okinawa – Page 7 – ono okinawa

Cooking, Culture, Folklore, Holidays, Local Foods

Muuchii ムーチー: Folklore and Recipe

Previously, I posted about the special Okinawa mochi called muuchii ムーチー (鬼餅). It is traditional to eat muuchii* on Muuchii-no-hi ムーチーの日 (12/8 of the lunar New year).

*also commonly spelled as “muchi” in English.

Eating muuchii on muuchii-no-hi is derived from an old Okinawan folk tale. There are some more macabre (and sexualized) versions of this tale, but I will stick to one of the children’s version that they air on TV here… gotta keep it PG.

This story is “Oni mochi” or in Okinawan language, “Unee Muuchii” 鬼餅. (鬼 oni means demon, 餅 mochi means rice cake). **some variations I have seen on “oni” in Okinawa language are also ウニ uni and ウナー unaa. I suspect these are all correct depending on the region of Okinawa.

Long ago, a brother and sister lived in a village near Shuri called Ozato. The brother became possessed by a demon and ate livestock at night; he even started living in a cave. In some stories, it is also rumored that the demon-possessed brother began eating children. The sister found out, so she came up with a plan to get rid of the demon.

In order to exorcise the demon, the sister made a muuchii (mochi) with iron nails inside and wrapped it with sannin 月桃の葉 (shell ginger leaves, called caasa カーサー in Okinawan language).

She tricked the demon to eat the mochi; the iron nails rid the brother of the demon and they pushed it off the cliff to kill the ogre!

In some of the lesser PG stories, the brother dies as he is the oni and the sister dies falling off the cliff with the oni, or weirder yet the sister has a “second mouth” which eats demons that is located “under her kimono”… I am sure you can guess as to what this might mean.

Anyway, the story happened on December 8th of the lunar calendar, so ever since it is a custom to eat muuchi on this day to ward off demons, protect from evil, and pray for good health.

Similar to setsubun, there is the custom of saying:

ウネーフカ（鬼は外） unee-fuka (demons outside)
フコーウチ（福は内）fukoo-uchi (luck inside)

Around this time of year, all the grocery stores start displaying the products to make muuchii, and shops take pre-orders. As I mentioned in the previous post on muuchii, people with children will buy the same number of muuchii as the age of their children and tie them up with string, hanging them up in the house; this practice is called sagimuuchii サギムーチー. People who had a baby in the past year will make up lots and lots of muuchii (this practice is called ハチムーチー hachimuuchi 初鬼餅) to hand out to relatives, neighbors, and friends; last year one of my eikaiwa students became a grandmother and brought us all in muuchii. For the baby, they also have the custom of making chikara muuchii (力 chikara means “power”) which is much bigger then regular muuchii in order to pray for the healthy growth of the baby. Muuchii is eaten as a lucky charm for the prayer of health and longevity. This coming year, Muuchii day (ムーチーの日) is on January 24th 2018; December 8th of the lunar calendar.

There are a couple ways you can make muuchii. First you can buy the pre-mixed bag, just add water. All the grocery stores sell these, in usually in a variety of flavors such as beniimo (purple sweet potato), brown sugar (one of my favorites), taanmu (taro), yomogi (mugwort), kabocha (pumpkin), ukon/ucchin (turmeric), or even just plain. You can also buy the ingredients separately, so you can mix up the flavors as you like; again all the powders to this are in the grocery store. A lot of the mochiko and flavor packages even have the recipe/directions for muuchii on the back. If you really want (or don’t have access to powdered beniimo), you could even do it some more traditional ways like mashing beniimo to get the flavor in instead of the powder. Overall, it is super simple and it does not have to be precise, just don’t use too much of either water of sugar.

For the shell ginger leaves: you can buy these at JA farmers market or just ask someone if you can have some from their yard… they are everywhere!

Recipe for Beniimo muuchii (purple sweet potato): This one uses the powders. Maybe I will post the longer version later if I find a good recipe. You can halve or quarter the recipe, which is what I normally do.

mochiko もち粉, 1kg
beniimo powder 紅芋粉,200g
sugar, brown or white, 200g
water 4-5 cups
shell ginger leaves 月桃の葉, ~50 pieces (cleaned!)
vinyl string for tying muuchii

Knead together the mochiko, beniimo powder, sugar and some of the water (it will probably be a bit sticky at first, that’s okay). Make sure it is not too dry or too wet, it should be pliable but not too sticky or soft; you may want to experiment with the amount of water (the ratio should be somewhere in the range of 2:5 to 3:5 of water in mL to dry ingredients in grams). Shape into rectangular shape onto shell ginger, wrap and tie with vinyl string. Steam muuchii well for ~3o minutes. Carefully remove and let cool. Finished! Hopefully this year I can take some nice pictures of the making and shaping process~ you can see how truly easy it is to make yourself.

Brown sugar muuchii (10 pieces): mochiko, 300g; brown sugar 120g (as little as 80g or up to about 150g depending on your taste); water 240cc. Follow the same instructions– knead, shape, wrap, tie. Steam ~30 minutes.

For these recipes you can change the ratios a bit and you will not affect the texture or steaming time much. Some recipes will call for dried potato flakes (like those instant mashed potato flakes), but I have not tried using any… I am not really sure how that changes things. Recipes from scratch call for boiling and mashing either white potato or sweet potato into the mixture… again, I have not really tried that (yet).

For reference here is a picture of 2 pre-mixed ready to go muuchii pouches I bought at SanA; left is taanmu 田芋/ターンム (taro) and right is brown sugar (黒糖). All you need is water and shell ginger leaves. The best part– these can also be made into dango 団子! Also for reference below is a picture of mochikoもち粉 (sweet glutinous rice flour) if you go that route.

Some pictures of the process:

vinyl string, 100yen in the grocery store

Culture, Holidays, Local Events, Local Foods

Okinawa New Year: 正月

(御)正月 (o)shougatsu: New Year

**in Okinawan language it is pronounced “sougwachi” そーぐゎち

大晦日 oomisoka: New Year’s Eve

**in Okinawa language it is pronounced “toushinuyuruu” とぅしぬゆるー

There are many, many Japanese customs that come with the beginning of a New Year. In Okinawa, several of them are observed, and some are a little different. Okinawa usually observes most of its customs on the lunar calendar, so there is also a second, slightly different observance for lunar New Year celebrated later as well.

Before the New Year, houses go through major house-cleaning (osouji 大掃除) to prepare for the new year. It is a busy time for everyone. New Years is mostly a family event in Japan, and perhaps especially Okinawa, so they are not usually a lot of large countdowns or fireworks shows. The only fireworks tend to be at the resorts, mostly for tourists. There are some drinking/dancing parties for the younger people. The Itoman Peace Park has a special event with torches and sounding the bell for world peace, then ending with some fireworks. ChuraSun Beach in Tomigusuku keeps their illumination up through midnight and ends with countdown fireworks. There are usually some fireworks up in Awase by the Comprehensive park as well. Overall they are very short shows, nothing like the summer. Every year I see someone online saying there are fireworks in American Village, but then I never see any info on it and later people complain there were none; I am guessing some jerk thinks it is fun to troll new Americans for New Year’s eve.

As I was shopping in SanA (grocery store), they had a nice poster (shown above) of where to put all the New Years decoration (in Japanese, but nice nonetheless). Right now there are tons of different pieces that one can purchase to get the house ready for the New Year. Some of the common decor and traditions you will see in Okinawa:

shimekazari しめ飾り: a rice straw rope wreath しめ縄 (shimenawa) with white paper 紙垂 (shide). In Okinawa, it is common to have a fairly simple straw “wreath” with a piece of charcoal wrapped in konbu 昆布 (seaweed) and an orange (mikan みかん) attached, though plenty of people also buy the fancier ones. You can even buy ones with Rilakkuma and other characters on it. This kind of thing can be placed on your door, or above the entrance to your house. It is to purify/protect the house. A more simple shimenawa rope is often placed above the family butsudan 仏壇 (altar). Some people even buy small ones and put them on their cars. I buy new ones every year, but I have heard people admit they reuse them for a few years (instead of burning it on the ritual day) and just add a fresh orange/charcoal. So again, if you buy a nice one that is too pretty (or expensive) to burn… don’t feel guilty for not burning it according to tradition.

kadomatsu 門松: 3 pieces of bamboo with pine are arranged on a circular base. Also typically placed at the entranceway, to welcome the toshigami 年神 (year deity/god) to the house (they can land on the bamboo posts). I have a (plastic-y) set that I reuse. Sometimes it is nice to buy fresh new ones, but the New Year adds up quickly. Again… you can buy them and burn them in the ritual… but don’t let anyone make you feel bad for being a little frugal. Japanese people are like this too.

minori 稔り: this is rice straw tied in a bunch. Can be placed by the altar/butsudan, but I think some people in Okinawa use these instead of kadomatsu at the front entrance. Some people may even braid their own shimekazari from these.

kagami-mochi 鏡餅: this is “mirror” mochi. I cannot tell you the number of Americans who buy one, open it, and BITE into it raw! Then they wonder why Japanese eat wax. But no… you must heat up the dried mochi! Anyway, these are stacked pieces of dried mochi with a New Year decoration (like an orange or zodiac symbol on top). This is usually placed at the butsudan /altar or kamidana 神棚. You are not supposed to open it and “break” the mirror (crack the mochi into pieces) until on Jan 11th (some regions might do different days). Anyway, on kagami biraki 鏡開き (break the mirror ceremony), open up your dried mochi that you bought and break it into pieces (you should not use a knife but mallet or something instead, but I won’t judge you if you decide knife is easier). You can heat it up a number of ways. My favorite is toast it in the microwave or toaster oven or even a grill (just a little until you see it puff up and brown), then add it to hot zenzai ぜんざい (red bean soup, you can make yourself or just buy the prepared package at SanA). Yum! You could also check online for some ozoni soup recipes お雑煮.

charcoal wrapped in kelp: 炭= charcoal, so sumi-kazari 炭飾り is charcoal decoration. In Okinawa, charcoal is very important for purification, health, and for longevity (since it does not “decay”). Pieces of charcoal wrapped in kelp and with auspicious kanji/ribbon are placed not only on the shimekazari, but also on the butsudan (altar) or the hinukan 火の神.

figurine of New Year zodiac animal: This year is year of the rooster and last year was year of the monkey. In recent years I have started getting the cheap Hello Kitty zodiac figurine. It is cute although I suppose not so traditional. Only 500yen at Tokyu Hands.

