Most than half of the people pick this out when they see the map for the first time. Mainly because, I think, it’s located at eye level and it’s very easy to recognize, because…well, it’s a pig’s face in the middle of a map.
The pig face is part of the characters that identify the city of Nago. When you drive pass Nago city hall, you will see a big black pig statue on your left. Under the statue, it said “あぐーの里”, which means the town of Aguu.
Ton means pig in Japanese, and pigs domesticated in Okinawa is called Aguu. When you stay in Okinawa, you may be eating Aguu, and you don’t even know it. Its meat appears to be the same as regular pork. When you see a live Aguu, you will notice the difference right away.
In comparison to regular pig, Aguu is small and has dark fur. The original Ague lived in Okinawa for a long time. Tropical weather, unique and organic feeds produced locally in Okinawa, and plenty of space to run around, these three elements created a unique type of pig that has higher healthy acidic fat, which makes its meat taster and healthier for humans.
Okinawans eat every part of a pig except its sequel. Okinawa also has some of the longest living human beings. See the connection?
Aguu almost went extinct after the battle of Okinawa during WWII. There wasn’t so much left to eat after the war either. Seven Okinawans who migrated to Hawaii used a navy fleet to ship 500 pigs across the Pacific to support folks back home. Thereafter, the Aguu has been rebred and it’s now 95% close to the original Aguu.
The 7 men who shipped 500 pigs on a navy fleet from Hawaii to support the people in war ruined Okinawa. (photo source: http://www.pref.okinawa.lg.jp)
If you want to learn more and interact with the Aguu, visit the Aguu theme park in Nago (Yes, there is a theme park for everything in Japan). There you can see live Aguus, pet them, and sadly, eat them. On the way, also try the famous sea salt ice-cream in Kyoda service station. If you are going in February, don’t miss the Sakura festival in central park Nago.
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Where to Buy The Map
The Okinawa maps are sold in a number of locations in Okinawa, please find a store near you to buy the map. If you live outside of Okinawa or if you want to send a map to your friends and family, we can ship the map to anywhere outside of Okinawa.
**The information in this article is written by the designer of the Okinawa Story Map based personal experience. It does not aim to be 100% accurate or academically correct. Please enjoy the stories and feel free to contact us if you have any questions regarding this article.