Production of Okinawa’s homegrown beverage awamori emerged in an atmosphere of cultural cultivation that was threatened at times by violent conflicts and political struggle. The collection of islands that today make up Okinawa Prefecture has a long history rich in cultural developments and maritime commerce. The island chain was formerly known as the Ryūkyū Kingdom, which came into existence in 1429. Stretching from the southern limits of Kyūshū to a little over 100km from the coast of Taiwan, the islands’ proximity to China and Japan allowed the merchants of Ryūkyū to establish the kingdom as a key point of trade in East Asia. This accessibility to powerful neighbors would also prove to have tragic consequences. The kingdom experienced relatively profitable, peaceful times as a vassal state of China, but was invaded by the Satsuma Clan (rulers of what is now Kagoshima) in the early 1600s. The Ryūkyū Kingdom was used as a pawn in unofficial trade between Japan and China–the two countries almost always at odds with no diplomatic ties or direct commerce. In 1879 Imperial Japan laid claim to the islands and the majority were designated as the prefecture of Okinawa, with the northernmost retained by Kagoshima.
Okinawa saw much misfortune and devastation near the end of World War II. It was the battleground for some of the bloodiest skirmishes of the war, leaving large swaths of the main island (officially Okinawa Island, Hontō to natives) in ruins. I’ll leave it to readers to delve deeper into the nightmarish accounts of these events in history books. Let us steer the discussion toward the positive. Though most of the historical structures were destroyed in the war, the Okinawan people preserved their culture in their hearts. The rulers of Ryūkyū had been strong proponents for the advancement of the arts. Under their direction, music, drama, dance, pottery making and other handicrafts thrived. Distilling of the island kingdom’s unique alcohol using Thai rice as its base was born in this progressive era.
The roots of awamori can be traced back nearly 600 years, coming into existence soon after the founding of the Ryūkyū Kingdom itself. The destruction wrought by WWII wiped out most of the distilleries and any aging product in storage. For a time, it was even thought that a strain of black kōji (Aspergillus luchuensis) critical for producing awamori was also lost (living samples were later found at a lab at the University of Tokyo). In the aftermath of the war, the people of Okinawa set about the arduous process of rebuilding from scratch. Many of the awamori distilleries that exist today were founded in the decade following the end of the war. Currently, the prefecture boasts close to fifty active distilleries.
I started my Okinawa excursion in the prefectural capital of Naha, which encompasses the site of the Ryūkyū monarchy’s seat of government, Shuri. The flight from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport takes a little under three hours. A monorail whisks you from the terminal to downtown Naha in around twenty minutes. The hub of action in the city is centered around appropriately named Kokusai Dōri (literally International Street). Long a center of trade in the region, the Ryūkyū Kingdom absorbed culture from its influential neighbors, mixing it with its own. Post-WWII the US retained jurisdiction over Okinawa until finally returning administrative control to Japan in 1972. US military bases still occupy a significant portion of land on the main island, and hence American culture has also been interwoven into its fabric along with that of Japan and China.
This may be most evident in the cuisine of the islands. Hamburger shops are interspersed with Okinawa soba establishments, Spam is as popular as tofu. Interestingly, for an island chain, pork is far more common than fish in the local cuisine. Though sashimi is relatively easy to find in the modern day, in the past the tropical climate would cause food to spoil quickly. Stewed, deep-fried, and stir-fried foods simply proved to be safer to consume and became the prevalent choice.
