Originally Posted by Humshee
I will shortly be spending 4 days in Okinawa. Any suggestions on what I should do?
Okinawan
food is fantastic. In
Naha, there is a great sashimi restaurant called
Tomaya (098-861-9252). The owner likes to concentrate on preparing the fish, so if you want a beer or an awamori you have to get it yourself. You even have to put your own money in the register -- and take your own change!! There's also a good Okinawan
kaiseki restaurant run by the family of the man who created Ultraman (
Shofuen; 098-889-3471)
In
Nago there's a wonderful place called
Okame (Tel: 0980-52-4920). It's delicious Okinawan food and is a very small counter restaurant so booking is essential (it's closed on Sundays) For reservations best to call the owner's mobile (in Japanese): 090-5025-3901. It's close to the Orion brewery (I recommend the tour). These are all small places so it helps if you speak some Japanese.
I don't know whether your interested in
arts and crafts but it may be worth stopping off in Yomitan if you are.
Yomitan Community Store On Route 58 (main road) is a one-stop shop for all things crafty (good for Okinawan
shisa lions) 098-958-1020;
map.
Yuntanza Yaki Kyodo Gama is a climbing kiln (nobori gama) in Yomitan shared by four potters including
Yamada Shinman who is excellent but very expensive and
Omine Jissei who has interesting and diverse work and who is a pleasant man who will give you a cup of tea or a glass of sake if you are nice to him. The kiln is a little difficult to find (here is a not particularly helpful
map) but everybody in the village knows where the nobori gama is and you can easily get directions from the Community Store above. There's also a
good craft store in Naha next to Mitsukoshi.
Okinawan music is also interesting. Shokichi Kina (now a Japanese MP!) has a club on Naha's Kokusai-dori called
Chakura (098-869-0283)
Anmd if you already haven't decided were to stay I can heartily recommend the
Busena Terrace . Make sure you ask for an ocean view room.
There is also a really good magazine (in Japanese) about all things Okinawan called
Churashima. Website
here.