2025/01/07 [Tue]
Morning Adventures in Okinawa
Morning Everyone! It’s Ya Boi Again! This time, I’m reporting back from a fun trip I made to Okinawa for the purpose of buying snacks. Well, I half exaggerate. While grocery shopping at AEON Mall, I noticed a rather large booth area selling Okinawan snacks. It immediately caught my attention, mostly out of nostalgia.
Every now and then, regional pop-up shops set up to sell local souvenirs and snacks, giving locals a taste of another region without traveling there. While I know it’s a great idea, it usually doesn’t catch my attention. I’ve seen pop-up shops for Hokkaido, Kyoto, Tokyo, etc., but they never drew me in. Why? Well, I prefer experiencing the specialty of a region by actually going there. For example, before moving to Hokkaido, I didn’t want to try Hokkaido snacks or foods because I preferred to go to Hokkaido first, eat it there, and then maybe fulfill that craving later at a local shop.
So why did this Okinawa booth draw me in? Because I’ve been to Okinawa before, and boy, did I love the food there. Okinawa reminds me of Miami, with people in Hawaiian shirts, shorts, sandals, and maybe a hat. It felt like home when I first visited.
It helps that there’s a US military base there, with popular shops from back home like A&W and Blue Seal. Yes, Blue Seal is a Japanese company, but it was created by the US Army after WW2 to give soldiers a taste of home. It became a big hit in Okinawa, and eventually, a local company took over, introducing more local flavors. Their slogan, “Born In America, Raised in Okinawa,” captures this journey perfectly. Trying their ice cream felt like a taste from back home.
Then there’s A&W Burgers, an American burger chain that came to Okinawa in the 60s. But for me, it’s all about their root beer and root beer floats. Root beer, an American soda with varying recipes, has a sweet, creamy, slightly minty flavor with heavy vanilla bean hints. It blends perfectly with vanilla ice cream, making a mouthwatering root beer float. Not every American likes root beer; my sister, for one, hates it, saying it tastes like medicine. A shame, really, as she’s missing out. I love the taste, and even though I mostly avoid sodas now, I had to have one in Okinawa.
Interestingly, if you give root beer to any Japanese person outside Okinawa, they might not like it. But someone from Okinawa will happily drink it, showing how much A&W has seeped into Okinawan culture. Not everyone loves root beer, but seeing so many people at A&W sipping on their root beer floats and asking for refills warmed my heart.
I mainly explored Naha when I visited Okinawa, so I didn’t see everything Okinawa has to offer. Many restaurants had Western-styled food like burgers, tacos, Indian curries, pizzas, and steakhouses, mixed with local shops selling Okinawan cuisine. I had a good mix of both, trying to get my US food fix while also tasting local specialties like Okinawan Soba, Taco Rice, Goya Champuru, pork belly, and Spam dishes. I definitely need to visit again and explore the islands, swim, and idle by the beautiful beaches.
I bought a TON of souvenirs, particularly snacks. Blocks of brown sugar, brown sugar-flavored snacks, five different flavors of Chinsuko, pineapple-flavored Puccho, Beniimo tarts, and rice crackers. My favorites were the brown sugar snacks, pineapple-flavored Puccho, and Beniimo Chinsuko. Imagine my surprise when I saw this Okinawan pop-up shop selling a bunch of different snacks! I had to check it out, and I found the snacks I loved. Of course, I bought them on the spot to savor later. The clerk looked pleased with my choice, gave me a small discount, and threw in some near-expiry brown sugar cookies for free. I didn’t ask how long the event would be going on, so I might miss it the next time I visit AEON. I’ll take this chance encounter as a good omen and try to savor these sweets for some time, though they might be gone by February… or even sooner!
Maybe you’ll get lucky when you visit your local AEON mall. Do you stop by those pop-up shops to get snacks from other regions? Or are you like me and prefer to try them at the source first? If you ever visit Okinawa, now you have a few snack ideas. Maybe try a root beer. You might like it—or find it disgusting. You won’t know until you give it a try, right?