Many New Years flower arrangements will have plum blossoms, pine, bamboo, cabbage and other plants that have special symbolism for spring or the beginning of a new year.

otoshidama お年玉: who doesn’t love to receive an envelope full of money? Usually this is for kids to receive. Even as a school teacher in Hawai’i I observed this custom on a small scale during the lunar New Year, and gave kids otoshidama envelopes (called pochi bukuro ポチ袋) with a chocolate coin it– no money, but a little piece of chocolate, so it was still appreciated.

otoshidama I received at a local business; 5yen coins are considered lucky so this is something to keep in the coin purse.

osechi-ryouri 御節料理: Traditional New years food! The best part, amirite? In this modern day you will see stores bustling with pre-orders, not many people have so much time to prepare all this! Again, it usually falls on the wife of the oldest son to prepare these things (some of the ladies in my eikaiwa say it is best to marry a second son!), similar to Obon, so as you can imagine ordering a platter with all the required items from a restaurant or grocery store is much easier. There are a few traditional foods necessary for Okinawan osechi-ryouri, most of them are fried, some type of pork, or shrimps. Honestly in the stores, the fried foods and Okinawa hors d’oeuvres plates (オードブル) were flying off the shelves while the mainland-style foods were left somewhat untouched. I will try to take a few pictures this year; below are pictured more mainland Japanese types of food for New Years.

toshikoshi soba 年越しそば: year-end soba. On Dec 31st, people eat either mainland Japanese soba or Okinawa soba depending on preference.

nakamijiru 中身汁 (also 中味汁): Nakami-jiru is intestines soup (pork). This is a very traditional dish for Okinawan people, but younger generations are (for perhaps obvious reasons) less inclined to eat it these days. Bags of pre-made soup (just heat and serve) and large bags of “chitlins” (pieces of intestines, pardon the American slang) are easily found in the center aisles of the store this time of year.

Winter gift, oseibo 御歳暮: just like summer gift (chuugen), all the groceries drag out the box gifts. You can buy the same types of item: spam, laundry detergent, beer, rice… and you can have them ship it to relatives afar or just have them wrap it and deliver yourself during the days leading up to the New Year.

On New Years Eve, we typically watch Kohaku Uta Gassen 紅白歌合戦 (red vs white singing competition) featuring popular music artists and enka singers. Basically it is women (red) vs men (white), and while it is sort of cheesy at times (people complain about the talentless AKB48 groups), it is actually fun to have on while waiting for the end of the year. At the end, the votes are tallied and the winning team determined. Hotaru no hikari 蛍の光 (to the tune of Auld Lang Syne) is sung at the end, and then the program flashes to celebrations at New Years temples and shrines around Japan.

On the first of January, the Japan Post delivers New Years Cards with lottery numbers printed on them; see a related post on New Years Cards 年賀状 called nengajo 年賀状.

During the first week of New Years, especially on January 1st is the custom of hatsumode 初詣, the first visit to a shrine or temple (click here for info on shrines and temples in Okinawa); at midnight on New years you can usually hear the bells tolling 108 times. This is the time to buy new omamori お守り (protective amulets) and leave the old ones at the shrine or temple for the ritual burning. The shrines and temples are open 24 hours for the first 3 days of the New Year, so you can really go any time!

One tradition that is also very popular here in Okinawa is watching the first sunrise of the New Year, called 初日の出 hatsuhinode. Many people gather on ridges overlooking the east side of the island, and some locations have special events, such as Nakagusuku-jo ruins site. The 東太陽橋 Agai-tidabashi (bridge) by the SanA in Nakagusuku is always very crowded (this is also a popular moon-viewing spot).
And of course, the biggest shopping day of the year to score some good deals and fukubukuro (lucky bags) 福袋.

Some words/phrases you may see (or hear) a lot of:

よいお年を(お迎え下さい) yoi otoshi wo (omukae kudasai): said only before the New Year in December, basically “have a a good New Year.”

明けましておめでとうございます akemashite omedetou gozaimasu: Happy New Year (said after the New Year has begun)

今年もよろしくお願いします kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegaishimasu: Please take care of me (again) this year. Said after the New Year begins.

今年もいろいろお世話になりました kotoshi mo iroiro osewani narimashita: Thank you for everything you have done for me this year. Said before the New Year begins.

また来年も宜しくお願い致します mata rainen mo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu: Next year please also take care of me. Said before the New Year begins.

謹賀新年 kinga shinen: Happy New Year (written, not usually said)
賀正 gashou: Happy New Year (written, not usually said)

迎春 geishun: welcoming spring (again, written not said)

元日 ganjitsu: January 1st

元旦 gantan: The morning of January 1st.

あけおめ ake ome: slang (shortened version) of akemashite omedetou (Happy New Year).

Culture, Experiences, Japanese foods, Local Events

Mainland Sumo comes to Okinawa

相撲 sumo.

Okinawa has its own style of sumo, which is actually different from Japanese sumo. This post focuses on Japanese sumo. I should add a post for Okinawa-style sumo sometime.

This year, for the second time, the national sumo association is doing an exposition in Okinawa at the Convention Center in Ginowan. It was my first time to see mainland sumo in person, so it was pretty exciting. Obviously my experience is nothing like the real tournaments and arenas in the mainland, but it was fun nonetheless. I can’t talk much about rules or certain wrestlers, just my experience as a regular person watching sumo for the first time.

I purchased the tickets at FamilyMart in advance, like with any other concert, event, or sports ticket here in Okinawa. My husband also decided he wanted to get the pre-order omiyage set with the bento, cushion, and other goods. The tickets and omiyage set were not cheap, but I figure it might be the only chance we have to go to sumo, so might as well enjoy it to the fullest.

When we arrived on Saturday, all of the flags were lining the path and there were some food/drink and souvenir vendors outside. When we showed the tickets we got wristbands so we could leave and re-renter the venue; very convenient! Shoes were removed as soon as you stepped inside and put into a little bag. We also picked up our omiyage set just inside the door. Although the arena is small, it was filled with excitement.

We were escorted to our “box” which in this case was taped out on the floor; in a real arena it would be an actual tiered areas and separated from your neighbor by some bars. When I bought tickets, I bought the ペアマス Pair masu (mat), which is admission for 2 people where you sit in 1 “box” containing enough space for people to sit on cushions. Since we only got 1 omiyage set with 1 cushion, I brought along my zabuton 座布団 (Japanese flat seat cushion) that I purchased from the Daiso. You could purchase the souvenir sumo cushion for 1000yen at the venue, but I figure I saved myself 900yen.

When we settled into our seats, we checked out the omiyage set お土産セット. It came with quite a bit; the sumo cushion, a calendar, 2 rice bowls, a souvenir poster of all the sumo wrestlers, a bottle of tea, and a deluxe bento all in a nice bag that could be reused. We removed the cushion and food/drink, then my husband ran the bag back to the car so it wouldn’t take up space in our box (because honestly, the boxes were not the big).

We did not arrive at opening time since there were several hours of practice and such going on; I just couldn’t imagine hanging out for a total of 7 hours. We arrived during the last portion of the practices, so it was closer to a total of 4.5 hours in the arena for us.

After the practices ended, the kids sumo started; this where the very small kids in training come out and play with the wrestlers. It is actually a bit hilarious. Next was some more practice, and then the shokkiri 初切 (comic sumo performance). They also brought out the guy that demonstrated how to tie the wrestler’s hair, and some of the wrestlers demonstrated how to tie the yokozuna’s belt.

Finally it was time for some of the ceremonial stuff; there were processions in, introduction of wrestlers, singing, drumming, etc. The yokozuna were brought in separately and postured for the audience.

The tournament now began; wrestlers came down the aisle, were introduced, threw salt, etc. The bouts were fairly short, though we did get quite a few exciting ones that lasted longer, much to the hoots and hollers of the audience. Some were pushed out of the ring, others tossed. One almost landed in the audience. At the end of each bout the referee recognized the winner. At the end of the tournament, the tournament winner performed a bow-twirling and afterwards was rewarded with cash, a barrel of nihonshu 日本酒 (Japanese sake), and a slab of pork.

The nice part about the set up in the arena is that you can get up and walk around, get refreshment, use the restroom, stretch your legs at pretty much any point. At any time, only about 60-70% of people were actually seated, and it was common to mill about.

photos on imgur link below:

Sumo 相撲

Japanese foods, Local Foods, Shops

Some Staples in the Okinawa Pantry

Well, maybe just “Japanese Pantry” in general, with a few Okinawan items thrown in the mix.

So I was thinking about shopping in the grocery stores here, and what we always keep on hand, and what new transplants to Okinawa might be curious about or want to use in recipes but are not sure what to look for. I guess it feel a bit odd, since everything we stock here is actually the same as what we always keep in stock in Hawai’i. There are some minor additions, but nothing particularly earth-shattering. But what is normal in Hawai’i is not necessarily what is normal to other Americans, or westerners in general. Coming from Hawai’i, the biggest change for me was just reading ingredients in another language (which can be intimidating in itself).

