Usagi-Ya

Usagi-Ya Review

Ishigaki's finest example of Okinawan izakaya cooking—where many small dishes add up to a sensational, weird meal—is offered here. Be sure to try something with delicious fu, a soft tofu-like bean paste if the crunchy pig's ears are too much for you, and curry favor with the staff by washing it down with golden Orion beer. Okinawa's proud local awamori is a fierce, island-made liquor distilled from rice. Food and drink here are terrific, but even better is the nightly floor show. From about 7 until the mood dies (or when the restaurant closes, around midnight), staff armed with guitars and snakeskin sanshin will go through every song in the archipelago's catalog, the moving traditional pieces balanced with rock-pop hits. Join in wherever the feeling hits you; Okinawan songs are built to involve boisterous shouting and clapping from the audience, so don't be shy! After the show, see how far you can get on one of the instruments. It's just off Ishigaki's main drag next to Shima-Soba.