Fantastic Okinawa

Yomitan Zan Party 2015

By Yuka Arata

Bento, or a box lunch, isabsolutely an imperativeitem in the life of everyJapanese person, and

lately, it’s also becoming famousthroughout the world becauseUNESCO added the Japanese“Washoku” meal on its list ofintangible cultural heritages in2013.

Bento usually has a veryhealthy balance of ingredients,and that is why a Japanese-stylebento lunch is becoming popularworldwide.

A bento usually consists of a

variety of colorful side dishes andthe Japanese staple rice in a box.The side dishes included in thebento vary according to theregion, and it’s said that an expe-rienced traveler can tell the loca-tion by eating a local box of bentobought at a train station.

As bento are different in eachpart of Japan, Okinawan bento isvery different from a Japaneseone. Perhaps the most typicalJapanese bento is what is calledthe “Makunouchi Bento,” whichconsists of rice, a couple of care-fully selected side dishes, likefried fish, simmered dishes and

pickled vegetables. TheOkinawan variety is more oilythanks to the diet that includesplenty of pork.

There are many bento shopson Okinawa, and they all are serv-ing bento that are very unlikeMakunouchi, but dynamic andhearty in size. Most of Okinawanbento have fried ingredients on rice,and most side dishes are also fried.

The reason why, besidesOkinawan people liking to eatfried food, is Okinawan climate.Okinawa is a subtropical andhumid island, and many ingredi-ents are easily perishable. Wet

foods must be avoided in summertime as much as possible, andthose that are used, must be divid-ed from the rest. The best way toavoid food going bad is frying,and that is why the main dishes inOkinawan bento are mostly friedfoods, even fish.

Another trademark ofOkinawan bento is its very rea-sonable price. The average rangeis ¥300~¥450, and some placesserve bento for only ¥100! Ofcourse, that price does not buysuch a big volume, but there isalways rice, some main dish and acouple of side dishes included.

So, it’s a fine bento, and its goodto eat when one rather wants asmall snack instead of a full meal.

On the other hand, there is ahuge volume bento called‘kiroben’ meaning one-kilo bento.

Another famous item is a100-yen Okinawa soba. Some ofbento shop serve a small cup ofsoba for just ¥100, and they arevery popular among constructionworkers as an add-on or amongyoung students.

Bento is very popular inOkinawa, and we seriouslybelieve anyone can find his or herfavorite among them.

The summer is not nearly over yet,and popular local bars, Izakaya pubsand hotel DJs are coming together toremind the party folks on the island

about that fact and, at the same time, to giveYomitan area a boost with a big party nextweekend, Aug. 29th and 30th, at an outdoorparty at Cape Zampa Park, known locally asZampa Ikoi-no-hiroba Ti-da 33.

The same folks organized a one-dayoutdoor event called Zan Party last year,which attracted about 400 people. Thecrowd had so much fun at the party that theybegged for a sequel, and the organizers notonly agreed but, made the event a two-dayaffair to boot.

The trademark and highlight of theevent is the ‘bubble time’ during which abubble machine fills the air with thousandsof bubbles it sprays in the air. The bubblemachine is a hit at Okinawan clubs thesedays, as revelers just love to be covered withfoam while DJs spin their best tunes pump-ing up the party. As for DJs, local most pop-ular DJs from Yomitan Village, the likes ofDJ Namujya and DJ Tasuku, are invited tospin the tunes.

There will be more than 20 shops in theparty area including food stalls, nail andmassage booths, a wig shop, fortune-tellingbooth and body paint shop. The ticket priceincludes awamori that is also served from the

stalls.The event takes place rain-or-shine on

Aug. 29th and 30th from 15:00 to 22:00 onboth days, at Zampa Ikoi-no-hiroba Ti-da 33

Continues on page 2

Bento is essential piece of daily life on Okinawa

Zan Party 2015 invites party folks to Cape Zampa for weekend

Plenty of bubbles and foam is the latestcraze among party folks on Okinawa.

People line up to buy their daily bento lunch outside a Naha office building.

Bento boxes lined up in a local supermarket.

¥100 soba is a popular side dish with a bento or a quick snack.

Aug. 20, 2015 - Aug. 26, 2015

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2Japan Update Classifieds Aug. 20, 2015 - Aug. 26, 2015

August is good month to chill with snakes at Okinawa World

August is the hottestmonth in Okinawa, andit’s also the season forhaunted houses, ghost

stories and anything else that givesyou chills and supposedly thus

alleviated the unrelenting heat.No, most people area scared

of snakes, and people in Japan areno exception. So why not usesnakes to give people chills.That’s at least what people at

Gyokusendo Habu Museum inOkinawa World theme park inTamagusuku, Nanjo City, think asthey have introduced a ratherunique annual event to their park.

The Japanese name of theevent comes translated to some-thing like “Exploring Habu forestin the dark!” and it’s an attractionwhere visitors walk into a darkforest armed with a flashlight. Anumber of snakes has beenreleased into the trees, and visi-tors don’t know where they are,only that they really are theresomewhere. It’s an experience alittle like a haunted house ofsnakes.

Of course, it’s all safe andthere’s no chance that anyone getsbitten. The Habu Museum staffwill be there in case anythinghappens, like if the thrill becomesa little too much. It’s a thrillingexperience, for sure.

Another event that takesplace at the Habu Museum at thesame time is “ Catch-a-snakeExperience!” where people canactually catch a variety of non-poisonous snakes in a box within

a time limit. Most snakes don’tlike to be touched, so it’s not soeasy to catch them.

