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.
First day
- Stroll through the American-style houses and search for cute goods in Minatogawa Stateside Town
- Enjoy tart time at "Ohacorte" and Okinawan brown sugar canelés from "Houkiboshi" as souvenirs
- Work time with a cup of carefully selected coffee at "ZHYVAGO COFFEE WORKS"
- Long or short term! A condominium where you can enjoy both work and play: "Beachfront MIHAMA"
- Take-out Chatan's new specialty "Chicken over rice"
Second day
11:00 Stroll through the American-style houses and search for cute goods in Minatogawa Stateside Town
Take a bus from Naha Airport to Urasoe City in central Okinawa.
Our destination for the day, Minatogawa Stateside Town, is an area that was renovated from former American housing, and is now home to stylish general stores, cafes, apparel shops, etc. It is located a little way off National Route 58, so it is easily accessible and a popular spot.
American Wave is an American vintage shop that stocks fashion, tableware, and miscellaneous goods from the 1890s to 1980s that have been purchased in the United States. As soon as you step inside the store, you'll be greeted by fashionable products and pop characters, giving it a cute toy box-like feel. The second-hand clothes and shoes in particular are in good condition, and you'll want to take your time choosing your items. The store makes use of the furniture and layout from when it was used as a home, creating an atmosphere that makes you feel as if you've wandered into the wardrobe of a cute American woman.
"Proots" is easy to find thanks to its eye-catching red walls. The shop sells handmade crafts and folk art by artists in Okinawa Prefecture, selected by the owner, an immigrant, as well as carefully selected miscellaneous goods, food, and apparel. Since the owner shares his feelings with the artisans and artists and stocks the items based on mutual trust, each item is especially special. The shop has a warm atmosphere that conveys this warm feeling.
In the back room you can also enjoy a cafe surrounded by stylish items.
From Naha Airport, we took a bus to the Minatogawa area of Urasoe City. Near the bus stop, we saw beautiful bougainvillea blooming.
This area is lined with residential areas for Americans built around 1960. Currently, the buildings are used as shops.
The first place we visited was American Wave, which sells American vintage items.
The shop is packed with items that the owner, Chris, has collected in America.
There are lots of fun items available, including stickers, American toys, dolls, and accessories.
Taking advantage of the fact that the building was once a residential building, one room was designed to look like an "American girl's room" and contained clothes, shoes, hats, etc. All of them were in very good condition.
The exterior of "Proots" is decorated with red walls, which is the color of Okinawa that the owner, an immigrant, imagines. It makes a nice accent.
Glass products from Okuhara Glass Factory are handmade blown glass that refracts light gently.
Jams and syrups from "ateliercafe bar Seihei" are made using pesticide-free passion fruit from Nakijin.
This shop is packed with all the charms of Okinawa from the perspective of an immigrant, with a wide range of items from folk arts and crafts to fashion and food.
It was a warm store where you could feel the love the makers have for their products, and even the passion they conveyed. Apparently there are some products that are hard to find even within the prefecture.
American Wave
| address | ： | No.22, 2-16-9 Minatogawa, Urasoe City, Okinawa Prefecture |
|---|---|---|
| business hours | ： | 11:00～19:00 |
| holiday | ： | Closed on December 25th and New Year's holidays |
| web | ： | https://americanwave.jp/ |
Proots
| address | ： | 2-16-7 Minatogawa, Urasoe City, Okinawa Prefecture |
|---|---|---|
| business hours | ： | 12:00～17:00 |
| holiday | ： | Closed on Wednesdays and the first Saturday of each month |
| web | ： | http://instagram.com/proots_okinawa (Instagram) |
12:30 Tart time at "Ohacorte" and Okinawan brown sugar canelés from "Hokiboshi" as souvenirs
We continued our stroll through Minatogawa Stateside Town. It was a fun little town to just stroll around and look at the rows of shabby wooden houses and well-kept gardens.
Ohacorte, a popular fruit tart specialty store with a shop in Naha, has a popular menu item, the "Seasonal Fruit Tart" with colorful fruits. The crispy tart dough is topped with colorful fruits. Enjoy a delicious fruit tart with tea and spend a happy time.
For souvenirs, try "Brown Sugar Canelé Hokiboshi," which opened here in Minatogawa in 2018. These bite-sized canelés are crispy on the outside and chewy inside. They are delicate sweets that last until the next day when stored at room temperature. They use only Okinawan brown sugar from Tarama, among the many varieties, and are a picture-perfect item topped with colorful Okinawan ingredients. They are a very popular item, with some days selling 3,000 pieces in a single day on weekends. They also have a store at the airport, but they often sell out, so be sure to visit early.
