Umaku Kamade by Ryukyu Underground

Ryukyu Underground has finally come out with a new album, "Umui." Check out the beautiful video of one of their new songs, "Umaku Kamade."

Video: YouTube / Ryukyuunderground

Yugafu Okinawan Izakaya in Tokyo

I'm currently in Tokyo - which means I'm eating as much Okinawan food as I can! Okinawan cuisine is a rarity in the States (no restaurants yet in the San Francisco area - somebody pleeeease open one!) but lucky me, it's a big trend here in Tokyo. Restaurants and izakayas specializing in Okinawa-ryoori and awamori can be found everywhere.

On my first night here my sister took me to a charming place in Meguro. Check out the post on my Tokyo blog here. Still thinking about their jimami dofu...

"Kyu-bon and Eisa Festivals" Documentary

I recently caught an episode about Okinawa from the "Fantastic Festivals of the World" series on Discovery HD theater. This episode was called "The Kyu-bon and Eisa Festivals" - Okinawa, Japan. Although the content isn't entirely new for anyone who has been to Okinawa or is familiar with the culture, I enjoyed the production very much--great music, nice cinematography, made me homesick for Okinawa for sure. It captured the youthful energy of eisa performers and talked about the importance of these festivals. There was also some background into general history and culture of the Ryukyu islands, including a visit to the Makishi Market in Naha. There was even mention of Yomitan, my mother's village.

After a little searching I found the site of the producer of this documentary, Marc Pingry Productions. You can purchase a DVD for $12 by inquiring via email. I think it's a worthy addition to anyone's collection.

Okinawan/Polish/American Wedding

A couple of weeks ago I attended the wedding of a family friend. The bride was an Okinawan hapa like myself. Her mother shared a dance that is traditionally performed at celebratory occasions. I found it somewhat poignant, watching Kazuko-san's solemn, solitary dance in a modern wedding banquet hall on a golf course in the glow of the setting sun. Giving away her youngest daughter, honoring the occasion with a piece of tradition.

Okinawa New Year Festivities

Our Okinawa Kenjinkai New Year celebration was held in Fairfield, as has been the tradition the past few years. We all look forward to this annual event of music, dancing, food, and reconnecting with other Bay Area uchinanchu.

Akabanaa Okinawan Shop in San Francisco

Okinawan products are hard to come by in the States, so I consider myself lucky to have this specialty store in easy traveling distance. Akabanaa means hibiscus in the Okinawan dialect--a flower you'll see thriving in Okinawa's subtropical climate, as well as recurring often in design motifs.

Akabanaa claims to be the only retail store of this kind outside of Japan, and I believe it. Their aim is to promote Okinawan culture through their unique imported products. They offer a range of food items such as dried goya, sea salt, mozoku seaweed, and sweets made from beni-imo (purple sweet potato). You can also find beautiful gift items like pottery, totes and aprons crafted from colorful, distinctly Okinawan bingata (stencil dyed) fabric, or CD's featuring traditional music. Their products are not cheap, but worth it for a rare taste of Okinawa. (I'm still hoping they'll bring awamori in soon!)

Akabanaa is located in San Francisco's Japantown, 2nd floor of the Miyako Mall. They're open every day but Tuesday.

Andrew Zimmern in Okinawa

My favorite food adventure guy, Andrew Zimmern (the Bizarre Foods guy), did a show in Japan so of course I made it a point to watch this episode air last night. What I didn't expect was that he also made a stop in Okinawa to try the cuisine there! Wonderful surprise. AZ visited the market in Naha where he tried some seafood delicacies, stewed sea snake and sliced raw goat testicles, then he dined with a family in their home, where he was served goya champuru and squid ink soup.

Zimmern loves Japan, its culture and cuisine in general and he raves about highlights of his trip on this clip. Check it out, and try to catch the show on the travel channel if you can.