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Blog Miyako Island
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Pāntu shokudō
The local restaurant, Pāntu shokudō, is located just over 10 minutes' walk from the mangrove forests of Shimajiri. The Pāntu yakisoba (fried noodles), inspired by the black mud figure of the gods and many locals, are highly recommended. It tastes similar to squid smelt spaghetti, but the noodles are Miyako soba. The slightly thicker flat noodles are a perfect match. The mangroves of Shimajiri do not have many wild birds, but there is a well-maintained boardwalk where you can observe shorebirds and plovers that drop in during the spring and autumn migrations. At low tide, they can be seen pecking at…
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Miyako soba noodle
Food is one of the pleasures of travelling, but one thing that has never been more popular is Okinawan soba. Although soba are commonly known as fresh or dried Japanese noodles made from buckwheat flour, Okinawa soba is a unique evolution of Chinese noodles. Unlike ramen, many people do not like the unique noodles or the lightly flavoured soup. Like ramen, there are regional variations of Okinawa soba. Among them, Miyako soba from Miyako Island is like thin udon noodles and seems easy to eat. While Okinawan soba noodles are thicker and frizzier, Miyako soba noodles are flat and made without…
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Okinawa Ice Cream
When visiting supermarkets on Miyako Island, the variety of frozen foods is astonishing. In particular, the abundance of ice-creams is enviable: the red potato and chinsuko (traditional small biscuit made of mostly lard and flour in Okinawa) ice-creams from Okinawa Meiji Dairies Corporation, known under the okimei brand name, would be bought up if they were available on the mainland. Blue Seal, on the other hand, established the Okinawa ice cream brand with the slogan ‘Born in America, Raised in Okinawa. At the Painagama branch on Miyako Island, the colourful ice-cream sculptures are a popular photo spot. There is also a…
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Nudokubiabu
From Miyako Island, cross the 3.5 km Irabu Ohashi Bridge to Irabu Island. In the middle of an expansive sugar cane field lies the entrance to a cave called Nudokubiabu. The cave, which is 22 m deep and 25 m long, has a large vertical hole inside, where a very fantastic sight can be seen, with banyan trees extending their roots from the ground. It has recently become a popular power spot, but the downside is that it is difficult to find. There is only a small signboard and no parking space, so you have to park your car on the side…
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Miyako-jima Mamoru-kun
Miyako Island is known for its blue sea, known as Miyako blue. However, my personal favourite is Miyako-jima Mamoru-kun, a police officer-shaped doll. These police officer-shaped dolls were installed on roads for traffic safety in 1996 and have been seen on Miyako Island and the surrounding islands ever since. The character is now popular with tourists, and various goods such as sweets and stationery based on the character are on sale. When I first visited Miyako Island, I found them extremely creepy. However once I got used to them, I found them strangely cute and mysterious. In Japan, such strange but…
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Pāntu
On Miyako Island, the largest and most populous of the Miyako Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, the number of foreign tourists has increased with the arrival of cruise ships and property prices have soared on the island due to the rush for resort hotels, known as the ‘Miyako Island Bubble’. The island is also vulnerable to external influences, such as the Corona Disaster, where the mayor called for people to stop coming to the island, even though it is not an overtourism phenomenon like Kyoto. The Shimajiri area in the north of Miyako Island is home to mangrove forests. In this village,…
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