Ryukyu Market is the home of Okinawan organic produce

Organic, natural, and fresh is the food trend of the times. Ryukyu Market store on the north side first floor of LeQu Okinawa Chatan Spa & Resort in Mihama, Chatan, is a specialty store of pesticide-free organically grown Okinawa produce.

Their motto is “Directly from producers,” which equals “fresh” and “delicious.” Ryukyu Market achieves the goal by buying the products directly from local farmers after their staff personally inspect and choose the products and farms, which supply the store daily to ensure freshness.
The selection of products on the shop’s shelves naturally varies by season. Still, according to the store manager Ken Emi, the perennial favorites among the customers are various seasonal vegetables, including baby leaf greens grown pesticide-free.

The shop’s best-sellers are fresh pineapples, mangoes, and other seasonal fruit, and fresh juice and smoothies are squeezed on the premises as ordered. During the spring, lovers or south-east Asian cooking appreciate green baby mangoes and papayas sold at the shop before the actual harvest season of the ripe fruit early summer and are rarely available at other local stores.

Delicacies of the shop also include sea grapes, dried sea lettuce, peanut tofu (jimami tofu), and Okinawan scallions (Shima rakkyo). The sea grapes are exceptionally delicate, and to ensure their freshness, growers in Itoman deliver them daily. In addition, mini pineapples are available for decorations.

Besides fresh 100% fruit juices, the shop’s foods ready-to-eat include Sanpei karaage chicken, known as the National Fried Chicken Contest’s five-time winner, and for its 24-by-12-centimeter size karaage of a whole half of a young chicken.

The shop also has a bonus for customers who are into kite flying. The store manager, Ken Emi, is a former Sport Kite Flying World Champion who is always ready to give tips and advice on how to get your kite to make the right moves.