The main store of the fruit tart specialty store "Ohacorte". The name of the store comes from the house number 18, which means "Ohako", or specialty.
The exterior has a natural feel. There is also a shed in the garden. The refreshing blue and white color scheme.
The store sells fruit tarts and baked goods, and you can also eat in the cafe space.
"Seasonal Fruit Tart" with colorful fruits and crispy crust.
The hardcover "MAKE OUR TOWN" is full of recipes for baked goods and beautiful photos. It's available in stores now.
We visited the main store of "Hokiboshi," a canelé specialty store that uses brown sugar from Tarama Island.
Wall art depicting canelés. It would also make a great photo spot.
Bite-sized canelés are lined up on a stylish counter. The limited edition on this day was an apple canelé shaped like a rose flower.
The canelés look even more adorable when they are boxed. Many of the flavors are locally produced, such as green tea from Ogimi Village and star x banana.
The shopping bags were dotted with Okinawa motifs.
[oHacorté] Minatogawa Main Store
| address | ： | #18, 2-17-1 Minatogawa, Urasoe City, Okinawa Prefecture |
|---|---|---|
| business hours | ： | 11:30～19:00 |
| holiday | ： | Tuesday |
| web | ： | https://ohacorte.com/ |
Brown sugar canelé broom star
| address | ： | 2-16-2 Minatogawa, Urasoe City, Okinawa Prefecture |
|---|---|---|
| business hours | ： | 11:30～16:30 |
| holiday | ： | Open all year round |
| web | ： | https://www.houkiboshi.jp/ |
15:30 Work time with a cup of carefully selected coffee at "ZHYVAGO COFFEE ROASTERY"
The first floor of the premier building of the Leku Okinawa Chatan Spa & Resort, a hotel that opened in July 2020 on American Village Depot Island, features a large restaurant with a cafe and four stores.
One of them is Zhivago Coffee Roastery, a cafe with a well-equipped internet environment that is fully equipped with Wi-Fi and charging outlets. It is the perfect place for those times during your stay in Okinawa when you feel like opening your computer, allowing you to casually get some work done while enjoying a cup of coffee. There are also private rental spaces inside the store that can be used for workshops and meetings.
The cafe also serves as a roastery that roasts carefully selected beans in-house, and serves freshly ground and brewed coffee. Original goods with the logo and coffee beans are also sold, making them perfect souvenirs.
The donuts and ice cream made in the in-store lab are original sweets that have been carefully researched to pair with the carefully selected coffee. The donuts are chewy and satisfying, like bread, and have a flavor that stands up to the rich coffee, greatly enhancing the deliciousness of the coffee.
The design of the space is sprinkled with the essence of Portland on the American West Coast, creating a sophisticated atmosphere. With a combination of old wood and iron, and sprinkled with neon lights, it feels like this is a city in itself.
The seats are spaced far apart, making it a cafe where you can relax and enjoy your time.
ZHYVAGO COFFEE ROASTERY is a coffee specialty store that combines a roasting facility with a lab where sweets are made.
They also offer donuts, ice cream, baked goods and other sweets to go with your coffee.
Zhivago coffee has a light aroma, a good balance of bitterness and acidity, and a rich, lingering flavor.
A doughnut with plenty of glaze. The dough is firm and satisfying, like bread.
The store is equipped with Wi-Fi, and there are outlets at the counter tables and sofa seats, so you can work elegantly with a cup of coffee in hand.
There were stylish mugs with original logos, T-shirts that were easy to take home, and stainless steel bottles that would make great gifts.
ZHYVAGO COFFEE ROASTERY
| address | ： | 34-1 Mihama, Chatan-cho, Nakagami-gun, Okinawa Prefecture (inside the Premier Building of Leku Okinawa Chatan Spa & Resort) |
|---|---|---|
| business hours | ： | 7:00～21:00 LO20:00 |
| holiday | ： | Open all year round |
| web | ： | https://shop.zhyvagocoffeeroastery.coffee/ |
17:00 Long or short term! A condominium where you can enjoy work and play: Beachfront Tower Mihama
In order to work remotely while refreshing in Okinawa, you will need to consider a place to stay where you can also live. In such cases, a condominium is convenient. The Beachfront Tower Mihama that I chose for my accommodation this time is ideal for a workcation stay in Okinawa, with the comfort of a hotel, the essential amenities of a kitchen and washing machine, and the blue sea visible from the window.
