Hey everyone hope you're having an amazing day! It's Mark Wiens I'm in the beautiful island of Okinawa which is in the very far south of Japan Okinawa is home to some very unique food which is totally different from the Japanese food that you would typically think about. So today I'm in Naha which is the main city and I'm hanging out with my friend Yuji and we're gonna take you on an Okinawan food tour. It's gonna be a day of learning and we're gonna eat a lot of delicious food and I Cannot wait to share all of the food coming up with you right now in this video. Thank you! This place is so unique, so interesting and so much passion.

But I mean they're just preserving the roots of Okinawa and miso. It's such a cool place so Gourmet simple and so like. You can just tell it's gonna be greatest rice ball and miso soup that you've ever had in your life. Yuji Is first bringing us to this breakfast spot.

Good morning Yuji Good morning! What's the name of this place and so this is something classic for Okinawan breakfast. Yes it is. Yes the way they prepare the Miso soup is a very tall. You just choose from two different sets which comes with uh, the rice ball and miso soup.

but then you have a choice of There's like 10 different types of miso ranging from salty to more and more sweet. Every miso has a different color, a different texture and you can see the whole flavor profiles. So we got a couple different misos and a couple different rice balls to share. Thank you! He makes the Miso soup like a gourmet coffee bar literally.

He shaving it like a planer into very thin thin strips and that's going to make the base of the soup. Then he reaches in for your choice of the Miso, put that onto the side of the bowl foreign coffee equipment. Then he boils water and then pours that into the Bonito Flakes And then you have the Miso on the side that is unbelievable. And then the other component of this meal is the rice ball that comes along with your miso soup.

That is the most beautiful looking rice ball I think I've ever seen. they're just grilling it did that like Char on the outside. it's so aromatic that is the most Gourmet yet simple miso soup I think I've ever seen. Absolutely incredible that one bench on the inside.

but then but then we came outside here they have a bench so it's beautiful weather we're gonna eat right here. I Cannot wait. That has to be the greatest miso soup on earth. Oh you can smell the sweet nutty Aroma of that that miso slices of Bonito that ever have also flavored the broth all right.

Cheers! Oh the complexity of the Miso and the flavor profile. Oh it's so good. High-end gourmet coffee, but miso? Oh yes yeah you can't even cook the same way. Oh that is incredible.

Onigiri is the rice ball. And then this is grilled rice ball. So it's called Yaki Onigiri. Look at that.

the complexion of that. It's such a beautiful perfect onigiri. ever. that brown grilled surface you can see how nicely molded it is.

Hmm, it's the greatest onigiri ever. So simple but so perfect. Just rice. How could Rush be so good? Yeah well that's unbelievable.

This is the other addition which they they Grill the rice ball on the bottom and then put it tofu on top plus soup plus some noodles. So this is a totally different version, but that rice ball is below there. The tofu just melts in your mouth, it's so silky like custard. Then you've got that same rice that just crumbles in your mouth.

It's light and fubby, it's crispy and crunchy. and Smoky and then with that soup stock which is just so light and just not overly salty. not overrepowering. It is so good.

Everything just kind of melts in your mouth. That tofu is insane with the rice. Wow so this makes like a just like a little like more of like a a heavier meal with the soup in the rice quality is just on the next level. Let's mix up the next miso soup.

This one is more of a complexity, is a little sweeter than the other one and you can see that kind of lighter color as well. It's not as dark kind of like the the darker it is the more salty it is usually and then the wider the Miso the sweeter all those live enzymes and bacteria from the fermentation of the the Miso hmm that has a bit of like a lemony flavor to it, a little bit sweeter mix of salty sweet, what a just incredible flavor Miso is and just the diversity of flavors that it provides. Wow that's good. And the owner, he's so nice.

he brought us one of the The Salted onigiri and so this is kind of the same thing but just with salt and then with some sesame seeds on top of the onigiri. it's just a perfect foreign and you taste even the sweetness of the salt. Wow, that's that is perfection in a rice ball. This is the place that was outstanding.

Probably the greatest single onigiri rice ball you will ever try and the most Gourmet Delicious! Just education on miso and the complexity and the varieties. foreign. Next up on this Okinawan Food tour of Naha. We actually drove a little bit outside of the city we're north of a city a place called Urasol and let me tell you, we could not have an Okinawan food tour without eating this dish.

It seems like literally the entire population of Okinawa just at 11. A.M just drops whatever they're doing and goes to eat this one dish for lunch. It's extremely popular, you'll find it like at every single corner and this place serves a special type of Okinawan soba which my friend Yuji recommended he can't join us for lunch today. This place for their tofu.

