くんぺん kunpen (in hiragana) is also sometimes seen as クンペン in katakana or as コンペン konpen. The representative kanji (which you probably will rarely see is 薫餅). It is another type of Okinawa sweet, one of the representative sweets from the Ryukyu Kingdom era (more Ryukyu sweets). It was often served to visiting Chinese envoys or during feast days. It is also a popular grave or shrine offering during Shiimii シーミー.
Kunpen looks plain and rustic on the outside, just a round little brown bun, but inside is full of an island peanut taste! I think this is a food that westerners can appreciate, since it kind of reminds me of peanut butter. The outside bun is a little dry and the peanut paste is sweet and rich so make sure to have some tea to drink while you eat this tasty treat. Personally I would recommend an unsweetened drink as you will get plenty of sweetness in the kunpen itself. Many bukubuku-cha cafes will serve a small piece of kunpen with the tea set.
You can find kunpen in supermarkets and some Okinawa sweets shops; it is very easy to find if you are interested in trying one. I bought the one in the picture from Zaha Kashiten in Shuri 座波菓子店. Some kunpen have sesame added in (or even other flavors as well), but this one does not– I think I prefer it that way.
I recently had to return home to Hawai’i for a very short few days, but on the way I had to pass through Haneda Airport with an 8 hour layover. So rather than stay in the airport for that long, we opted to take the monorail to the very last stop (maybe about 20 minutes if you take the express), Hamamatsucho-eki 浜松町駅. I did not find many ideas online of what to do with all this time (most people seem content to just stay in the airport, shopping or eating), but I was determined to make the best use of these few hours and decided on Hamamatsucho as my destination (most of the other stops did not sound like there was much around).
When we first got off at the station, we headed to the Japanese garden park that was adjacent; Kyu Shiba Rikyu Garden 旧芝離宮恩賜庭園 is formerly an Imperial garden. It is small but pretty, and admission was only 150yen. We were too early for sakura, though there were a few buds here and there. We were also at the very end of ume (plum blossoms) so not much to see there either, however, there were some other nice seasonal plants. It was refreshing, though a bit on the cold side.
After this we walked down the street and visited the Kumano jinja 熊野神社 (shrine) and Zōjō-ji (temple) 増上寺, located just in front of Tokyo Tower and next to Shiba Park. We were hungry, so we did not have a chance to wander through Shiba Park or Tokyo Tower (I have been there before anyway), just this small area around the temple and shrine, as well as the Unborn Children Garden. These are not uncommon to see at many temples in Japan, with rows of stone statues which represent unborn children (such as miscarried, aborted, or stillborn). Parents choose a statue, decorating it with clothing and toys. Often you will see a small gift for Jizo 地蔵 (guardian of unborn children). If you see stones are piled up near the statue this is meant to make journey into the afterlife easier.
To finish up, we headed to a place located just behind the station called Devil Craft Brewery… craft beer and Chicago-style pizza! Yes, I know… most people go to Japan and are not looking for this type of thing, but we live here and these types of places are few and far between. So how can we turn this down?
Apparently there are 2 other locations in Tokyo as well. They have some craft brews of their own, and some others from around Japan. Many foreigners will also be happy to know there is an English menu for both food and drinks. We did not make reservations, but since we got there at opening time (5pm) we got a table– keep this in mind if you decide to visit, get reservations! This place is super popular.
We each ended up to try 2 beers (pints) each, splitting an appetizer and a pizza. To be honest, it was my first time to have Chicago-style pizza! My husband loves it and it is his favorite type; since we have never seen another place serving Chicago pizza in Japan we knew we had to come here and try it. And it was so good!
Overall, it was pretty awesome, though a little costly. But when you consider that the craft beer scene in Japan is still a little new, I think their prices were fair to be honest. I would highly recommend trying this place out if you find yourself in the area.
Once we finished eating, it was time to get back on the monorail to the airport for our late night flight.
If you have read any previous posts, you are probably aware of my love (obsession?) with Japanese-style sweets. So this will be yet another entry dedicated to the wonderful world of Japanese sweets.
Today is about taiyaki たい焼き and dorayaki どら焼き. Neither of these are especially popular in Okinawa, and are probably a little more common on the mainland, however there are some places in Okinawa to find these tasty treats.
