Okinawa;沖縄

I think Okinawa is one of the famous and popular tourist destinations in Japan. Okinawa was Ryukyu Kingdom until Japan unified it in 1879, so Okinawa has some unique culture and folkway that are differ from other prefectures in Japan. Because of the difference cultures and beautiful nature, Okinawa has a thriving tourist industry.

　　　　　First of all, Naha city is the seat of the prefectural government and a popular tourist destination. However, the city is a bustling shopping district. Although it does not seem to be able to experience the unique Okinawa culture, there are many restaurants that serve some Okinawa’s unique foods.

This is picture of typical Okinawa meals. From the left, it is okinawa-soba, mimiga, jimami-tofu, umi-budou and goya-chanpuru. Okinawa soba is a noodle which is made with flour. It tastes like udon. Mimiga is a unique Okinawa food; it is ears of pigs seasoned with peanut paste. Jimami tofu is a tofu which is made with peanut. It is called tofu but it doesn’t contain soy beans as usual. Umi-budou means “sea grape” in English. It is a kind of seaweeds which tastes salty. Goya- chanpuru is a dish with bitter melons and some other stuff. “Chanpuru” is a dialect that means mixing in Okinawa

Secondly, Okinawa has traditional buildings. You can see them in rural Okinawa, not in Naha city. However, there is a park called Okinawa mura, which remain some old traditional building of Okinawa near Naha city.

The ornament is called shisa(シーサー), this is a stone guardian lion. It is said to drive evil splits out of the home. It is one of unique aspect of Okinawa culture. Ryukyu mura have a lot of nature and sometimes a man playing the traditional instrument sansin (三線) which is three- stringed instrument. The atmosphere in this park feels like time passes really slow and makes people relax.