Mozuku
もずくSunui (スヌイ)IngredientFresh mozuku is harvested mainly from April to June; vinegared and salted mozuku is sold all year
Mozuku is a slippery brown seaweed that Okinawa farms in shallow coastal water, and the prefecture grows more than 90% of Japan's supply. Okinawans eat it in sweet vinegar or deep-fried as mozuku tempura, and a few soba shops knead it into their noodles.
Photo DryPot · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.5 and others, credited in the gallery
Okinawa's crop is Okinawa mozuku (Cladosiphon okamuranus), which MAFF describes as firm and chewy, and the old Okinawan name is sunui. It is a different seaweed from the mozuku of mainland coasts (Nemacystus decipiens). Prefectural fisheries stations began cultivation research around 1972, and output took off around 1977. The harvest passed 10,000 tonnes in 1990, and Okinawa grew 22,357 tonnes in 2020 and 18,541 tonnes in 2021, and the prefecture marks the third Sunday of April as Mozuku Day at the start of the main harvest.
Mozuku-zu (the seaweed in sweet sanbaizu vinegar) often comes as a side bowl with soba and set meals. Mozuku tempura fries the strands in batter into soft fritters. In Okinawan schools, mozuku-don over rice became a lunch favourite. Iheya bred its own cultivar, Inoo no Megumi, registered in 2015.
A few soba shops put the seaweed into the noodles. Kunnatu at the Ojima bridge is run by a mozuku farmer and refills the fresh mozuku for free. Wayama Mozuku on Zamami and Mozuku Menya Ntsubata in Hirara both knead the seaweed into their soba.
Worth knowing
- Mozuku tempura from a roadside market makes a good mid-ride snack; Umino Eki Ayahashi-kan on the Kaichu Doro sells it at the snack counter.
36 places
Where to eat Mozuku店
Ao no Umi
Zamami Village · Zamami-jima
Somen champuru ¥800, nakami-irichi ¥850, mozuku vinegar ¥600 in a Google review from about 2025
Aoi Sango Sho
Yoron Town · Yoron-jima
Tabelog reviewers spend under ¥1,000 a person (2026); a large serving costs ¥100 more.
Umino Eki Ayahashi-kan
Uruma · Central
Market
Hanagasa Shokudo
Makishi · Naha
Set meals around ¥1,000–1,250; tebichi nitsuke set ¥1,250 (Tabelog reviews, 2026)
Oshokuji-dokoro Hanakume
Eef Beach Area · Kume-jima
Meals from ¥950, with free iced coffee and barley tea (tourism association)
Hirochan
Ueno · Miyako-jima
Tabelog reviewers report ¥1,000–1,999 a head (2026)
Izakaya Hyokin
Chabana · Yoron-jima
Tabelog reviewers spend ¥3,000–3,999 a person (2025–26).
Izakaya Takeyoshi
Kumejima Town · Kume-jima
Six kuruma-ebi sashimi ¥1,800, five salt-grilled ¥1,650, Kume tuna sashimi ¥800, tofu champuru ¥780 (August 2026 review)
Kaichu Chaya
Uruma · Central
Okinawa soba from ¥900, Spice Chaya curry ¥1,300 on Uruma's tourism listing, read October 2026.
Kaisen Ajidokoro Kameyoshi
Eef Beach Area · Kume-jima
Orion ¥550, mozuku tempura ¥680, sakuna tempura ¥680 (January 2026)
Kinokawa
Motobu
Goya champuru set meal ¥1,200, mozuku tempura ¥700 and umibudo ¥550 (Tabelog review, October 2026).
Koja Sobaya
Hirara · Miyako-jima
Miyako soba ¥780 (small ¥680), Koja Soba ¥880, soki soba ¥880 on the shop's own menu page in 2025; prices include tax
Kominka Ajidokoro Yui
Ie Village · Ie-jima
The tourism association's undated menu lists Okinawa soba ¥800, seared nankotsu soki soba ¥900, taco rice ¥850 and set meals ¥880–1,280, with free large rice 11:00–14:00. A September 2026 reviewer paid ¥1,580 for the Ie-jima wheat tororo soba and mozuku tempura set.
