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If you’re doing a tour of Okinawa and feel like getting a homestyle meal in a super authentic Japanese old style house, Ufuya is the restaurant for you!
Situated in the mountains of Okinawa, 2 hours north of the city of Naha, you will Ufuya. It’s over 100+ years old, but yes, there is air conditioning and plumbing for the toilets. The place has been renovated to support a lot of customers that go to this restaurant.
The Restaurant
Ufuya is pretty rad. I haven’t been in an old style Japanese house before so it was a unique experience. There is FREE parking since they’re not that competitive for parking out in the mountains. Upon entering the facility, you’ll start in the gift shop.
FYI: That’s how you know it’s a tourist trap.
Upon exiting the gift shop, you’ll find yourself in the estate’s courtyard. There’s lots of trees and a rock garden. The restroom is a separate building from the restaurant (yup, modern working toilets…I can’t do those non-western toilets).
When you enter the restaurant, you’ll be required to take your shoes off. There are free lockers at the entrance.
Inside The Restaurant
The Food
You can get yakiniku pork and shabu shabu as one person servings. That’s if you order the “Moukubana” luxurious course meal…we went big on this one: 15 dishes and dessert for 7350JPY. It was a lot of food! A lot! I don’t know how people can eat this much food. This would make 2 people very full. It was pretty good at first, but when you eat when you’re full it’s more painful than tasty.
Knowing what I know now, would I go again?
Nope. The restaurant is faaaaaaaaaaar away from most places. It’s a 2 hour drive from Naha. The food and experience was interesting, but only if you’re going that far should you check out this restaurant. It’s a very popular tourist destination since actual tour buses show up to this place. Be sure to book a reservation on the Ufuya website prior to going if you don’t want to wait.
If you’re looking for something of higher quality in Naha that aren’t cheap/delicious noodles, I’d recommend visiting Sam’s Sailor Inn for Teppanyaki. It’s a lot like Benihana’s, but in Japan they call it Sam’s Sailor Inn.