Okinawa’s most well-known cuisine is probably gōya champurū. Gōya is a type of bitter melon and champurū is a local word meaning “mixture”. The stir-fried mix usually includes pork, egg, tofu and other vegetables. You will find it everywhere, even in convenience stores. Sātā andāgī is another ubiquitous item found at shops and stands. The sweetened, deep-fried dough balls resemble bumpy doughnut holes. Rafute should also be on your list of sins against your diet. The richly flavored pork belly is slowly simmered in sweetened soy sauce (sometimes with awamori added) to the point that the meat is nearly falling apart. If you are craving a leaner option, umibudō (literally ocean grapes) is a must-try, ocean delight in my opinion. This delicacy is a cluster of edible stems with tiny dark green nodules that pleasantly pop in your mouth. There is also an abundance of tropical fruit, such as mangos, pineapple, and shīkwāsā–citrus fruits resembling miniature limes. They are the perfect addition to most cocktails or as a garnish to your island cuisine. The chili sauce kōrēgūsu rounds out my list of Okinawan recommendations. The spicy sauce is made with small, whole chili peppers soaked in awamori usually with some vinegar added. You will find bottles of it on most local restaurant tables throughout Okinawa. It was also my souvenir of choice.
All this talk of food surely has your taste buds urging you to indulge yourself. Before doing so, let’s take a calorie-burning stroll around historical Shuri. The ancient capital’s citadel, Shuri-jō, is located on a rise about four kilometers west of the lively Kokusai Dōri area. The trip is one that takes you back in time from the modern, tiered concrete-slab structures downtown to the medieval stonework and vermillion walls of the gusuku–Okinawan for castle. Shuri-jō was designated a World Heritage Site in 2000 due to its cultural significance as a symbol of the Ryūkyū people. It has required reconstruction multiple times due to war and fire, even in this day and age. Tragically, its main hall fatefully succumbed to fire in 2019 and is currently in the planning stages of painstaking restoration.
Zuisen Shuzō, founded in 1887, sits at the foot of the hill upon which Shuri-jō is perched. Long ago, awamori production was strictly controlled by the royal government. Due to the proximity to the seat of power as well as fresh spring water, this area was home to many awamori distilleries in the past. Zuisen is one of the few that was able to resurrect itself in the post-war era. A visit here makes for a good introduction to the beverage and what goes into its production. The distillery has a short, insightful video with English subtitles that explains its history and an education on how awamori is made. While modern equipment is now used in many parts of the process, it remains very hands-on. The aging process has changed very little over the centuries. Kame, the traditional storage vessels, are a distinct symbol of awamori distilleries and some are beautiful pieces of art. Rows of large 200L kame can be seen behind the glass of Zuisen’s tasting area/store.
Possibly the best example of kame craftsmanship is at Chūkō Gura in Tomigusuku City, Naha’s neighbor to the west. The company shapes kame and a variety of other earthenware vessels and fires them in on-site kilns producing one-of-a-kind works. The facility as a whole is educational in all aspects of awamori. A video with English subtitles guides you through the pottery process, as well production methods of the beverage itself. Chūkō has a small awamori production area where you can watch awamori being produced from behind a glass window. The adjoining shop/tasting area is spacious and serves as a great place to find the type of awamori that suits your taste. You can also choose to purchase a personalized, crafted container of awamori to be aged at the Chūkō Gura anywhere from five to twenty years, saving it for an important occasion that calls for opening it.
Kame aren’t the only attractive pieces of artwork distinctive to awamori culture. Unique decanters (resembling miniature teapots) and tiny cups are also part of it. One interesting aspect of the cups designed for awamori consumption is their ability to retain a pleasant aroma long after the beverage is gone. For anyone interested in Okinawan pottery, Naha’s historical Tsuboya district is easily the best choice for immersion. The art of producing what came to be known as Tsuboya yaki, has been practiced here for over three centuries. In the late 1600s the royal Ryūkyū government selected the area to advance the art of pottery due to the presence of fine clay and water sources. The district thrived and remains a cultural treasure to this day. A collection of studios and shops belonging to multiple generations of potters are scattered around the narrow, cobblestone Tsuboya Yachimun Street. Some offer hands-on lessons in which you can shape your own pieces with the guidance of an instructor.
After a day of touring the city and maybe trying some of the delicacies mentioned earlier, some drinks are in order. At this point, you likely have sampled awamori at distillery tastings. Another option is in awamori cocktails. The Bar Shiokawa, a few blocks away from Kokusai Dōri, serves a range of different options. It is owned by Manabu Shiokawa, director of the Awamori Meister Association (a major promoting organization for the beverage), so expect superior selections. Trying all of them will be impossible for one evening. If you can try one, definitely ask for the specialty Grateful Sunset, made with awamori, dry orange liqueur, grenadine syrup and shīkwāsā. Note that the bar is a smoking establishment.
