Where do you spend your evenings on Ishigaki Island?
The restaurants at ANA InterContinental Ishigaki Resort are lovely,
but if you want to experience the lively local atmosphere,
heading into the center of town is a great option.
This time, we visited the area around
Euglena Mall, one of the main shopping areas in central Ishigaki, for local food and souvenir shopping.
However, we also experienced one unexpected surprise as travelers in our 60s.
If you are planning to visit, I hope you can learn from our mistake!
Souvenir Shopping at Euglena Mall — Plus an Important Shopping Tip
We first stopped at Ishigakijima Omiyage Ichiba, a large souvenir shop.
The store offers tax-free shopping,
so eligible visitors can save 10% on their purchases.
There is a wide selection of products,
including sweets, seasonings, alcohol,
decorative items, miscellaneous goods and clothing.
If you are looking for classic Ishigaki souvenirs,
you can probably find most of what you need here.
Euglena Mall has many different shops,
so simply browsing for souvenirs is part of the fun.
How to Get to Ishigakijima Omiyage Ichiba
Ishigakijima Omiyage Ichiba
Address: 207 Okawa, Ishigaki, Okinawa 907-0022, Japan
Phone: 0980-83-7111
Hours: 9:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.
Closed: Open year-round
Important: Euglena Mall Closes Surprisingly Early at Night!
There is one thing I definitely recommend knowing before planning an evening around Ishigaki.
Euglena Mall can become surprisingly quiet quite early at night.
If you are thinking,
“Let’s have a leisurely dinner at an izakaya and shop for souvenirs afterward,”
you might end up disappointed like we did.
After around 7:00 p.m., many shutters were already down.
Because this is a tourist area, we assumed the shops would stay open later.
But after 7:00 p.m., the streets became very quiet,
and most of the shops we saw had already closed.
Our unfortunate experience with an ice cream shop that was supposed to close at 6:00 p.m.
We headed to a nearby ice cream shop
and arrived at around 5:30 p.m., 30 minutes before the listed closing time.
But it was already closed!
On Ishigaki Island,
even if online information says a shop is open,
some businesses may occasionally close earlier than expected.
If there is somewhere you absolutely want to visit,
calling ahead is the safest option.
Our rule after this experience: Visit Euglena Mall while it is still daylight!
It can make your Ishigaki evening much easier.
Dinner at Uminchu Izakaya Gen: Our Recommended Dishes
For dinner, we ate at
Ishigaki Uminchu Izakaya Gen Sohonten
and also visited
Yukuidokoro Gen Uminchu Meshi.
On our first day in Ishigaki, we tried the izakaya and really enjoyed the food.
So on the second day,
we visited the casual rice-bowl restaurant on the first floor.
The food was tasty and reasonably priced,
so I recommend it if you want a good-value meal on Ishigaki Island.
This is the interior of Ishigaki Uminchu Izakaya Gen Sohonten.
We were shown to traditional tatami seating.
It felt relaxed and comfortable,
almost like sitting at home.
Of course, we had to start with mozuku!
The strands were long and smooth, almost like noodles,
and I quickly became a big fan.
We also ordered a sashimi platter.
The sashimi we ate on Ishigaki Island was fresh, firm and delicious,
so I definitely recommend trying local seafood at least once during your stay.
Another popular dish was seared Ishigaki beef nigiri.
It was delicious and surprisingly filling.
After eating the beef sushi,
we were already starting to feel quite full!
Another popular dish at Uminchu Izakaya Gen is
the squid ink omurice!
It was my first time trying squid ink omurice,
and the rich flavor of the squid ink worked surprisingly well.
It was delicious.
It is quite a large portion for one person,
so I think sharing it between around three people works well.
Editor's Honest Take
The squid ink omurice is delicious, but it will turn your lips and teeth completely black!
If you are visiting with your partner,
you may want to think twice before flashing a big smile immediately afterward.
We also tried the yakitori.
It tasted good,
but personally, I did not think it was something particularly unique to Ishigaki.
Editor's Honest Take
The yakitori was fairly standard,
so my recommendation here is to focus on the seafood!
And of course, when you are in Okinawa,
you have to try an Orion Beer too!
How to Get to Uminchu Izakaya Gen Sohonten
Uminchu Izakaya Gen Sohonten
Reservations & Inquiries: 0980-88-8321
Address: 286 Okawa 1F, Ishigaki, Okinawa, Japan
Great Value: A ¥1,100 Tuna Bowl at Uminchu Meshi the Next Day
We liked the izakaya Gen so much
that the following day we visited its affiliated rice-bowl restaurant on the first floor,
Yukuidokoro Gen Uminchu Meshi.
And this place offered excellent value for money!
We were able to get a table without making a reservation.
We ordered the Tuna and Sea Grapes Rice Bowl, which was about ¥1,100.
The combination of fresh tuna and the little bursts of texture from the sea grapes was fantastic!
We were also happy to receive mozuku as a complimentary side dish,
so we were able to enjoy even more local flavors of Ishigaki.
The mozuku was so good that we ate it almost every day during the trip.lol
And once again,
the combination of fresh tuna and sea grapes was excellent.
The restaurant is also within walking distance of the Ishigaki ferry terminal,
so it is easy to combine with souvenir shopping at Euglena Mall.
How to Get to Uminchu Meshi
Uminchu Meshi
Reservations & Inquiries: 0980-83-0550
Address: 286 Okawa 1F, Ishigaki, Okinawa, Japan
