Karakui

A long time dream come true to see my hero pro cyclist Arashiro Yukiya (if you don’t know him, he is the 🐐 [G.O.A.T. means greatest of all time] in all of Asian cycling and he’s from Ishigaki Island) in a road race during the Saitama Criterium in Japan. Although I wasn’t able to meet him face to face, I was 10 centimeters from him as he did a final lap with outstretched hand giving high-fives (I missed but was so close 😅). One day I’ll meet and maybe ride with him too. Although I was based in Saitama for the race, I did a day trip to Shinjuku to visit… Guess. Yup! Okinawan stores! It’s Okinawa everywhere all at once.

As a student of the sanshin, a visit to Chindami Sanshin Tokyo (ちんだみ三線店) is a must. Located in Kabukicho Shinjuku and within walking distance from the JR Shinjuku Station, the store sells sanshin (from beginner to enthusiast to advanced) and accessories (basically anything you need). They also have an English-speaking staff available on certain days of the week but if you can understand a little Japanese, store manager Yanata-san is very knowledgeable. If you do end up with a new sanshin (yay for you!), be sure to get the semi-hard case (三線用セミハードケース) that comes with removable backpack straps. This case is safe to bring on board trains and planes. Having the backpack straps makes it easy to travel with back to your hotel too. And if you surprisingly don’t leave with a new sanshin, they have a couple of unique small items worth purchasing. One item is their special high-class sanshin uma (赤馬（すす竹）高級ウマ) made out of the rare susutake. Also if the name of the store sounds familiar, their main store is in Okinawa and they also have a store in Fukuoka too. I think they’re one of the rare sanshin stores with branches outside of Okinawa.

Here’s a little side story about the store’s owner, Higa Kenryu. Many years ago he ambitiously traveled to Oahu Hawaii with the desire to fix sanshin (I’m sure word got around to him that there are a lot of sanshin in Hawaii in need of repair — especially the leather) and did a pop-up at Shirokiya (back when it was an amazing store) in the Ala Moana Shopping Center. Sadly, the tale turns tragic as the snakeskin leather he had prepared to bring to Hawaii was denied entry so he had to quickly make the decision to do artificial leather instead. Perhaps it’s due to this story that we haven’t seen any other sanshin makers make the trip outside of Okinawa to fix sanshin. Arakaki-san of Ichinto Arakawa Sanshin has a very informative article (in Japanese) regarding traveling with sanshin outside of Okinawa and Japan that’s worth reading.

With many locations in Okinawa and Japan, Paikaji is a sure bet if you’re a bit anxious as to whether the food is authentic or not since there are several Okinawan restaurants in the Shinjuku area to choose from (that’s not to say that the others aren’t authentic and if time allotted, one should definitely eat at all of them 😋). Pictured is one of their set menus with minced agu pork cutlet, upgraded from white rice to jushi, a side order of shima rakkyo (off to the side), and iced sanpincha from their Shinjuku location. I actually walked from Chindami to get here so they’re not very far from each other.

Perhaps no trip to Tokyo with those longing for Okinawa can be without visiting (and buying everything in sight!) at the Ginza Washita Shop. Located within walking distance of the JR Tokyo Station (also close to Tokyo Metro stations). If you’re recognizing a pattern here your answer is “yes”, this store has several locations in Okinawa and Japan. Good going! In addition to basically finding anything you can find in Okinawa here, the store also has a collaboration with the Okinawa Sanshin Makers Association (sorry, that’s my loose translation) and have a few sanshin and accessories available for sale! It is indeed a one-stop shop for everything Okinawa. Items I would recommend are the Haisai Sauce (a hot sauce similar to sriracha) and loose leaf sanpincha (go for the higher quality blue bag) which we don’t see as often as before outside of Okinawa and Japan. Nothing like leaving the store, standing outside, and drinking your shikwasa drink as you people watch 😊.

So, yeah. Okinawa everywhere all at once. While sightseeing in Saitama and visiting the Kawagoe area, lo and behold, bam!, Okinawan store Mahae! Not quite Washita Shop but they had a few goods to get you going. Even better is the Okinawa Takarajima store in Cocoon City Saitama (sadly, photos not allowed) not to mention a Paikaji location in Urawa Saitama and an Okinawan restaurant in the Keyaki Hiroba. So on your next trip to Japan, keep your eyes open, Apple/Google Maps is your bestie, and you’ll see that Okinawa can be found everywhere as if it’s following your melancholy heart longing for our beloved islands 🏝️🌺❤️.

「おまけ」(Bonus)

I’m sure even those who normally don’t follow baseball — especially Nippon Pro Baseball — weren’t spared from the news of Otani Shohei’s historic deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers in Major League Baseball. So maybe, just maybe, that sparked an interest in baseball? And if it did, know that we have you covered here at Karakui. There are a lot of pro baseball players from Okinawa in the NPB league. Maybe many have forgotten the tragic story of Irabu Hideki (Miyako Island) RIP 🙏 but he has a legacy of amazing baseball talent from Okinawa. In the final game of the Japan Series, we saw two (an ace Miyagi Hiroya and a reliever Higa Motoki) pitchers from Okinawa take the biggest baseball stage in Japan playing for the Orix Buffaloes (yup, Suzuki Ichiro’s old team). Let’s say it in unison: “Okinawa everywhere all at once!” (BTW, the post’s title is in reference to the Academy award-winning film “Everything Everywhere All at Once“.)

We have a few more of our regular short news posts coming out to close out the year and special (I hope we can pull it off!) upcoming content in 2024. Life is short and unpredictable. Everyone please stay safe, please stay healthy, and please be happy.