Taiyaki is a fish-shaped pastry with a filling inside, usually sweet bean paste (an). There is the traditional type, with many different filling choices, at a small stall in the basement food (depachika デパ地下) floor of Ryubo department store in Naha (also known as Palette Kumoji). My favorite is probably the kinako きな粉 (toasted soy bean); it is creamy kind of like peanut butter inside. There is also a new fad of “croissant taiyaki,” (クロワッサンたい焼) which is a flaky twist on the traditional favorite. This is actually easier to find in Okinawa since it is sold by the chain takoyaki store, Gindaco 銀だこ. I prefer the traditional style, but the croissant taiyaki is okay, too. Whenever the Kyoto products fair comes through the stores, there is almost always the Le Mans booth which sells many flavors of this croissant-style taiyaki– I like this better than the Gindaco ones, personally.
**Recently, I have had an incredibly delicious taiyaki at Amane 天音 near Kichijoji station in Tokyo! I 100% recommend stopping by and trying it if you are ever in that area!
Dorayaki is like 2 little tasty pancakes with a filling between them, again, usually sweet bean paste. But they are not quite pancakes or hotcakes… they usually have more pockets of air creating a nice fluffy texture, and the batter is usually sweetened with honey. These are ALL over, you can even find these in the convenience stores (like Lawson)! Some are even “Okinawa-style” since they use Okinawan kokutou 黒糖 (brown sugar). I will have to think about where my favorites are located… probably just the small booth that sets up outside the local grocery store once a month since there are always so fresh!
You can also find some small dorayaki at a specialty shop that also sells ohagi: here.
Culture note: Some people say how you eat taiyaki tells about your personality:
The person who eats the head first is an optimist.
The person who eats the tail first is a romantic and detail-oriented.
The person who eats the fin first is sensitive.
The person who eats by tearing it in half is a man of action.
A majority of people seem to eat the head first, but funny enough I usually eat the tail first.
伊勢だより Ise dayori roughly means “news from Ise.” Ise 伊勢 is located in Mie prefecture.
Yesterday while I was at the department store product fair I ate akafuku mochi. Afterwards, while in the “tea shop” sitting area, I noticed some of these small papers with rather interesting pictures on one side and some descriptions on the back. They were free, I picked up a few since I rather liked the artwork and decided I could read them closer later.
I found out that these papers are included on every box of akafuku mochi; they are printed every day with various themes of Ise, with news of their culture, history, landscape, food, religion, and more. It is a letter made every day from the shopkeeper to the customers. I guess it is also to help promote tourism of the area, but I thought this was a really nice idea. Also maybe it has worked, because now I feel like maybe I want to visit Ise…
You can also view these on their website.
I picked up papers for March 14, 15 and 16 shown below:
赤福餅 akafuku mochi is a famous type of mochi from Ise 伊勢 in Mie prefecture 三重県. It has a 300 year history.
赤 aka means “red” and 福 fuku means “luck.” 餅 mochi is rice cake.
At the Mie-Nagoya products fair, I got a tea set for only 210yen that included 2 pieces of akafuku mochi and tea.
Akafuku mochi is made with such smooth delicious bean paste, shaped in peaks to symbolize the ripples of the Isuzu river that flows through the Ise grand shrine region. Inside is mochi (rice cake) that represents the smooth white river pebbles.
The taste is amazing; they use no preservatives or artificial coloring and the azuki beans used are from Hokkaido, the mochi is made from all domestic mochi rice.
Today I went to a products fair for Nagoya and Mie held at the department store. There was this really tempting looking manjuu from Mie prefecture; it had a batter made with satsuma-imo (Japanese sweet potato). It was called hekoki manjuu へこきまんじゅう.
屁こき (へこき) hekoki: means “breaking wind” or “farting.”
饅頭 (まんじゅう) manjuu is just a type of Japanese steamed bun or cake. Some people romanize it as “manju” with only 1 u.
So these are “cakes” that make you pass gas. Hmmm. I read that sweet potatoes can make you more gassy.
There were many types to choose from but I got the one with cream cheese and cranberry in the middle and it was very delicious. The batter is made from sweet potato which made the texture and taste so yummy. I would really recommend trying these, but maybe not too many at one time…
I didn’t get a picture of the manjuu cake itself since I was too hungry to wait. At the time I was thinking of my stomach and hadn’t planned to write an entry about it. But then I thought that fart-inducing cakes seemed like a pretty interesting/unique food as well as being incredibly oishii 美味しい. I suppose whenever I make it to Mie prefecture, I will have to find their original shop!
