If you ask me, taco rice is the kind of food that is hard not to like. Since it was invented in 1984 by Matsuo Gibo, who owned fast-food joint Parlor Senri near Camp Hansen, taco rice has grown to be one of the most beloved tastes of Okinawa.
When I’m vacationing on Okinawa, I love grabbing acai bowls for a late breakfast or early lunch. My usual spot is in Chatan, but I heard about Hawaiian Bowls and wanted to give it a try.
There are plenty of similar café-galleries on Okinawa, but Doka Doka is one of the most popular among tourists.
Chinpin is an Okinawan sweet often described as a pancake or crepe flavored with brown sugar.
If you have traveled to Okinawa, you may have stumbled across a dish fit for kings. It’s true, rafute, or braised pork belly, was served as a staple to Okinawan royalty.
Nago Grocery Store is a beautiful souvenir store located in downtown Nago. Nago is the largest Northern city on the main island of Okinawa and the city has a slower pace than Naha.
Mikasa Matsuyama is a delicious traditional Okinawan homestyle restaurant located in downtown Naha.
Uminchu Shokudo is a cafeteria style seafood restaurant located in the Yomitan Village Fishermen’s Cooperative Store.
King Tacos is a legendary Japanese Mexican restaurant located in Kin Town on the main island of Okinawa. It is best known as the birthplace of taco rice. Taco rice is a fusion of Mexican and Japanese food created by Matsuzo Gibo, who came up with the original dish in 1984 at his restaurant Parlor Senri also in Kin Town.
Growing up, subuta, a sweet and sour pork dish, was not my favorite.
It’s not too much a stretch to say Goya is the staple of Okinawa.
Growing up in Okinawa, ice cream bars and popsicles were my go-to sweets during hot summer days.
Seeking a familiar flavor of my time years ago in Tokyo, I visited Chinmaya Izumizaki Icchoume-ten in Naha for spicy mapo tofu over rice.
One of the enduring images of Japanese food is of course sushi, which in a way you could call one of the world’s first fast-foods!
Taste of Okinawa
Best of Pacific
Destination Paradise
Welcome to the Pacific