PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
acting as a kind of ‘medicine for
the soul’. At a restaurant called
Café Garamanjaku
(garamanjaku.okinawa), located
near the heart of Okinawa’s
eponymous mainland, you can
experience nuchigusui-inspired
cuisine in its purest form. Here,
their food is created using island
vegetables and wild grass,
flavoured with handmade miso
paste, pure local honey and
organic island-brewed soy
sauce. You can eat on the tatami
mats of their red-roofed home,
designed with large, low rooms
to protect against Okinawa’s
strong sunshine.
Another great place to
experience island cuisine is the
nearby brewery of Tatsu-no-
Kura, where tofu is fermented for
over a year before it’s ready to
eat. This long fermentation
process, which takes place in
limestone caves 30 metres
underground, makes the tofu
surprisingly mild in flavour. Wash
it down with the island’s local
liquor, awamori, which Tatsu-no-
Kura also ferments underground
after it’s distilled from long grain
rice. If you’re interested, you can
alsotourthecavestolearnhow
thefermentationprocessworks- and how it contributes
to Okinawa’s ‘medicine for
the soul’ philosophy.
TRADITIONS
THAT LAST
Okinawa has a history rooted
in craftsmanship. Until the
1870s, the islands formed part
of the Ryukyu Kingdom – an
independent kingdom that ruled
the islands south of Japan as
a tributary state to China. People
paid their taxes in cloth, which
meant weaving became a prized
skill. Today, Okinawan textiles
are famous across Japan, from
dyed fabrics to woven cloth.
One such fabric, yaeyama
minsa, was heavily traded in the
17th and 18th century, before
beingdesignateda‘traditional
Okinawan’craftin1989.This woven cloth is prized across
Japan for its romantic motifs:
traditionally, the alternating
pattern of the design means ‘for
many years to come’, which has
made it a popular fabric choice
for wedding outfits, such as
sashes on kimonos and neckties.
On Ishigaki Island, towards the
south-west of the archipelago,
youcanexperiencethisweaving
processfirst-handataworkshop
calledMinsah(minsah.co.jp/
guide/experience).Usingthe
enormouswoodencontraptions
toguidethefabric,youcanhand
weaveanythingfromacoaster
(taking 30 minutes)toatapestry
(takinguptofivehours).ISLANDCULTURE
Anotherlocalfabrictraditionis
theartofbingata–ahand-dyed
clothfeaturingbrightpatterns
createdusingstencils.Thedye
ismadefromlocalplants,which
meansnotwodyes(andsono
twofabrics)areeveridentical.
Youcansee–andtry–thisstyle
ofdesignforyourselfatNaha
CityTraditionalArtsandCraft
Center(kogeikan.jp),whichlies
attheheartofOkinawa’scapital,
Naha.It’sagreatwaytoobserve
theworkofthecrafts-peopleup
close,whogainmorerespect
Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau; Christina Tan witheveryyearundertheirbelt
(another factor that plays into
their long life expectancies).
As well as housing a cultural
museum, the centre runs several
workshops, where you can not
only try dyeing bingata fabric,
but also other local crafts, like
pottery and glassblowing.
It’s the fact that local traditions
like these are still treasured that
makes Okinawa so special. Yes,
the diving is world-class and the
beaches look like they’re made of
powder, but it’s the local culture
that puts Okinawa on the map.
It’s not something you can really
understand until you go, but once
you’re there, you’ll feel the island
spirit in everything you do.The island spirit
(clockwise from this)
The limestone caves
of Tatsu-no-kura;
woven yaeyama minsa
fabric; traditional
Okinawan wedding
attire; dying bingata
cloth; local cuisine
at Café Garamanjaku;
tofu fermented at
Tatsu-no-kuraTo ind out more, visit beokinawa.jp