We participated in the One Piece run in Chatan 北谷町; it is a 5.5 km “running” course set up through the American Village area with a One Piece (anime, manga) theme. The tickets were purchased through Lawson conbini and came with a T-shirt and wristband, as well as various other small things. We chose to do the first wave, but there are 4 times you could choose from.
Of course, on this day it decided to be rainy… but we did not let that deter us. We even got all the stamps for the stamp rally. Now admittedly, I have not read or seen much of One Piece… my husband wanted to participate in a beginner’s run, and since marathons are honestly a bit extreme for us, when this came up we decided to go for it. After all… it is Japan, and participating in an anime-themed run seems like something we should experience at least once.
There were some people dressed up as various characters or with One Piece gear, though you do not need to be so extreme to participate. The tent was selling some One Piece merchandise and souvenirs for the more serious fans. We were happy with our shirt and wristband.
As we jogged our way through the course, there were various fun station stops and picture opportunities. There was a sweets station (yes, I know… during a run, really? sweets? doesn’t that sort of feel contradictory?), the pirate ship, foam party, water gun battle, speakers playing OnePiece songs, character photos, and more. Despite being a little cold and soaked from the rain we had a pretty good time and my husband met his goal challenge. At the end they gave you a cute little certificate to say you completed and a pin. Maybe we will try again next year and have better weather.
For those who are more true fans, there was an “after-party” concert with some of the voice actors and one of the singing groups. We were chilly and wet, so we ended up to go home.
しゃぶしゃぶ: shabu shabu, a style of hotpot dish. The name comes from the sound the ingredients make swishing in the pot.
In Okinawa, there are a few places to try shabu shabu dining. This weekend, we found an amazing place up north. Yanbaru Dining Churashima Kitchen (YANBARU DINING 美ら島キッチン) in Motobu. It is mixed in with the Nago Agri Park, located behind the NeoPark Okinawa. It is in the back corner of the lot, and you will walk by some small stores and cafes to get there.
During lunch, prices are reasonable (1580yen per person): it comes with 100g of meat (Okinawa agu pork and chicken, which I just gave to my husband) and all you can eat veggies, rice, side dishes, soft drinks, etc. This place was great because it featured all Yanbaru produce and greens… there was so much fresh variety. You just grab a tray and fill up bowls with the veggies you want for cooking and they will bring out the broth and the meat (they also have some “specialty veggies” which they will bring out in separate bowls, so if they ask you any questions, just say YES = HAI!). Get some rice, dipping sauces, some side dishes, a salad… then get to work cooking and eating. Once your pot is boiling add veggies or meat as you like– the leafy veggies will cook very quickly, the thicker veggies and meat will take longer. Just use you hashi (chopsticks) to add and fish out the pieces you like. Dip in the sauce of your choice and it is ready to eat.
The menu is in Japanese, so you can order extra meat, but I am not sure you would need it. The workers also only spoke Japanese from my interactions with them, which again, should be fine since it is not so complicated. Just remember the large bar of veggies is for cooking, and the smaller table is for salad use (it says サラダ用 on it). There were many amazing Okinawa veggies, like handama, sakuna, fuchiba, and more.
Everything was delicious and we were quite full leaving. I didn’t get any pictures of the meat or cooking, I was too busy eating…
Yes, yet another post about a bakery here in Okinawa.
This time it is about Bakery Lulu in Nakagusuku. They are a fairly recent bakery, but they have some really good stuff. This pan-ya is really close to Nakagusuku Minami Farmers Market.
Today they had hanami dango pan 花見団子パン– flower-viewing “dango” bread. It was a stick with three types of small buns with bean paste fillings to resemble the 3-colored hanami dango! So cute, and so delicious. The pink was, of course, sakura bean paste, the middle was I think sweet potato bean paste (honestly in this context I could not tell for sure), and the last was a sweet green bean paste.
I have had many good things from this bakery, and I feel like some of their items are unique, so if you are near Nakagusuku, check them out!
Somewhat recently in Okinawa, we have another type of sakura (cherry blossom) that blooms after the usual season here (usual season for Okinawa is late January through mid-February). It comes from Kume-jima, so it is called kume-no-sakura クメノサクラ. Someiyoshino 染井吉野 is a type of cherry blossom blooming in mainland Japan; Kume no sakura is a cherry blossom which looks similar to someiyoshino, with whitish, faintly pale pink petals. Typically in Okinawa, we have a type of sakura with bright pink petals called kanhi zakura 寒緋櫻 (cold scarlet sakura), which are actually from Taiwan and southern China.
