Zanpa no Kaze, Chitose-Funabashi 残波の風、千歳船橋

Having never, yet, visited Okinawa, my experience of its food is limited to that which I have tried here in Tokyo. Say the words “Okinawan food” and I immediately think of spam, goya and eggs. That and the potent fumes of Awamori, the local drink. It’s not that I haven’t enjoyed Okinawan restaurants, more that the dishes served always seem the same. Despite such bias, I recently made a visit to this small Okinawan izakaya in Chitose-Funabashi, a few minutes walk from the station in the direction of Soshigaya-Ōkura.

It was only a matter of time before I visited Zanpa no Kaze; it always looks so inviting. Peeping through the small window, the narrow counter, adorned with small toys, ornaments and an Okinawan doll in a glass case, is always crowded with happy looking customers any day of the week. The Japanese love their food, and do not long frequent any establishment that fails to satisfy their taste buds.

Pushing aside the noren hanging before the rickety sliding door my dining partner and I stepped into the narrow entrance, filled with coats and a shelf full of keep-bottles of Shōchū, to find a small izakaya dominated by a narrow L-shaped counter around an even smaller kitchen. To the right three small tables, and the at the end of the counter, polished wood overflowing with ornaments, three large earthenware jars of Awamori topped with cloth covers bound tight with string. Welcomed by a tiny, barely out of school it seemed, waitress we were promptly seated at the counter and while admiring the cute decoration and summery strains of The Boom’s “Shima Uta”, we made our choices from among the simple menu, commenting on the rustic, island charms of the small pieces of coral used as chopstick rests.

Being somewhat daunted by the prospect of 45% proof Awamori I opted for the safer 25% Zanba, on the rocks, accompanied by a salty o-toshi of poached egg in cold, wet, slimy awasa seaweed. Gulped down oyster-style it complimented the strong tasting drink well. Another Zanba and, you guessed it, a good-sized portion of goya champuru, an Okinawan staple, consisting of wonderfully bitter tasting, crunchy goya, egg, tofu and spam. Not having had it for a while it was actually more enjoyable than I had expected. A small offering a kimuchi, not really hot enough, followed and then the thoroughly delicious rafutē, more or less identical to buta-kakuni, (stewed pork with mustard) although less salty and perhaps a little less fatty. A third Zanba promised a headache next morning, and feeling still hungry we ordered the bland, orange and yellow papaya and onigiri (rice balls) filled with salmon, slices of pickled takuan resting beside.

An enjoyable meal, polite service, very reasonable prices and the warm, cozy atmosphere make Zanpa no Kaze recommendable, if you happen to be in the area and have not yet tired of goya and spam.

Tel: 03-5477-0107