So I will start off very basic: I made a “welcome” goody bag for new family here in Okinawa when they moved into their house a little while back, and thought about what I should add; you know, nothing too crazy for the average American, but some things I simply wouldn’t be able to live without. So what did I give them? First I will mention that they are a bit health-conscious (somewhat similar to myself), so I checked into mostly additive-free, organic type of stuff for them. They also come from a different background and were not quite familiar with Japanese food and ingredients yet (but interested), so the very basics were necessary!

miso 味噌: I chose an additive-free, organic miso paste (Hikari brand). I chose a medium colored mixed miso; a good, solid in between the white miso (lighter taste) and the rich umami red miso (heavier taste). This choice makes it easy to use, very versatile and not so pungent that they will scare away from it. Hikari brand is a high quality miso with headquarters in Nagano.

shoyu 醤油: I chose another organic koikuchi shoyu, Yamasa brand. Yamasa is a decent choice, and personally, I prefer it over most of the Kikkoman shoyu. The price is right– one of the few reasonably priced choices for organic in the local supermarket. Again, a solid choice, and one that is easy to find and identify in the local super should they go looking for it.

brown rice vinegar 玄米酢: Next up was rice vinegar. There are so many choices, but I splurged on this buy… brown rice vinegar. It is a bit more than regular rice vinegar, but worth it for me.

goma oil ごま油: sesame oil is, no question, essential. The flavor is packed into even the smallest drop. I find the pure sesame (not mixed) is really the best… I mean, you probably keep the others in your cabinet anyway, so if you want to mix it just mix it yourself. The cheapest brands add vegetable or canola or something along those lines and the flavor is really lacking in them.

yuzukoshou 柚子胡椒: this was a bit random, but I knew they liked spicy things, and what better than a paste concocted of spicy green chiles fermented with salt and yuzu! It gives a great kick to foods, a little spicy and citrusy. I love having this stuff around.

Japanese soba noodles (dried) 日本蕎麦: I bought a middle-of-the-road dried buckwheat noodles (made in the mainland). I added this as a “healthy” treat, to give a little variety and hopefully introduce them to the beauty of traditional Japanese noodles.

These items made up the basic “care package.” Now obviously there are a lot of other things that I would add to this list as being “essential.” Again, I just chose a few very basic items that I thought an Average American Family could actually use and enjoy from my local grocery (and nothing too weird that they would not know how to use!).

Some other ingredients that I maintain are essential but did not make it into their care package:

koregusu コーレーグース: in Hawai’i, this is equivalent to chili water. I wrote about this in another post.

mirin みりん: rice wine for cooking. Careful here, many of these contain different types of sweeteners, so if you are picky, read the ingredients. It is not uncommon to find HFCS. I usually stick with 本みりん (but this is more expensive). Many people don’t care that much, and some even say the cheaper ones taste is the same, so take it as you will. I probably agree the taste is about the same (doubtful that I could do a blind taste test), but I prefer to avoid HFCS when possible, so I usually suck it up and pay the higher price.

fu 麩: wheat gluten. Used in lots of things here in Okinawa, miso soup and stir-fries especially. I also wrote a post on this.

dashi だし: fish broth, or it can also come in the form of konbu (seaweed) broth. Fish is probably much more common, but there are ones made with just seaweed, making it vegetarian-friendly.

furikake ふりかけ: furikake is just like magic little dust you sprinkle on rice (onigiri or whatever really). Ever heard of furikake chex mix? It’s awesome, as probably every single person from Hawai’i will tell you. Just ask them, but be careful, it is addicting.

Okinawa brown sugar 黒糖: Okay, yeah, it is just sugar. But it is seriously good stuff. While we have other sugar, I always prefer using this when I can.

rice 米: we usually have some of every type of rice; polished/white, brown, purple, as well as the mix-ins like mochikibi. What cabinet would be complete without these?

kewpie mayo マヨ: a brand of Japanese mayo. It tastes different. It’s good. I know… MSG. But I cannot live without it.

Tonkatsu sauce とんかつソース: also you may hear this called Bulldog sauce (Bulldog is a famous brand). I actually buy Ikari brand though. I will admit, I use this more than I should. But again, it is addicting. Sometimes I even use it if I run out of yakisoba sauce or okonomi sauce.

shikwasa juice: this is like lemon juice, but shikwasa (Okinawa lime-citrus). Just buy 100% shikwasa juice and substitute for lemon juice in recipes. Obviously you can find lemon juice here (Don Quijote actually has a great price for a large bottle of it), but it is nice to keep it local when you can. Also it makes for a great addition to homemade ponzu sauce!

goma (sesame) dressing ごまドレッシング: creamy sesame dressing is a must for most Americans. I am a bit indifferent to it, my husband likes it so we have it in the fridge. I hear many Americans send it to family and friends back home as presents.

shichimi 七味: 7-spice, used to kick dishes up a notch in spiciness.

ra-yu ラー油: chili and garlic oil.

Anyway, I will add some pictures to each section later, but this is a quick peek into some of the things you should keep on hand in the pantry for living and eating in Okinawa. With these, I can pretty much make anything in addition to whatever fresh ingredients I buy. I am sure I have forgotten a bunch of items and I will come back later and add in more.

Culture, Holidays, Japanese foods

Christmas in Okinawa: クリスマス

クリスマス kurisumasu: Christmas

The Christmas season in Okinawa can be a pretty fun time of year. Although Christmas is not a public holiday here, nor a traditional holiday, many people still celebrate it in some way. I don’t actually get the day off here– I go to classes or work in the research lab.

Some stores sell a few Christmas decorations and lights, but the prices are much higher than you would expect to see in the US. You will not find a fresh Christmas tree and garland here. You can find, however, small potted “Christmas” trees and poinsettias (and for a good price) at the home stores such as Makeman and Cainz. Your best bet is to check out the Daiso and other 100yen shops for cheap decorations. It won’t be anything fancy, but the price is right. Every year it seems stores are selling more and more Christmas merchandise.

Since decorating homes is neither traditional nor cheap, huge illuminations displays at resorts, malls, gardens or other tourist sites is very popular. There are several places in Okinawa you can enjoy Christmas light displays; some are free (smaller displays) and some are paid (much grander displays). Some places to check out are: Itoman Peace Park, Southeast Botanical gardens, Okinawa Children’s Zoo, Murasaki-mura in Yomitan, Kariyushi resort (up north), Kanucha resort (up north), Naha Ryubo Palette Kumoji, and American Village in Chatan. I probably missed a few, but this is a good start.

Christmas is usually perceived to be more of a “date night” for couples, so many restaurants will offer a price fixe menu (almost everywhere requires reservations in advance!). Keep in mind, the actual day of Christmas is not necessarily known by some Japanese/Okinawans– no seriously, I was asked by quite a few people this year what day Christmas was on, and for how many days it was celebrated. I have a feeling there is some confusion over Christmas eve, Christmas day, and Boxing day (or maybe the whole bit with the 12 days of Christmas). So with this in mind, some places will offer the menu only on Christmas, while others include the 24th, or even the 23rd and 26th.

For those who do not go out on Christmas, it is extremely popular to preorder fried chicken (フライドチキン in katakana) from places such as KFC and Mos Burger, or from the Aeon and SanA grocery stores. You can even preorder from the convenience stores like Lawson or Family Mart. The sign up for time slots to pick-up fried chicken usually starts in late November. Time slots fill up quickly, so do not expect to waltz into KFC on Christmas eve or Christmas day and pick some up. Definitely preorder if you want to partake in this tradition. Usually the grocery stores do not fill up so quickly, and will have extra out on those days, so at least you can find something.

In addition, Christmas cakes (クリスマスケーキ) are popular. Usually this means a strawberry shortcake with whip icing, but recently all sorts of chocolate gateau, yule logs, cheesecakes, or other fancy torte cakes have gained popularity. Almost every single bakery/patisserie has pre-orders for cakes during the season to be picked up from the 23rd through 25th. Again, the grocery stores and conbini you can usually pick up a (small individual) cake on the day of, but other places you will need to place your order 2 weeks or more in advance. The slots of cakes don’t fill up as quickly as fried chicken, except maybe at the most popular bakeries. Honestly, the prices for a whole cake are a bit staggeringly high. This year, I chose an up-and-coming bakery to order from since their price is a bit cheaper than the more established and well-known places. The best part is, since I placed my order before a certain day, I received a 10% discount! So keep in mind if you live in Okinawa and want to get a Christmas cake: order your cake early since many places will give between 5-20% discount for early orders. Even places like Lawson and FamilyMart conbini take advance orders for Christmas cakes as well as fried chicken (1-stop shopping)… further reminding me that convenience stores in Japan truly are convenient, and you can pretty much do anything at these places (pay bills, receive Amazon packages, buy concert tickets and more).

Somewhat strange to me is starting around November, stores will start to put out Christmas decor and play incessant Christmas music (or more likely, muzak…). For a not-very-Japanese holiday, many people really enjoy and get into the spirit of the holiday season.

If you are in Okinawa during the holidays, be sure to enjoy some of these different “traditions”!

メリークリスマス！Merii kurisumasu!

メリークリ merii kuri is the shortened version, and I have actually had this sent to me in text messages from friends to my surprise.

Local Foods

Regens German Sweets: ドイツ菓子レーゲンス

ドイツ doitsu: Germany, German.

菓子 kashi: sweets, confections.

Located in Ginowan behind the Convention City SanA mall is a quaint little bake shop called Regens Konditorei Cafe. There are a few parking spaces in front of the shop, but mostly, it would be easy to pass by if you did not know what to look for. However, when you step inside, you are transported into a magical little bakery/patisserie (I have no idea what the German word equivalent of a patisserie is). The interior decoration is rather classy, and not tacky like you might envision a Japanese German dessert shop might be. The atmosphere is kind of upscale feeling.

**Note: I have only stepped onto German soil once (okay, actually SNOW not soil) for approximately 8 hours while we traveled to Italy for Christmas a few years ago. Our plane was delayed, due to snow, and we headed to the Christmas markets where I shoved as much food and spiced wines as possible into my greedy little pie-hole. So I am obviously no good judge of “authentic” or whatever. My husband, on the other hand, has actually visited Germany a lot in the past (mostly before he married me) and as our last name reveals, a good bit of German heritage in his family. He feels this place is pretty authentic and enjoyed everything he has tried. So, I don’t guarantee this will the same for those of you who have lived in Germany, but it’s pretty darn good.