Silba While this place is extremely popular, we got here they open at 10 A.M We got here at 10 15 and there's already it's packed. It's full. Completely full. We have to wait in line.

I Had to put my name down in where I Don't think it will take too long but 10 15 a.m it's already packed with a line out the door. Can you imagine at 11 A.M when actually people take lunch or 11 or 12 a.m it's going to be like down the road Us: okay we are in. This place is incredible. It is an extremely popular place.

A coveted bowl of Okinawan Silva so the menu as with most good places is extremely small. They just have a few different things you can order including the different pork parts and then the Yushi tofu soba and then they are. The rice ball also looks incredibly good which we got to try the rice ball as well. The first dishes have arrived.

They also offer tempura on their menu. We've got a mix of things and then also the the rice balls here as well. Oh Onigiri! let's try the onigiri rice bowl. One of them we got with the Japanese Plum ume and then the other with miso.

I Think this is with the the Omega You can see the pink color on the inside, oh the stickiness of the rice, the gooeyness and then you've got that sour salty Plum on the inside I Love it! So simple, just but so warm and comforting. Silky okay yes I believe is the ribs. So oh look at how clear that broth is Ribs you can see the the kelp which is part of the flavor of the broth. This is one of their legendary Bowls the Yushi tofu soba with that very soft silky tofu with some of the pork and the noodles on the bottom and you can just see the quality of those noodles.

Also you can tell they're handmade quality noodles, just the crinkliness of them. First thing we have to do is try that soup broth. Get the clarity of that soup broth and it looks so clean and also like doesn't look oily so maybe they strain it really well. All we have to just taste that broth first.

oh oh that's on another level, it's so clean Porky but not oily. I'm not sure if they use Dashi to increase the Umami of that broth and then also the the kelp definitely is boiled in there but that broth is so clean and so Porky oh that's Sensational You can see the the noodles how crinkly they are. You can tell that these are handmade fresh noodles. That breath of inhalation does also increase the flavor.

I think I'm gonna add one of my favorite condiments here and we will explore all the condiments. There's some very unique condiments but the the Pickled ginger like I got it? Oh yeah Oh with that Ginger sourness, the saltiness and that burst of Ginger flavor I mean we haven't even tried the pork yet and it's just so good. You try that rib real fast before moving on to the next one. Oh wow, that's the most tender rib meat you'll ever have.

It just completely falls off the bone with cleanliness and the fat has just rendered until it's like barely even tastes fatty. Ironically, that bone just slides out. you can just see it is ultra melting in your mouth. tender.

Wow, that is so good. Cool Wow! I've had some other versions of okay now in soba I mean it's very popular with pork belly which is often braised and kind of sweet. This version is not sweet at all, just really tastes the natural flavor of the pork. Okay, let's move on to one of their signature dishes again.

this is the tofu. Oh it's wobbling. It's gonna be so silky. Um, that tofu just melts in your mouth.

It's so sharp it kind of just dissolves I Love that silky tofu. It kind of almost like I mean just kind of disintegrates into the soup while it's in your mouth and just like slides down, That's another addition to that beautiful broth and then at the same time it absorbs that broth with that. Dashi and that that seaweed complexity and the forkiness. It is really good with the ginger though.

takes it to the next level. There's actually a stunning Bowl a volcano and Showbox and different from other versions that have had the crowds. The popularity I mean that's just a testament for how delicious how quality the soba is here that they serve. and then you can see the broth immediately starts to turn a little pink from that.

Ginger Oh wow, that is sensational. hmm I think I love the one with the tofu the most was that just adds an extra, an extra dimension of it, another texture, another flavor. but I mean this is the type of place they keep their menu so limited you just cannot go wrong with anything that they have. Lastly, we got some of the mixed tempura and I think you can just eat it with your soup or however you like.

oh sweet potato. so it's not like a really fresh tempura fry. I think it makes just a good little side dish of different varieties of things. deep fried and kind of has that that batter coating that kind of goes pretty well with your noodles.

but really, yeah, the Highlight is the noodles. Rice balls were pretty good too though. One more condiment that we absolutely need. I've had this a couple of times already, so it's no surprise to me what this is going to be.

But if you're not sure and you just take a big spoonful of it, you'll be in for a taste bud shock. To get the full flavor potential though, first, I'm gonna do a little spoonful of it. Oh that just surprises you even when you know what it is. Well it's a like a very strong Spirit liquor infused with chilies and Wally that's actually spicy.

It just warms going down your throats and this is also common to use with your a little bit on your Doodles it's so unique. A little bit goes a long ways too because that's pretty pungent. Wow! Oh and immediately it just lets off this Aroma of alcohol. They're just so good that you actually don't need to chew that bark.

