, this place actually used to broadcast television.
Started as a radio station
The Uchuu Broadcasting Company was founded when a man who used to run an electronics store here took over the town radio. The name "Uchuu" (Space) reflected the social climate of the time.
At the time, expectations for space were growing in Japan due to the launch of the world's first artificial satellite, Sputnik, by Russia (then the Soviet Union). It was under these circumstances that the company was named Space Broadcasting Company.
Yonaguni's first television broadcast of the Tokyo Olympics
Space Broadcasting Company started as a radio station and actively distributed radio programs, but during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, which excited the whole of Japan, they also provided television broadcasts, which were not yet available on Yonaguni Island at the time.
The program succeeded in picking up television signals from Taiwan, which is nearby, and was broadcast during the Tokyo Olympics.
No images remain of what it was like back then, but we can see that the townspeople were excited by the television set up in front of the electronics store.
By the way, since they were picking up radio waves from Taiwan, the language they spoke was apparently Chinese. An old newspaper article also mentioned that the Taiwanese language was not an unknown language to the people of Yonaguni, which is not far away.
The current status of Space Broadcasting Corporation
It is currently a coffee shop and restaurant called "Tenda Hana." It is located in the center of the rented area, close to Nanta Beach and other places. The Space Broadcasting Company sign remains, and you can enjoy delicious snacks and coffee. If you are visiting Yonaguni, why not stop by?
I also use their services about once a week.
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