They came by the thousands yesterday — by bus, by car, by bike, on foot and in baby strollers — to revel in Okinawan culture at Kapi'o-lani Park.

On the bandstand, entertainers from Okinawa Minyo Kyokai, Urizun Okinawa Minyo and Halau 'O Napuala'ikauika'iu were singing and dancing for the milling crowd.

Yumi Nakama, a hula dancer from East Honolulu adorned in a traditional Bingata robe, danced to "Uchina," which she described as a "kind of love song" about the beauties of the homeland, "about the beautiful girls, the stars, the flowers, the music, the sea."

Most of the songs played yesterday were about the Okinawan homeland and the special place it holds in people's hearts, she said, the love of the island they call home.

The crowd loved it.

Sachiyo Sakihama, a professional singer and entertainer from Okinawa who said it had been her ambition for years to perform in Hawai'i, sang about the stars, how the stars in the skies over Okinawa are very beautiful.

"But the stars are just as beautiful here," she said, wearing flowers in her hair and a red, white and purple Bingata with a pattern of birds, flowers and sea creatures.

She sang that no one could put a price on the stars, that they were nature's priceless gift, that the beauty of nature was a wealth beyond measure.

"I love Hawai'i," Sakiha- ma said, "the music, the culture, the joyous people. It feels like Okinawa."

Attractions abounded at the festival, which continues today. There was a computer booth that allowed people to trace their Okinawan roots, and exhibits that ranged from delicate bonsai plants to the finer points of karate.

As is the case with all Hawai'i ethnic festivals, food played a huge role.

Various community groups, each celebrating a special connection with a specific area of Okinawa, offered exotic fare.

Each booth displayed a large banner touting a geographic connection to the home island: Bito, Chineu Sashiki, Tomigusuku, Gush- ikawa, Osato, Tamagusuku, Yagaji, Yonabaru and on and on.

One particularly challenging offering that drew a long line was the Oki Dog, which is not for the faint of heart. Isis Bataluna, who was serving them up, said the Oki Dog is a hot dog gilded with shredded pork, chili and rice. "You'll love it, you gotta try it," said Bataluna, who works at UH.

Other workers in the booth, which boasted a special relationship with the Okinawan city of Goeku, said, "It sounds gross, but it tastes good."

They also had Pig Feet Soup, which Kathryn Murata said contained mustard, Japanese cabbage, horseradish, ginger and of course, pigs feet.

A perennial favorite barker is the andagi dog, which Evan Yamaguchi of 'Aiea described as "a kind of corn dog; it's the same concept." The lucky dog is dipped into a sweet Okinawan doughnut batter.

A long line of customers attested to its appeal.