Okinawa Yanbaru Forest Ufu-ya (百年古家 大家): Shabu-shabu with Agu Pork While Watching the Waterfall, Finished with Brown Sugar Pudding

Drive a short distance up the mountain road from Nago city, and red tile roofing suddenly appears by the roadside. Ufu-ya (大家) in Nago, Okinawa, Japan—a restaurant housed in a relo…

Okinawa · Uhuya

Drive a short distance up the mountain road from Nago city, and red tile roofing suddenly appears by the roadside. Ufu-ya (大家) in Nago, Okinawa, Japan—a restaurant housed in a relocated farmhouse over 100 years old. I'd been traveling mainly in Southeast Asia and had just recently returned to Japan, and the air mixed with humidity, the smell of wood, and cicada sounds was oddly reminiscent of a garden restaurant in the Bangkok suburbs. The difference was that this place was much quieter.

Stepping out of the parking lot and walking inside, you encounter the courtyard first. Several wooden buildings topped with Ryukyuan tile are scattered about, and one in the middle is the '待合室 (waiting room)'. True to its name, it's a waiting area, and in the lawn out front, children were running around for quite a while. A major advantage of this place is that it has a setup where even if the wait is long, people bringing children can manage comfortably.

There's an Actual Waterfall Inside

Half the reason for recommending this place is the seating. When you sit at the low-seating floor cushion area open like a veranda, the entire garden comes into view directly in front, with water falling between the rocks. It's not a landscape-imitated stream but a proper waterfall that cascades down from above to the pond below in two or three tiers. The sound of the water is quite loud. It's loud enough that you can barely hear conversations at the neighboring table, so even if children make a fuss, it doesn't stand out too much.

All around are ferns and bracken, with large-leaved tropical foliage plants. Branches of trees bearing red flowers hang over toward the eaves, and white spathiphyllum flowers bloom in clusters to the right of the waterfall. Even the scene of the gentleman at the table in front lifting noodles high with chopsticks to cool them was like a perfect picture.

The seating is floor-level. Since you remove your shoes and sit on tatami mats at a low table, it's better to mention it in advance if you have knee issues. For the baby seat, they provide a low wooden chair with a backrest. It didn't fit quite right with the table height, so we ended up having the baby sit on our lap to eat, which was a bit disappointing. However, since it's a tatami room, there's no major problem even if the child crawls around.

Agu Black Pork Shabu-shabu

The signature dish here is Okinawa black pork, or agu. When I ordered shabu-shabu, the pork belly and neck were arranged densely on a gold square tray, following the grain. The fat layer is white and thick, but the fat isn't heavy on the palate. In one corner were five or six dumplings, along with lettuce and parsley. On a side plate came tofu and thick Okinawan noodles separately.

The broth is white. Rather than a clear dashi, it's a rich, milky stock, so at first I thought it would be heavy, but when I tasted it, it wasn't salty and was quite delicate. I piled mizuna, bok choy, and shimeji mushrooms like a mountain and waited for them to wilt. The meat needs only a very brief soak. Three swirls and the color changes, and any longer and the precious agu becomes just boiled pork.

There's one interesting thing among the dipping options. A ceramic dish with a green border comes out with pink powder modestly placed in it—it's salt. Many first-time visitors mistake it for some kind of dessert powder and just leave it. When you fish out the meat and dip it lightly here, the sweetness of the agu fat comes through much more distinctly than with soy sauce. On the side compartment was a pale green sauce with a yuzu aroma. After trying both sauces, we settled on the salt.

The Desserts Are the Real Deal — Brown Sugar Pudding and Choux Cream Bread

To be honest, the dessert stayed with me more than the meat. Starting with the choux cream. It's the type with a rough, cookie-like exterior, and powdered sugar is generously sprinkled on top. When you press with a fork, the shell cracks open and custard pushes out from inside. The cream is thick, not runny, and has a rich egg flavor. One wasn't enough, so we ended up ordering another.

And the brown sugar pudding. It comes in a ceramic bowl with black feet, with the surface caramelized with brown sugar showing distinctive scorched marks. When you break it with a spoon, the top is crispy like crème brûlée and the bottom is dense custard. The distinctive slightly bitter aftertaste of Okinawan brown sugar keeps it from being overly sweet. Despite being full from the shabu-shabu, I finished every bite of this. If you go to Ufu-ya, order the brown sugar pudding and choux cream bread from the start. It's most regrettable when people leave without trying them after the meal ends and they hesitate about ordering.

Location, Reservations, and the Courtyard at Night

It's in the mountains, some distance from Nago city center, so a rental car is pretty much essential. If it's on your northern Okinawa travel route, it's perfect to add as an evening stop on your way down from Churaumi Aquarium. Since the entrance is narrow and you have to walk a bit on dirt and stone paths from the parking lot to the building, a baby carrier is more convenient than a stroller. The exact coordinates are shown on the map below.

Be prepared for a wait. We too wrote our name on the waiting list and waited in the courtyard for quite a while. Since reservation availability and business hours change by season, it's recommended to check in person or call ahead before visiting. If you want a seat with a view of the waterfall, go while it's still daylight. Once it gets dark, you can barely see the garden.

By the time we finished eating and came out, the courtyard was completely dark. A single light was on at the thatched-roof entrance, and in front of it, the next group was gathered, waiting for their names to be called. Yellow light leaking through the windows of the annex building to the right, stone paths, and the sound of cicadas. It was a completely different face than the one we saw during the day, and I thought it wouldn't be bad to come in the evening just to see this one scene.

• Waterfall view seating when it's bright. The garden isn't visible if it's dark.
• Swirl the meat only three times before removing. Dipping in pink salt is the way to go.
• Order the brown sugar pudding and choux cream at the same time as your meal. If you put it off because you're full, you won't get to eat them.
• Floor-level tatami seating with shoes-off setup. Request accommodation in advance if you have knee issues.
• Rental car essential, stone path sections make a baby carrier better than a stroller.