Of the six Hoshinoya locations in Japan, Hoshinoya Okinawa is the most recent, having opened in 2020. From March 2021, Hoshinoya Okinawa will be offering the Utuimuchi Stay, a program that allows guests to experience the aesthetics and hospitality of the Ryukyu culture that continues to be passed down in Okinawa today. The three-day, two-night program is inspired by the hospitality valued by the Ryukyu Kingdom, and offers a full experience of Okinawa's traditional culture with a menu that includes bubbling tea, a special writing box, viewing Ryukyu dance, Ryukyu cuisine, and a tour of the gardens.
This is a two-part review of our stay at Hoshinoya Okinawa. In the second part, we will provide details about our stay in Utuimuchi.
The "Sappou Envoys" who crossed the sea and visited Ryukyu,
Remembering the warm hospitality of the Ryukyu people
The sky, the sea, the sand, and the greenery of plants growing naturally along the coastline. That's all you can see from the windows of your guest room at Hoshinoya Okinawa. The sand expands and disappears with the ebb and flow of the tides. You'll never tire of looking at this rare, untouched seaside landscape. Time just flows by slowly.
When I gaze at the horizon stretching out in the distance, I imagine the feelings of the "Sapposhi" (invited envoys) who came across the sea from beyond this horizon, and the "Utuimuchi" (people of the Ryukyu Kingdom) who welcomed them.
"Utuimuchi" means "hospitality" in the Okinawan language. Whenever a new king was born in the Ryukyu Kingdom, the kingdom would welcome the "sapposhi", the imperial emissary from China, and give him a grand reception.
The banquets, which began with lavish court cuisine and featured such performing arts as Ryukyu dance and the sanshin, were an expression of the spirit of the "Utuimuchi," and this "Utuimuchi" has become the foundation for the development of traditional Ryukyu culture.
During your three-day, two-night stay, the "Utuimuchi Stay" offers several programs that allow you to experience the traditional Ryukyu culture that has supported this "spirit of hospitality." By experiencing these programs, you can experience another charm of Okinawa beyond its natural beauty.
The "Sappou-shi" came across the sea as messengers of the emperor. To protect the survival of the Ryukyu Kingdom, the people did their best to welcome the "Sappou-shi" with a heart of "Utuimuchi". ©Makoto Ito
First, try Okinawa's traditional tea, "Bukubuku Tea."
The creamy foam and jasmine scent are soothing.
During your stay at Utuimuchi, you can enjoy Okinawa's traditional "bubukubuku tea" in the privacy of your own room, as well as Ryukyu sweets that incorporate elements of both Chinese and Ryukyuan food cultures to entertain the envoys.
A large wooden bowl, the "bubbling plate," is placed on the table. Inside is water made by boiling roasted rice in hard water and sanpin tea. When the staff stirs it with a large bamboo whisk, bubbles start to mysteriously form.
When you stay at Utuimuchi, a staff member will come to your room after you arrive and prepare "bubukubuku tea." ©Makoto Ito
"Don't move the liquid too much, and use a snap of your wrist to shake the whisk around the edge of the bowl, not in the middle."
I took the advice and gave it a try. The chasen was bigger than I expected, so I had to shake it properly or my arm would hurt. It wasn't as creamy as the foam the staff made, but it started to foam up little by little.
Pour the tea into a small container called a makai, place the bubbles from the bubbling plate on top to create a nice shape, and sprinkle crushed peanuts on top to complete the dish.
When you drink the tea and the bubbles at the same time, the soft foam and the aroma of the Sanpin tea will gently soothe your body, and the slightly sweet Ryukyu sweets will further enhance the aroma of the tea. The tableware is also made of traditional Okinawan pottery.
The first experience during your stay in Utuimuchi is bubbling tea in your guest room. Your invitation to traditional Ryukyu culture begins here.
The snack served with the bukubuku tea is a traditional Okinawan sweet called "chiirunkou," made from steamed and sweetened eggs. The lacquerware is also Ryukyu lacquerware. ©Makoto Ito
On shell ginger letter paper and with a pen made from Pandanus nut, write down your travel impressions.
There is an elegant writing box by the bedroom window. When I opened it, I found high-quality writing paper, an envelope, and a tasteful writing brush inside. The writing brush is made from the fruit of the Pandanus arborescens, which has long been revered as a sacred tree in Okinawa, and the envelope and writing paper are made from shell ginger, which is also a symbol of Okinawa.
This writing box was created based on the historical fact that the "sappou envoys" left behind records of their stay in Okinawa. When you gently open the lid, it is as if history is speaking to you. You will want to write a letter to your loved ones about the wonderful time you spent at Hoshinoya Okinawa.
In Okinawa, brushes made from the fruit of the Pandanus have been used since ancient times. I would like to try out the unique writing feel. A piece of coral reef washed up on the beach serves as a paperweight. ©Makoto Ito
As the sun sets in the west, the Utuimuchi feast begins.
As the sun sinks into the western horizon, the sky and sea gradually change color from deep blue to deep ultramarine. The time for the "Ryukyu cuisine" and "Ryukyu dance" that are the core of the "Utuimuchi Stay" is approaching.
The banquet began with Ryukyu cuisine. We were shown to a special guest room, separate from the guest rooms, where bright vermilion hexagonal lacquerware was placed on the table.
This lacquerware, called "Ton-da-bon," is a dish used to entertain important guests and was primarily used at banquets during the Ryukyu Dynasty and samurai banquets.
