Discover The Culture of Ryukyu in Okinawa Prefecture

Discover The Culture of Ryukyu in Okinawa Prefecture

Text: Tan Hong Hong (JNTO KL Office) Photos: Courtesy of Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau - 05 July 2021


Okinawa prefecture, located at the most southern part of Japan, is a prefecture made out of archipelago islands. Okinawa was once named as the Ryukyu Kingdom in the past and hence Okinawan nowadays still possess their very own unique culture, language and royal family. Visitors can still find traces of Ryukyu culture everywhere in Okinawa prefecture.

If you wish to learn about Ryukyu culture faster and more comprehensively, welcome to Ryukyu Village, which is located at Okinawa main island. Ryukyu Village is about 60 minutes driving distance away from Naha airport, making it a perfect spot for a one-day trip while you are in the Okinawa main island.

The main protein source in Ryukyu meals is mainly from pork. Hence, visitors can find pork cuisines/ dishes in most of the Ryukyu meals in Okinawa prefecture. For example, the signature so-ki soba (pork rib soba), rafute (stewed pork rib), Yaeyama soba, etc. are the well-known pork dishes in Okinawa.

For non-pork dishes, champuru (stir-fried bitter melon), smooth jimami-dofu (peanuts tofu) are some special Ryukyu dishes that present as fusions of the food culture of multiple countries. If you have the chance to visit Okinawa, make sure you don’t miss out on these traditional cuisines.

Soki SobaChampuru

{story_images_zip}

Related Stories

AUSTRALIA: THE GOLD LIST 2023-BEST DESTINATION TO TRAVEL

Spacious rooms and exquisite cuisine are not enough to describe Australia’s premium experiences.…

THAILAND: THE GOLD LIST 2023-BEST DESTINATION TO TRAVEL

Thailand is renowned for its spectacular natural beauty, boasting a plethora of…

AUSTRIA: THE GOLD LIST 2023-BEST DESTINATION TO TRAVEL

With international travel finally on the rebound, everyone asks themselves the same…