So while many people think that the sakura season is over for Okinawa, it is in fact not! In Izumi ward of the Motobu peninsula (not far from Yaedake), you can see these beautiful kume-no-sakura blooms, usually during mid- to late March, or even into very early April. There are around 1,000 trees planted there.
Another difference you will notice with the kume-no-sakura petals is that they fall away one by one, instead of the whole flower dropping at once like the kanhizakura does. The feeling of the kume-no-sakura trees is very different from the more commonly found kanhizakura here in Okinawa.
So if you missed the sakura the first time around in Okinawa, just be patient… and you will be rewarded with a set of slightly different, but just as pretty, sakura! How lucky are we in Okinawa that we get to see sakura not once, but twice a year?
*Note: you may be able to see these trees around various locations, but not in large concentrations– one such place is in front of the Orion Beer Happy Park in Nago.
These are some pictures are of them just starting, taken with my iPhone:
Address for Kume-no-sakura trees in Izumi ward of Motobu (there is a parking lot right next to the trees): https://goo.gl/maps/P5dx8YpfPUQ2
*First blooms: Mid-March, Peak: end of March, End: early April
漫画倉庫 Manga Souko is a nationwide secondhand store. In Okinawa, there are 3 of these stores. 漫画 manga means Japanese comics, and 倉庫 souko means warehouse. They are open 24 hours!
First word of caution: when you enter, it is extremely noisy inside. Not just a little, but a lot. If you go, you will see what I mean. It can be a bit overwhelming.
Second word of caution: their buyback rates are not very good, so don’t expect to get a lot of money for your books/clothes/cds/comics/etc that you sell them. And there prices tend to be slightly higher than some other places in my opinion. That being said, they also have the best variety, especially for anime, manga, and related goods.
Anyway, despite their name being “manga,” they actually have everything from games, consoles, cds, dvds, comics, figurines, clothes, shoes, small appliances, kitchen and household, sporting goods, instruments… the list goes on. So even if you don’t care much about manga or anime, there is a lot more to this interesting secondhand shop. I will admit, I have made more than a few purchases here.
Keep in mind, on a weekend or holiday it gets pretty busy… many people will go to the comics section and just read for hours without buying anything.
To find the closest to you, just copy and paste 漫画倉庫 into GoogleMaps (there are 3 locations in Okinawa: Awase, Urasoe, and Naha).
I will post some pictures of the outside and of some of my purchases soon.
ホワイトデー is “White day” in katakana. This is like reverse Valentine’s day in Japan; guys return the favor on March 14th to the girls for the chocolates they received on February 14th. This means they give girls chocolates or small presents, like handkerchiefs or hand towels, keychains, etc.
The stores will usually just change the sign from Valentine’s day to White day on the chocolates displays. Departments stores and shops will put out displays of small presents mentioned above, usually with cute designs or packaging. It is not as big as Valentine’s day, but there are plenty of displays to remind the guys to buy the girls a small present or chocolate.
Yesterday, my (Okinawan) friend brought something called “sake toba” 鮭冬葉 (or 鮭とば) that she found at the market (I believe Makishi in Naha) to our BBQ party. Sake 鮭 means salmon, and toba 冬葉 means swarm or flock in Ainu, an ethnic group indigenous to Hokkaido area. Toba is made up of the kanji for “winter” and “leaves,” which is supposedly related to a poetry from the region but I heard since it is not a word used any more, the exact meaning does not seem so clear.
Saketoba is basically just salmon jerky, a specialty product of Hokkaido. It is autumn salmon cut thinly with the skin left one. It is washed with seawater and dried in the breeze by the seaside, so it retains a salty flavor.
So what did we do with this? We grilled it (gently), and pulled into small pieces with a side of mayonnaise to dip them in. It was pretty good! This is definitely a good snack to go with alcohol. You don’t have to heat it or grill it, but it gets softer and more flavorful if you do, so it is recommended.
春分 shunbun is Spring equinox. It is the division of seasons.
