Ai Nishimura
Administrator of the blog "My Diary," which began in 2004. A writer who has traveled to all 47 prefectures and loves local culture and history.
Author of Shimane's "Geography, Place Names, and Maps" Mysteries (Jitsugyo no Nihonsha), My Town is the "Number One in Japan" Dictionary (PHP Institute), and Prefectures Explained in Neko Neko Japanese History (Jitsugyo no Nihonsha). Official blogger for Suntory Gourmet Guide, official top user for Retty, and official platinum blogger for Excite.
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The food at the inn and the Oki gourmet food exceeded our expectations. We visited a tasteful guesthouse.
Stayed at Oki Guesthouse Tsukuya. A revived old house that has become a gathering place for people.
The other inn I stayed at this time was "Okinoshima Guesthouse Tsukuya." I had always wanted to stay there someday.
This is an old house that was once the residence of a village headman and is over 120 years old, but has been renovated into a guest house.
I had been keeping an eye on it since they started crowdfunding for their pre-opening in 2014, and I even gave a little bit of support.
I had always thought it would be nice to have a nice guesthouse in Oki, and I had hoped to go there someday, and finally I got to go.
At the time, it was the home of a high-ranking village headman, and there are still some old ladies who are reluctant to step inside. However, it has become the center of the community, a place where everyone can gather, hold workshops and have BBQs.
We also stayed at the Okinoshima Guesthouse Tsukuya. The Nakamura area where the guesthouse is located has a beautiful sea and a swimming beach.
This old house is over 120 years old. It was the home of a former village headman and the grounds are incredibly spacious.
The garden has a recently added modern deck.
There was also a vegetable garden. The garden was spacious.
There was a storehouse at the back, but it doesn't seem to be in use.
The house itself is spacious, well-cleaned, and comfortable with a pure Japanese feel.
We all relaxed around the hearth. We had dinner here together.
A luxurious dinner using island ingredients and an evening of Oki folk songs.
We had dinner at the "Irori" hearth, which was one of the uses of the funds we received through crowdfunding. Saki, the owner of Tsukudaya, along with her husband, son, and father, happened to be there, and we had a fun chat until late into the night.
In the evening, we had an optional performance by the Nakamura Folk Song Study Group. As many as nine people came along. They performed songs such as "Shigesa Bushi," "Shojiro," "Jodogaura," and "New Shigesa Bushi."
The group's membership, which had dwindled to just four people, has now rebounded to 20 members, ranging in age from 13 to 88.
They showed us some wonderful singing and some very sharp dancing.
The meal was made using ingredients from the island. It was gorgeous.
Sashimi of grunt, mackerel, white clams, and flying fish.
Carpaccio. The food at all the inns in Oki is a hit.
Oki rock oysters. They are big enough.
The raw oysters were so big they were overflowing from the palm of my hand!
Red clams. Sashimi is the best.
Tsukuya was skillfully creating dishes using ingredients from Oki. They grilled them right in front of us.
Grilled rock bream.
High-class! Charcoal-grilled Oki beef. The aroma was wonderful.
BBQ grunt on a cedar board. The smoked grunt has a fluffy texture.
While enjoying the meal, we listened to "Oki folk songs." The women performed gracefully and the men performed with fine movement.
The Nakamura Folk Song Study Group started off with Oki Shigesa Bushi. They even performed an encore, making it a fun night.
I took a relaxing rest in the Japanese-style room.
Breakfast at Okinoshima Guesthouse Tsukudaya.
This sea bream rice dish is so delicious you'll definitely want seconds.
Homemade dressing. Fresh vegetables made for a happy morning breakfast.
Okinoshima Guesthouse Tsukuya. It's a wonderful inn and my friends have already stayed there. I'd like to stop by again when I go to Oki.
Oki is a place where everyone can coexist with nature all around them.
After a hectic trip, I returned to Tokyo on the first flight on the third day, via Izumo. It's been a year since my last visit to Oki. However, I have a bad habit of always packing my time in... I wish I could take it easy and relax in Oki.
This time, as always, I followed the theme of "not using a rental car," but when it comes to Oki, it's better to have a rental car if possible (lol). I wasn't able to visit the remaining three islands this time, and among them, I have never been to Chiburi Island. The Oki Islands are deep islands. There is history, culture, and nature, and there are some places I wasn't able to introduce.
It's not as far away as you might think, so I definitely recommend you go. It's a wonderful island that stimulates many of your senses.
The beauty of the sea off the Oki Islands is undoubted. In the distance you can see the neighboring islands of Dozen.
There are also many swimming beaches. When you come to Oki, you'll want to do some kind of sea activity.
Oki's "turban curry" is made because turban shells are caught in such abundance that they are often added to curry.
It is common for cows to go for a walk. The bulls used in bullfighting go for a walk in the evening to relieve stress. It is a sight that I have seen at least once when I go to Oki.
Is this beef cattle? It's a tranquil scene. They also produce a lot of rice, and their brand of rice, "Oki Moshio Rice," is famous.
There are kappa legends all over Japan, but Oki is also home to one.
It closes at 8 p.m., but it is the only convenience store in the Oki Islands. It opened in 2016 and was news on the islands.
Farewell to Oki. The coffee shop at Oki Airport had chairs like those in a soba restaurant.
The black tea had just the right amount of astringency and was delicious.
Farewell Oki. I'll come again!
The contents published are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.
