Okinawa has the best production of prawn farming among Japan! It's worth a try to taste the Japanese tiger prawn of Godzilla class.

Hello, everyone〜 I’m Goma from the Editorial department of Okinawa Holiday Hackers!

Do you guys know Okinawa has the best production of prawn farming among Japan？

Currently, there are 7 farms in Okinawa main island, 3 farms in Ishigaki island, 6 farms in Kume Island under the registration of “Okinawa Prawn Fisheries Cooperative Association”. (January, 2018 so far)

Originally, the natural prawn did not live in the surrounding area. Besides, though the prawn farming industry here in Okinawa started 10 years before other Prefectures, the aquaculture production is the top nationwide which is unbelieveable!

Thus, I came to the prawn farm in Okinawa to eat Prawn〜 (^o^)(^o^)

Location: “Ginoza”, Northern part of Okinawa main island

Among several prawn farms

We came to one of the prawn farms located in Ginoza which directly manages the Prawns restaurant “Tamaya”.

→The appearance of the restaurant.

The location is Ginoza located in the northern part of Okinawa main island.

(About 1 hour by car from international street · About 40 minutes by car from American Village · Approximately 15 minutes by car from Busena Marine Park
*The time will be delayed depending on the traffic situation of the day.)

By the way…

There is a place providing strawberry hunting in Ginoza as well♡

I determined to have strawberries as dessert after finishing eating prawns.

→Only from January to early May! I could do Strawberry-Picking in Okinawa!

→A prawn pose! (Really enjoyed.)

The offer period of living prawns is from every September to July of the following year.

(The schedule may change according to the condition at that time. The information above is for reference only. )

When entering the restaurant, there are four tables on the right hand side and two on the left hand side.

Seats are available for 4 people per table.

→There are four tables on the right hand side of the entrance.

Let’s see what did the master of the restaurant Tamaya, Nakagawa Yoshiyuki, say.

→Mr. Nakagawa has worked in prawn farm before and it seems so dependable…！

Goma: Good afternoon. I’m pleased to meet you today!

Mr. Nakagawa: Thank you. First of all, please have a look of our menu.

By the way, because from July to September, it is the maintenance period of the prawn farm. Thus, during that period, we do not offer lived prawn; instead, only frozen prawn cuisine served.

“→Here is the English menu. Both lunch and dinner would be the same menu.
(The price may change according to different seasons.)”

Goma: From July to September, we provide dishes made by frozen prawns such as Regular Tempura Bowl・Regular Prawn Tempura Bowl・Godzilla Tempura Bowl・Godzilla Tempura Combo Meal・Tempura Bowl for Child・Regular Tempura Combo Meal・Fried Combo Meal・Curry with Fried Staple which are 8 kinds of offerings in total

(Godzilla Tempura Bowl sounds cool! I’ll definitely try this.)

Mr. Nakagawa: The menu is slightly different each year, but it’s gererally the same. The living prawns provide only in Sep. to July of the following year. By the way, the frozen prowns are also brovided as well.

It’s as follow in summary.

• Jan.~Jul.・・・Dishes made by Living prawns+frozen prawns

• Jul.~Sep.・・・Dishes made by Frozen prawns

• Sep.~Dec.Dishes made by Living prawns+frozen prawns

*The schedule would change according to the condition at that time.

→Size table of the prown. The biggest Godzilla prawn has 19cm ling.

Mr. Nakagawa: Have you decided what you gonna have?

Goma: I’ll take Godzilla Tempura Bowl ! (Quick decision)And I’ll have one small fried prawn which is definitely match to the beer. (Quick decision)

And…any suggestion? What’s the popular menu in Tamaya?

Mr. Nakagawa: In frozen prawns provided period, no matter lunch or dinner, the menu with living prawns is the most popular.

Besides, there are many femels・couples order one Full Combo Meal and share together. The Full Combo Meal includes Salt-grilled prawns・prawn sashimi・prawn sushi and living prawn tempura. Each dish has two prawns which it’s so benefitial.

Goma: How gorgeous the meal is…!

When looking around the restaurant, almost all customers ordered combo meal. The salt-grilled prawns smells really good!

Mr. Nakagawa: This time, you ordered a Godzilla Tempura Combo Meal. Personally I recommend you to have sashimi made from living prawn together.

Goma: I’ll get one! (Quick Decision)

→These are sashimi made by living prawn. What picture shows are big size.

I’m gonna to eat!

Mr. Nakagawa: Let’s try Godzilla Tempura Bowl first.

Goma: Wow~!!!