There are small tea cookies and kuchen (cakes) in cases to drool over; you surely do not want to miss their sachertorte or their marzipan houses. Depending on the day, you might catch fresh fig bread or pretzels. During Christmas it is easy to find German-style fruit kuchen (fruitcake) and stollen. It is all magnificent tasting and looking (not terribly cheap, although not unreasonable either). My wallet takes a bit of hit here during the holidays since my husband also adores all the goodies you can find in this store and no Christmas is complete without a fruitcake or stollen. This is our go-to dessert spot when we want something nice or are celebrating a special occasion.

Not only this, but the staff is great. Everything can be wrapped nicely for gifts as well (assuming it is making it further than your car). There is even a cafe space if you would like to take some coffee and relax while eating one of their desserts. These pictures do not justice, so I suppose I will have to return and take some more…

Culture, Local Foods, Shops

Tougatsuke: 冬瓜漬

冬瓜漬: tougatsuke, tougadzuke. The first 2 kanji are 冬瓜 tougan, which is “winter melon” in English. The last kanji is 漬 (usually ‘tsuke’) meaning “pickle” or “preserve.” So the meaning of this term is something like pickled/preserved winter melon.

Tougan is also known as shibui しぶい in Okinawan language. It is a very hearty and cheap vegetable here in Okinawa. The word winter melon is sort of funny, because it is actually harvested in summer, but it is easy to store these and they will last all winter, so hence winter melon.

Anyway, I recently visited the Jahana Kippan Shop 謝花きっぱん店 in Naha. These shop is the only shop that still makes 2 very famous Ryukuan sweets called kippan and tougatsuke. During the Ryukyu kingdom era, these sweets were enjoyed by the emperor and high ranking nobles as delicacies, one of the 16 types of special fruits and desserts served in the Royal Court. This shop has amazing quality sweets, everything I sampled was so good; since I am a student, my budget was the “imperfect” pieces that they sold in small bags instead of the beautiful perfectly shaped ones.

To make tougatsuke, the juiciest flesh from tougan is used, as well as Okinawan sugarcane. There are no preservatives or artificial flavors here, just natural food made in the same style as the Ryukyu kingdom era. It is amazing that a simple tougan is turned into this sweet concoction! They recommend keeping it chilled, slicing thin pieces, and serving with tea or dessert wine. It is hard to describe the exact flavor– it was very sweet, and a little juicy, sort of melts in your mouth. An excellent pairing with some green tea.

Update: I later purchased the shiqwasa flavored tougatsuke and it is also delicious. I sampled the Okinawan sugarcane rum flavor in the store as well, and it was nice with a hint of rummy flavor.

Address：Okinawa, Naha, Matsuo 1-5-14
https://goo.gl/maps/vhUKgGsApJu

Local Foods, Shops

Tofuyo: 豆腐よう

豆腐よう: Tofuyo (toufuyou).

This is a fermented specialty food of the Ryukyu kingdom, enjoyed only by emperor’s family and few privileged nobles during the Ryukyu kingdom era.

It is intense and delicate, all at the same time. Creamy, and a bit pungent, sort of like a fancy European cheese, this is not to be missed while in Okinawa! Tofuyo is dried shima-doufu, marinated and fermented in red kouji and awamori (Okinawa liquor).

Perhaps to a westerner, it does not sound appetizing, but I promise it is! When I first heard about it, I actually pictured something closer to “stinky tofu” of Taiwan, and felt a little timid about trying it, but it is much different! The smell is quite pleasant, a little bit alcoholic, and the texture really is reminiscent of a creamy cheese. The taste can be a bit intense, but it is not overwhelming.

These days tofuyo can be purchased in just about any grocery store in Okinawa. Recently I visited one of the fancier producers in Naha, Tatsu-no-kura 龍の蔵. I was able to sample a bit of everything… and it was amazing. A delicacy indeed, though a bit expensive… this is a special occasion food.

It has come to my attention that Tatsu-no-kura has a store and awamori/fermentation limestone cave up North near Kin kannon-ji (temple). There are 2 parts of the cave system, one for the temple (free) and one for the shop (entrance fee), so don’t get then confused! Go to the store in Kin to pay and join a tour… it is fun!

Naha address for Tatsu-no-kura 龍の蔵: 〒900-0014 Okinawa-ken, Naha-shi, Matsuo, 1 Chome 1-9-47
https://goo.gl/maps/QoK6N67hKg32

address for Kin Limestone Cave 金武鍾乳洞: https://goo.gl/maps/ctmrb2YtDgu

Kin address for Tatsu-no-kura (to visit cave): https://goo.gl/maps/pnayzp3ZEZR2

Culture

Sueyoshi Park & Shrine: 末吉公園＆宮跡

On a rainy day, I headed out to Sueyoshi shrine located within the Sueyoshi park 末吉公園 in Naha near the Shuri area.

There are a few parking areas; I parked in the larger parking area, off of rt 82 here. There is also another parking lot by the Mori-no-ie MinMin 森の家みんみん community center, but it is also located next to a nice open area where the elder people play bocce ball or gateball so it might be crowded. These parking spots are at the OPPOSITE end of the park from the shrine, so if you only want to visit the shrine, drive to just north of the park, where there is a small area you can park in. However, I decided to enjoy a nice walk through the park today.

Despite the drizzle, it was a nice day to walk around. There are many inner paths weaving through the forested area and crossing the stream. Most of the paths are easy to follow, but some are a bit slippery. There are a few historical markers to check out along the way too, in both Japanese and English. This park is especially known for the fireflies (hotaru 蛍, ホタル) during May-July! Well, right now it is autumn, so obviously, none for me today. There were also plenty of places to have a nice picnic or rest; tables and benches seemed to pop up all over the park. And there were trash bins and toilets convenient in a few areas. I also noticed (despite the rain) a guy and his kid with bug-catching nets, so the wildlife is plentiful considering it is in the city.

At the community center, I picked up a paper map, though it was not terribly useful but combined with my phone GPS I was able to get around okay, just matching the “park sites” to google maps (the walking paths nor park sites are not labelled in google maps). The paper map got sufficiently crumpled by the end of my “hike.”

I made my way to the shrine; warning it was a descent into the park and then a decent slope upwards, some stairs, etc, so it was not exactly a leisurely stroll. It was not terribly strenuous, but I did burn some calories. Up at the shrine, there was an old man manning the booth for omamori and fortunes (and bottled drinks), and another old man sweeping. Then inside the shrine there was another older man assisting with prayer. Honestly, this was much busier than I expected! It was peaceful and quiet though small, and had gorgeous views over Naha (I climbed higher than I realized getting up there). The original shrine was destroyed in WWII during the Battle of Okinawa, and was restored in the 1970s.

Afterwards, I walked around all the small areas for worshipping various local gods, and over to the Ginowan-Udun grave, the Ginowan-Udun mural, and eventually making my way through the wooded paths back to the parking area.

Some tips:
1. Don’t wear slippahs, wear real shoes with good grip. I fell on my okole after slipping on some slimey, mossy rocks.
2. Depending on the season, bring bug spray (maybe in winter you will not need it). It is usually a damp forest, a few mosquitoes are around, though it is not so bad compared to other places.

*A great place to stop afterwards for croissants is nearby! Kouign Croissant Bakery: クロワッサンの屋クイニー

photos on imgur link below (if you go to the site itself you can also see some of my commentary):

Sueyoshi Park & Shrine

address for parking area: https://goo.gl/maps/FfVwcNG9CQN2

address for Mori-no-ie Minmin community center: https://goo.gl/maps/atfh1QWbZgP2

address for Sueyoshi Shrine: https://goo.gl/maps/13nVSyQ9oZt

Culture

A Wedding in Okinawa: 結婚式

結婚式 kekkonshiki is a wedding (party/celebration).

I received a wedding invitation from one of my Japanese friends that I dance hula with. How exciting~ but there was a lot to prepare for… I didn’t want to be that gaijin, even though I know they do not usually expect much from me.

One thing to be clear though… Okinawan weddings are definitely different from mainland Japan weddings!

The Invitation:

I received the invitation after accepting from a text message to go. The envelope was simple, but had my full name and … on it. On the inside, the invitation was actually a bit like your typical western wedding invitation, but there was also a “ticket” to bring to the hotel banquet hall on the day of the wedding party.

The Money:
You don’t really give wedding gifts from a wedding registry here. Instead it is cold hard cash. This is called “goshugi” ご祝儀.

Buy an envelope from a stationary store (or even a Daiso). I went to Ryubo and chose a pink one with “Happy Wedding” on it so I knew I could not go wrong. There is a large envelope selection for celebration, so you must make sure to choose one appropriate to type of celebration and for the appropriate amount of gift money. The envelope was labelled as appropriate for gifts of 1万-5万円 (~100-500$USD).

Then on to the money portion. How much to give? Well, weddings are expensive… the first rule is to give an odd number of bills (so the couple does not split up), as well as crisp new bills (so the couple has a fresh start on married life). For a wedding in Japan, it seems to be customary for friends/coworkers to give 30,000円, consisting of three 1万円 bills (~300$USD). This is per person, couples or a family with multiple would again give some odd number, and usually at least 30,000yen per person. Recently it seems there is some trend to give 20,000円, with one 1万円 bill and two 5千円 bills. Typically the older you are, or the closer to the couple you are (so if you were cousins or family of some sort), you would give the couple a larger amount. In Okinawa, though the total amount given is lower than the mainland, and 1万円 is sufficient; but again I think it may depend on the couple and the type of wedding (casual versus formal, the location venue, etc), so again it is important to just use your best judgement. Basically something to remember: only agree to go to a Japanese wedding party if you can afford it! Since I will likely not attend very many, well… it is a really nice opportunity to learn a bit more about this side of the culture, and I am excited for my friend.

What to Wear:

Well, this is a difficult one since we are in Okinawa… is Hawaiian formal okay, I wonder? I should I stick with what I understand from mainland Japan, and wear a semi-formal sort of cocktail dress (comes to the knees, subdued colors, shawl or jacket over bare shoulders)? Maybe I overthought this (a lot). So last minute decision was to wear the cocktail dress. I will already stand out being a foreigner, I don’t need to add on any outfit faux pas.

