Senaga Island

Posted by Masumi Tuha
Senaga-jima, a small island in Tomigusuku City, is one of the places I frequently visit by car, bike, or running. It is also one of the places where my husband took me to when I visited Okinawa before we got married.

So, what are the attractions of this island?

I would say the main attraction is airplanes passing overhead. The island is located just south of Naha Airport, and many people go there to enjoy watching airplanes take off and land; they pass just above you! It is so impressive, and you will never get tired of watching them. You may also be amazed at how often airplanes come and go in Okinawa. During the busy hours in the morning and evening, it is not an exaggeration to say that you can see airplanes approaching and departing every few minutes.

Other people come here to enjoy wind surfing. It was quite windy the last time I visited the island, and I could see several windsurfers.

This island is also a good place to have a barbeque party in the summer time. Children can play in the park. There are also four baseball fields on this small island (the perimeter is 1.5 km)!

This is a rock where couples who wish to have a baby come to pray to be blessed with a newborn.

The shape of the original rock was different. There were two holes near the top of the rock. It is said that if you throw a stone, and it passes through the upper hole, you will have a baby boy; if it passes through the lower hole, you will have a baby girl.

Even though it was recently recreated without holes, it still seems to have a special power.

In the evening, a beautiful sunset over the horizon on the side of the rock romanticizes people.

Senaga Island is an island of love and happiness. I strongly recommend you visit.

Awamori

Do you love drinking? Are you looking for a tasty souvenir from Okinawa? I will introduce awamori this month.

You may recall “sake” when you are asked about Japanese alcoholic beverages, but in Okinawa, we have awamori, Japan’s oldest distilled liquor. One big difference between sake, refined Japanese rice wine, and awamori is the production process. Sake is classified as distilled liquor, while awamori as brewed beverage. Sake is made using yellow koji mold, and awamori is made using black koji mold of Okinawan origin. The black koji mold contains a large amount of citric acid with bacteria that do not spoil easily even in the hot and humid subtropical climate of Okinawa. Another difference is the rice. Awamori is made from long-grained indica rice while sake is from short-grained rice.

There are 46 awamori distillers in Okinawa and all types of awamori are made using black koji and the same ingredients and production method, but interestingly, the taste is totally different from one distillery to another! It is said the water used to produce the awamori makes the difference.

You can enjoy awamori on the rocks or with water as many Okinawans do. Another great way to savor awamori is cocktails! Awamori can be a good cocktail base just like gin, vodka, etc. Recently, various flavored awamori have also become available, such as coffee and ume plum. Awamori that has been aged for three years or more is called kusu in the Okinawan dialect. The older the awamori, the richer the taste and flavor it has.

 In addition, awamori plays an important part in cooking pork, one of the main foods for Okinawans. It gets rid of the distinctive smell of the meat and makes it tender. I bet you cannot find a family in Okinawa without a bottle of awamori at home.

Anyway, one of the good shops to find awamori of your taste is Okinawa-ya Awamorigura on Kokusai Street. They have a wide selection of awamori from almost all awamori distillers in Okinawa Prefecture including the remote islands. You can sample some of them (if you are not driving, of course). Why not try the fascinating local liquor and feel the Okinawan spirit?

Okinawa-ya　Awamori-gura

2-8-5 Matsuo Naha

Hours: 9:30-22:30

Tel: 098-868-5252

Macrobiotic Lunch in Naha, Okinawa

Posted by Masumi Tsuha

As many people know, Okinawan cuisine is healthy and tasty. But how about having a lunch without dairy products or meat once in a while?

The Arsoa café is located in Omoromachi, Naha, and offers hearty macrobiotic lunches from Thursday through Sunday. The menu includes Beauty Plate, Loco Moco, Detox Curry Plate and Organic Hamburger Plate, which do not contain dairy products or meat or fish. They use soy bean and gluten protein instead of “real” meat, and do not use white sugar.

The Beauty Plate changes weekly. As an example, the plate I had on the day I visited included: fresh salad, cooked sweet potatoes, simmered Okinawan carrots and daikon radish, tempe teriyaki, tofu with okra sauce, deep fried soy meat with green onion sauce, pasta with red shiso and black beans. The plate comes with a cup of soup, brown or white rice with coarse cereal, and organic tea or coffee or special blend tea.

Such a wide variety of ingredients will definitely satisfy your appetite. Mini soft ice cream made from soymilk is available for an additional 105 yen. It has a mild taste and is a perfect dessert to finish your healthy lunch. If you still have space left in your stomach, cake and soymilk smoothies are also available.

All of their hearty dishes are prepared by the sole chef, Keigo Uchimura. Keigo studied macrobiotic theory and cooking intensively in Yamanashi Prefecture four years ago and has been broadening his experience in cooking and teaching macrobiotic cuisine since then.

His warm smile and the friendly staff always sincerely welcome you and make you feel happy and at home.

Arsoa Salon Café

4-17-31 Omoromachi, Naha

Tel: 098-988-1640

Lunch time: 11:30-16:30 (Thursday to Sunday)