Michi-no-Eki Itoman (Itoman Roadside Station) is a tourist stop popular among travelers in Okinawa. It got second place in the Michi-no-eki ranking in 2017 (TripAdviser 2017).
The facility has Farmer’s Market Itoman, which sells locally-grown vegetables, and the Fish Center right next door.
The site also boasts of a restaurant, Yakiniku Ban-nai, where you can eat the famous Junboku pork which is quite popular with overseas travelers.
This article features Michi-no-Eki Itoman, a kitchen of Okinawa, where delicious foodstuffs are gathered together. You must visit this area when coming to Okinawa!
[Long Trips in Okinawa] Get food at Michi-no-Eki ItomanTry out some Okinawan dishes! [Michino-Eki Itoman | Access Information]
Address: 4-20-4 Nishizaki-cho, Itoman-shi, Okinawa
Telephone: 098-987-1277
Open all year *However, you are advised to check if the shops that you want to visit are open.
There is a garden shop next to the Farmer’s Market Itoman, where you will also find a rest area.
Farmer’s Market Itoman [Umanchu Ichiba] This is JA Farmer’s Market Itoman “Umanchu Ichiba.” Locally-grown vegetables are sold in a plaza that resembles a large warehouse.
They sell many Okinawan vegetables, such as bitter gourd (goya), mugwort, Okinawan shallots, Okinawan spinach, and yellow carrots, which are famous island vegetables. The locals also come to the market for vegetables, tofu, milk, and more.
There is also a meat shop that sells locally-raise pork. Their homemade sausages are especially popular among the locals.
You can also try soy-milk creme brulee and sata andagi (sweet deep-fried dough), which is an original creation of the meat shop.
A Must-Visit place in Okinawa | Umanchu Ichiba
While you’re on a long trip, you should try making your own Okinawan dishes! You can also buy homemade island tofu, bitter melon, bean sprouts, pork and eggs to make bitter melon stir-fry.
Open all year 9:00 to 19:00
Shiro-dashi, a condensed broth, is a simple but delicious seasoning. Soak the bitter melon in water for a while after removing the pith and cutting it into thin strips to reduce its bitterness.
*First, bake the tofu on both sides and fry the egg. Place them on a plate. Next, fry the meat, goya, and bean sprouts. Combine them with the tofu and fried egg. Sprinkle a little shiro-dashi to give it a soft and fluffy texture.
They has shiikwaasa (citrus fruit) juice, sour and healthy. They also have brown sugar and sugar cane in their natural forms. It’s really worth trying these ingredients if you’re in Okinawa!
Fathers in Okinawa munch on island shallots (better known as shima rakkyo) while drinking liquor. This raw vegetable goes well with bonito flakes and soy sauce, but lightly-pickled or fried dishes are also popular.
The Fish Center, where you can eat seafood bowls.
The Fish Center was the key driver for placing second in the 2017 Michi-no-Eki ranking (TripAdvisor survey). They deal in fresh fish you can only have in the fishing village of Itoman.
The market is crowded with locals and tourists during the year-end and New Year’s holidays, Chinese New Year, and before the Bon holidays, so it is best to visit in the morning when there are relatively few people.
[The Fish Center is a great place to stop by during your trip to Okinawa] (1) Enjoy seafood rice bowls and grilled seafood (sea urchin, octopus, shrimp, and more) made right there on the spot!-> Grilled sea urchin and lobster are very popular with tourists! You can try a wide variety of seafood, such as grilled octopus and cuttlefish, and you can even have seafood rice bowl made fresh.
(2) Ara-jiru, a standard homemade dish in Okinawa
-> Ara-jiru, or fishhead soup, is the soul food of the Itomanchu (natives of Itoman), and is available for take-out at the restaurant Shirubiken. You can also get ara-jiru of grouper, spangled emperor, frog crab, and splendid alfonsino.
(3) Itoman’s famous “Bakudan Onigiri”
-> “Nishiheijouguwa” is a kamaboko (steamed fish paste) shop in Itoman fishing village. It has been in business for over 90 years! Originally, “Bakudan Onigiri” was created as a staff meal. They are rice balls made by wrapping rice in fish paste so that fishermen can eat them with one hand.
*They also sell fried kamaboko, which is very popular in Okinawa.
In front of the Fish Center, there is a rest area where you can relax and enjoy the snacks you bought.
Try making Okinawan dishes!
While shopping at Farmer’s Market Itoman, you will find some island vegetables that you may have never seen before.
As mentioned earlier, you can get island shallots and the famous goya chanpuru. However, there are some vegetables such as papaya and moui (Okinawan yellow cucumber) that you may be interested in, but are not sure how to eat.
Here is a very simple papaya shiri-shiri (grated vegetable) and some traditional Okinawan cooking tools for shiri-shiri.
[Try making papaya shiri-shiri during your long Okinawa trip] In Okinawa, there is a long-used, well-known, and handy tool called “shiri-shiri ki” (grater). Okinawan people have papaya shiri-shiri, although “carrot shiri-shiri” is more famous in other parts of the country.Season with white or granulated dashi soup stock, sugar, mirin, soy sauce, and cooking sake to taste.
Many recipes call for Okinawan shiri-shiri to be fried with a beaten egg.
(1) Peel and grate the papayas and soak them in water for a while, then put them in a colander.
(2) Heat sesame oil over medium heat and add the papaya shiri-shiri from (1).
(3) Add the seasoning and let the flavors blend, then add the beaten eggs to the pan and turn off the heat just long enough to prevent the eggs from drying out.
*If you sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds on at the end, it adds a nice touch.
Make sure to soak them in water for a while after cutting.
Actually, “huuchibaa” is mugwort, which is also in other prefectures, but this is a different kind. The best way to enjoy it is to put it on your Okinawa soba! Ask for huuchibaa at any Okinawa soba restaurant and most of them will have it. So, what do you think? In this post we’ve gone over the Farmer’s Market Itoman and the Itoman Fish Center at Michi-no-Eki, where tourists gathers and Itomanchu shop daily.
Yakiniku Bannai, which has an established reputation for its Junboku pork, is a restaurant that mainly serves an all-you-can-eat menu, and is only open to groups of 20 or more people on weekdays. It’s difficult to eat there if you are traveling alone during the weekdays.
However, it is open to individual diners on Saturdays and Sundays. So, if you want to have the Junboku pork, visit the restaurant on weekends.
The kamaboko shop mentioned here, the Nishiheijouguwa, also sells red and white sponge cake of kamaboko, which are used in traditional Okinawan events and grave visits.
Summary
Ways to enjoy the Michi-no-Eki Itoman.
Farmer’s Market Itoman:
– A variety of island vegetables
– Island cuisine with island shallots and goya
– A meat shop that sells locally-raised pork
– Homemade sausages are popular at the meat shop
Fish Center:
– Seafood rice bowls and grilled sea urchin made fresh
– Ara-jiru is served in some restaurants
– The kamaboko shop has been in business for over 90 years
– Bakudan onigiri is a local, traditional fisherman’s lunch.