One thing I noticed is that black (even all black) is totally okay to wear. Another is that a nice pants suit is also okay for ladies.. this could be because it is Okinawa and more casual though. Otherwise most females were in the typical cocktail dress type of outfit and everyone’s shoulders were covered (so no strapless, no spaghetti straps, no sleeveless that were not covered by a wrap or jacket of some sort).

The Party:

So it is not so much a wedding like in the US at a church or other venue, and then a reception. Instead, it is much more common to simply hold it at a hotel venue, and there is usually no religious or other formal component. It is more like a wedding reception.

After we arrived, we signed the guestbook and handed over our goshugi. I was not the only one a little nervous; for one of my younger hula friends this was also her first time to attend a wedding.

Now this is the part where Okinawa was so different from Japan weddings. Most articles talking about Japanese weddings always mention a lack of drinking despite the drinking culture. In Okinawa, there was much alcohol to be consumed, and was very much a part of the celebration. At an Okinawan wedding, it is okay to be a little drunk (maybe not sloppy, but a little drunk). The hotel also catered a very large feast with platters brought out to each table during the party, as well as a fairly continuous stream of Orion bottles.

Some parts were similar to what I had heard; there were slideshows of the bride and groom, both individually and together (a total of 3). Plus toasts and special messages to the bride and groom, as well as a tearful letter of gratitude written and read by the bride to her parents. The couple dressed in 3 different outfits during the entire wedding party, 1 traditional Japanese, and 2 western (1 white bridal gown, and 1 very Japanese-western style blue fluffy gown). There was a cake cutting, candle lighting, a champagne toast, and some other sort of normal, expected elements.

Then, things got a little weird. There was much revelry in between the sappy, serious parts. The groom’s friends put on a series of performances, which was definitely… well, perhaps a bit uncommon by American standards. I will link a photo album with some explanations. But basically… anything goes during this part. Anyway, it was a ton of fun and very entertaining, albeit a little shocking. I am guessing these types of performances might be less common at a mainland Japan wedding… many of my hula friends giggled, and suggested that Okinawan wedding affairs were significantly different from mainland Japanese weddings.

On the bride’s side, my kumu (hula teacher) danced, and then the bride performed a hula with a small group. Much less risqué then the groom’s friends.

Afterwards:

At everyone’s seat, there was a bag with the name on it. These were the “gifts” to take home. It was a set of fancy Ryukyu glasses that are so popular here in Okinawa. Quite lovely, and I will think of the bride often when I use them.

There was also a second party afterwards, more casual affair with drinking. I ended up being exhausted and going home, instead. I was fairly worn out by the excitement, and honestly, I had to work the next day. A hangover simply was not in my future.

(Full photos with explanations coming soon to imgur).

Okinawa Wedding Party

Japanese sweets, Shops

Boulangerie a Tete: ブーランジェリー・ア・テット

In Okinawa, there are so many パン屋 pan-ya (bakeries)… and I have found another nice one, this time located in Urasoe called Boulangerie a tete.

The reason why I mention this one is the coconut tart. So good. Flakey tart, baked coconut custard filling, topped with extra coconut. I got a few things to sample, but this was definitely number one.

They had a few of the standards for a Japanese bakery, but some more unique items to the shop. They also labelled many things as to what country of origin the recipe was from (so there was a mix of German, French, Italian). Also another bonus for many people is that one of the bakers spoke English, and even offered assistance right away as everything was labelled in Japanese. While not an issue for me, I can see that this would be very useful for many people.

There are 2 parking spaces on the side of the store in a large parking area.

address: 沖縄県浦添市伊祖２－３０－１１

https://goo.gl/maps/KHRmsXdnQoF2

Restaurants

Pizza @ Amani: イタリアン食堂Amani

In Okinawa, there are a few tabehoudai 食べ放題 (all-you-can-eat) pizza places; some are good some are bad. Italian shokudo Amani is definitely one of the good! It is so much better than Ocean’s Pizza/Pizza-Inn, which are typically popular with some of the Americans.

First, there is ample parking located across the street. Second, it is a casual-trendy kind of feel inside. Third, it is all you can eat, but set up differently than some of the others Americans are used to. You order the (small-ish) sized pizzas at the table from the waitress, and over the course of your time (up to 90 minutes), you can order them as you finish them. The best part is, you can order half-and-half… this was awesome for me, since I went here ALONE, not realizing it was tabehoudai! When she said this was possible, I was relieved because that meant I could try more kinds. Besides the pizza, there is a pasta of the day and a salad/rice/curry/tapas/drink bar. The quality was actually quite high for only 1180yen (adult price, kids are cheaper).

Everything I tried was really good; my favorite was probably the bamboo shoots white pizza (special of the day). Basically, this place was definitely a win, and my husband was incredibly jealous I went alone… I need to take him here sometime.

**The menu is only in Japanese. But there are some pictures on the paper menu. There is also a chalkboard with specials of the day you can order (no pictures).

address: 〒902-0068 Okinawa Prefecture, Naha, Makabi, ２−２９−２６

https://goo.gl/maps/inpyCLXjjvo

Local Foods, Restaurants

Parlor de jujumo

Awhile back, on a nice sunny day, my husband was itching to get out. So, I had heard of this small place with veg offerings and really wanted to check it out; luckily my husband was game. So off we went to the Ashibinaa outlets in Tomigusuku to walk around for some exercise before hitting up Parlor de jujumo nearby.

Really, it is more fair to say it is a shack, albeit a really cool, trendy one. It is located off some really random streets with not much else around, but that just makes it quaint. Anyhow, if the owner is not there, just hit the call button on the walkie-talkie.

The menu is small; veg curry or veg burger for food, sugarcane juice, organic coffees for drinks. You can eat at the counter (outside) or take it to go.

Each plate was only 450yen! They were both good, but my husband preferred the burger; they were both made from the same sort of bean curry and had some nice added spices. It was a small plate, which was okay, because the next stop for the day was to try the chiffon miso cake at Yume Koubou.

The owner is also in a band, so if you visit the shack, check out the fliers for their next event.

address: 490-12 Yone, Tomigusuku-shi, Okinawa-ken 901-0224
https://goo.gl/maps/2tdr4DSzSYU2

Culture, Local Foods

Ryukyuan Cuisine: 琉球料理

琉球料理 ryuukyuu ryouri means Ryukyuan cuisine.

The other day, I was idling away some time at the university library, when I came upon the “Okinawa Section.” Most books were in Japanese, but one in English caught my eye. It was simply titled, “Ryukyuan Cuisine.” So out of curiosity I flipped it open, and read about some of the more traditional dishes (some pictures below). While there were no actual recipes, there were several descriptions of the foods and the types of local ingredients– it was really quite informative. This book was published in the 90s by the Okinawa Tourism and Cultural Promotion organization. I would like to find a copy for myself, but it has turned out difficult to find. It further inspired me to check out the local bookstore, and peruse some magazines and books on Ryukyuan cuisine (in Japanese, so I am a bit slower to read). Reading through these books really reminded me how Ryukyuan cuisine is quite different than traditional Japanese cuisine; it is definitely influenced quite a bit from Chinese cuisine, but still very unique.

I made a quick guide to Okinawa dishes here and a guide to some traditional sweets here and here.

Here is some info on Okinawa produce here.

Local Foods, Restaurants

Okinawa Saien Buffet Karakara: 沖縄菜園ブッフェカラカラ

In Tomigusuku, in the Ashibinaa outlet Mall located next to the Starbucks and the Bikkuri Donkey, there is an excellent Okinawa local and fresh foods buffet called 沖縄菜園ブッフェカラカラ Okinawa Saien Buffet KaraKara. Most of the dishes feature local ingredients, and you can try several types of local Okinawa soul foods. Lots of fresh greens, too, and dishes will rotate based on seasons; the menu focuses on local island vegetables. Plus, all the dishes have allergy card information.

There are dishes that feature hechima, goya, tougan, Okinawan pork, Okinawa soba, tofu, shiraae, fish, as well as some more westernized dishes. Plus there is soft-serve and a variety of desserts. Everyone can be happy eating here. We like to take out-of-town guests here to get a feel for local food, while still having lots of options. Personally, I prefer KaraKara to Daikon-no-Hana, another popular Okinawa buffet chain with a similar style. KaraKara is a must-try for anyone coming to Okinawa.

It is cheaper to go during lunch rather than dinner– but at dinner time the buffet has sushi items! Lunch is about~1500yen, dinner ~1800yen, and children are cheaper. There is also a second location on the 9th floor of the Ryubo Department store in Naha, but I prefer the Tomigusuku location (the interior is nicer in my opinion).

I don’t have any pictures (hmm, guess I should go back soon…), I am always too busy eating.

address: https://goo.gl/maps/fWLHmU9N2B62

Local Drinks, Restaurants

Rakurobi kitchen, macrobiotic cafe:楽ロビkitchen

I have an affinity for wholesome, veggie cafes. I decided to give the macrobiotic food at Rakurobi kitchen (楽ロビkitchen) a try.

First of all, they have a nice large free parking lot (hooray!), which is not always the case in Naha. The next thing is it is located on the second floor of the building. When you enter, there is an area to remove your shoes. The inside has a very clean and cute decor, fairly typical of most of these types of cafes.

For the most part, the menu is very limited, so the best option is the mangetsu 満月 (full moon) plate. I believe the plates are mostly vegan, excepting for maybe the use of dashi or fish sauce (at least that is what their menu board said when I went awhile back). Serious vegetarian/vegans might be critical of this, but for me, it honestly does not matter much. The food was amazingly delicious and healthful, though the price was not too cheap (~1300 yen per person). I love getting all the small dishes that make up a wholesome lunch, although usually I am not too into soup (strange I know), so I ended up letting my husband have most of my soup since he loves it.