Leaving the greater Naha area and moving north along Okinawa Island it gradually becomes more sparsely populated. Yambaru National Park, set to be added as a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site in the near future, occupies the majority of the island’s top third. The dense subtropical forest is habitat for a diversity of rare species of wildlife. According to the Japanese Ministry of the environment, this tiny corner of Japan has about a quarter of its native frog species and a whopping half of the country’s species of bird, including the endangered kuina. The virtually flightless bird in the rail family is protected by law and it is hoped that the park’s UNESCO designation will speed efforts to increase its population.
On the way to Yambaru, I visited two distilleries of note in the island’s central area, Kamimura and Helios. Kamimura Shuzō offers a tour (in Japanese, but use cellphone translator) of its facilities coupled with tasting (English tasting notes provided) and accompanying snacks. It is located near a concentration of US military bases, and as a result, is accustomed to foreign visitors. All is well thought out, and beyond a fine selection of awamori the tasting includes moromi vinegar and a citric acid-heavy plum beverage, both non-alcoholic and considered health supplements (medically substantiated). Kamimura also has a barrel aging program that uses Jack Daniels bourbon barrels. Like Chūkō, Kamimura offers to store your purchase of awamori in their cellar, aging it until an agreed upon time for it to be delivered, or better yet, retrieved–a fine excuse for a return trip. Some sake breweries, such as Shimazaki Shuzō in Tochigi, have similar programs, which have been increasing in popularity, and I, for one, am a fan.
During the tasting at Kamimura, I noticed photos of massive bulls being paraded around a ring on display. On asking our distillery tour guide, I learned that Uruma City, where the distillery is located, is the main venue for ushiōrasē (Okinawan bullfighting). Unlike a Spanish bullfight, the match is bull versus bull, though they are goaded on by handlers. It ends when one of the beasts loses the will to fight and backs down, though some may end in injury. I will leave it to the individual reader to decide the humaneness of this on their own, but this culture dating back to the turn of the 20th century is of local significance.
Helios, northeast or Uruma in Nago City, is a substantially large facility with some notable distinctions. First it has an impressive warehouse of about 3000 450L Canadian oak barrels full of aging awamori. In the storage facility are also three large vessels that are designated for maturing their contents for a century (currently in year 25)–alas, we are all out of luck in tasting the results of the finished product in the absence of some serious medical breakthroughs, but so is project innovator and current president, Ryō Matsuda. I suspect he samples from time to time for the sake of “quality control”. His grandchildren will surely appreciate his efforts.
In addition to rum, shōchū, liqueurs, whisky, and even seasonings, Helios also brews craft beer incorporating traditional Okinawan products such as gōya and shīkwāsā. The company has a taproom on Kokusai Dōri in downtown Naha for anyone that can’t make it to its out-of-the-way headquarters. Those that do can take a tour and indulge in tastings.
From Nago, we moved on to the significantly more remote town of Kunigami, one of the gateways to Yambaru National Park. The coastline is dotted, but not overwhelmed, with resort hotels and guesthouses on secluded beaches. Depending on what you are in search of, both pampering and simple detachment from the madness of city life is possible. Explore the forests of Yambaru one day and just relax on the beach another. Whatever path you choose, say goodbye to your stress for the time being.
Yanbaru Shuzō, founded in 1950 at the edge of the forest, is the only awamori distillery in the area (note the spelling using an n or m depends on which rules one follows for Anglicizing Japanese). The company is heavily invested in support of the local community as well as buoyed by it, with 70% of its product consumed locally. The distillery is a bit off the beaten path, but its staff were passionate and the quaint tasting area also had ceramic creations of local artists for purchase. Yanbaru’s special World Natural Heritage awamori was one of my favorites of the trip. Using it in a homemade awamori tonic, replacing the lime with shīkwāsā, was deemed by our group of three to be the perfect recipe for sipping on the beach. The bottle we purchased didn’t survive the evening.
