Shurijo Castle Park

By Maki Nako

When getting to know the people of Okinawa, their arts and culture, one of the places you simply cannot pass up during your time on the main island is Shurijo Castle Park.

The islands of Okinawa were once known as the independent Kingdom of Ryukyu, and Shuri was its capital. From around the 14th century, the Ryukyu Kingdom flourished through trade with neighboring Asian countries, and through these trading routes, brought back various influences in the arts, religion, politics and academics.

At Shruijo Castle Park, located in Shuri, Naha City, visitors can take a trip back in time surrounded by the impressive residence of the Ryukyu royalty. The Seiden, or the Main Hall, was destroyed by fires a number of times in the past, but each time, the people of Ryukyu restored it at the same location. The Castle was last left in ruins in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, but was again restored in 1992 and is now the proud symbol of the Ryukyu heritage.

My favorite place at Shurijo Castle Park is the Shoin Sasunoma and the Garden, serving as a teahouse located along the touring route of the fare-paid zone of the Castle itself. Here, visitors are given a brief introduction on the functions of the facility by a Shurijo employee (offered in English, too!) as you enjoy the delightful Okinawan tea and confectionaries and while you take in the simple, yet serene beauty of the Ryukyuan garden accented with limestone and cycad trees. Along with other uses, this area was used by the royal princes to entertain guests and dignitaries. It’s exciting to know that you are at the exact place where the Ryukyuan royalties went about their daily business, and to wonder what thoughts went through their minds as they gazed out to the garden, centuries ago.

Shurijo Castle Park offers so much to see and learn about the history of Okinawa through their informative displays and fantastic art exhibits, not to mention the architecture within the grounds. Surrounding the main, fare-paid zone are various sites to enjoy, admission-free. You can spend a good portion of the day there, viewing the different gardens, and other historic sites and structures within the Park. If you happen to drive by or be in the area after sundown, be sure to catch a glimpse of the awe-inspiring Castle which is dynamically illuminated on most nights until around midnight. It is certainly a graceful, grandeur sight to see.

Shurijo Castle is one of the nine sites in Okinawa collectively designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the title, Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu. 

Check out the Shurijo Castle Park website for details:
http://oki-park.jp/shurijo-park/english/

Learn more about the other World Heritage Sites on Okinawa:
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/972

Kajimaya Kokuto (brown sugar)

Posted by Maki Nako

Okinawa is also known for the production of quality brown sugar. My pick for this month is kajimaya kokuto, brown sugar wrapped in a pinwheel shaped package with a prayer for longevity.

  Why longevity? It’s because the package shape is based on a pinwheel celebration, or kajimaya in the Okinawan language. It’s a traditional event held in Okinawa for those who turn 97 years old. The colorful print is a bingata motif, a traditional resist dyed textile of Okinawa. The pinwheel package was awarded the President’s Award by the Okinawa Branch Office of the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation at the Okinawa Industrial Fair in 1998.

When I went to Shurijo Castle to take some photos for this article, I heard an interesting story from the employee in the photo below.

One time she sent this kajimaya kokuto to her grandmother-in-law living in Kumamoto Prefecture. The grandmother-in-law liked the taste very much and asked her to send more to give it to her friends. Then she told me her grandmother-in-law is in her 90s and her friends are almost 100 years old! It means this brown sugar is not only tasty but also soft enough (or melts easily in the mouth) for aged people. Furthermore, brown sugar has far more minerals than white sugar; for example it contains calcium, potassium and iron, so it can be a healthy snack.

 One package contains three different flavors: original, sesame, and shikuwasa (a kind of citrus). There are fifteen bite-sized blocks per package; five of each flavor. In addition, this exclusive Shurijo Castle edition comes with sanpin (jasmine) tea, another taste of Okinawa.

A gift box version of two kajimaya kokuto and three sanpin teabags is also available.

Available at Kyuyo Museum Shop in the Hokuden (North Hall) within the paid zone of Shuri jo Castle.
Open from 8:30. Closing time varies depending on the season.

