Amuritanoniwa

Sayuri and Shingo are a creative couple, having played in a band together while living in Tokyo. Sayuri's art decorates the interior of Amuritanoniwa.

Amuritanoniwa is a difficult establishment to categorise; it has the at atmosphere of a relaxed, modern bar, but at the same time it offers a menu which compares well to those of many restaurants on the island.

The owners are Sayuri and Shingo, a couple who were members of the same band which played in various clubs throughout Tokyo's Shibuya and Shinjuku districts (Sayuri is a vocalist and Shingo plays the guitar). Sayuri's creative flare isn't limited to music, with her own works of art decorating the walls of Amuritanoniwa.

The bar's clean, spacious, modern style, along with is welcoming atmosphere and excellent food has made it a popular choice among both tourists and locals alike, and while it doesn't offer the late-night, back-street feel of some of the other bars on the island, this is definitely a great spot to kick off an evening with a nice meal and some good company.

Live Performances

Sayuri and Shingo's musical background has naturally made Amuritanoniwa venue for occasional events featuring artists from both Ishigaki and its surrounding islands. If you're looking for some live entertainment then it's worth stopping by to see if there are any upcoming events.

Food

With many bars food can often appear to be a bit of an afterthought. This definitely isn't the case at Amuritanowha, where the owners have clearly placed great emphasis on both the quality and presentation of their dishes.

At the upper end of the menu (1500 Yen) is the ever-popular Ishigaki beef curry 'toro toro' which is served with a generous selection of fresh vegetables including goya, mushrooms, potatoes, carrots and aubergine, all served on a bed of rice.

Around 800 Yen gets you a green curry, and vegetarians will be pleased to hear that they have also been catered for with a fried-vegetable option. Another dish of interest is the soya milk curry, which is prepared with 5 different varieties of beans.

In addition to an extensive menu Amuritanoniwa offers both lunchtime and evening set menus for 1000 and 1500 respectively. The lunchtime menu includes a soft drink and the evening menu includes a beer.

Drinks

Aside from the wine selection, which is better than that of most bars on the island, there are no big surprises in terms of drinks, with Orion beer in addition to a few bottled international beers being on offer – such as Guiness, Heineken and Weizen. Awamori is reasonably priced at 1500 Yen per bottle, with an extra 300 Yen being charged for ice.

The soft drinks menu includes as many as 11 different varieties of tea, such as yogi and tulsi.

Opening Hours

Doors open between 11:00am and 3:00pm, and once again in the evening between 6:00pm and 12:00pm, with last orders being at around 11:00pm.

Location

Amuritanoniwa's ground floor location along with it's large frontage makes it relatively easy to locate. If you're standing opposite Misakicho's main strip then do a 180 turn around and head up a narrow street on the other side of the road (slightly offset to the right). You'll come across two blue roads on your left - take the second road. You'll soon find Amuritanoniwa on your right.