This blog is run by RiRi, a Japan-based blogger who aims to enrich daily life by traveling and exploring different lifestyles both in Japan and abroad, all while capturing moments through photos and videos.
I hope to share information that will be enjoyable for both first-time visitors to Okinawa and locals alike.
In this article, I want to share a story from my recent trip to France, where I missed out on trying something that left me longing for it. I wondered if I could find it in Okinawa.
That something is a French dish called galette.
Luckily, there’s a hotel café in Naha, Okinawa, where you can enjoy galettes. I’ll be reporting on that café in this post.
・HOTEL STRATA NAHA
HOTEL STRATA NAHA 1-19-8 Makishi, Naha City, Okinawa 900-0013, Japan
Hotel Strata Naha is located about a 30-second walk from Miebashi Station on the Okinawa Urban Monorail (Yui Rail). This means you can easily reach the hotel and explore Naha City without needing to rent a car. By car, it takes about 15 minutes from Naha Airport.
Naha is the main city in Okinawa, with Kokusai Street being a major attraction. Many of you may already be familiar with it. There are plenty of shops and restaurants, making it easy to enjoy shopping and dining even without a detailed plan.
Now, let’s take a look at the lunch buffet at CAFE STRATA.
・Lunch buffet at CAFE STRATA.
The café on the first floor of the hotel is open to non-guests as well. If you drive there, you can enjoy two hours of free parking in the hotel’s multilevel parking lot during lunch hours.
My sole intention was to try the galette, but since there was a limited-time buffet, I decided to go for it after some consideration.
You can choose one main dish from the lunch menu, and I chose the “Galette Complète.” Although there were various types of galettes, I opted for the classic and simple one.
This month’s recommendations include a delicious hamburg steak and an interesting galette.
At the buffet, you can choose from salads, appetizers, soups, drinks, and desserts. As shown in the top right photo, the cordial iced tea with “Sanpin tea and pineapple” is refreshing and goes down smoothly. I even had a customer next to me show me how to make it lol.
The salad bar features a rare dragon fruit dressing, adding a pop of pink to your salad. Though it looks rich, dragon fruit is actually quite mild and has no strong taste. I enjoyed adding various toppings like chia seeds and quinoa to my salad. Staying true to Okinawan style, there were also slices of goya (bitter melon) and shikwasa (Okinawan lime) dressing.
The galette arrived piping hot.
I’ve had galettes locally before, but missed out on trying them during my recent trip to France. Now, I finally get to enjoy it.
A galette is typically a French buckwheat crepe that can be filled with various ingredients. It’s like a crepe but with different possible variations and flavors.
Finding a place that serves galettes in Okinawa is quite rare, so I’m thrilled to have them at HOTEL STRATA NAHA.
If you’re interested in both Okinawa and France, be sure to check out this blog post.
I was also satisfied with the dessert after the meal.
・GARDEN POOL
This is the garden pool area exclusively for guests. I took a quick look after the lunch.
Naha is quite urban with a surprisingly large population, but within this hotel, there’s a garden designed to resemble a Ryukyu forest. This area feels like a different world and creates a fantastic atmosphere. It’s definitely a place worth staying!
At the back of the pool area, there’s a restaurant designed to look like a traditional Okinawan house. This place, called 【MOSS okinawa】, is a modern Japanese restaurant with only counter seating.
If I get the chance, I’ll visit and write another article about it.
It’s hard to believe this beautiful pool area is in Naha.
Whether it was just luck, the space felt very quiet and mature, giving off a private vibe.
While there are wonderful resort hotels outside of Naha, the convenience of being so close to the airport while enjoying such an open space is very appealing.
HOTEL STRATA NAHA truly made me want to come back. I’ll definitely make an effort to visit again and relax.
