Okinawa's "Nuchigusui" - Rediscover the culture of the land where you were born and raised. Vol.1 "Happy More Market" Continued

After listening to Mr. Tawada of Happy More Market tell us the story of the company from its founding to its current development, he showed us around the medicinal herb field located right next to the sales floor.

Happy More Market is interesting, with a view like this unfolding right next to the sales floor.

Usually, visitors are not allowed to enter the medicinal herb field, but this time, Tawada explained each plant one by one. The tall leaves at the back of the field are native mugwort. The leaves of mugwort in Okinawa are originally much larger than those on the mainland, but the ones here are even larger and sturdier.

"Many of the plants growing by the side of the road are medicinal herbs. You may think they are weeds, but they are actually all edible."

Indeed, the plants I saw in this field looked like ones I had seen somewhere before, and many of the medicinal herbs I was told about had names I had heard before.

Shibiran, which grows on roadsides, can be eaten like spinach if its leaves are boiled.

"In Okinawa, most of the vegetables we use on a daily basis, like cabbage and potatoes, are sourced from outside the prefecture, but there are plenty of foods we can eat on the islands."

At Happy More, we offer three types of smoothies in the hopes that people will become more familiar with and enjoy the taste of medicinal herbs.

A sweet "vegetable smoothie" that is easy for children to drink
"Herb Smoothie" with a perfect taste of herbs
Once you try the "SP Herbal Smoothie," you'll be hooked on its complex bitterness.

The Sibiran mentioned earlier is used in all of their smoothies.

The "Vegetable Smoothie" is particularly sweet and easy to drink because it contains bananas and pineapples, but the SP Herbal Smoothie, which is labeled "for advanced drinkers," is also surprisingly easy to drink. Each has a different flavor, so you'll want to drink one depending on your mood.

At Happy More Market, I saw people coming just for the smoothies. That's how appealing it is.

Tawada's knowledge of medicinal herbs is also put to good use outside the market. She recommends that her friends who suffer from high blood pressure drink "mugwort tea," which is made by simply pouring mugwort over boiled water. From herbal smoothies to other things, it turns out there are plenty of ways to incorporate Okinawan medicinal herbs, which are not usually used in cooking, into everyday life.

While listening to Tawada-san's story, I felt that Okinawa's medicinal herbs are the very definition of "nuchigusui." They are good for the body and easy to obtain (they grow on roadsides and in fields), but the reality is that few people, myself included, know about the different types of medicinal herbs or that they can be eaten.

With the development of distribution, the same ingredients can now be purchased at supermarkets all over the country. Rare foreign vegetables and traditional vegetables from Kamakura and Kyoto tend to attract attention, but there must be many hidden ingredients not well known even by locals, not only in Okinawa but in other parts of Japan.

I want to know more about the ingredients that may be lying dormant in places close to me. That's the feeling I got from talking to Tawada.

I'll also be visiting Happy More Market.