The colorful dishes served at "Dongdobon" are an odd number, seven in accordance with Chinese auspicious numbers. The presentation is so beautiful that you may hesitate to pick up your chopsticks. "Flower squid," made by boiling squid with delicate knife work and dyeing it red, is placed in the center, surrounded by six other dishes, including "Minudal," pork loin smeared with black sesame sauce and steamed like a mille-feuille.
The members of the "sappō envoys" must have been amazed at the high level of culinary culture of the Ryukyu Dynasty.
In addition to the "flower squid" in the center, which is made according to traditional methods, the chef has arranged traditional dishes with his own interpretation. The "Bira Gamachi" (top right) has a modern look, and the "Burdock Roll" (bottom left) includes foie gras, making for a gorgeous-looking menu of seven dishes. ©Makoto Ito
In addition to the Todobon, other dishes such as mimiga (pig's ear) sashimi as an appetizer and soup made with pork innards are brought out in good time by the chef who prepares the food in the mizuya (water room) in the room.
The meal ended with rafute (braised pork belly), Okinawan rice cooked in pork broth, and traditional Okinawan sweets. It was a special moment, as if we had been invited to the dining table of the Ryukyu Dynasty.
There are three types of appetizers, including peanut-dressed ear cartilage. They go well with champagne and awamori. ©Makoto Ito
Ryukyu classical music and Ryukyu classical dance.
A time that feels like it's drifting awayIt flows slowly
The precious moment continues. Just as the meal is coming to an end, a man and a woman dressed in the formal attire of warriors from the Ryukyu Dynasty arrive at the room. The woman is wearing a vibrant yellow bingata kimono, and the man is holding a sanshin. This is the start of Ryukyu classical music and dance.
Originally, Ryukyu classical music and dance were performed only by a select few in a small space within the palace. In keeping with this tradition, the experience of watching classical music and dance during the "Utuimuchi Stay" is limited to just one group, making it a very luxurious experience.
It all started with singing on the sanshin. A man sitting at the edge of the room began to sing slowly while plucking the sanshin. Unfortunately, I couldn't understand what he was singing in the Ryukyuan language, but the clear, yet swaying voice resonated with the slightly mournful sound of the sanshin, and even the air in the room seemed to be dyed with the eternal history of the Ryukyu Dynasty.
Masaya Yamauchi, a performer of the Uta-sanshin, is a leading figure in Ryukyu classical music and has been designated by the government as a holder of the Important Intangible Cultural Property of "Ryukyu Dance" (Uta-sanshin). ©Makoto Ito
A dance of sorrow as she spins threads for her loved one
Next up was Ryukyu classical dance. Women in bingata kimonos danced gracefully to the accompaniment of the sanshin.
The piece was "Kasekake," a dance that expressed the emotions of weaving cloth for a loved one, with a tool for winding up the spun threads held in the hands.
The melody of the sanshin conveys the sorrow of the dancers as they work tirelessly to wind the threads to weave cloth as thin as a dragonfly's wing. In the past, women of the samurai class were also involved in weaving cloth, so this dance was also performed at the imperial court.
Finally, we listened to another performance of Ryukyu classical music, and our time with traditional performing arts came to a close. It was a truly wonderful and wonderful experience to be able to watch the performance and dance of two leading figures in the Ryukyu classical performing arts up close, and in a limited capacity of just one small group.
Dancer Natsu Janado is also active as a dance teacher. One sleeve of her kimono is unbuttoned to show that she is engaged in the task of weaving silk threads. ©Makoto Ito
The spirit of "Utuimuchi" inherited at "Hoshinoya Okinawa"
On the last day of our three-day, two-night stay, we participated in the "Yuntaku Garden Tour" held in the morning.
I visited the garden many times during my stay and have become somewhat familiar with it, but as I strolled around with the staff's guidance and listened to stories about the origins of the plants and their connection to Okinawan culture, the lush garden seemed to show me a different side of itself.
The uniforms of the staff members who come and go from time to time are based on the motif of the "Dujin" and "Kakan" worn by women of the warrior class during ceremonies in the dynasty era, and are stylishly redesigned. The sight of the staff members passing through the green garden in their soft indigo blue and vivid camphor (yellow) is beautiful and dashing.
And what's most pleasing is seeing everyone passing by with a genuine smile and a polite hello.
The spirit of "Utuimuchi" has certainly been passed down to Hoshinoya Okinawa.
◆Hoshinoya Okinawa "Stay in Utui Mutchi"
This time, we experienced the original 2-night, 3-day program "Utuimuchi Stay" at Hoshinoya Okinawa. This program is limited to small groups and allows you to experience the essence of traditional Ryukyu culture, experience the "spirit of hospitality" behind it, and enjoy a luxurious stay that only Hoshinoya can offer.
・Holding period: All year round
・Price: 1 yen per person (tax and 130,000% service fee not included) *Accommodation fee not included
What's included: Ryukyu sweets and bukubuku tea in the guest room, Ryukyu cuisine, viewing of Ryukyu dance, awamori during the viewing, letter box, participation in a tour of the garden
・Reservation method: Reservations accepted up to 14 days in advance on the official website
・Capacity: 1 group per day (1-4 people)
Eligible: Guests staying at Hoshinoya Okinawa
・Note: Ingredients and menu may change depending on availability.
text by Sakurako Miyao
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