Hoshinoya Taketomi Island Dining

Located on the little island of Taketomi in Okinawa, Hoshinoya is a luxurious resort built with a nostalgia for village life — each of the detached villa rooms mixing traditional with contemporary comfort. The high-class restaurant here specializes in the unique cuisine of Okinawa, which includes ingredients you won't find growing anywhere else. In fact, due to the isolated development of some flora and fauna on each of the fragmented islands, even Taketomi itself has some ingredients which are totally unique to its shores. The chef uses French culinary techniques to bring out the best in these ultra-local products, including herbs grown on the premises, and wild boar from Iriomote Island which feeds on acorns, giving its meat a unique taste and tender texture. The resulting style is something which the chef calls Neuveulle Ryukyu — essentially meaning “New Okinawan” cuisine. If you want to sample this innovative island cuisine, you’ll have to head to the southwest of Okinawa, close to Taiwan. From here, take a ferry from Ishigaki to arrive at Taketomi in around 30 minutes. When you’re surrounded by clear blue oceans and gently waving palms, dining on some of the best food in the prefecture, you’ll realize how worth it the journey was.