In Okinawa, it is typically different than mainland Japan, just like shuubun 秋分 (Autumn equinox) is. While in the rest of Japan it may be more typical to visit hometowns and family graves, in Okinawa it is usually just observed at home at the butsudan (buddhist altar), with the typical special Okinawa foods used in most celebrations. The season of shiimii しーみー is just around the corner and it is the customary time to visit, clean and leave offerings at the graves then.
Spring equinox is also part of haru-no-higan 春の彼岸, which just refers to Spring equinox week. (O)higan literally means “the other shore,” meaning the other side of the river which divides the living from the deceased in the afterlife according to Buddhist tradition.
At any rate, it will be a public holiday for me, so I can hopefully enjoy the day off. And likely my sensei will bring in the leftover treats from his family’s celebration.
Today I went to Arakaki Chinsukou Honpo 新垣ちんすこう本舗, an omiyage sweets shop in Shuri which has been in business since 1908. There are also 2 locations in Naha, near Kokusai-dori. An interesting note, there are also 2 more shops called Arakaki Honke 新垣本家 and Arakaki Kami 新垣カミ which are from the same ancestors that make chinsukou and other traditional sweets. Obviously, they are most famous for their chinsukou, however today I went for something a little different; some lesser-known traditional Ryukyu sweets:
千寿こう（せんじゅこう） senjukou (also romanized as senjuko): peanut butter, sesame seeds, and kippan (citrus peels that are boiled with sugar), then wrapped in lard-based pie dough with rainbow colors. Its shape is similar to the image of a lotus flower. It was re-introduced after a long time after being featured in a popular period drama called “Tempest.” This is the only shop in Okinawa which sells senjukou, and quantities are limited every day since it is made by hand.
闘鶏餃（たうちいちゃう）tauchiichau: traditional treat fried in lard, a sesame bean paste wrapped in a stiff pie crust with red and green dots added. It is named as such since it resembles a cockscomb (rooster comb).
花ぼうる hanabouru: ryukyu cookie with a hard texture and intricate decoration that is carefully shaped like a wisteria flower.
Clockwise, starting on the left: senjukou, tauchiichau, chinsukou, and hanabouru
These sweets are perfect for tea-time, especially if you choose sanpin-cha (jasmine tea). Or if you want to be fancy, try recreating bukubuku-cha. Today though I decided on hibiscus tea.
At this shop, you can also find many varieties of chinsukou, as well as a few other traditional sweets only found in Okinawa. The staff was very friendly and had some samples out. If you make a purchase, they will give you a free chinsukou cookie to take with you. My husband liked the chinsukou best of the four items, but for me I think it was definitely the senjukou with its nutty taste with a hint of citrus (plus it is so cute looking!). The hanabouru would have actually gone better with coffee in our (westernized) opinion. As a reminder, these are not for strict vegetarians or others who don’t eat pork since all of these contain pork lard.
I am quite fascinated by all the various traditional Ryukyuan sweets and their differences from traditional Japanese wagashi; they developed independently, with influence from both China and Japan. The names of more than 200 sweets are found in literature, but almost all of the recipes were lost with the overthrow of the dynasty and then the mass destruction during World War II.
You can find new books, comics and magazines at the bookstores around island, usually in the malls or shopping plazas, and even some at the conbini (convenience stores). But if you are looking for something a bit older or cheaper, you need to look at the secondhand bookshops. Plus, I feel there is almost nothing more exciting than entering into a used bookshop, you never know what you may find… possibly I am a tsundoku 積ん読, one who collects/piles up books but does not always get around to reading them, or a book hoarder (as much as my husband tries to prevent it). I have had a love affair with books since I was very young.
One major chain you can find in Okinawa is BookOff ブックオフ (which is literally all over Japan). They have an assortment of magazines, books, novels, music, etc. I go there occasionally and usually purchase older manga or magazines for a reasonable price, but the selection is always varied– sometimes you get lucky and sometimes it is impossible to find what you want.
Another chain is MangaSouko 漫画倉庫 (literally: “comic warehouse”). There is a lot of choice here, but sometimes the prices are not as cheap as you would hope. It is easy to find popular and (fairly) current manga here actually (that someone read and immediately sold back), as well as some of the oldies.
