Hamahiga Island is one of the remote islands that can be easily reached by car by crossing the Kaichu Road and Hamahiga Bridge on the Yokatsu Peninsula in Uruma City. Of course, there are restaurants on the island where you can eat fresh seafood, and restaurants that skillfully use freshly picked vegetables are also popular. We will introduce 4 recommended gourmet spots with different types, including a wonderful restaurant where you can enjoy French cuisine while admiring the island scenery, a cafe & dining with a Greek-inspired wooden deck, a traditional Ryukyu house restaurant, and a "takomeshi" (octopus rice) restaurant.
1. Enjoy a Unique Atmosphere at "Kominka Shokudo Teirabui"
"Kominka Shokudo Teirabui" blends in well with the Hama settlement on the west side of the island. "Teirabui" is an Okinawan word meaning "sunbathing." Following the sign and proceeding along a narrow alley, you will find a parking lot a little away from the building. Just a short walk from there, you will arrive at a restaurant with an atmosphere like visiting the home of an old man or woman in the countryside.
Entering through the hinpun from a section surrounded by block walls and hibiscus, a magnificent flat house with a red tile roof stands firmly. Hinpun is a typical style of Ryukyu architecture, a kind of screen placed between the evil-repelling gate and the main building. Small chabudai (low tables) are placed on the tatami mats, and a sanshin (Okinawan three-stringed instrument) is casually displayed in the tokonoma (alcove).
The pride of this restaurant is simple home cooking using pesticide-free vegetables! You can choose from two types of rice, side dishes, and soup. It is recommended to set coffee and zenzai (sweet red bean soup) after the meal. Enjoying Okinawan home cooking in the slow-flowing time is also the charm of Kominka Shokudo Teirabui.
Name: Kominka Shokudo Teirabui
Address: Katsuren Hama 56, Uruma City
Official/Related Site URL: http://teirabui.ti-da.net/
2. Dining While Enjoying the Beautiful Sea View at "CAFE DINING Santorini"
If you cross the Hamahiga Bridge and turn left, you will see a wooden deck restaurant on your right about 400m along the coast. This is "CAFE DINING Santorini." The view from the terrace seats here is the best! Named after the Greek island of Santorini, the view of the Pacific Ocean spreading far into the distance, as well as the scenery of Henza Island and Miyagi Island, is second to none to the Aegean Sea.
Here, you can enjoy Mediterranean and Romanian-style meals. They are proud of their carefully selected dishes that use fresh seafood purchased directly from nearby fishing ports and seasonal local vegetables, and do not use any chemical seasonings. The lunch menu is a system where you choose and combine soup and main dishes from three daily options. It also comes with homemade bread or brown rice, and coffee or tea. It is also recommended to use it only as a cafe, where you can drink freshly brewed coffee while looking at the sea.
Name: CAFE DINING Santorini
Address: Katsuren Hama 243-1, Uruma City
Official/Related Site URL: http://www.santorini2013.net/
3. Chef's Pride Dishes at "Restaurant Hamahiga"
"Restaurant Hamahiga (Hapina)" is a French restaurant located in the Hotel Hamahiga Island Resort. It is a very luxurious space where you can enjoy a panoramic view of the beautiful sea from the large windows. The sophisticated interior has an adult atmosphere. Please enjoy the exquisite course meals slowly at the calm table seats.
Dinner is a full course that starts with an amuse. You can taste 7 to 8 dishes of authentic French cuisine using carefully selected ingredients of the day. The dishes, created by the chef choosing the most delicious cooking method for each seasonal ingredient, are all masterpieces that will make you say "delicious" without thinking. The collaboration with the horizon spreading beyond the glass wall is a great satisfaction for both taste and sight! If it's dinner with a special someone, make a reservation at Restaurant Hamahiga.
Name: Restaurant Hamahiga
Address: Hotel Hamahiga Island Resort, Higa 202, Katsuren, Uruma City
Official/Related Site URL: http://www.hamahiga-resort.jp/restaurant/hapina.html
4. Takomeshi Set Recommended at "Southern Hope"
"Southern Hope" is a restaurant located on the first floor of a large white hotel-like building. The interior is also hotel-like, but the recommended menu here is for some reason "takomeshi" (octopus rice), not the popular Okinawan "taco rice."
From around the time you enter Uruma City, you will see signs for "Hamahiga Island Specialty Takomeshi" here and there. It's fun that many people are attracted to the excellent octopus picture and visit the store as if drawn in.
The most popular here is the "Takomeshi Set," where you can enjoy all four items: "Mozuku and Okra Soup," "Mozuku and Cheese Chijimi," and for some reason, "Sendai Ohagi" (sweet rice ball)! Takomeshi is also available for takeout. The fresh octopus and mozuku harvested on Hamahiga Island are undeniably delicious and have an excellent combination.
In fact, this restaurant was opened on March 20, 2011, by a kitchen equipment manufacturer from Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture. It was completed just 10 days after the unprecedented Great East Japan Earthquake that struck eastern Japan, so it was named "Southern Hope" with the wish that "people should not lose hope from the southern country."
Name: Southern Hope
Address: Katsuren Hama 229-1, Uruma City
Official/Related Site URL: http://southernhope.web.fc2.com/
◎ Summary
On the east coast of central Okinawa Island, when you cross the Kaichu Road in Uruma City, you will see another bridge to the right. Hamahiga Island is beyond that bridge. Power spots such as Shirumichu and Amamichu are popular tourist spots. In addition, the charm is that there are beautiful and quiet beaches unique to remote islands, such as Muruku Beach and Hama Beach. Please enjoy a gourmet trip with a variety of options to such Hamahiga Island.