This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
White sand, crystal clear waters, palm trees, all-inclusive accommodation: you can’t imagine being in Japan. However, even though we are more than three hours by plane south of Tokyo, the Ryukyu archipelago is indeed a prefecture of Japan. The contrast with our start to the day in Tokyo is striking. As soon as you get off the plane, the air is different: it is more humid and carries a delicate floral fragrance. Second and final text in the Tokyo-Okinawa series.
In the small airport of Naha, the choice of materials, the woven seats which simulate bamboo, warm colors derived from terracotta, the sound of the shamisen (three-stringed instrument introduced to the Japanese archipelago in the 16the century) and immense tropical plants give us the impression of landing in Polynesia or Hawaii.
Here, the sun sets at least an hour later than in the mainland. We wander among the narrow streets and time-worn concrete buildings to the Maison Claire restaurant, opened in 2008 by the friendly chef named Kobayashi. Trained in three Michelin-starred restaurants in France, he serves innovative, traditionally inspired cuisine: pork foie gras from the north of the island, Irabu sea snake broth, Wellington-style Motobu beef where puff pastry has been replaced by a coating of terracotta, which hardens with the meat and which is broken before serving. This marriage of French and Ryukyuan cuisine produces a surprising result: a 7-course dinner that has no equal anywhere else.
Our first morning in Okinawa begins with karate training at the Yagi Dojo, founded by dai sensei Yagi Meitoku. At the same address since its creation, the dojo keeps several training and combat items that belonged to the grandfather of sensei Yagi Akihito, who perpetuates the tradition of Goju-ryu karate. Known as the birthplace of karate, Okinawa has more than 200 dojos, some of which offer introductory martial arts courses for passing tourists.
On the way to the Yakuzen Ryuka cooking school, we stop at a supermarket where local products are abundant. However, shopping is done against the backdrop of the incessant rustling of the plastic that customers handle. To our great surprise, each fruit and each vegetable is individually bagged in transparent film intended to preserve freshness.
In the red-painted kitchen with its decor full of old trinkets, books, spice jars, diplomas and newspaper clippings, Yukie Miyaguni explains the foundations of Ryukyuan cuisine. This traditional Okinawan cuisine that we prepare together, helped by an interpreter, has existed since the time of the Ryukyu kingdom. After a hearty meal, she presents us with the precious photocopied pages of a book written by Tokashiki Pechin Tsukan, the chief physician to the king of the Ryukyu kingdom in the 19th century.e century. This book on health management through diet intended for the royal family is today at the heart of the secret of the longevity of the Okinawans. It is also the owner and teacher who was chosen to address this question in the series 100 years of fulfillment. The secrets of the blue zones broadcast since this fall on Netflix.
From historic buildings to a subtropical forest
After perhaps adding a few days to our life expectancy, the route takes us through the ruins of Zakimi Castle, built at the beginning of the 15th century.e century in the village of Yomitan, in the center of the island of Okinawa. Standing on the thick ramparts of this impressive masonry work, we contemplate for a moment a blue sky which melts into the China Sea, once the scene of the arrival of enemy invasions.
Towards the north of Okinawa Prefecture, along the east coast, several high-end hotel complexes rub shoulders with American military bases. We drop off our bags late in the evening for a night in Okuma located about 90 minutes north of Naha. The seaside resort celebrating its 45th anniversarye anniversary is actually a former site that belonged to the American army. The soldiers left the concrete houses and the place was transformed into a luxurious holiday destination, at the entrance to the preserved Yamburu sector, listed as a UNESCO natural world heritage site.
Too early to fully enjoy the Japanese-flavored lunch buffet, we venture into the Kunigami region for a walk of more than three hours in a dense subtropical forest. Birdwatching enthusiasts come from all over the world to walk the long trail to Hiji Falls and observe the Yanbaru Rail, Noguchi Woodpecker and Honto Red-tailed Woodpecker, three endemic species that exist nowhere else. We follow the recommendations of our expert guide Kenji Takehara, waving a stick on the ground to scare away the habu, a venomous snake that lives here without predators. The trail ends at Hiji Waterfall, which offers an impressive sight. Nestled in the forest, the 26-meter-high waterfall is the perfect soundtrack for coffee and mochi prepared that morning by our guides.
Back in the town of Naha, after a basket of fish and vegetable tempura grabbed on the side of the highway, we go back in time to visit Shujiro Castle and Shurijo Garden. The first is a fusion of Chinese, Japanese, and Ryukyu cultures. Built at the end of the 18th centurye century as the villa of the king of the Ryukyu kingdom, it comprises a relatively simple, single-story wooden main building with an Okinawan-style red tile roof, and a spacious landscaped garden with a central pond. Completely destroyed during the Second War, it was rebuilt according to archive photos.
Shurijo Castle was not spared during this same conflict. It was also razed by Allied bombings which targeted a large underground network of bunkers and corridors used by the Japanese army and dug under the castle. This place, which was for more than four centuries the political, diplomatic and cultural center of the Ryukyu kingdom, fell prey to flames and was rebuilt several times throughout its sad and fascinating history. The fifth and final fire, the causes of which have never been identified, dates back to 2019 when almost all of the buildings were reduced to ashes. A colossal mobilization enabled the reconstruction of this symbol of Ryukyu culture and history, the pride and spiritual center of the Okinawan people. The work should be carried out in 2026.
The history of Okinawa is read in several volumes and is reminiscent of that of the First Nations in Canada. Each time, the story begins with the reconstruction of a people. Wars followed, neighboring countries fought over ownership and control of the archipelago and poverty marked generations. But these resilient people have never lowered their heads, proud of their origins, their independence and their culture.
As the tires of the small, crowded plane leave the ground, a phrase comes to mind. At the dojo, sensei Yagi Akihito insisted on one thing: “According to tradition, we teach not to fight, we also teach not to lose.” This sentence cannot better sum up the story of the Okinawans who never wanted to fight, but who were ready to sacrifice everything to lose nothing.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.