Authentic Okinawan Flavor: Enjoy Island Songs & Awamori at Folk Izakaya

By MOOK Editorial Team
 
What to Do in Okinawa in Winter? Okinawa isn’t just about water activities. Its multicultural heritage, traditional crafts, and the passionate, energetic sanshin performances make it captivating even in the cold winter months. When visiting Okinawa, be sure to visit a folk izakaya to soak in the lively atmosphere. As the name suggests, a folk izakaya is a pub featuring live performances of Okinawan folk songs, allowing you to immerse yourself in local daily life and enjoy music and cuisine with the locals.

The First Highlight of Folk Izakayas—Live Folk Performances: Typically, two singers (one male, one female) perform while playing instruments like the sanshin, drums, or sanban. Besides singing, taking song requests and interacting with the audience are key parts of the performance. Before your trip, pick some favorite Okinawan folk songs, jot down their titles, and ask the singers to perform them live.

The Second Highlight—Traditional Dance: As the evening progresses and the mood heats up during the folk song performances, singers often invite the audience to join in the traditional Okinawan dance “Kachashi.” If you see locals raising their hands or standing up, don’t hesitate to join in—you won’t want to miss out.
How to Dance Kachashi: Raise both hands high, palms open above your head. Men clench their fists, women keep palms open. Move both hands and elbows simultaneously to the right and then to the left, as if opening sliding doors. Keep swinging your hands left and right to the rhythm, and step your feet from side to side.

Finally, the most essential part of any izakaya—food. Most izakayas serve authentic Okinawan dishes, along with some creative bar snacks. Although many dishes are labeled in katakana rather than kanji (e.g., Goya Champuru (Okinawan stir-fried bitter melon), Papaya, Rafute (braised pork belly)), most menus include pictures, which is a big plus for Taiwanese travelers who don’t read Japanese. Of course, there may still be times when the pictures aren’t clear enough.