Okonomiyaki, American Village Ichigenya (いちげん屋)
👋 Haisai! It’s CULT here.
Today, I’m going to tell you about a must-visit restaurant in Okinawa’s American Village, Ichigenya (いちげん屋). This place primarily serves Japanese mainland cuisine rather than Okinawan dishes, so if your first trip to Japan is in Okinawa and you feel it’s quite different from what you imagined Japan to be, I recommend giving it a try. You can enjoy many Japanese dishes commonly seen in animations and films, and the value for money is excellent, allowing you to enjoy a variety of menus without any burden.
📌 Location and Opening Hours
The restaurant is located in American Village Depot Island, and there is a very spacious car park nearby. However, on weekends, even this large car park can be full, so it’s a good idea to park in a nearby public car park. [Google Map] It’s situated on the ground floor in the centre of a building that looks like a shopping complex near the car park, so it shouldn’t be hard to find. Also, it’s closed every Thursday ⏰ Opening hours are from noon to 3 PM, and after a break, from 5 PM to 9 PM. Please make sure to check as these hours differ from those on Google Maps. [Google Map]
This is what the front of the restaurant looks like. I’ve visited this restaurant several times already, and I often chat with the owner, who jokes about me coming again. However, it was a bit tricky to find on my first visit. It’s easier if you check the centre of the first floor of the shopping complex in advance.
This is the interior view, featuring a bar table and a teppan table where four people can sit around. It seems you can comfortably set it up to accommodate up to eight people.
If you’re visiting with your family, I think the special menu for 2,700 yen, which includes Donpeiyaki, Okonomiyaki, Yakisoba, and two drinks, is a good choice. Since I always visited alone, this menu felt a bit much for me, so I kept ordering individual items. On my first visit, I just ordered Okonomiyaki and a Zero Cola.
- Okonomiyaki 800 yen
- Zero Cola 300 yen
I always order only zero cola when I come here, but in Okinawa, they don’t seem to stock zero cola very well. At the restaurants I’ve visited several times, I hint that if they want to attract Korean customers, zero drinks are a must. I really hope there will be more zero drinks available in Okinawa.
🫓 Ichigenya’s Signature Dish: Okonomiyaki
You can watch the process of making okonomiyaki in real-time like this. I think that’s why I often visit Ichigenya. When I visited, they were even teaching the cooking method to a junior staff member. It was a delightful experience for the eyes.
You can watch the process of making okonomiyaki in real-time like this. It seems like something you could make at home. Personally, I often chop a lot of cabbage at home. With some egg batter and bacon, it seems quite easy, doesn’t it? Oh, but I don’t have a griddle.
Then they place it on the iron plate in front of my table… Unfortunately, I didn’t capture that moment. Please make sure to check out the other photos below. The okonomiyaki at Ichigenya is delicious. Above all, these are Japanese dishes that are not commonly found in Okinawa. I always feel that Okinawa is Okinawa and Japan is Japan. I see Okinawa and Japan as separate entities.
🍜 Ichigenya’s Yakisoba
On my next visit… I pondered over a different menu. This time, I decided to order yakisoba. I dine out almost daily to write articles about Okinawa’s best eateries, and while I’ve had Okinawa-style yakisoba many times, it’s rare to come across mainland-style yakisoba. So, I was delighted to order the mainland-style yakisoba.
- Yakisoba 800 yen
Yakisoba is served on a plate rather than on a tabletop grill. It might have been more difficult to eat if it were served on a grill. The combination of meat, cabbage, soy sauce, and noodles makes yakisoba delicious anytime. Add some spam, and it becomes Okinawa yakisoba 😙
I’ve also captured these detailed aspects. Since it’s a noodle dish that’s easy to enjoy, I think it’s a good idea to order it along with okonomiyaki. For starters… it’s not spicy, so it’s suitable for Westerners or people from the Middle East as well.
🍳 Donpeiyaki
Next is Donpeiyaki. It’s an Osaka dish made by wrapping thin pork in an omelette. You can also watch it being cooked in real-time.
- Donpheyaki 800 yen
Once it’s ready, it will be served on your table like this. You can take a portion onto your side plate and enjoy.
Is this really pork… It seems quite thin. Still, I think it’s perfect as a beer snack… Unfortunately, I drove here, so I can’t have any beer. Next time, I’ll stay near American Village and focus on introducing you to some great drinking snacks 🍶
🥚 Omelette Yakisoba
When I visited again, I decided to try the omelette yakisoba. It’s nothing too special, just yakisoba wrapped in an omelette, but you can enjoy it by paying an additional 150 yen on top of the basic yakisoba.
- Yakisoba 800 yen + Omelette style 150 yen
You can indeed watch the cooking process in real-time. Then, the completed yakisoba is placed on the egg wrap to shape it. This part was finished by a staff member working at Ichigenya. The owner was continuously instructing on how it should be done.
Then they bring it to the table like this. You can share it nicely and enjoy it together.
When cut in half, it looks like this, and I served myself a portion on a small plate and enjoyed it. It had a different charm compared to regular yakisoba.
🥓 Samgyeopsal
Next, I found something a bit different on the menu. This time, it’s pork belly. The pork belly is already lightly salted, and with a bit of chojang, dipping it in the sauce… it’s delicious. It’s common sense that grilled pork belly is always tasty.
- Pork belly 900 yen
The pork belly is thin, so it cooks faster than you might expect. If you combine it well with the chojang sauce and cabbage… it’s delicious. The chojang sauce isn’t spicy at all, so even Westerners, South Asians, or people from the Middle East can enjoy it easily.
🥬 Kimchi Fried Rice
There was something unusual on the menu, so I decided to give it a try. It’s kimchi fried rice, but it’s listed as “kimuchi.” Well, that can happen. I see kimchi and kimuchi as separate dishes. Kimchi is a Korean dish, while kimuchi is more like a salad that’s been adapted in Japan.
Anyway, it’s a dish I have no expectations for. However, since everything I’ve eaten so far has been delicious, I’m curious to see how they’ll make it.
- Kimchi Fried Rice 900 yen
Once it’s ready, it will be brought right to your table. It’s great because it’s easy to share with several people.
It’s naturally delicious when enjoyed with a fried egg with a soft-cooked yolk.
First of all, the taste… it doesn’t taste like the kimchi fried rice that Koreans are familiar with.
As a Korean, when I tried this, it reminded me of the time when babies transition from baby food to eating a bit of rice or porridge. It’s just like that. It simply feels like rice and vegetables stir-fried together. So, for Korean taste buds, this is quite bland. However, for Japanese people or Westerners who aren’t good with spicy food, it’s something they can enjoy without any trouble.
So, it tastes even better when enjoyed in collaboration with samgyeopsal. I found it absolutely delicious this way.
After finishing the meal, this is what it looks like. There’s a hot plate in front of the table like this, allowing the food to stay warm continuously. In the case of pork belly, you can even cook it. How about sitting in front of the hot plate with your family and enjoying a variety of dishes?
Today, I’ve written a review about the popular restaurant Ichigenya in American Village. If you’re unsure about what to eat in American Village, consider paying it a visit. I think it gives you the feeling of truly being in Japan, rather than Okinawa.
I’ll wrap it up here and will be back tomorrow with more Okinawa travel information. Matayasai 👋
💡 함께 보면 좋은 포스트
- Top 3 Okinawa Restaurants for the First Half of 2025
- Alternative version of the post: Naver Blog