I had learned about this nice cafe restaurant awhile back, and then was reminded of it when I was reading the Uchina magazine (which during that month’s issue was focusing on vegetables and healthy living). Luckily my husband is patient with me when I suggest these places to go to, and ends up enjoying them as much as I do.

address: 沖縄県那覇市真嘉比1-29-16 ブランシュール真嘉比 2F

https://goo.gl/maps/oVBFwZhkKhH2

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rakurobikitchen

Travel: Outer Islands

Minna-jima: 水納島

Minna-jima 水納島 is a small crescent-shaped island off the Motobu Peninsula in Okinawa. There is a ferry service that runs between Toguchi Port and Minna-jima, and takes approximately 20 minutes (it is actually fairly close to Okinawa main island, not so remote). During the off-season (Oct-June), the ferry service only runs 2-3x per day; during peak season, July-Sept, the frequency increases to 6-12x. We showed up on a Sunday in November (off-season), and there the ferry was almost completely empty… only about 12 other people (the ferry capacity is over 100). So even on a weekend day with gorgeous weather, it was easy to get a seat on the ferry during non-peak times. We took the first ferry of the day at 10am. I suppose during the peak summer season, it would be better to reserve in advance since I hear it gets quite crowded though. Also, there was a lot of parking at the Toguchi port ferry terminal (and it is free).

The population of the island is very few (maybe 100 residents). There is not much to the island except for the marine activities (scuba, snorkel, boating, swimming). The entire islands coastline is less than 4km; the whole island can be walked in about an hour.

During the peak season, a few food stands are open, as well as coin lockers, coin showers and a changing room. As we confirmed NOTHING except for the marine sports rentals and one soba stand was open during the off-season. Nope, not even the showers/changing room! There are, at least, bathrooms available in the ferry terminal, as well as 1 drink vending machine (albeit sold out of about half the drinks)… okay, there were 2 but one was broken, so I didn’t count it. So, basically, if you are coming to Minna-jima during any time other than peak season, BRING your own food and drink! Which, luckily, we packed a lunch, some snacks, and drinks after reading the scant few “reviews” of Minna-jima (we almost didn’t).

Since the island was fairly empty, we ended up leaving our lunch bag and snorkel/swim gear in a shady spot on the beach right next to the ferry terminal building. And because this is Japan, no one messed with it. We walked to the “secret” beach past the tiny elementary/middle school and some small farms, then over towards the marshy lagoon area, next crossing some diving shacks towards the lighthouse, and back to the main beach. It was pretty, while not terribly exciting, still a nice way to spend a Sunday.

Back at the beach we sat on the wooden porch of the ferry terminal building and had our packed lunch, looking over the water. At this point, I was ready to get in the water a bit, even though it was a little chilly. So we made our way across the entirety of the tourist beach in the direction towards the lighthouse. If you swam out, you could see some interesting things by the reef edges, otherwise towards the water by shore itself was not very exciting. I also recommend wearing your water shoes (of course I did not, and my feet are answering for it), as the beach is not that sandy and filled with lots of sharp little shell and coral bits. I saw dark spot in the water near the shore, to realize it was a crazy swarm of minnows. Around the curve of the island brought us to some large rocks, so at this point, figured it was time to head back.

The showers and such were locked up (grr), but there were 2 foot showers that were outside of the building at the very least. Not ideal, but better than nothing. We cleaned up a bit, until the 1pm ferry to go back to Okinawa main island. For the off-season, 3 hours was more than enough time to explore this tiny island– during peak season, it might be nice to enjoy some food and beer at one the small stands if you can get extra time. Just keep in mind during peak season, this places gets packed and the beach turns into a sea of parasols from people trying to get a bit of shade. You can bring your own breach umbrellas or small shade tents, which from what I understand is almost a necessity during the summer months.

If you want to stay overnight, there are maybe 2-3 minshuku (inns) and 1 log house (managed by Marine Sports Mermaid); these places typically provide meals. You can also book snorkel and diving tours, which will take you on a boat so you can enter further from the shoreline (also, as a bonus, during the off-season, they have their own changing and showering facilities). There are also a few other marine leisure activities available.

**the nickname of the island is “Croissant Island.” For some reason, I find this funny.

Culture

Child’s 1st birthday, tanka-yu-eh: タンカーユーエー

Tanka （タンカー）: means 1-year-old’s birthday (Japanese: 1才の誕生日)

Yu-eh（ユーエー）: means celebration (Japanese:お祝い)

In Okinawa, some people celebrate a tradition called tanka-yu-eh タンカーユーエー, which has the meaning of a child’s first birthday. On this day, a ritual to predict child’s future is done! One of my student’s granddaughter recently celebrated her first birthday, so she shared this custom with me. Her granddaughter chose the abacus, so she will become good in business and very good at math.

A variety of things are placed before the child, such as an abacus, pen and ink, money, red rice, ruler and scissors (in the case of girls). Each item has a meaning, so whichever item the child chooses, is a prediction for their future.

book: scholar, good grades
abacus: good in business
brush and ink: become an official, government worker
money: become rich
red rice: will never go hungry
ruler/scissors: good at sewing

Some families will include other more “modern” items (like a ball for athlete, instrument for musician, etc) as well, or use a calculator instead of an abacus.

It is strictly for fun, and not so serious, just to hope for the happiness of the child’s healthy growth and a chance to gather family. This custom is similar to ones in Korea and elsewhere in Asia.

Culture, Restaurants

Bali Terrace: バリーテラス & Halloween Kimono Party

I first went to Bali Terrace in Urasoe for lunch awhile back. It is a sort of French/Italian kind of restaurant, and for lunch has set menu choices (entree such as pasta, chicken, fish, etc) with a semi-viking salad/drink bar (the cost is reasonable, maybe ~1300yen).

The interior is really interesting and comfortable; the view is quite amazing, as the restaurant is on the second floor of the building, perched atop a hill overlooking the ocean in the distance. They even take advantage of the view by having (indoor) tables that look directly out the windows, sort of like cushy sofa seating with plenty of pillows.

A second-hand kimono shop advertised a Halloween kimono dress-up event to be held here. So, since I knew the food would be decent, I decided to buy a ticket. Plus I could practice wearing kimono. I decided to go as “kitsune” (fox demon). I bought a cheap mask off amazon.jp, and coordinated some fall-woodsy colors with my brown kimono.

The ticket was for tabehoudai/nomihoudai (all you can eat and drink) party plan, so they brought out various foods throughout the night and filled drinks. This type of service is very popular for drinking parties in Japan, so you do not have to think about what to order, they just have various sets that they bring out throughout the night.

There were all sorts of nice foods served; pasta, gnocchi, pizza, salad, fried potatoes, deer carpaccio, sausages, cheeses… a nice place for this sort of event. Everyone had a lot of fun and chatted through the evening. All the kimonos were so cute, too.

address: 沖縄県浦添市仲間1-24-26 https://goo.gl/maps/suXHGbijaV22

A few lunch time pictures:

Japanese foods, Restaurants

Floresta Nature Doughnuts: ドーナツ

ドーナツ doh-na-tsu is “donuts.”

A while back I had the cutest doughnuts at Floresta in Naha. It is a chain from Nara, in the mainland of Japan.

They are ultra-cute and natural donuts, making the famous “animal” donuts (doubustsu donuts どうぶつドーナツ)… I got a panda. The products are made with Hokkaido flour and organic soy milk. Prices here are be higher than MisDo, but the quality is very good. There is also ice cream… besides the panda donut, we got a maple-walnut donut sundae with milk ice.

company website: http://www.nature-doughnuts.jp

address: https://goo.gl/maps/2JeuYvxeEuB2
〒900-0005沖縄県那覇市天久2丁目29-3 タートルマンションQ 1F

Culture, Travel: Japan

Okinawa Omiyage: お土産

Omiyage お土産 are souvenirs. I posted about omiyage in general, but what should you bring back from Okinawa or send to friends back home? These are some of the things I have sent to friends or taken with me to give to the host when we stay at an AirBnB. Here are a few of the top omiyage that are distinctly Okinawan… (don’t get me wrong, the weird KitKat flavors are interesting, but not really unique to Okinawa).

Food:

chinsukou ちんすこう: small cookies/biscuits, made mostly of lard, flour, and sugar. Not recommended for vegetarians or Muslims, since it is usually pork lard. You can find various flavors such as brown sugar, salt, milk, sweet potato, and even sakuna.

Okinawa brown sugar 黒糖 (pronounced kokutou): cubes/chunks of brown sugar are sold in bags (and sometimes as candies). Also many other omiyage items will be flavored with Okinawa brown sugar.

shikuwasa (fruit, juice, etc) シークワーサー or シークヮーサー: small limey citrus fruit. You can buy the juice concentrate, or snacks/candies made using the flavor.

beniimo tarts 紅いもタルト: these are super popular omiyage. It is a small tart with the Okinawan purple sweet potato flavor. They are very pretty. They even make some for dogs now!

Okinawa soba 沖縄そば: packages of Okinawa soba.

awamori 泡盛: the local liquor. You can buy small or regular size bottles.

spam スパム: while not especially Okinawa exclusive, it is extremely popular here in Okinawa, and not many people on the mainland of Japan eat this. There are many types (similar to Hawaii, really), and some may be exclusive to Okinawa.

Non-food omiyage:

Shisa シーサー: these come in pairs, and are replicated like the larger ones you see all over Okinawa on buildings, houses, etc. These range in very cheap, to very expensive. You can buy them about anywhere, but for nicer ones check out the pottery districts in Tsuboya or Nanjo.

bingata 紅型: beautiful Ryukyuan technique for dying fabric. You can buy all sorts of items made from this fabric: coin pouches, purses, scarves, shirts, kimono, hair-ties, or even framed pieces of the fabric.

Ryukyu lacquerware: Ryukyu lacquerware has a unique style compared to other Asian countries.

ujizome うーじ染め: a technique for weaving and dyeing fabric using sugarcane leaves (uji うーじ in Okinawa language, 染め zome is dying). Items are a beautiful green color.

umeshi うめーし: Okinawan chopsticks (hashi 箸). They may look plain at first, but have an interesting history.

Culture

Bargain Kimono Sale: 着物

I wrote about summer yukata in another post, but recently, I went to a used/bargain kimono and yukata sale… which of course led me to pick out some items for very cheap. While there were some beautiful pieces (even pre-picked out sets) for higher prices, my budget for these types of things is not very high. That being said, I am happy with my purchases.