It's so tender and I got a little bit of the cartilage bones in there which you can just chew through. Whoa! that is just so pure. So clean tasting down to the last rib. I Never wanted this bowl to end.

Look at that tenderness. Oh it separates. It melts in your mouth. so clean, so effortless.

And that broth. oh that's a stunning bowl of noodles. I mean you will immediately just appreciate the quality and the balance of flavor in this bowl of Okinawan You know why it's so popular from here on this Okinawan food tour we're going to go meet back up with Yuji We have a lot more food to eat. we're gonna eat first though, an afternoon sweet snack before then eating more Okinawan Food this evening.

Next up on this Okinawan Food tour in Naha, we are going to a place that serves traditional Okinawan shave ice and it's about that point in the day in the afternoon when something cold, refreshing and icy would taste perfect. What is this place called? It's a different culture from Mainland Japan They have everything like a sweet stuff and some kind of like food and it's very convenient when you look at the menu. here. they have tacos, they have soba, they have hamburgers, they have pizza but then one of their main things is the Shea Vice Okinawan Shave Ice served with azuki beans plus mochi balls.

The ice is already flavored and you can see it's really kind of like layered and Flaky like snowflakes. Try the ice first. The ice is a unique texture because it's like snowflakes like not too fine but at the same time it just immediately melts once it hits your tongue. and it's not too sweet either.

Kind of has just a little bit of a brown sugar kind of taste to it. You can grab some of the beans, you can put some of the Mochi into your ice that around hmm, the goo emoji and then the starchiness of the beans that contrast I like how it's not too sweet, really soothing and refreshing with those combination of textures and the ice. I've had a number of different styles or varieties of shave ice or shaved ice. All the differences that are.

There's so many different varieties and this was yet another version. Okinawan Shave Ice From here, Yuji is taking us to an Okinawan Izakaya where we are going to be able to sample some of the traditional dishes in a traditional setting and I'm really looking forward to it next more Okinawan Food is coming up. where are we at? Fuji Good Evening is a place people eat and drink. You can enjoy the traditional Okinawan food.

plus they are specialized in awamori. Amore is a okay our spirit made from rice okay especially aged one. It's very rare but they are specialized to me. We're about to step inside.

Beautiful place. They have a downstairs. it kind of feels like a Okinawan Tavern We came upstairs. This is an old wooden house all Okinawan style.

It's beautiful. Everything of wood I Love I mean the floor, sitting on the tatami mats, big wooden tables. It's such a cool place. The menu is just so unique.

real traditional Okinawan food and dishes and I mean it's so different from Mainland Japan combination of stir-fry dishes, a combination of fermented dishes, a lot of miso and tofu, and some pastes and so we just ordered a few of them and then we'll probably order more as we continue eating. Starting with the awamori that is one of the choice spirits of Okinawa made from rice ug yes thank you for a great day. Cheers! Paul That very straight? yeah yeah it is a little bit sweet. you taste the rice a little bit but really good.

Though it's gonna go well with the food. Yeah! Okinawan Food is also known to be extremely nutritious. It's a blue zone of the world where many people live to be over 100 years old traditionally and that has to do especially with the diet and the air and the atmosphere. I Think you notice there's a lot of fermentation, a lot of miso, a lot of vegetables.

tofu. yeah surprisingly there's also a lot of pork. so I think it's really the balance. This is one of the main like famous dishes I think of of Okinawa yeah or or in a few more dishes have just arrived.

Oh this is the pig organ stir-fried with blood. some kind of fried potatoes. I'm gonna begin with the bitter melon Goya shampoo with tofu. bitter melon stir-fried with egg and then the pork with the blood.

okay that tastes so simple but so good. It's not overly bitter, just has a nice mellow bitterness to it with really silky chunks of tofu. and then the egg just kind of creates a sauce like coated onto every piece. Oh it's delicious and so simple.

Yeah, next pork dish stir fried in blood. the blood Just kind of curdles. It's cooked so it creates a sauce for the whole dish and it has this a little bit of a sweetness to it. a really fresh sweet pork.

It almost looks like cheese actually. and you just smaller. that is a bit too much in one bite. Yeah, okay, so just a little dab of it.

Oh there you go. Wow, that tastes like cheese, but it tastes like alcoholic as well. Yeah, it kind of zings your tongue a little bit and it's sweet actually. I Expected it to be salty, but it's not really salty.

Actually more sweet and like buttery. Wow, what a combination? Yes, yeah. Next dish is this peanut tofu. a little bit of Ginger Whoa.

It's So silky, almost like almond jelly. Oh, it's kind of sticky too. It's kind of elasticy because it actually you think it falls out of your Chopstick but it kind of just stays in your chopsticks. It's kind of.