Andansu Miso

Posted by Maki Nako
              We all have our comfort foods or soul foods that we enjoy throughout our lives, with their tastes and smells bringing back memories in quick flashbacks like photographs in our minds. Home-cooked spaghetti sauce that has just the right amount of spices, blueberry pancakes on Sunday mornings, steaming sukiyaki hot pot on cold winter nights, and tuna casserole topped with breadcrumbs and baked to perfection. But among the list of my all-time favorites, is an item that isn’t a meal on its own, but an addition with so much presence that it manages, on occasions, to take center stage. This is andansu.

              Andansu, (pronounced un-dun-soo) in the Okinawan language, literally means oil and miso. It is prepared with pieces of pork or skipjack tuna mixed with sweet miso paste. Like the rest of Japan, Okinawa’s staple diet is rice. And just like with bread in western cultures, rice is served with the main course or enjoyed on its own, often with sprinkle toppings, seaweed, pickled vegetables, or whatever else to add some pizazz. Although some people like to spread andansu on their toast or other bread, it’s more popular served with rice. Since moving to Okinawa, I’ve never met anyone here who disliked a hot bowl of glittering white rice topped with a generous portion of andansu.

              At the onigiri (rice-ball) section at every convenience store, you will most definitely find a row of andansu-filled onigiri among a selection from tuna-and-mayonnaise, salmon-flakes, ume plums or seaweed fillings, just to name a few. It is also sometimes found in bento boxes (boxed meals), and all supermarkets throughout Okinawa carry at least a brand or two of ready-to-serve andansu. Okinawan households have their own special “tastes” of andansu, perhaps with recipes passed down from one generation to the next. With pretty much the same ingredients needed to prepare it, you wouldn’t think that its taste would vary so much, but every type I’ve ever tasted, from those bought at farmers’ markets and grocery stores to mom ‘n pop diners and friends’ family recipes, they are all so distinctly different, and all so pleasantly delicious.

             
               You can find them in sealed jars at souvenir shops and at the airport to take some home with you or bring as gifts. But do keep an eye out for the andansu when in Okinawa, as its distinctive taste will certainly be a fond reminder of these unique islands.

New Year’s & Hatsumode

Posted by Maki Nako

       One of the biggest events of the year in Okinawa, like many other places on earth, is New Year’s. The celebrations of New Year’s remind me how different life is here in comparison to life in Canada. There, the countdown to New Year’s is one great glitzy party often lasting until dawn, and of course in Okinawa and in the rest of Japan, the party scene may be no different, but traditionally, New Year’s is welcomed peacefully with family.

              Many families spend their New Year’s Eve at home, snuggled up in their kotatsu heating tables, nibbling on mandarin oranges and watching the national New Year’s tradition, Kohaku Uta-Gassen, the prestigious music program on television. Soba noodles in broth are eaten for dinner or as late-night meals, as the long, thin soba noodles are believed to be auspicious, symbolizing a long and healthy life. 
              Once the 108 peals of the Joyano kane or the traditional bell starts to sound, as the New Year draws closer, the younger members of the family begin to get restless with anticipation for the countdown. In Okinawa, there are several places that display fireworks starting at midnight of the New Year, coloring the night sky with brilliant colors and adding to the excitement. Past midnight, the streets begin to get congested, as people start to make their way to the shrines for their first visits, called the Hatsumode. Some of the most popular Hatsumode destinations in Okinawa are the Gokoku Jinja and Naminoue Shinto shrines in Naha, Futenma Jingu in Ginowan, or Naritasan in Nakagusuku. 

Once there, people cleanse themselves with the sacred water at the entrance of the shrines, then proceed to the main area to pray for happiness and good health in the New Year. Most visitors will purchase omamori, which are talismans, amulets and other protective charms to cast away bad luck and bring good fortune. Omikuji or oracles are also purchased, and you will see many people anxious to read what is written in the small paper, all hoping for the characters 大吉; the greatest of fortunes. Even those who happen to pick an oracle with the dreaded 凶, the extreme opposite, the wise words and lessons written in them aren’t so bad. The oracles contain wisdom meant to guide us in the New Year, and many visitors will tie their oracles on a tree branch or lines set by the shrines for the purpose.

As you make your way through the crowds and pass by the many stalls of food, treats and games, the sights, smells and sounds are very similar to omatsuri festivals, but distinctively different at Hatsumode, is that you can feel in the air, the hopes and wishes of the people for the New Year.