First, I found a pink rabbit hanhaba obi (with a silvery pattern on the opposite side)… super kawaii. So since it is a casual (half) obi, I decided to look for a yukata that would match it; I ended up with a discounted medium blue yukata with pink and purple sakura-looking flowers on it. While normally I would not choose a flower pattern, this one contrasts and complements the obi so well. I am excited for next festival season already! I will need to alternate between my cats yukata and my bunny/flower yukata set.

The second combination I found was an antique komon 小紋 kimono 着物, which is a semi-formal/informal kimono with a repeating pattern (less rules, more free patterns and variety), and an full-width obi that I thought went well with it. The kimono is yellow-gold with a pattern of colorful omamori (charms, amulet) お守り; it is rather unique, and maybe a little kitschy, and definitely not your typically flowers or elegance. At first I though the design was pots, like for shoyu or sake (which sounds like an awesome design itself!) until I looked closer. The obi is a dark green with wisps of white and black color on it, so it gives a nice contrast to the bright colors on the kimono. It is not proper for full formal events, but rather better as a more casual piece, while still being acceptable for semi-formal events by dressing it up a bit. This is perfect since I cannot imagine any formal kimono events in my future! I have started to assemble the fiddly bits that I need to be able to wear the full kimono ensemble; just learning to tie this type of obi seems daunting in itself. I am even tempted to hire a kimono dresser at some point so I can get it put together properly! Yukata are quite simple, but kimono add layers upon layers of complication.

Some of the fiddly bits necessary for kimono dressing:

Top: korin belt & waistbelt, bottom: koshi-himo 腰紐

Top: Date-jime 伊達締め, Bottom: obi-makura 帯枕

Being a bargain shopper meant going through a large number of fabrics and obi to find the right size (I am a medium height Western female, which means rather on the tall side compared to most Japanese females), quality (some had obvious defects hence the discount), price, and designs. After a good hour of perusing, I settled on these 2 sets after contemplating some other designs. Considering new kimono run to the equivalent of hundreds (or even thousands) of US dollars, paying 2000yen (~$20 USD) for an antique kimono in good condition made me happy. The other pieces were all cheaper (900yen each, except the bunny obi costing me 2200yen, the only item over budget).

In Okinawa, there are a few places you can find secondhand yukata and kimono, mainly “recycle” shops (リサイクル), such as Manga Souko and OFF-house (2 of the bigger chain recycle shops and well known to gaijin, though perhaps you could get lucky with a smaller unknown recycle shop). There are also a few secondhand and antique kimono specialty shops (such as Kimonobana, the shop that held the bargain event). Prices at recycle shops can be as low as 500-1000 yen, but often the quality will be very poor in this price range (unless you are very lucky!). Most prices seem to be a bit higher than this, and I have seen some very beautiful 30,000 yen (or more!) kimono in some of the secondhand shops, you can imagine what the orginal price must have been. Of the 2 larger chains, OFF-house seems to be a better value and selection than Manga Souko in my opinion. I have yet to explore all the secondhand kimono shops, but hopefully I can get around to it before the New Year. Overall, these are still a pretty decent deal compared to paying for new kimono, so if you are in Okinawa and interested in kimono and yukata options, definitely check out some of these places. And of course, keep your eyes out for used Kimono sale events that happen throughout the year.

Japanese foods, Restaurants

Izumo soba: 出雲蕎麦

The other day, my husband was complaining that I did not take him with me to (Japanese mainland-style) soba restaurants. This was a bit of a surprise, as I assumed he mostly just tolerated my soba-eating habit and did not care for it as much… perhaps after eating it several times he has grown to enjoy it as I do. So I told him of a new Japanese soba restaurant I had heard of here in Okinawa, located in the old foreign housing neighborhood of Minatogawa 港川 in Urasoe, an area known for trendy little restaurants; he immediately says he is going there for lunch, if I want to meet him there… and off I go.

As a reminder, Okinawa soba (noodles made from regular flour, always served in hot pork broth) is quite different than mainland Japanese soba, made from buckwheat (buckwheat is actually called soba 蕎麦 in Japanese). Okinawa soba always feels like a misnomer to me since it is not made from buckwheat, and many foreigners here do not know what mainland soba is!

Anyway, I drove over to the neighborhood and checked the map on the sign at the entrance, but it was not labeled, so I followed GoogleMaps. I found the building that looked just like the picture online, but again, no signs or labels! I went to the entrance and sure enough this was it; my husband showed up a minute later. We chose one of the tables and started perusing the menu. What I did not realize was this was a special type of mainland soba 日本蕎麦– Izumo soba 出雲蕎麦! Izumo soba is darker and more aromatic than other mainland soba because the buckwheat hull is left on and ground up when making the soba flour. It also makes it a little chewier I think.

We ended up both choosing 2-tier 二段 warigo 割子 soba; this is considered the smaller size, 3-tier 三段 is the medium size, and 4 or 5 tiers for big appetites. We also split a 2-person size tempura, because what better to accompany soba than crispy tempura!

Warigo 割子 is round lacquered boxes stacked in tiers to serve the soba. It is particularly unique because unlike dipping soba, this soba you pour toppings and tsuyu (sauce for soba) into the first tier of noodles, mix and eat! When you finish, you take the leftover sauce and add it to the next tier of noodles, refresh the toppings and tsuyu, and continue this pattern until you finish. This was our first time eating soba in this way.

After we finished our noodles, the soba-yu 蕎麦湯 came out; it was thicker and more flavorful than others I have had. We poured our leftover broth into it and drank up to finish the meal.

address for 手打ち日本蕎麦松平 Matsudaira: 2 Chome-19-3 Minatogawa, Urasoe, Okinawa Prefecture 901-2134 https://goo.gl/maps/qDYWCE9B6jn

Restaurants, Shops

Kinjo bakery: 金城ベーカリー

Buffets in Japan are often called “viking” バイキング (baikingu). Tabehoudai 食べ放題 means “all you can eat.”

Kinjo bakery in Shuri has a savory and sweet bread buffet, during morning and lunch/cafe times. It is really pretty good, and the price is not too bad either, especially if you bring your appetite (adults are 648 yen in the morning and 810 yen at lunch, cheaper for kids). You can stay for 2 hours, and there is self-serve coffee, tea, and juice. But it is total carb and sugar overload!

I only stayed for probably 45 minutes, just to get out of my office during lunch break, and nibbled on some breads, but even if I did not take full advantage I was happy with the price and everything was tasty (though I definitely had 800 yen worth of bread and tea). There were so many choices, and the staff kept bringing out more stuff. Next time I will need to bring my laptop and some study stuff, and use up my 2 hours. There were some small groups of people eating, as well as a few one individuals like myself, also students looking for a good bargain. I should have taken more pictures, the selection was overwhelming!

address: 沖縄県那覇市首里赤平町2-51-3

Cooking, Japanese sweets, Local Foods

Okinawa Sweets: 沖縄のお菓子

沖縄 is Okinawa, and お菓子 okashi means “sweets.”

I have posted many times on sweets found in Okinawa and Japan, but this is an interesting little paper I picked up at the COOP grocery store (the one with the apple logo, not the JA’s ACoop) that described a few of the most popular and easy to make at home. I will try to adjust these recipes with more “accurate” measurements and add some personal pictures, since knowing the “right proportion of water and mochi flour to make mochi cake” is not necessarily well-known to most English speakers, as well as the fact that most people do not have easy access to the pre-mixed ingredients you can buy in local grocery stores.

First up, we have sata andagi サーターアンダギー. These are like fried donuts. Sata andagi were used for celebrations like weddings and babies being born.

6-8 eggs (in Okinawa, eggs are a bit smaller than American versions, so 6 medium-large or 8 small-medium eggs)
brown sugar, 700 grams
flour, 1 kg
baking soda, 15 grams
vinegar, 2 tbsp
oil for frying

Mix eggs and sugar, than mix in flour, baking soda, and vinegar. Making spoonfuls of dough, drop into frying oil (deep fry) at 150-160 C, rotating until golden brown.

Next up is chinpin チンピン and popo ポーポー. These are very similar; they are fried crepe-like pancakes using flour and eggs, rolled up. These were traditionally made on the 5th month 4th day of the lunar year, a day known as yukkanuhi ユッカヌヒー (to pray for good luck in fishing and maritime activities, a celebration day with traditional haarii boat races), and the 5th day, known as gungwachigunichi グングヮチグニチ (this day is known as Boy’s Day, or Children’s Day, in the Japanese calendar). On Henza-jima, popo is also traditional on the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month.

Popo:
80 g brown sugar
100 g flour
1 c of water (some people will also replace part of the regular water with carbonated water to increase the number of bubbles in the pancake!)
1/2 tsp baking powder
small amount of veg oil for frying
small amount of andansu (Okinawa pork miso)

Make a thin pancake with flour and water, grilled in a fry pan with a bit of oil. Add a bit of andansu (Okinawa miso) to the middle and roll up. Traditionally, the sugar would be omitted from the pancake and added to the andansu filling instead, so that the pancake would be white. Some people would even just add white sugar to the pancake batter instead of brown sugar to the pancake to keep it white. These days, as tastes have changed, I notice most people add sugar to the pancakes which tend to give them a brown appearance similar to chinpin. Also, depending on your tastes, you could use milk instead of water in the batter. One place I bought popo actually replaced the andansu completely with a brown sugar mochi instead; so, anyway to each their own.

Chinpin: mix flour, brown sugar, egg whites, and water (again, often carbonated water in hopes for more bubbles in the pancake). Make a thin pancake and grill in fry pan, you should see many small bubbly holes on the surface. Roll up and serve. No filling in this one! *Note: many people refer to chinpin as brown sugar popo 黒糖ぽーぽー, and sometimes even just popo. Technically they are different, but it seems many people do not distinguish between the two.

Also, for those of you living in Okinawa, it is quite easy to find “chinpin” mix in the local grocery stores as well.

