I was born in 1971, before Okinawa was returned to Japan. My father was born on the small and remote Okinawan island of Izena. He used to say, “I can’t go back to Okinawa until I’ve found success on the mainland.” I was named “Yuna” after the "Yuna flowers" which always bloomed near the beach on the island where he played when he was a child.
I’m half Uchinanchu (half Okinawan) and grew up on the mainland, but when I was young our relatives always sent boxes of fruits, vegetables, pork, and Okinawan doughnuts fried by my grandmother. Our house was always full of colorful Okinawa Nuchigusui (medicine of life) food.

My cousin makes a living mainly by mozuku fishing on the island. Every year, he would send us a 5-gallon can of delicious new mozuku, and a variety of meals featuring mozuku would be lined up on the dinner table, such as tempura and miso soup. Mozuku is a thick and tender vegetable from the sea that fills you up.
When I started living in Tokyo, I was very surprised by the packaged “vinegar mozuku” sold at supermarkets. It was completely different in texture, volume, and flavor from what I always ate.

I wanted to tell everyone about “Delicious Okinawan mozuku!” I want to introduce people to many different mozuku recipes, not just vinegar mozuku.
I want people all over the world to know about mozuku, and how it is the medicine of life in Okinawa, a place known for longevity.
That’s why I started Churayuna Co., Ltd. in 2010, incorporating my father's memories of his hometown.

Through my work and experience with the heartwarming food and people of Okinawa, I'm fascinated every day by the treasure trove of traditional food culture and nuchigusui (medicine of life) ingredients in Okinawa, a place known for longevity.
Even if you aren't in Okinawa, I hope you can feel the hospitality of Okinawa's beautiful sea, sky, wind, and ichari-bacho de (the sense that we are all family) through Okinawan food...

In recent years, consumer awareness of food as increased, and I think people are looking for foods that are "high quality" and "environmentally friendly" as well as "safe" and "worry-free."
We aim to be a company that discovers and provides customers with "safe and secure food that shows the producer's care," "food that supports healthy everyday life," and "food that fills the dining table with smiles."