Buku buku tea is a traditional Okinawan beverage made from white and brown rice, jasmine tea and hard water. (Ryan M. Breeden/Stars and Stripes)
Refreshments in Japan come in all shapes and sizes, but a local drink on Okinawa pushes that expectation to the limits with its uniquely visual bubble mountain topping.
Encouraging a playful and childlike experience, buku buku tea is a frothy beverage that embodies the joyful spirit of local culture, tradition and spirit.
With roots dating to the Ryukyu dynasty of the 16th century, this unique Okinawan tea is a refreshing drink originally imbued with social rituals.
Unlike formal Japanese tea ceremonies, buku buku tea is associated with informal activities usually enjoyed through celebratory occasions and private gatherings.
As an adventurous consumer of local beverages, I discovered several businesses that offered this stylistic tea and tried mine at Uchinaa Chaya Bukubuku in Naha. The shop offers local desserts, coffee, shaved ice and crafted teas, including a buku buku set for 1,100 yen, or about $7.42. The menu comes in Japanese and English.
The staff simmered brown rice with tea leaves to make the base of my drink. This was filtered and transferred into a serving cup.
In another pot, they simmered white rice with jasmine tea and hard water. This mixture is transferred to a bowl, where it is vigorously stirred to create the signature foam.
Once the foam is just right, it is layered onto the brown rice tea base and served with two traditional Ryukyu sweets, chinsuko and kunpen. Both were peanut flavored, which complemented the tea.
Drinking the tea requires skill — something I have yet to perfect. The staff did provide written English instructions on the best approach. The final note said if you find it difficult, you may use a spoon.
Trying buku buku tea offers a delightful journey into the island’s convivial spirit. It is richly flavored, generously foamed and full of heart.
Uchina Cafe is one of many in Naha, Okinawa, that serve buku buku tea, a traditional island beverage. (Ryan M. Breeden/Stars and Stripes)
Uchinaa Chaya Bukubuku
Location: 1-22-35 Tsuboya, Naha, Okinawa 902-0065
Hours Open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, except Tuesdays.
Prices: The buku buku set is 1,100 yen and comes with tea and two desserts.
Directions: Head northwest on Route 332 and merge onto Route 58. Turn right onto Route 330, then left on Route 222. The cafe is on Tsuboya Pottery Street after the merger of routes 222 and 330.
Information: Phone: 098-943-4811; online: www.bukubuku.jp