Standing proudly atop a tall cliff on the eastern coast of Miyagi Island is the Nuchimasu salt factory. Capped with a traditional Okinawan red tile roof and built in the midst of a network of natural altars, the factory is a captivating destination that blends the natural beauty of one of Okinawa’s most scenic places with innovative craftsmanship and magnificent cultural heritage.
A Visit to Nuchimasu Salt Factory
The factory offers guided tours where visitors can observe the salt-making process through large viewing windows. These tours, lasting about 10–15 minutes, are free of charge and take place every half-hour or so. The tours are Japanese only, as is most of the signage, but English brochures are available. There are sometimes staff members who can assist in English, but this is hit and miss.
Most visitors go to the salt factory to shop at its gift store, which offers an astonishingly wide variety of salt-related products, including culinary salts, bath salts, vinegar, ginger powder, toothpaste, and cosmetics. Don’t bother looking for the kind of Okinawan gift items you can find at every other tourist shop on the island. This store is dedicated entirely to selling Nuchimasu salt-derived products. We never go home without a big bag full of loot.
In addition to the shop, there’s also a café where you can sit and enjoy a view of the Pacific Ocean while indulging in dishes seasoned with Nuchi-masu’s own salt. There is much selection on the menu and the servings are not huge, but the offerings are first-class, almost certainly the best meal you can get on Miyagi Island. If you go to the cafe, be sure to order soft-serve ice cream for dessert. It comes in two flavors, plain vanilla and spirulina, both of which are delicious beyond belief, and laden with the Nuchi-masu salt.
Award-winning Nuchi-masu Salt
When people think of salt as a flavoring in their food, they most often see it as a guilty pleasure. Rarely does anyone seem to think of salt as a natural mineral supplement which has the potential to contribute meaningfully to a healthy diet. Yet, that’s exactly what the salt produced by Nuchi Masu Salt Factory is – a highly beneficial (and delicious) additive that can help take healthy cuisine to a new level. Nuchi-masu contains 21 minerals, including magnesium and potassium, and boasts a sodium chloride content of less than 75%, making it a healthier alternative to regular table salt. In fact, it was recognized by the Guinness World Records in 2000 for its best-in-class mineral content. A poster on the wall near the gift shop makes the claim that only 10g or Nuchi Masu salt contains enough minerals to meet the full daily requirements of an adult human. That makes it almost a super-food.
This idea is embedded in the company’s name. In the Okinawan dialect, “nuchi” means “life,” and “masu” translates to “salt,” rendering “nuchi-masu” as the “salt of life.” This isn’t just a poetic expression; it’s a testament to the salt’s exceptional nutritional qualities.
How Nuchi Masu Salt is Produced
What sets Nuchi-masu apart is its patented “normal temperature instant aerial crystal salt making method” (this sounds so much better in Japanese). Unlike most traditional methods that involve boiling seawater or sun-drying, this innovative technique atomizes purified Okinawan seawater and sprays fine mist into a chamber where warm, dry air crystallizes the salt at room temperature. This process offers the benefit of preserving the full complement of minerals that are naturally present in the seawater, resulting in a snow-like, fluffy salt that’s as visually stunning as it is tasty.
Kafu Banta Cliff
Immediately north of the factory building (and accessible from the same lot) is Kafu Banta, or “Happy Cliff,” a renowned power spot offering some of the most breathtaking views anywhere in Okinawa, and that says a lot. Standing at the highest part of the lookout, one can see all the way up and down the Okinawan coast, from Nanjo in the south to the mountains of Kunigami in the north. Sugar cane fields stretch from the top of the cliff to the tall ridges to the east, and the sleepy little fishing village on the shore of Ikei Island stands quietly, the tile roofs of traditional Okinawan houses rising above stone walls and gates guarded by porcelain shisas.
Looking down, you can see right through the shallow emerald waters to the sandy bottom below, with spires of coral rising and spreading in timeless organic patterns like unmoving forests beneath the waves. On windy days, mighty waves crash over immovable rocks at the base of the cliff, breaking into swirls of frothy whiteness. The stretch of sandy beach at the bottom of the steep decline, which is overgrown with wild jungle, is inaccessible except by boat, making it a safe place for various species of sea turtles to nest. Volunteers from the community comb the beach from time to time to remove the debris that washes up on shore, keeping the beach clean, pristine, and safe for wildlife.
It’s hard to express exactly how beautiful a place Kafu Banta is. I’ve taken some delightful pictures there, but none that could ever do justice to the experience of actually standing at the edge of Kafu Banta, inhaling the ocean breeze and taking in the awe-inspiring panorama.
Things to do around Nuchi-masu Salt Factory
One of the best things about the factory’s location is that it’s tolerably close to a number of other first-rate destinations in Okinawa, some of them barely on the map. One of the most impressive attractions nearby is Katsuren Castle Ruins, which is one of the most impressive castle sites on the island (and the story behind the Aji who ruled it is part of Okinawan legend). Ikei Island is a great place to just park and step into an almost forgotten way of life, sort of like the experience on Tsuken Island (but that’s a whole day trip in itself). I highly recommend visiting Nakabaru Ruins, an excavated site from the Jomon era of Japanese history (roughly 4,000 years ago), which is only about a 10-minute drive from the factory.
When you return from Miyagi Island, be sure to stop at the little torii gate (named 竜宮門, or Ryugumon) along the stretch of road that runs along the eastern side of Henza Island (now home to a sprawling petroleum refinery). Even if you don’t offer prayers to the local kami-sama, the mini torii gate reminds visitors of the importance of spirituality to Okinawan culture. There is also a little umi-budo farm on the other side of the road where you can buy some delicious seaweed. The owner seems quite willing to chat with tourists.
It would be very easy to combine a trip to Nuchi-masu salt factory with a tour of Hamahiga Island, which is just across a bridge to the east. There is a very interesting maritime museum in the middle of Kaichu Doro at Umi no Eki Ayahashikan (the long road that stretches across from the Katsuren Peninsula to Henza Island. Like any of the michi-no-eki stops, if you are looking for a decent selection of satsifying food, this is the place.
There is so much to see in this part of Okinawa that if ou only have a day to spend in this region, you’ll have to plan very carefully to fit it all in. Regardless of how you organize your day, Nuchi-masu salt factory and Kafu Banta together are one of the must-see destinations on Okinawa’s east coast.
Editor’s Note: This article was unsolicited and completely uncompensated.
Nuchimasu Salt Factory
Salt Factory, Store and Kafu Banta Cliff on Miyagi Island
Website Link to Nuchimasu