Agarasaa アガラサー (also romanized as “agarasa”) is a steamed sponge cake, similar to castella. This was also made for special occasions. It has a mochi-mochi texture (chewy) and is very enjoyable. Many grocery stores will sell the mix for this, so all you need to do is add water and using a steamer basket, add batter into small aluminum tins and steam over high for ~10 minutes. (I will post a “from scratch” recipe later). Traditionally it is made with brown sugar, though you will see other “flavors,” and it would probably be steamed in sannin サンニン/月桃 (shell ginger leaves). Most people at home do not bother with the sannin leaves these days, and likely most grocery stores selling these prepackaged do not either.

Kuzu muchi クズムチ, also called kuji muchi クジムチ, is a type of mochi made with a sweet potato starch (imokuzu):

芋くず imokuzu, 1.5 cups
water, 6 cups
sugar, 200 grams

Mix imokuzu with 3 cups of water, and dissolve sugar in remaining 3 cups of water; mix together. Heat mixture for 3 minutes on 600 watts in microwave range and remix, 5-6 times. Pour into containers, sprinkle with kinako and let chill until gelled/solidified (it won’t get firm per se, but should hold together).

Last is fuchagi フチャギ, which I wrote about in another post. The recipe is very simple, mix 1 1/4 cups of water and 300 g of mochiko (mochi flour), form into rectangular shapes, steam for 15 minutes, and cover immediately with softened/boiled azuki beans.

Interested in more Okinawa sweets? Check out these posts on sweets that are special to Okinawa:

Muuchii: ムーチー (part 1)

Muuchii ムーチー: Folklore and Recipe (part 2)

Okinawa mochi, pt.3: Nantou ナントゥー餅

Machikaji: まちかじ (松風)

Kippan: きっぱん（橘餅）

Tougatsuke: 冬瓜漬

Sangwachi gwashi: 三月菓子

Kunpen: くんぺん

Chiirunkou: ちいるんこう (鶏卵糕)

Ryukyu Traditional Sweets

Okinawa Zenzai: 沖縄ぜんざい

Japanese sweets, Restaurants

Miyabi Chaya Nakamoto: みやび茶屋仲元

茶屋 chaya: tea house

Miyabi Teahouse Nakamoto みやび茶屋仲元 is a small tea house located in Okinawa city, off a back alley from Rt. 330 past the Rycom mall. You might not realize it exists, unless you recognize the hiragana for dorayaki どらやき on a purple flag in the alley and then think to follow it down an even more narrow alley to a parking lot leading to what appears to be an unmarked house except for the Okinawa City Omotenashi (おもてなし “hospitality”) flag outside the door.

Anyhow, it is a teahouse, leave your shoes at the door and enter the tatami room; during lunch they have some light meals, and during tea time you can order tea, coffee, ohagi, dorayaki, hot zenzai, and Okinawa ice zenzai. My quest in coming here was mainly to try the ohagi おはぎ.

Ohagi is named for the autumn flower, hagi (bush clover). In spring, this same dessert is called botamochi ぼたもち which is named after the spring flower, botan (peony). It is most commonly eaten during the Autumn and Spring Equinoxes.

Ohagi is sweet mochi rice with an azuki bean paste around the outside, although there are variations. This place had kinako (roasted soy flour) outside with anko (red azuki bean paste) inside, sesame outside with anko inside, as well as the typical anko outside and anko inside kinds. My husband and I ordered an ohagi set and a dorayaki set to share between us, so we ended up with 1 of each type, plus 2 dorayaki, and 2 matchas. What a nice experience. The owners were surprised to see Americans (at least by themselves and not accompanied by Japanese), and asked us how we found out about it and where we were from, etc. I explained about the Okinawa cafe book I purchased awhile back from the bookstore. The menu is in Japanese, but it seemed like the wife spoke some English, so I would not worry about trying this place out if you have trouble with Japanese language.

address:〒904-0032沖縄県沖縄市諸見里3-22-15

open 11-6 Wed-Sat (closed Sun, Mon, and Tues)

Culture, Holidays

Okinawa Lion Dance: 獅子舞

獅子舞 shishimai is “Lion Dance.”

This obviously has roots in Chinese culture. The shishi dog-lions are similar to shisa dog guardians; they are meant to protect or ward from evil, and to bring prosperity. Okinawa lion-dogs have hairy bodies, unlike the mainland, and lacquered heads made from the wood of Diego trees. Each region is a bit different in style, as well as dancing.

Shishimai are popular during traditional celebratory events, such as the New Year and Harvest festival (豊年祭 hounen-matsuri, around juugoya). Ryukuan lion dance is bit different from the Chinese style; less acrobatic, and usually larger or bulkier. There is a “handler” that sort of leads them around as they perform.

This is a terrible picture… hopefully I can get some better ones this year. This is the style of shishi lion in my village; he has a green lacquer face and and brown dreads.

Cooking, Culture, Holidays, Local Foods

8th Lunar month in Okinawa: ハチグヮチ (八月)

ハチグヮチ hachi-gwachi in Okinawan language (八月 hachigatsu in Japanese) means 8th month. This refers to the 8th month in the lunar calendar, so more around September time frame than August. Several days throughout the lunar year there are umachi ウマチー days (Okinawan for festival day, or matsuri まつり in Japanese), in which special traditional observances are held. The 7th and 8th lunar months are particularly busy, first with Obon and then with Autumn Equinox week.

Besides Juugoya, or juuguyaa in Okinawan (Tsukimi 月見 moon-viewing), on the 15th of the 8th lunar month, there are some other traditional days in the Ryukuan calendar.

On 8/8 (double numbers are always considered lucky), is the celebration of Okinawa longevity called Toukachi (tokachi, tookachi) トーカチ. This is similar to 米寿 beiju celebration (88th birthday year) on mainland Japan. Those who turned 88 in the current lunar new year are celebrated; these days, it is now a small family affair with traditional foods (pork of course, some fried foods, kelp knots, and such), a bamboo decoration called toukaki 斗掻 (とうかき) in Japanese and tokachi トーカチ in Okinawan (hence, the name of the day), and perhaps a ceremonial bingata kimono in the Ryukyuan style. The mall displayed the longevity celebration parade car.

Another one of these special days is on 8/10, called Kashichi カチシー; this day is to pray for health offering to the buddhist altar (butsudan) and the family fire-god (Hinukan).

Kashichi カシチー is called 強飯 kowameshi in Japanese. Kashichi is glutinous rice mixed with red beans and is offered at the butsudan (altar) and the hinukan. See the recipe below.

A Shibasashi シバサシ (柴差し) is attached to the pillars of a house from the 9th to the 11th days of the 8th lunar month (most calendars mark it officially as the 10th); it is pampas grass (susuki ススキ) and mulberry branches bundled into an amulet, then placed at the four corners of the house and/or the gate (also the well, the barn, and any food storage buildings traditionally) in order to ward off evil, specifically majimun マジムン which are Okinawan ogres/demons/evil spirits. The amulet is made into a shape called サン san, like a sangwa サングァー.

Around this time are also 豊年祭 hounen-matsuri, or harvest festivals, in English. During these, you will see tug-of-war (Tsunahiki) and lion dances (shishimai), among other traditional songs and dance. Many of these will occur on the 15th day (same as juugoya), though in my surrounding neighborhoods they wait until the Friday or Saturday after juugoya.

Kowameshi (kashichi) 強飯 (カシチー) recipe: This is mochi rice (mixed with regular non-glutinous rice) with red beans. It translates to “strong rice” because made with mochi-gome もち米 (glutinous rice, which is a firmer mouth-feel). Traditionally, this type of rice was only used for special occasions.

Ingredients:

red beans (azuki beans), 1 1/4 cup
Glutinous rice (mochi rice), 260 g
Non-glutinous rice (such as koshihikari, or some other short grain rice), 75 g
salt, 1 teaspoon
leftover boiled water of red beans, ~360mL

Wash beans, put in pot over stove with 1.5 cups of water (add more water if needed). Once it is boiled and soft, strain in a colander, keeping the boiled water for later.
Wash the rice for 30 minutes before the cooking. I use a rice cooker.
In a pot, add boiled bean water , mix with salt, rice, and cooked red beans. Pretty simple to prepare.

Holidays

Respect for the Aged Day: 敬老の日

敬老の日 Keirou-no-hi means Respect for the Aged Day in Japan. It is another public holiday. It is held the third Monday of September every year.

Usually people will buy presents for the aging parents or grandparents, and department stores and grocery stores will have up special sections for popular gifts for the elderly. Some families may take the elders out to a special lunch or dinner. On the local news, many older people will be featured.

Overall, it is not a particularly important or historical holiday, but just a small way to show respect for the elderly and remember the efforts they put into raising us.

Culture, Local Foods

Hinukan, fire god: ヒヌカン (火の神)

ヒヌカン (also seen as ヒーヌカン) Hinukan is the Okinawan word, would be hinokami 火の神 Japanese. 火 is the kanji for “fire” and 神 is the kanji for “god.”

Traditional Ryukyuan cultural believed that a fire god lives in the cooking stove (hearth) of every house or kitchen, to protect a house and its family from evil spirits.

In traditional kitchens, a small altar is set up and maintained by the oldest woman in the household, sometimes on a shelf, a window sill or in a corner. This is a tradition which is dying out, but some still continue today (I was first told of this by an older woman I teach English conversation to, as she has one in her kitchen). The ceramic censer (incense burner) is put in the kitchen along with a plant, salt, water, awamori or sake, and rice in different containers.

It is the oldest woman’s duty to report the events of family life to the hinukan and pray for family happiness and good health. Everyday, the hinukan is given a glass of water in the morning and cleaned regularly. Also, on the 1st and 15th of every month according to the lunar calendar, there is a small ritual to give the hinukan awamori, rice, and burn incense in prayer. During the Spring and Autumn equinoctial week, some additional offerings are usually included. The SanA grocery store already has an advertisement out for pre-orders of party platters for Shuubun 秋分の日 (秋彼岸 akihigan, or 秋のお彼岸 aki no ohigan, Autumn equinox week).

The idea of a hinukan hearth god amuses me, and reminds me of Calcifer in Howl’s Moving Castle. Somehow it seems very cute.

Below is a picture of the set-up explanation that I saw at the SanA grocery store.