A really interesting bookshop is located in Ginowan, just on your right as you turn onto 241 off Rt. 34, called BOOKSじのん (Books Jinon). There are a few parking spaces out front, otherwise turn down the road to the paid parking lot. This shop has a lot of literature about Okinawa and the Ryukyu Kingdom. They have an assortment of books on Okinawa food and recipes, uchinaaguchi (Okinawa language), WWII, history, handicrafts, culture and more. If you go in, you will undoubtedly find something you want. There is a very small selection of books about Okinawa in English, but sometimes I think the food and cooking books especially you can read without having to know much Japanese. Of course, some of these books are a bit uncommon, so the prices reflect that. That being said, I think this shop is worth the time to stop by and look around, especially if you are interested in learning more about Okinawa.
One day I set out to look for some fancy chocolates for my husband. I saw about this small chocolate shop located in Ginowan, so I set off on the hunt.
It was surprisingly close to the university, just off a back neighborhood. I went up the narrow alley roads, uncertain that this was the right way, when all of a sudden there it was, modest and barely visible in the shadow on the first floor of a building: Jacaranda Blue.
As soon as I stepped inside, it was bright and cheerful with many chocolate displays. The chocolatiers are professional crafters, and the quality was exquisite, like something you would see in a western chocolate shop. They studied abroad and brought their skills back home to this small, quiet neighborhood in Okinawa. The chocolates take 2 or 3 days to make into perfection.
What drew my attention was the fact that they incorporated local ingredients into the chocolates, which they call “uchinaa chocolate.” They have 9 types of bon-bon chocolates: turmeric (ukon in Japanese, ucchin in Okinawan), mugwort (yomogi in Japanese, fuchiba in Okinawan), miso from Miyako, sea salt (shima masu), island chili pepper (shima tougarashi), orange (tankan), peanuts (jimami), brown cane sugar (kokutou), and island peppercorn (pipaachi). Each chocolate is a different scent and taste of Okinawa!
The price was not cheap, but my husband was very delighted when I came home with these! He was very impressed with the shine on it and commented on how professional the tempering was (he knows wayyyy more about chocolate than I do). So for a special occasion, these chocolates are worth it, you will not be disappointed.
蕎麦 soba: buckwheat, or buckwheat noodles. This is the type of soba common in the mainland of Japan, not the kind used for Okinawa suba (soba).
Did you know that in the northern part of Okinawa, in Ogimi village 大宜味村, buckwheat (soba 蕎麦) grows? There are 3 restaurants that serve Japanese-style soba noodles made from Ogimi village buckwheat flour.
江州の花 “Esu no Hana” is one of these restaurants that make the noodles by hand (one other is at the roadside station and another is a shokudo restaurant just north of the roadside station). Japanese mainland soba is not as popular here as Okinawa soba is, so I was very surprised to learn this. Since I am slightly (mainland) soba obsessed, I decided I must try it!
So we set out for a drive up north, and of course after exiting the main road had to drive up and down some twisty roads to find the place as it was pretty much in the middle of nowhere. We arrived at exactly 11am and there was already another car there with people waiting to get in; it said somewhere online that reservations were a good idea, and although we did not make any, we were luckily able to be seated. There were 6 decently large tables inside. They were happy when they realized I could speak/read Japanese– we figured out a bit later that this not a place for tourists, but definitely for locals! If you plan on going during busy days (holidays, Sundays, summer vacation, etc), I would definitely recommend getting a reservation. The place was packed by the time we left, all with locals and not a rental car to be seen.
The menu is very easy, so not to worry! Here is the translation:
soba set, regular: 1000yen
soba set, large: 1500yen
udon set kids/regular/large: 500/700/800yen
omakaze set (comes with both udon and soba): 1500yen
Everything on the menu also comes with:
“appetizer” (which is basically various tsukemono/pickles)
agedashi tofu (fried tofu with sauce)
bonito/katsuobushi soup (winter) or salad (summer)
endless tempura!
As for drinks, tea and water were included on the tables. The large soba set comes with about twice the amount of noodles as the regular. I did not see anyone order the udon sets, I think if you come up to Ogimi, you should try the locally grown, ground, and handmade soba, and not bother with udon unless you have a picky eater in your group.
We just stuck with soba set regular size. The picture showed just a set that comes out, so we were expecting something pretty simple like the typical teishoku 定食 meals. Instead, we were greeted with quite the feast!