→The contents of the Godzilla Tempura Combo Meal are special sauce for Tempura Bowl・Sauce for Salad・Cladosiphon okamuranus・Salad・Miso soup clockwise.

→（Though it might be influenced by the perspective) It’s bigger than my face!

→Gulp down from the tail. The fried prawns are just made. It’s super delicious.

Mr. Nakagawa: Then, let’s try the sashimi made from living prawns.

Goma: They’re still moving slightly!

→The big size Prawns we introduced before have become sashimi!

→It moved as soon as I bit! So chewy!

→The body is so tight! It chewed great!!

Goma: It’s no doubt that the fresh food is so delicious~

Mr. Nakagawa: Then, let’s try fried little prawns.

→Without eating it, I know it must match with beer.

Goma: The head is as tender as body which you can eat them together.

Mr. Nakagawa: Thank you. Althouth it’s not allow to enter normally, do you want to visit the prawn farm with me?

Goma: Wow! Really?

The tip makes prawns from Ginoza so delicious is its high-class bait?

That’s why we got a special chance to visit the “Ginoza Prawn Farm” near by the Tamaya Restaurant.

(*Please notice that it’s not open for visit ordinary.)

Goma: Wow~~! It’s so wide!!

Mr. Nakagawa: Inside the Ginoza Prawn farm where is 30,000 ㎡ of premises, to raise prawns safely and healthily, there are 7 ponds pumping up the seawater and pouring the oxygen with a water wheel. Since the safety is our first concern, we try to focus on the potential possessed by prawns instead of feeding them antibiotic.

Goma: What a perfect introduction…! By the way, what’s the differences of these 7 ponds?

Mr. Nakagawa: We discriminate these ponds from prawns’ size. There are super big prawns which weight 50 to 60g. This size is totally comparable to Godzilla size.Sometimes there are prawns even weight 80g.

Goma: Maybe right now there are prawns of 80g class swimming.

Mr. Nakagawa: To be accurate, they’re sleeping right now because they are nocturnal.

Goma: Eh? Prawns are nocturnal? I don’t even known that.

Nakagawa: Right. They are nocturnal. Thus, we will set a basket at night when they’re active and raise the basket in the morning.

→The water wheel which is responsiable for pouring the oxygen and managing the temperature.

Mr. Nakagawa: This is the bait we feed to prawns ordinary. It’s additive-free so we human can eat as well. Wanna try?

Goma: OK I’ll eat! (Decide promptly)

→It’s hard to say”Yummy~ chewy!!”. It’s tasteless.

Mr. Nakagawa: This bait is even more expensive than rice.

Goma: Prowns in Ginoza Prawn Farm are so rich! Envy them.

Shipments to the Tsukiji fish market are the most common

Goma: Where is the main shipment of Ginoza Prawn Farm?

Mr. Nakagawa: Tsukiji in Tokyo is the most. We also ship out prawns from local to families nationwide, restaurants, and big markets such as Tsukiji fish market.

Goma: When is the period you receive the most order?

Mr. Nakagawa: November and December would be the most because of the end of the year. According to customers’ request, we provide abundant stocks of prawns with no matter quantity, size, quality etc. Besides, we also provide various kinds of prawns from live prawns, quick frozen items, small prawns for fishing to prawns of huge Godzilla size. Among these, Godzilla size is very popular as a gift.

Goma: It must be wonderful to receive prawns of Godzilla size as a year-end present!

It’s very to be able to eate delicious prawns and know many details about farms in Ginoza.

Mr. Nakagawa: Thank you for your coming.

Reservation is not for lunch. It’s recommended to come before the restaurant opens.

The office hour of Tamaya Restaurant is 11:30〜21:00. Although the last order time is at 20:00, it depends on the stock of Prawns at that day.

Please notice that Tuesday is the regular closing day.

Reservations are accepted from 17:00 which is the dinner time zone..

Please come with reservation in dinner time if you don’t want to wait in line.

For those who eager to have it at lunch, it’s recommended to come before the restaurant opens.

By the way, we came here at around 10:45 before openning and we luckily got first. There are around 3, 4 groups of people waiting here at around 11:20.

(*The congestion differs each day. The information above is only for reference.)

Please come to “Restaurant Tamaya” to taste prawns when you visit Okinawa (^o^)

→From the right hand side are lived prawn sashimi・Godzilla Tendon (a bowl of rice topped with deep‐fried fish (and vegetables))・fried little shrimp.

*Please notice that the farm visit tour is not available ordinary.

＜Prawns restaurant “Tamaya”＞