Shikuwasa
シークヮーサーShiikwaasaa (シークヮーサー), from shii (sour) and kwaasaa (to feed)FruitGreen fruit for squeezing from mid-August to early October; ripe yellow fruit for eating from mid-January to early March (JA Okinawa)
Shikuwasa is Okinawa's small native citrus (Citrus depressa). Growers pick it green and very sour from August for its juice, and fruit left on the tree ripens yellow and sweet for eating from mid-January to early March; Ogimi, Nago and Motobu in the north of the main island are the main growing areas.
Photo Kugel~commonswiki · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 and others, credited in the gallery
The name is Okinawan: shii means sour and kwaasaa means to feed, and Japanese Wikipedia renders it as 'feeding sour'. The tree grows to about 5 m with white flowers about 3 cm across in April. The fruit weighs 25 to 60 g with a thin skin, and growers have identified 13 or 14 varieties, among them Ishikunibu and the golden Kugani. The peel is rich in the flavonoid nobiletin, which researchers have studied for its effects on inflammation and blood sugar.
Green shikuwasa is a squeeze of sour over sashimi and grilled fish, and a splash in awamori. JA Okinawa lists the green harvest from mid-August to early October and the ripe fruit from mid-January to early March, when it turns yellow and sweet enough to eat. That second window falls in February, so a winter visitor can try both the bottled juice and the fresh fruit. Unripe juice was once used to treat bashofu cloth.
Ogimi is known as the village of shikuwasa and has made it the village tree and flower. Ogimi Shikuwasa Park in Tsuha, which the OCVB describes as the prefecture's first shikuwasa theme park, lets you watch the pressing for free and taste juice from fruit picked in different months.
Worth knowing
- Buy pure shikuwasa juice (原液, gen'eki) in a small bottle and cut it with water or soda; it is too sour to drink straight.
- Look for ripe yellow shikuwasa at farm stands and roadside stations in February.
8 places
Where to eat Shikuwasa店
Chii-tu-dokoro Fukuya
Kumejima Town · Kume-jima
Shaved ice ¥650, banana omelette cake ¥300 (July 2026)
Michi-no-eki Kyoda (Yanbaru Products Center)
Nago · Motobu
Market stalls and takeaway; restaurant prices not published.
Michi-no-eki Ogimi (Yanbaru no Mori Visitor Center)
Ogimi · Yanbaru
Dome theatre ¥300 adult, ¥100 junior high and under (trial price); food prices not published.
Ogimi Shikuwasa Park
Ogimi · Yanbaru
Free entry; café prices not published online.
Shima Bar AWAMORI+
Naha
A November 2025 Tabelog reviewer paid ¥1,100 for Tamayuki kame-zukuri kusu aged 10 years and ¥1,000 for a craft gin and soda; reviewers spend ¥3,000–3,999.
Shiro no Chaya
Nakijin · Motobu
Fresh sugar cane juice ¥400 (Tabelog review, March 2026).
Wansaka Oura Park
Nago · Motobu
Soba and parlour prices not published online (October 2026).
Yaedake Bakery
Motobu
Apple-jam bread and anpan ¥250 each (Tabelog review, January 2025).
FAQ
Quick answers about Shikuwasaよくある質問
When is shikuwasa in season?
Shikuwasa has two seasons in Okinawa. JA Okinawa lists green fruit for squeezing from mid-August to early October and ripe yellow fruit for eating from mid-January to early March.
What does shikuwasa taste like?
Green shikuwasa is very sour, and Okinawans use it like lemon or lime on fish and in drinks. The fruit turns orange and sweeter as it ripens on the tree, and ripe shikuwasa can be eaten fresh.
How do you order Shikuwasa?
Ask for shikuwasa juice or soda at a café, or awamori with shikuwasa at a bar. At farm stands and roadside stations, buy bottles of juice or bags of fruit in season.
Is there a vegetarian Shikuwasa?
Yes. Shikuwasa is a citrus fruit, and the juice is fruit and, in sweetened drinks, sugar.
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Line up the trip around Shikuwasa
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