Kunnatu
Tamagusuku · South
Kunnatu teishoku ¥970 on Nanjo's tourism listing (undated)
Maasaa no Mise
Aharen · Tokashiki-jima
Okinawa soba set with maguro-don and sanpin tea ¥2,000 (August 2026)
Machigwa Shokudo Dotonbori
Makishi · Naha
Mabo-don ¥900 (lunches.jp, June 2026); half a spiny lobster for grilling ¥2,500 at a first-floor stall (Tabelog review, June 2026)
Restaurant Marumiya
Zamami Village · Zamami-jima
Taco rice lunch with coffee ¥1,050 in a March 2026 Google review; Google puts most meals at ¥1,000–2,000
Ryukyu Ryori Matsunoshita
Onna · West coast
Soba
Miru Taiyo
Hirara · Miyako-jima
Tabelog reviewers report ¥5,000–5,999 a head at dinner (2026)
Oshokujidokoro Misaki
Yoron Town · Yoron-jima
Tabelog reviewers spend under ¥1,000 a person (2024–25).
Mozuku Menya Ntsubata
Hirara · Miyako-jima
Bukkake set ¥1,100 in a September 2026 Tabelog review
Nantou Shokurakuen
Eef Beach Area · Kume-jima
Tabelog puts dinner at ¥3,000–3,999; reviewers report ¥4,000–4,999
Parlor Hibiki
Aka Village · Aka-jima
Google puts a meal under ¥1,000; a 2023 review had a goya champuru set with a drink at ¥1,000
Cafe Teedun Shidame-kan
Taketomi Village · Taketomi-jima
Tabelog reviewers report ¥1,000–1,999 at lunch and ¥2,000–2,999 at dinner (2026).
Shima Parlor Hamahiga
Uruma · Hamahiga-jima
Cafe
Shima Soba Ichibanchi
Ishigaki City · Ishigaki-jima
Menu on Tabelog in October 2026: shima soba (Yaeyama soba) ¥715, mozuku soba ¥825, sanmai-niku soba ¥935, soki soba ¥1,100, juushii ¥330.
Shirasa
Kouri Village · Kouri-jima
Uni-don set with mozuku miso soup ¥3,500 and sashimi set ¥2,500 (Tabelog review, August 2026); the special uni bowl ¥5,000 (July 2026).
Ryukyu Ryori Shisa-ya (Yoron)
Chabana · Yoron-jima
Tabelog reviewers spend ¥4,000–4,999 a person (2024–26).
Shuri Horikawa
Shuri · Naha
Sooki soba ¥950, jushii ¥300 (lunches.jp, January 2026); tofu sooki soba set ¥1,600 (Tabelog review, July 2026)
Tishiraji Soba
Shuri · Naha
Okinawa soba ¥800 with mozuku vinegar; juushii ¥200 (Tabelog reviews and lunches.jp, 2026)
Tomari Shokudo
Ie Village · Ie-jima
Tabelog reviewers report spending ¥1,000–1,999 a head (2025–2026); the tourism association does not list prices.
Tsuchi Kaoru
Kokusai Dori · Naha
Courses from ¥6,000 a head for two or more (the nine-dish Chura-shima course); pork shabu-shabu and pork steak courses ¥7,000; Okinawan wagyu course ¥8,000 (restaurant site, 2026). A July 2026 Tabelog bill listed Orion draft at ¥800.
Urumarche
Uruma · Central
Market
Usagiya Ishigaki
Ishigaki City · Ishigaki-jima
Tabelog reviewers report ¥4,000–4,999 (2026). Table charge ¥300 and live charge ¥800 per person.
Wayama Mozuku
Zamami Village · Zamami-jima
Hot soba extra-large ¥1,200 and cold soba medium ¥1,000 in a Google review from about 2025; Orion ¥600 plus tax on the shop's drinks list
Shimauta Sanshin Live Izakaya Yuikaji
Ishigaki City · Ishigaki-jima
Tabelog reviewers report ¥4,000–4,999 (2026).
FAQ
Quick answers about Mozukuよくある質問
When is mozuku season in Okinawa?
Okinawa's main mozuku harvest runs from April to June, and the prefecture marks the third Sunday of April as Mozuku Day. Salted and vinegared mozuku is on sale all year, so you will find it on winter menus too.
How much of Japan's mozuku comes from Okinawa?
Okinawa grows more than 90% of Japan's mozuku. MAFF put the share at 99% using 2013 fisheries statistics, when the harvest topped 15,000 tonnes, and Okinawa farmed 18,541 tonnes in 2021.
How do you order Mozuku?
Order mozuku-zu (もずく酢) as a side or mozuku tempura (もずく天ぷら) as a snack. Set meals often include a small bowl of vinegared mozuku, and a few shops make mozuku soba.
Is there a vegetarian Mozuku?
Mostly. The seaweed is vegan. Sanbaizu dressings and tempura batters can contain bonito dashi, so ask 'dashi wa katsuo desu ka?' (だしはかつおですか, Is the stock bonito?).
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