Our theme this episode is the home cooking of Japan's southernmost prefecture, Okinawa. Okinawa has its own unique food culture, as you might expect from islands so far south, and it has less in common than you might expect with the general Japanese cuisine. Our main focus will be on Okinawa soba noodles, featuring a light soup made from katsuo-bushi bonito flakes and topped with tender pork belly simmered in awamori, Okinawa's famous local spirits. We'll also introduce two vegetable stir-fries that you can make easily and quickly as side dishes.