Okinawa's countless charms are undeniable, but one of them is being able to experience flavors you can't find on the mainland in a place surrounded by blue skies and ocean.
I heard that the 20th annual Great Okinawa Exhibition was being held at Shinjuku Isetan until July 28th, so I made a beer-filled visit for three days in a row. There were so many things I wanted to try, so this time I decided to visit the eat-in areas where you can eat freshly made food.
The first dish I tried was Miyanchi's Karisoba. It was a curry-flavored Okinawa soba made with a blend of seven spices. The slightly thick soup was topped with coconut milk and bonito powder. The noodles were topped with pork and eggplant, and the pork's saltiness was irresistible. It looked stylish, but it was a bowl that would pair perfectly with beer. The next day, I returned to the venue for Dining Kawa's three-item soba noodle dish. It was topped with melt-in-your-mouth pork ribs, seared sanmainiku (pork belly), and melt-in-your-mouth yushi tofu. The pork ribs were available in either soy sauce or salt, and I chose the latter. The soup was delicious, soaking up the flavor. The eat-in area served bitter melon tea, further enhancing the Okinawan atmosphere. One surprising aspect of this Okinawan exhibit was the pizza dine-in area. When I asked Mochizuki, the Kyoto-born owner and chef of Doncolino, about this, he told me, "Miyako Island is known for its natural beauty, but to me, it's also a treasure trove of ingredients. We mince Miyako beef and Miyako pork ourselves for our pizzas." This reminded me of when I traveled to Miyako Island as a child and the men would casually harvest mozuku seaweed and aloe vera from the sea or their gardens to add to their miso soup. Indeed, it's an island where ingredients are abundant in everyday life.
Across from the pizza eat-in area is a bar counter lined with bottles of awamori. When I spoke to the owner, Mr. Higa, he told me, "To enjoy delicious awamori, the right drinking vessel is also important. In Okinawa, we have a sake vessel called a karakara, which is similar to a tokkuri (sake bottle) with a spout, and a chibugwa (small sake cup)." The chibugwa, about the size of a thumbtip, holds only about 10 mL of awamori. It seems to be the perfect size for carefully savoring delicious awamori, such as aged sake that has been cherished for decades.
I went there three days in a row, and I wanted to try every flavor again, so I plan to return to the Okinawa Exhibition soon. During the Okinawa Exhibition, the Orion Beer Fest is also being held on the rooftop of the Isetan Shinjuku store. There's also live music until Sunday, so I have to go there too.
It looks like the hot weather will continue through the weekend, so I'm looking forward to enjoying the summer with some fun and delicious food. Please take care of yourselves during this hot weather.
