Shuri Route

The royal capital and its food

For some four hundred and fifty years from the fifteenth century, Shuri was the political and cultural heart of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Set at a hub of trade with China, Japan, and Southeast Asia, its court blended ingredients and techniques from many places, raising a cuisine and sweets of its own. Tofuyo, tofu fermented with awamori and red koji; duruwakashi, worked from taro; chiirunko, steamed of egg and sugar; kunpen, wrapping peanut and sesame, all trace to royal rites and the reception of investiture envoys. The commoners' Shuri soba, too, carries to this day the old method of kneading noodles with the clear water off burned wood ash. Walking the castle town, you notice this court food remaining quietly in the famed shops and old houses.

Midday and afternoon food

This route is best built around midday. First head to a famed wood-ash soba shop for a bowl of Shuri soba, three-layer pork on a clear broth of pork and bonito. Popular shops sell out past noon, so near opening is surest. Once fed, take a sliver of tofuyo at a Ryukyu restaurant and a small plate of taro-worked duruwakashi. Both come in small amounts, meant to be savoured slowly for taste and background. In the afternoon, buy baked sweets like kunpen and hanaboru at a castle-town confectioner and eat them along the stone road. To close, at an old-house tea room, a serving of bukubuku-cha whipped high with foam and a plate of moist steamed chiirunko. With strong sanpin tea, it lets a tired body rest. If you stay to evening, tip a cup of awamori with tofuyo for a companion.

How to walk this route

The start is Shuri Station on the Yui Rail, from which you walk the castle town toward Shuri Castle Park. Sites like Tamaudun, Ryutan, and the Kinjocho stone road are near, and with the food can be toured in about half a day. The stone road grows slippery when wet, so easy walking shoes are best. Shuri soba shops and Ryukyu restaurants run mainly at midday, and few stay open into the night, so this belt suits a round from midday into the afternoon. Tofuyo and duruwakashi come in small amounts at a price, so sharing a few dishes keeps it easy. Keeping sweets can be taken as souvenirs, best bought apart from what you eat on the spot. Payment is sometimes cash only depending on the shop, so a little small cash brings ease. Joining a castle visit and the food walk in one day lets you feel the royal capital slowly.