It's kind of wobbly and oh, and the peanut flavor comes in your mouth. That's just like a peanut custard, but not sweet, just neutral tasting. I'm gonna try one more thing that we ordered is this yam cutlet. Oh yeah, it's dense.

You can feel how if it was a potato it would be like a third of this heaviness. Starchy and crispy. Another dish we got that Micah has eaten most of already is the salmon noodles. Oh yeah, a smoky roasted oiliness to it provides really nice flavor.

And the next dish is like a yam paste. So this is another traditional dish. Pig ears boiled. How are they prepared and then shredded? It almost looks like lemongrass.

Oh let's try this. Oh there's cabbage on the bottom too. Oh that's delicious. That's the most refreshing pig ears I've ever had in my life.

That's true. It's like not heavy at all. Not oily at all, just so crisp and refreshing with the cabbage with the the dressing. And then the Biggers are just like cartilage without fat.

Well you know people say there's nothing to throw away from the pig. They eat everything. especially like after the war because there's no much so they really sunk forward so they try not to throw anything. not only like with the scraps.

able to master dishes that taste so good. Well that is the dish of the night so far. the pig ears. Oh and we got one more dish here.

Black sesame coated pork. So it's a very thin piece of pork coated in a thick layer of ground black sesame seeds. Mmm that is totally unique. It almost tastes like Sesame brittle puts pork on the inside.

It is kind of sweet, but so good. Everything has been unique. The flavors and ingredients. The combinations kind of light and refreshing.

Really complex flavors yet simple. One more dish that we're gonna try here is the yam. Like a mash or a paste I Love that flavor. A little bit gummy and there's some kind of a like a fish cake maybe in it or maybe mushrooms.

Again, that's delicious as well. Really unique food combinations, really unique ingredients and I'm loving this meal tonight. That was delicious meal and a great introduction to Okinawan Cuisine Some of the traditional dishes I Mean there's so much more to explore for sure, but that was a great introduction. There's one more place that we have to go to that's right around the corner that serves another traditional Okinawan dish that I was not going to leave Okinawa without trying and so we're gonna go there next in this little restaurant.

Such a cool place, so homely. I Was not going to leave Okinawa without trying goat Sashimi Raw goat and goat soup. It's something that's common in Okinawan culture names outside of Okinawa Oh this is a cool place. Yeah this is a drink venue and this is the gold.

Cuisine So they have a soup. they have a sashimi or here it is the mixed platter of goat. Sashimi I've been looking forward to this ever since coming to Okinawa Looks like we have a little bit of a some of the red meat over here and then some of the the meat with skin as well. You get this little bowl of Ginger which you add you can add soy sauce and vinegar for your half and half vinegar soy sauce.

That's the the dip of choice for goat. Sashimi thin slices of goat with the skin on I'm going for a dip. Oh delicious, kind of chewy, meaty tasting and has a little bit of a oh yeah, it does have a a strong goat taste Aroma that that follows right? Oh yeah, it's so tasty and then you can chase it with some of this mugwort leaves to kind of balance or encounter the taste just a little bit. Yeah oh that goes together a strong meat and a strong herb.

Good, very good. It is kind of kind of chewy, but that's what provides so much flavor. I'll try that red meat that's just muscly. a little bit chewy but again really fresh and clean tasting with a goatee aftertaste.

I Love that that mugwort I Think this is another part. This is a bit thicker of a slice with some good skin on it. Every part has a bit of a different texture, a bit of a different chewiness and then that skin is just kind of blubbery. And next up the goat soup has come.

This is one of their other signature dishes. goat and again mugwort leaves. Drink the broth. oh yeah, that's meaty and thick and then you just taste the flavor of the the mugwort a little bit but it's really like just powerful go flavor thick that is hearty really? Hardy And going for these meaty, look at how tender that is Fatty that is super so it's so rich.

Oh some of that meat is so tender just completely melts in your mouth. Um and Yuji was telling me that in Okinawa if you go to eat goat it means you need energy I think the fattiness and the the strength of the flavor of the meat just gives you energy. This was a really cool day I Want to say a huge thank you to my friend? Yuji for taking me around uh he has a passion for food and Okinawa and he has uh I'll put his Link in the description box. Go follow him for great food recommendations in and around I mean all over Japan and in Okinawa as well and I Want to say a big thank you to you for watching this video.

Please remember to give it a thumbs up if you enjoyed it. Leave a comment below I'd love to hear from you and if you're not already subscribed, make sure you subscribe now for lots more food and travel videos. Thanks again for watching Good Night from Naha! Okinawa and I will see you on the next video.