Have you ever wished to experience the traditional Japanese culture? Or, are you a travel enthusiastic who finds pleasure in experiencing the local lifestyle in foreign countries? … If yes, you might find "minpaku" interesting.
Min-paku (民泊) is a new trend in traveling countryside in Japan that has been gaining popularity in recent years. The basic idea of minpaku is to have the local families host visitors in their guest rooms as a paid service. However, unlike other home-stay services such as Airbnb, minpaku's goal is to not only provide a place to stay, but to provide opportunities to interact with the locals and learn about the local culture.
For example, most minpaku hosts treat the guests as if they are their family friend; the hosts cook local cuisine, made with locally harvest ingredients, for dinner and breakfast. As the host and guests eat together and chat over their meal, the visitors are able to experience authentic local food and listen to the story behind the food and learn about local culture directly from the host. Some minpaku hosts also organize some special programs for their visitors, such as cooking class, lessons in traditional instruments, working in the farm etc. The idea is to offer the opportunities for the visitors to experience a lifestyle that they could never find anywhere else in Japan!
Additionally, the background behind minpaku is a severe issue many rural districts in Japan face: losing the (especially the young) population and thus opportunities for local profits. Many villages in Japan's countryside developed unique cultures within their lifestyle. Examples could be found in their food, housing, festivals, music and others. Minpaku is typically hosted by grandma / grandpa generations, those who still retain traditional customs as their lifestyle, and it is expected to become the new tourism resource which will support local economies.
Minpaku has been known to be an educational experience for middle/high school students. Recently, however, it is becoming more open to grown-ups and families --those looking for something special rather than just a visit to a commercialized, popular tourist attraction.
That's why I am visiting Okinawa (A group of islands in the south of mainland Japan) right now -- literally everything (like, weather, food, dialect etc) is different from mainland Japan. There, I got myself a chance to experience minpaku in Henoko, Okinawa! Below this is the photo report of my experience of minpaku. Enjoy!
It was already dark when we arrived at our minpaku house.
The typical entrance gate of classic Japanese houses.
Our host, Keiko-san welcomed us. Keiko-san is a native Okinawan lady who was born and raised up in Henoko district in Okinawa.
Most the traditional Okinawan houses have a big butsudan (a Buddhism shrine) to enshrine the deceased family members. This particular butsudan is for her husband who has passed away many years ago.
The room right next to the butsudan room was our guest room.
Inside the kitchen, the dinner was being prepared.
We helped Keiko-san serves the dinner in the kitchen. All dishes are traditional Okinawan cuisine which we rarely find in Japan's mainland, and they were made from fresh, local ingredients. Therefore, just by eating those dishes, we contributed to the local economy.
On the left part of the plate, is the fried fushikabu (ふしかぶ, semi-dried daikon radish) and on the right we have ninjin (carrot) shiri-shiri (人参しりしり). The chuuka-ika (中華イカ) in the empty part of the plate (you will see it in the later photos).
Juu-shii (ジューシー, "juicy" in Japanese pronunciation) rice. That's literally the name of this dish.
Making of Okinawa soba (沖縄そば). This is the most famous speciality dish in Okinawa.
When our meal was ready, we brought the dishes to a low table in the bustudan room, where we sat on the tatami and ate dinner together with Keiko-san. It goes without saying that all the dishes were fantastic. I would have never been able to enjoy the delicious and truly authentic Okinawan food without minpaku.
We chatted a lot over dinner. "Yuntaku" is the word for "talking" or "chatting" in the Okinawan dialect. During our yuntaku, Keiko-san told us a lot about how she cooked the food and her life in Okinawa.
Keiko-san's home-made koh-ree-guu-su. It is a shima-toogarashi (island hot pepper) infused awamori (泡盛, the traditional Okinawan liqueur made with fermented rice, it has a very strong flavor), that gives a hint of spiciness and awamori flavor to dishes. Many local Okinawans like to add it to Okinawa soba (noodle dish).
During the yuntaku, we discovered that the friend who accompanied me had recently started playing san-shin (三線). San-shin is the 3-stringed Japanese traditional musical instruments (the "san" in san-shin means "three" in Japanese). Most local Okinawans know how to play san-shins and sing Okinawan folk songs along with it because the celebrations, parties or festivals in Okinawa are never without the san-shin music and dancing. Keiko-san is no exception and she brought her (actually it was her husband) san-shin and let my friend play it; she herself sang along with the san-shin. It was a pleasant moment.
As she was explaining to us about her own experiences -- of local Okinawan festivals where people play san-shin, sing and dance -- she pulled out a few old photo albums and showed us the old photos of her wearing the traditional outfits and performing on stages.
After the dinner we had much to talk about, and the yuntaku lasted until the very late hours of night. After we finally called it a day and took a shower (the bathroom was super clean!). Then, we went to our futons on the tatami. On the next morning around 8am, we found Keiko-san in the kitchen busily preparing for our breakfast! The kitchen was filled with a happy and yummy smell.
Go-ya-champuru (ゴーヤチャンプル) is one of the most famous Okinawan dishes along with the Okinawa soba. It is pan fried go-ya (balsam pear) with an egg and some meat.
Mozuku (もずく) is also a famous speciality of Okinawa. It is a seaweed with slippery texture cooked with a sweet vinegar sauce.
The food was very delicious but it was too much. You can see my friend's leg lying on the tatami in the photo because she was feeling very so full at that time.
And here is a closer look of the room where we slept. Looks like a scene from an old Japanese anime, huh? But this is real.
Frozen pineapple and mango for a dessert. They were very sweet and flavorful.
In front of her house Keiko-san and myself. Time to say good bye. The plate says "Miyagi" (her family name) and has the contact information for the minpaku organizer's office.
Thank you Keiko-san for warmly hosting us, and also Misa who works for the minpaku office; she organized the trip for me and also came along with me. I had an unforgettable time experiencing the real local Okinawan culture and atmosphere. I truly enjoyed the stay and will come back to this place again :)
After we left her house we decided to drive around the neighborhood. It was such a beautiful sunny day perfect for taking photos.
The new buildings of the special economic zone of Henoko, where the government encourages IT companies to move in. If you are an engineer / researcher who is enthusiastic about moving to Okinawa, you might have a chance to get a job here.
And random photos of the city...
Lastly, Keiko-san packed the leftovers food for us, so that we could enjoy her cooking again for dinner the next day. It was very delicious, and I will never get tired of it!
Minpaku houses in Kushi district (Nago-city, Okinawa) on Airbnb:
*Please note that they are not Keiko-san's place
Minpaku Office Website (Only in Japanese):
http://kushiminpaku.wix.com/kushiminpaku
Minpaku Office Email Address (English Available):
koryu@kushibb.jp
Minpaku Office Email Address (English Available):
koryu@kushibb.jp
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