Satoukibi サトウキビ is Japanese for sugarcane. And here in Okinawa, there is a lot of it. Nearby my house are many sugar cane fields, and often in summer while it grows tall we down the quiet roads lined with sugarcane, listening to the rustling in the wind and the insects. In some ways, it is very Ghibli-like, and that is when I realize I really live in the Japanese countryside.

Okinawa is famous for the product of sugarcane, brown sugar (黒糖 kokutou), sold in every store, market, and tourist shop.

In our neighboring town, there is a products fair about once a year. It features a toumitsu 糖蜜 (sugarcane molasses) contest, where the ojiisans sit around drinking awamori while pressing/boiling sugarcane from their fields. I guess there are awards or something, but as far as I could tell it was really an excuse for ojiisans to drink and gossip. They did let us try their products though, which were quite delicious.

Let us know what you think!