First, we were immediately brought out a small plate 6 “appetizers” 前菜 and the soba dipping broth was placed out as well. Moments later, we were brought out katsuobushi かつお節 (dried, smoked bonito flakes) with hot water poured over. We were told to stir the katsuobushi in the hot water and kind of let it steep to get out the flavor. A bit later we were presented with agedashi tofu 揚げ出し豆腐, although I admit I have never had it quite like this before… but it was very delicious. I was surprised by the amount of “sauce” that came with it… we learned just a few minutes later that it is also used as the tempura dipping sauce. Needless to say, this was shaping up to be quite an interesting experience.
The first of the fresh, piping hot tempura was brought out to us, along with our soba plates. As we were happily eating, a second different type of tempura came out. We thought this was it, until again, another batch of fresh and different tempura arrived! This kept going and going, with some unique and delicious tempura! Most days they serve up to 12 types of fresh and tasty tempura, all included in your lunch price! It was pretty much all you could eat tempura… we probably could have stayed for longer (and eaten even more), as they were not shoo-ing us out the door all.
After we finished our soba, some soba-yu 蕎麦湯 also came out to finish our soba broth with. At this point, we were absolutely stuffed full, and what a value for only 1000yen. If you cannot finish it all, they even had some takeout containers (which I noticed some obaasans that came about the same time as us utilized). Actually, they will even encourage you to take some tempura home with you.
What struck me most about the whole experiences was just how really great and friendly the service was, and the atmosphere was like being at your grandma or aunty’s house! Of course, us being foreigners, owners and customers alike were especially interested in where we were from, where we lived, and one lady said I was practically a Japanese person (lol). Apparently there was also some Okinawa dance at the community center later that they invited us to, but we already had some things on the schedule. This being said, the wife came out to greet every single customer who entered, and asked the non-village residents where they were from. It really reminded me of the innate friendliness of the Okinawan people. Anyway, I highly recommend visiting this place as it is an experience you will likely never forget!
*Something new I learned it that residents in Ogimi are the renown for longevity– some of the longest life-spans in the world!
前菜 “appetizer”
menu
katsuobushi soup
soba (regular size)
agedashi tofu
soba-yu
3 types of tempura
watch the owner making noodles
owners
outside
6 types of tempura, including roselle and pineapple!
In Okinawa, we are fortunate to find lots of great soy meat products. And they aren’t all full of additives or weird stuff like most of the American ones.
On the label, one brand shows 大豆のお肉 daizu-no-oniku (大豆 soybean, お肉 meat). You can find them in filet or minced form, unseasoned or seasoned. Even better for the lazy me, they also can come as easy to put together meal kits! Gapao rice, Taco rice, Sweet and sour stirfy, and more from Marukome are shown below (word of warning: if you are a strict vegetarian, the pre-made packages still often contain fish sauce/dashi of some sort so the pre-made stuff is not 100% vegetarian, however the UNSEASONED mince and filets are 100% vegetarian).
Another brand of the soy meat products you can find is called: まるっきりお肉 marukkiri oniku: “just like meat.”
But it is not! This product from Maisen has just 2 ingredients– soy beans and brown rice. Organic at that (if you care about those things, and obviously gluten-free as well). Nothing else, no weird additives, no fake flavors, etc.
It is not “fake meat” but actually better than meat. It has much less calories and fat compared to meat, but it is actually higher in protein (well, according to the product site).
The texture is great, and it absorbs whatever flavors you add. You can buy it as crumbles or filets. As for what to cook with it, the possibilities are endless. We use it quite a bit, and the price is pretty good too. It is easy to find at local SanA grocery stores here in Okinawa; usually I find it near the dried beans.
I would definitely recommend trying it out; I think it tastes way better than the fake stuff in the U.S. with all the weird added ingredients. Plus my husband will actually eat it and like it, unlike most of the American faux meat products.
ちんすこう chinsukou (also romanized as chinsuko) are one of the “quintessential” souvenirs (omiyage お土産) from Okinawa.
They are small cookies (biscuits), made mostly of lard, flour, and sugar. NOT recommended for vegetarians or Muslims, since it is usually pork lard. Some day you may get lucky and find some that are plant-based and do not use pork, but I can honestly say I do not remember seeing very many.
You can find various flavors such as brown sugar, salt, milk, sweet potato, chocolate chip, and even sakuna. Fashion Candy even sells some that are dipped in chocolate coating.
Basically every souvenir shop, grocery store, and airport shops will sell these; even some of the farmers markets will sell them. Some of the shops have areas where you can watch them being made. There are even places where you can make your own chinsukou!