It's close to American Village, so you can easily get what you need and enjoy sightseeing. It's also close to Route 58, the main artery of Okinawa's main island, so it's easy to access other areas, and it's only an hour's bus ride from Naha Airport.
I was a little tired from sightseeing in the morning, so I checked in early. I relaxed on the terrace, looked out at the sea, opened my laptop, and worked while munching on a canelé made from comets. I then took a walk around the area, and went to American Village again. Workcation, where you can use your time freely, is the best!
The room has a simple design that you will never get tired of. It has everything you need, is clean, and I really like how clean it is. The staff are also very friendly and polite. The reasonable price, satisfactory facilities, and the fact that it is easy on the wallet even for long-term stays are also attractive.
Beachfront Tower Mihama offers a complimentary breakfast that can be enjoyed in the privacy of your own room, allowing you to enjoy a spectacular breakfast while looking out at the ocean.
It was a trip where I was able to experience a new way of staying, staying in a seafront condominium.
Beachfront Tower Mihama is a condominium-style hotel on the seafront, adjacent to Araha Beach and a 10-15 minute walk from American Village.
The room is simple and very relaxing. There is a message and an origami crane on the bed.
At the entrance to the room there is a kitchen equipped with appliances such as a refrigerator and washing machine, as well as a stove. Dishes and glasses are also provided.
After a long bus journey, I decided to relax in my room. I could see the ocean of Okinawa from the window!
The Wi-Fi reached all the way to the balcony, so I felt like I was enjoying the luxury of being able to work leisurely while enjoying the ocean breeze.
The glasses prepared in the room were sparkling clean. I poured in the Sanpin tea I had bought and enjoyed some broomstick canelés while I worked.
The smooth sheets make for a comfortable sleep, so you can feel safe even during long stays.
We were also allowed to bring the complimentary breakfast to our room. We enjoyed a refreshing morning while looking out at the ocean.
Staying in a condominium allows you to experience "living" while traveling. At a resort, you can enjoy both play and work, and experience living in Okinawa for a short period of time.
Beach Front Tower MIHAMA
| address | ： | Okinawa Prefecture, Nakagami District, Chatan Town, Chatan 1-13-6 |
|---|---|---|
| web | ： | https://dshresorts.com/ja/ |
18:00 Take out Chatan's new specialty "Chicken over rice"
"Chicken over rice" is currently a hot topic as the number one gourmet food of Chatan, Okinawa. It became popular with a food truck in New York and is gradually spreading all over the world as a so-called "B-class gourmet food". It is still a taste that is not familiar in Japan, but it seems that the number of restaurants serving it is gradually increasing.
This dish is gradually becoming popular and is served in the Chatan area at BIG KNOT. Since it was very close to the condominium where I was staying, I decided to try it out and get some takeout.
A hearty bowl-style dish of saffron rice topped with vegetables and chopped chicken. You can choose from S, M, and L sizes, but the S size is plenty filling and heavy, making it an American size. The appetizing spicy sauce and creamy, sour yogurt sauce go well with the chicken, making for a flavor you'll never tire of. The green chilies on the side add an extra spicy flavor and accent, making it hard to stop eating. BIG KNOT also has their own original "fish over rice" dish, which replaces chicken with fish, so you can have fun choosing.
Okinawa has a precedent dish called "taco rice" that also uses a spicy sauce. In addition, Okinawa has a flexible culture that enjoys and accepts mixed cultures, so this dish was a perfect match.
For dinner during your stay in Chatan, we had takeout at "BIG KNOT", a 5-minute walk from the condominium.
"Chicken over rice" is popular in New York, USA. It's so full of chicken that you can't even see the rice.
The two-colored sauce, a spicy red and a refreshing white based on yogurt, is beautiful.
Not only was it tasty, but it was also filling. Thanks to the sauce, it was light and refreshing, and before I knew it, I had finished it all.
The seats inside BIG KNOT are spaced far apart. There is also a DJ booth and a mirror ball, and music events are also held there.
BIG KNOT Clothing & Cafe
| address | ： | Okinawa Prefecture, Nakagami District, Chatan Town, Chatan 2-2-10 |
|---|---|---|
| business hours | ： | 11:00-21:00 (Last Orders 20:30) |
| holiday | ： | Wednesday |
| web | ： | https://bigknot2019.shop/ |
The contents published are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.
