Umito, an Okinawa cafe and gallery, where you can enjoy a beautiful sea view and coffee

Enjoying the beautiful ocean view from a Ryukyu-style house in Okinawa while busy running a cafe open on weekends may be just a dream for many people, but Miss Takahara's "Café and Gallery Umito" has made this dream a reality.






Umito is the name of Miss Takahara's grandmother, who is originally from Okinawa and has distant relatives in Okinawa, the most famous of whom is the descendant of Kenjiro Matakichi, a silversmith who made silver hairpins for the Ryukyu Kingdom. When Mr. Takahara was a child, he was taken care of by his grandmother because his mother was busy with work, and she has many good memories with her grandmother.

Miss Takahara is originally from Osaka, and has also lived in Takarazuka and Kobe. When she went south to find warmer places due to health problems, Okinawa beckoned. The house she built has a beautiful ocean view, and she wants to share this beauty with others by opening a cafe and gallery.

Try the menu at Umito and you will find that the dishes are made by people who love to cook, and their cooking methods are creative and tasteful. Many of Umito's dishes are homemade bread. After her youngest child started kindergarten, Ms. Takahara started making bread when she had free time during the day. She wanted her children to eat homemade bread. After obtaining a baking teacher's license in her 30s, she began giving cooking classes to neighbors.

I celebrated my birthday here. We tried everything on the cafe's menu and everyone in our party loved everything, but we each had our favorites. I loved the beef stew, my daughter loved the Okinawan-style bibimbap, my partner loved the cheese fondue, and my son loved the sandwich. Ms. Takahara prepared us a festive cake wrapped in half a pineapple and topped with tropical fruits.

At Umito, Ms. Takahara is a warm and generous host. She encourages you to sit back, relax, enjoy the view, and stay as long as you want. When you are ready to leave, visit the gallery next door to buy Okinawan jewelry and art.

How to get there

Bus No. 82 gets off at the Obami-Kura (Itoman) stop. From there it is still a 21-minute walk to the cafe. The cafe and gallery Umito are best reached by car.