Okinawa comprises around 160 islands, about 50 of which are inhabited. Beyond the main island, other popular destinations are the islands of Miyako, Ishigaki, Iriomote, Kume, and the Kerama island group. All have their own crystal blue water and enticing charms. Unless you have an abundance of free time, you will require multiple visits to completely experience what each has to offer. Okinawa has a tendency to become an addiction and is tops in Japan for repeat visitors.
For this trip we chose to explore Ishigaki. The island is closer to Taiwan than it is to Hontō. Its population is centered around the isle’s southern tip, while the north is dominated by a heavily forested mountain range descending to beautiful white sand beaches. Though much smaller than the main island, Okinawa’s highest point, Mount Omoto (525m) is in this range. Kabira Bay, one of Okinawa’s most scenic spots, is also on the north shore. The clear, turquoise waters of the bay are home to an abundant mix of colorful marine life, including the stars of the show, large sea turtles. Glass bottom boats ply the bay offering a glimpse of what lies beneath the surface. More adventurous visitors can opt for a scuba diving excursion in hopes of getting up close to the manta that inhabit the nearby waters.
Vying for the title of best location for a distillery, Takamine Shuzōsho is located just across from bayside Kabira Park. A wall of glass separates the shop from the production area, allowing viewing of the process. Also of note, third-generation president Satoshi Takamine is a talented sanshin player. The traditional Okinawan thee-string instrument resembles a banjo with the head cover made from snake skin. The distinctive sound of the sanshin dominates music heard throughout the islands. If you purchase a bottle of awamori and ask kindly, you may be able to coax Takamine into a performance.
My second distillery visit was Yaesen Shuzō, a few kilometers from the downtown area in the south. The initial fascination for me here was the habu-shu. Habu are venomous pit vipers native to Okinawa. The practice of drinking awamori with the snake immersed in it arose from a superstition of virility. Distillery president Moriyuki Zakimi explains that this product is predominantly purchased by drinking establishments and served to customers instead of direct sales to visitors to Yaesen. For the average consumer he suggests the company’s award-winning Kuroshinju (Black Pearl), which is distilled using time-consuming, traditional methods. The shuzō also has a long-running barrel-aging program using French and American oak, both virgin barrels and those previously used for whisky or sherry. For a taste of this, try Yaesen’s Taruchozō (barrel-aged) awamori, which has won the top medal (Superior Gold) in both 2021 and 2020 at the Tokyo Whiskey & Spirits Competition. If you had your heart set on trying habu-shu, there are bottles less the menacing snake that can be purchased (bringing a bottle containing a deceased viper on an international flight is going to be a problem).
After some souvenir purchases, less reptilian additives, it was time to head back to the mainland. Conveniently, especially if you are carrying a multitude of bottles, there are direct flights between Ishigaki and Haneda Airport in Tokyo. Like so many visitors to Okinawa, you will have the itch to go again before you even deboard. Not all addictions are bad.
Getting around
The city of Naha and surrounding area is serviced by a monorail and public transportation is easy to find. Travel anywhere beyond that area will require a car (or tour bus). The map shown on this page represents the distilleries that are participating in the prefecture’s awamori tourism program and therefore have an onsite store and offer tastings. A tour may be possible with reservations. Getting around the smaller islands can technically be done by bicycle, but keep in mind that it is illegal in Japan to ride a bicycle after consuming alcohol. If you are planning on taking a few bottles of awamori home with you, but don’t want to be carrying them around the entire trip, Kiyan Shōten liquor shop on Wakasa Ōdori street in downtown Naha carries the widest selection you will find and has many smaller format bottes that will easily fit in your luggage. Don’t let the size of the tiny shop fool you–it’s the front of a much larger distribution storehouse. They also ship domestically via online order (Japanese website only: e-awamori.co.jp).
(This article was the travel feature for Sake Today #30. Back issues and subscriptions are available here.
