Eating in a traditional Tatami room, a local is quick to share his knowledge with the table. “There’s good sea urchin and there’s bad sea urchin,” he says, laughing. Sat on the floor, he’s picking at a plate of freshly sourced sashimi at a small, earnest restaurant hidden amongst the winding streets of Naze in Amami Oshima. His knowledge of local cuisine could appear a little brazen, but that couldn’t be further from reality.
That’s because the locals of Amami Oshima have an incredibly close connection to the island’s rich food culture. Its essence can be sampled and savoured across the unmissable food and drink that’s made on its shores and I’ve made it my mission to uncover this lifeblood, found in the hearty and warming Keihan dish, in local Shochu spirits and hand-made gelato. It’s a dazzling food scene on this small island in the East China sea.
To start, I’ve commandeered a Mazda CX-5, in resplendent Soul Red Crystal. With a shimmering exterior, all-wheel drive and formidable power under the bonnet, it’s a flawless companion for such an adventure. In the CX-5, I drive joyfully through the island’s meandering roads, shifting between gears without concern. Between verdant mountains poking the skyline, I catch glimpses of lush mangrove forests and white sand beaches with warm, translucent water.
These head-turning vistas can be found in abundance across the rural island, but I have other business; and it starts with a classic Amami dish. The island’s most popular order, Keihan — a portmanteau of Kei and Gohan that literally translates to “chicken rice” — is a seven-ingredient dish that includes shredded chicken, broth, plain rice, ginger, green onion, shiitake mushrooms and dried seaweed. It’s a versatile dish, and one that can be tweaked to any taste, but the traditional method of serving involves assembling these ingredients and pouring over the broth to the point of submersion. It’s salty, but not too heavy and makes for a casual meal especially when slurped with friends.
“There’s nothing like it,” says Yuichiro Hisakura, owner of popular restaurant Keihan Hisakura, who often uses local dried komikan oranges in his dishes. “It’s popular with everyone,” he shares, explaining that the dish has a deep cultural importance, too. “Schoolchildren can learn about the local ingredients and the culture” through Keihan, Hisakura explains.
This cultural connection extends further than Hisakura’s kitchen. Owing to its lush environment, Amami Oshima can cover every basis of the Sa (sugar), Shi (salt), Su (vinegar), Se (soy sauce) and So (miso) matrix, Kasuke Oguri, my local guide, explains. Even the poisonous Cycad fruit, a jagged offshoot from Sotetsu trees, can be boiled down to make a flour that’s used in miso and udon noodles: two popular ingredients on the island. Sotetsu palms are a common sight across the island, too, as I switch into the CX-5’s sports mode and climb up smoothly through the hills that are blanketed in the trees.
Now 60, Ei Ryo returned to his birthplace of Amami Oshima after living in Osaka for 15 years. Fishing for Japanese black porgy in Tatsugo, the spot is a family favourite as his father-in-law showed him the secluded spot. He plans to use the fish for Karaage and, for any smaller fish, sauté them in soy sauce.
Two friends working together, Hikari Yamaguchi and Izumi Akiyama are picking butterfly pea petals to be used in gelato and herbal teas at Tropica Amami. The local hangout spot specialises in colourful and flavoursome gelatos that also create positive social change through environmentalism and therapy.
Strolling through Ohama beach on Amami Oshima’s west coast, newlyweds Shinji Onishi and Anna Onishi are celebrating their wedding with their families during sunset. Stood underneath a Gajumaru tree and wearing traditional Amami Oshima wedding attire, Anna explains that her kimono is from her mother and Shinji’s was passed down from his father-in-law.
During a hot day on a tropical island, even the most introverted adventurer can’t resist the temptation of a refreshing scoop or two of gelato. Using the CX-5’s in-built navigation system, I make tracks for local hangout Tropica Amami. Surrounded by farms growing dragonfruit, butterfly pea and lemongrass, Tomotsugi Tanaka’s establishment has become well-known for its wondrous, colourful gelato made of 50% fruit.
Recent batches, he explains, include Tanegashima sweet potato, which Tanaka uses for its hints of chestnut, not dissimilar to a Mont Blanc cake, and a peppermint blend using butterfly pea. “You can really taste the sweet potato taste with the milk,” he says, enthusing that local ingredients are vital for both taste and aesthetics. Future batches will include herbal gelato and a “healthier”, lower-sugar option for more health-inclined visitors. “The whole island enjoys natural, organic food,” he says. “It’s organic everywhere!”
One of Amami Oshima’s more famous exports, however, is Shōchū. Mellow, rich and often served with lemon juice, ice and soda, it’s a clear spirit made from steamed malted rice and local sugarcanes. As I park the CX-5 — a local comments positively on the “beautiful” Soul Red Crystal as I do so — Niroyuki Kawasaki welcomes me into Yayoi Shōchū Brewery, a short drive from Naze.
Made with local sugar cane grown only a few miles away, Shōchū plays an important role both as a drink, and as part of an authentic meal experience. “It’s important to have food and drink together,” says Kawasaki, as we walk between dozens and dozens of Shōchū barrels, ready to be sent around the world. “It’s not just about drinking, you have to enjoy it with your meal.”
With that in mind, there’s no better meal to characterise Amami Oshima’s food scene than a plate of mangrove crab at Mangrove Cha-Ya. As a tropical rainstorm begins to thunder outside, I gaze at the sprawling mass of Amami Oshima’s mangrove forest being peppered with rain, before ordering Cha-Ya’s speciality: a mangrove crab served with udon noodles, seaweed and a hearty broth for a true hyperlocal taste of the island. The hands-on dish is served with chopsticks, a pair of scissors and a metal picker with which to extract the crab’s lean meat, making for a memorable last meal in Amami Oshima.
Driving toward the airport in the comfort of the CX-5, I reflect on that local in the Tatami restaurant. He was right, it would seem, to share his knowledge; because with food and drink like this found all around the island, no-one does it better than Amami Oshima.
Words Ed Cooper / Images Irwin Wong