As a final note, I am gonna put in a little weird “warning.” On Kokusai-dori, and well, even the airport, you will see some boxes of chinsukuo that have cartoon babies with the ding-dong hanging out. Why…? Well, that is because of the word “chin.” Chinchin or chinko are ways to say “penis” in Japanese, and shortened “chin” can hold a similar meaning (depending on how it is used, though my knowledge of inappropriate slang in Japanese is not extensive). I will be honest– I have bought these and sent them to a friend who could appreciate the humor. The brand is 子宝ちんこすこう “Kodakara Chinko-sukou,” so a play on words of chinsukou. The cookies themselves are a bit specially shaped as well. Just don’t be too shocked to see this this boxed version of the cookie out and about.
The third day of the third month in the lunar calendar is Okinawa’s tradition that occurs on hinamatsuri in the lunar calendar (March 3rd). It is called 浜下り, pronounced hama uri ハマウリ (in Japanese these would be hama ori). 浜 hama means “beach,” and 下り uri is “to descend.” Some people may observe it on the western calendar date, but more often it is observed on lunar calendar date. **In 2017 this day will be on March 30th.
This is also associated with the event on Henza-jima, called Sangwacha (a fisherman festival). Sangwachi-gwashi (translation: March sweets) is commonly eaten by the beach.
On March 3rd of the lunar calendar, families take their girls down to the beach and get in the water to “purify” or “cleanse” them, and to pray for good health. The seawater is supposed to get rid of any bad spirits, curses, etc. Sometimes families will collect shells, harvest asa アーサー (type of seaweed) or small clams in the tidal areas, and often have a beach-side picnic. One of the ladies in my class reminisced about when she was a child, how on Hama uri her mother took her down to the beach, they would go digging for clams and then have a picnic. She explained that on this day, the tides are low, so it is easy to harvest the clams and asa.
The Legend behind Hamauri:
Long ago, a young man visited a young girl of marriageable age one evening. He was obviously a nobleman, but he didn’t speak much about himself. He spoke sweetly to the young woman and they were became lovers. When the parents found out their daughter had become pregnant, they decided to discover more about who the mysterious nobleman was since he never said where he was from. The parents told the girl to stick a needle with a long thread to the bottom of the nobleman’s kimono when he next visited.
That night as he slept, the girl did as her parents told her. The next morning they followed the thread deep into the woods, into a cave, and inside the cave a huge snake was coiled up that spoke to them. The snake said if the girl did not enter the sea to purify her body, she would bear his children– they realized he was not a man at all, but a magical snake.
When the parents returned home, they immediately took their daughter down to the ocean to purify her body in the salt water– dead baby snakes flowed out of her body! The evil snake’ magic spell was broken and the young nobleman was never to be seen again.
Henza-jima, many people have picnics and are playing in the tide pools. Some of the older folks are collecting asa to use in Okinawa dishes later.
ひな祭り(or 雛祭り) hina-matsuri is translated to Girls’ Day or Doll Festival.
Hinamatsuri is on March 3rd. In Okinawa, there is a special tradition on hinamatsuri of the lunar calendar, but that will be for a different post: 浜下りhamauri.
Traditional treats and not-so-traditional treats are being sold in stores. Community centers (and maybe some homes in Okinawa) have hina doll displays. Everyone prays for the good health of girls. These doll displays are rather costly and not actually traditional in Okinawa (just mainland Japan), so not very many people here have them. But any community center, library, or department store will have a nice display to check out.
Sakura mochi 桜餅 and hishimochi 菱餅 are 2 traditional wagashi for hinamatsuri. Sakura mochi is a pink mochi wrapped in a sakura (cherry blossom leaf). Hishimochi is a 3-layered ricecake, pink, white, and green, in a diamond shape. These days, you may see other wagashi designed especially for the day, as well as cakes and western-style desserts, with cute pink designs.
hinamatsuri mochi
sakura mochi and hishimochi
hinamatsuri ad at FamilyMart
Another common snack you will see is hina-arare ひなあられ, (usually pink) rice crackers.
Hina-arare. With Hello Kitty theme of course.Tohato caramel corn puff snacks with hinamatsuri doll theme. Left is momo (peach) flavor, right is regular flavor.
In Hawaii, Girls’ day is somewhat observed although on a much smaller scale than Japan.
Be sure to look for all these treats the next time you are in the store in Okinawa around late February and early March!