There are also turtles, lizardsand hermit crabs that visitors canpet and get to know better.Visitors can take pictures with thesnakes they catch. This is a goodchance to interact with this animalthat is surrounded by plenty ofmyths few people actually knowmuch about. Besides, accordingto Chinese beliefs, snakes arecreatures that bring good luck.

Both events run through the

end of August at the OkinawaWorld Habu Museum daily from10:00 to 13:00 and 14:30 to 17:00.

The Habu Forest is set up infront of the Habu Museum andcosts ¥300 to enter. Children theeyears of age and younger are freewith an adult.

The snake catching eventtakes place in the Habu MuseumPark. The experience itself is free,but the admission to the HabuMuseum Park is ¥620 for adultsand ¥310 for children from 4through junior high school age.

Alarge collection ofstuffed animals and ani-mal skeletons is currentlyon display at the

Okinawa Prefectural Museum.The collection, known as the

Yoshimoto collection, consists ofsome 150 stuffed specimens andskeletons of mammals from allover the world. It is an academi-cally highly valued stuffed animalcollection that W.T. Yoshimoto(1909~2004), a second-generationJapanese American from Hawaii,donated to the National Museumof Nature and Science. The exhibi-tion attracted more than 800,000visitors in Tokyo and Aomoriwhere it toured before coming toOkinawa.

Stuffed specimens of mam-mals living in various areas of theworld will teach visitors about theprocess of evolution, the animals’body structures and how theylived. The collection includes a

booth where visitors can touch ani-mals’ bones and fur. There’s also adisplay of a full-size skeleton of anAfrican elephant, the biggest land-living mammal in the world.Visitors can take pictures of thedisplays.

The original owner of the col-lection, Watson T. Yoshimoto,was a son of a Japanese immigrantto Hawaii who founded the O’ahuConstruction Co. that eventuallybecame one of the largest con-struction companies in Hawaii.After selling the company, hefounded the W.T. YoshimotoFoundation, a non-profit organiza-tion dedicated to the protectionand perpetuation of wildlife, andpromoting sport hunting as awildlife management tool.

Yoshimoto was an avid gamehunter who made hunting trips to43 countries on six continents, andthe collection originated fromthese trips.

The exhibition in thePrefectural Museum inOmoromachi, Naha, runs throughSep. 6th daily from 9 a.m. to 6p.m. with last admission at 5:30p.m., except on Mondays, whenthe museum is closed.

Admission to the exhibition is¥1,200 for adults and ¥600 for ele-mentary, junior high and highschool age children. Tickets forchildren aged three through six are¥400.

Exhibition of stuffed mammals and skeletons at Prefectural Museum

Various kinds of food-relatedevents are currently very popularon Okinawa. A series of eventscalled ‘Shimairo Marche’ are

organized at various locations on the islandseveral times throughout the year. Thesemarkets are designed to give visitors an

opportunity to sample and purchase foodsand local produce directly from farmersand makers of foods and other products, allstrictly made in Okinawa.

Products displayed and sold atShimairo Marche events are not limited tofoods only. Producers and makers of hun-

dreds of local products made of local natu-ral ingredients and resources gather at theevents. The markets also present producersa venue to appeal local products andprocessed foods to people from on and offthe island.

Each event features many stalls intro-ducing local goodies like fruit, vegetablesand processed foods, and also give tipshow to cook and enjoy them. One of themost fun things in these events is a chanceto meet and talk with farmers and produc-ers in person.

The next two Shimairo Marche eventstake place this weekend, Aug. 22 and 23 atChuraumi Plaza by the Okinawa ChuraumiAquarium in Motobu. The market is openfrom 10:00 to 18:00 on both days.Admission to the event is free.

The second event will take place alongwith a pre-event of the Island-wide EisaFestival at Koza Music Town on Friday, Sep.4th. That event is open from 10:00 to 20:00 atKoza Music Town Sound Market; 1-1-1,Uechi, Okinawa City. Admission is free.

Both Shimairo Marche events haveplenty of products for sale. Examplesinclude mango pound cake, lemon cake,milk tart, beni-imo (purple sweet potato)chips, scone, hijiki (sea weed fromYonabaru) bread, squid sausage, Ie IslandBeef Yakiniku Bento and stew, large vari-ety of Awamori, pickled papaya, ornamen-tal plants and hand-made slippers.

Zan Party 2015Continued from page 1in Yomitan Village; 1861 Aza Uza,Yomitan Village. The location is athttps://goo.gl/maps/3Hqnd

Tickets in advance are ¥2,000 and¥2,500 at door including all Awamori.Tickets are sold at FamilyMart e-plus,Royal Hotel & Restaurant, BarKenhatchi and Izakaya Gosamaru inYomitan. Japan Update has five ticketsavailable for our readers. To get one,send us a message through JapanUpdate facebook page. The deadline isTuesday, Aug. 25 and we will raffle thetickets away on Wednesday. We willcontact the winners by e-mail.

Snakes have feelings, too. A sign shows the rigt way to handle them.

Catching and holding many snakes at one time is not that easy.

Shimairo Marche events put focus on local produce and goodsA complete skeleton of a full-grown African elephant dominatesthe exhibition at the Prefectural Museum.

The exhibition consists of stuffedlarge animals from every continent.

Shimairo Marche events usually featureplenty of fresh farm produce.

Local products made of local ingredients and materials is the motto of Shimairo Marche.