• Must-see
• Pictures
• Information

• Access
• Fees
• Advise

• CategoryTourism・Themepark
• Phone number0988-40-6000
• AreaSouth
• ParkingVan：46lots Car：116lots
• TagSnackfield tripOkinawan productSouvenirTomishiro-city
• Hour[morning]9:00～11:30 [afternoon]13:00～16:30

Among Okinawan souvenirs, "sa-ta-andagi", " Chinsukou" "purple yam tarts” are very popular. You can't miss the " Suppai-man" either. Suppai-man is a long selling Okinawan snack which is dried plum. Recently because it became so popular, it is sold in some stores in main land Japan too. The head factory of Uemakashiten is located in Tomnishiro-city Toyosaki. You can see how Suppai-man is made. Visitors with a large group need a reservations, visitors with less than 2-3 person don't have to reserve. You are not allowed to take videos, or memo. but you can take pictures.

Must-see sights

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  Suppai-man mascot welcomes the visitors

  When you enter the factory, Suppai-man mascot welcomes all visitors. Okinawan high school students designed the mascot. Now, this mascot is on the snack packaging, Original T-shirts, and appears to collaborate with products from other company’s, He is very popular. You can take pictures with him! He is a very important mascot, so you are not allowed to touch or smack him.

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  How to make Suppai-man

  The first room you enter looks like a lab. There, one man wearing white robes is checking each one of the plums. Once the plums have been cleared , They will be air blown to take off the impurities. They are pickled in a special syrup that the plums absorb to make the great popular taste. After that, they will be dry for 10 to 12 hours. Completed plums are chosen again by the professional field workers. The chosen plums are packaged by a auto packaging machine, and delivered around the world.

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  Various kinds of souvenirs

  After the field work, You can get a trade ticket with which you can get a souvenir if you bring the ticket to the souvenir shop. You can get Suppiai-man and Suppai-man candy.
  There is space for all-you-can-pack for 500yen. You can get snacks at a decent price. the one shaped not good snack can get at very cheap price. They may not look as good as the one sold at the regular store, but taste the same and its absolutely yummy! There are some souvenirs that can only be bought here at Uema-kashiten.
  The sour and sweetness matches perfectly when your chewing, Sppai-man. At Uemagashiten, you can get many kinds of snacks. Also, Uemagashiten cherishes their atmosphere of just the "good-old-candy shop".

Why does everyone loves Suppai-man?

For many years, Okinawa and Taiwan have built a strong relationship together. Before Sappai-man was born, the plum was imported from China. However, they found out that the Sodium cyclamate(an artificial sweetener) caused cancer. So the government put a ban on the imports.

"Make a plum that can be eaten safely by the Okinawan people." "Want to see their yummy face!" this is the thought, and they found the natural sweetener "Stevia".
This became the story behind Suppai-man, and In 1984, the factory was built at Haebaru-town. In 2013, the factory moved to a new place, Toyosaki-city. There is a reason why Suppai-man has been loved for over 30 years.

First of all, The Suppai-man has low calories for 4 plums is only 10 kcl. It's recommended to eat Suppai-man if you are on a diet. Citric acid is part of the great flavor, So it will help you when you are tired. Many athlete actually eat them to help themselves from getting tired. Also, the salt will help you during your exercise. It is also known as a good prevention of heatstroke.

You can enjoy eating Suppai-man by itself, but also, there are many ways to eat it. For example, if you put a suppai-man into Awamori-sake, The Awamori tastes more mellow. Moreover, if you put Suppai-man into Shochu mixed with soda, you can make your own Ume-shu(plum sake). After you finished drinking, don't forget to taste suppai-man as well!

Now Suppai-man is a popular Okinawan souvenir not only among Japanese people, but also among tourists overseas too. If you have never tried it, It's highly recommended to get your own Suppai-man! Once you have one, you will become addicted!

Pictures

Uemakashiten Information

Name	Uemakashiten
Tel/Fax:	TEL：0988-40-6000 FAX：0988-40-6006
Address:	Postcode: 901-0225 Toyosaki3-64 Tomishiro-city, Okinawa Souvenir Tourism Food Hotel
Access	From Naha-airport, take a bus No.95 from bus stop No.4. Get off at the " Ashibina-mae" bus stop. It takes about 10 minutes by a taxi.
Hours	morning / 9:00-11:30 afternoon / 13:00-16:30 Uema-shop 9:00-17:00
Closed	Sunday / Holidays

Entrance fee

Entrance fee	Field-trip is free

How to pay

Budget	0-1,000yen
Optional fee	0
Credit card	VISA、Master、JCB、AMEX
Currency	JPY
Reservation	Reservation is available 10 - 40 people (over than 40 people is negotiable) If you have less than 10 people, you don't have to make a reservation morning reception time : 9:00-11:30 afternoon reception time : 13:00-16:30 Reservations can be made up to 2 mounths in advance.

Facilities

Parking	Available(free) Van：46 lots Car：116 lots

Information

Hour	for 10people about 30minutes for 30people about 50minutes for 50people about 80minutes
Smorking	No smorking
e.t.c	No pets (including service dog) No food or drink The field trip is on the 2 floor. For your safety, visitors with strollers, wheelchairs, having difficulity in walking will not be able to join the tour.

A little advise from Churashima travel

A brief comment	The popular Okinawan souvenir snack "Suppai-man". You can see the production process! It's a good spot where kids/adults can enjoy!
Important notice	You are not allowed to take any movies and memos. (Taking picture is ok.)
What to bring