As Okinawa moves from September's Silver Week into October and November, the summer crowds ease and a comfortable sea breeze settles in, making it a favorite season for travelers to feel closer to the islands' nature and culture. Grand Mercure Okinawa Cape Zanpa Resort, an all-inclusive resort hotel on the scenic Cape Zanpa, is marking the season with a run of limited-time events. In September, the Executive Lounge serves a rice whisky from Kumesen Shuzo, and the lobby hosts a tasting event for Higa Shuzo's awamori "Zanpa." Then, from October 1 (Thursday) through November 30 (Monday), the buffet restaurant "Le Sensoriel" holds a Pineapple Fair pairing sweets with wine.
Okinawa ISLAND BLUE: A Rice Whisky Shaped by Kumesen Shuzo's Ongoing Innovation
Okinawa ISLAND BLUE, 40% ABV / Okinawa ISLAND BLUE Awamori, 50% ABV
The Executive Lounge, available exclusively to guests staying on the Executive Floor, is serving Kumesen Shuzo's rice whisky "Okinawa ISLAND BLUE." Made from rice and aged in bourbon barrels, it draws on techniques the distillery has refined since its founding in 1952, combined with Okinawa's climate. The subtropical heat drives the barrel aging along, producing a rounded flavor that balances a pronounced oak aroma, fruity notes, and a gentle sweetness. Carrying forward the techniques behind awamori-making, it's a glass that reflects Okinawa's climate and culture, best enjoyed while taking in the sunset over Cape Zanpa.
Kumesen Shuzo Rice Whisky "Okinawa ISLAND BLUE" Special Offering
Period: September 19 (Saturday) to September 27 (Sunday), 2026
Hours: 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Venue: Executive Lounge (Executive Floor guests only)
Details: https://grand-mercure-okinawacapezanpa-resort.jp/news/okinawa-island-blue/
Executive Lounge access is included in the Executive Floor room rate; the lounge cannot be used on its own.
Kumesen Shuzo is a distillery founded in Naha, Okinawa, in 1952. While preserving awamori, Okinawa's traditional distilled spirit, the company has continued to pursue innovation, and now operates five "OKINAWA BLUE" whisky shops across Okinawa and Tokyo to spread whisky culture originating from Okinawa. Official website: https://kumesen.co.jp/
Zanpa: The Awamori Brand Higa Shuzo Keeps Refining
Zanpa White, 25% ABV
Higa Shuzo aims not only to preserve tradition but to carry awamori into the next generation, and "Zanpa" is the brand built on that idea. Shaped by the founder's original vision, the distillery has continued to pursue new directions for awamori suited to each era. Wanting more people to enjoy awamori, it has refined its own distillation methods to create a light, approachable taste that still carries the spirit's characteristic aroma. Guests can taste "Zanpa," an awamori shaped by Okinawa's climate, at Cape Zanpa itself — the very place its name comes from.
Higa Shuzo Awamori "Zanpa" Tasting Event
Period: September 24 (Thursday) to September 25 (Friday), 2026
Hours: 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM
Venue: 1F Entrance Lobby
Details: https://grand-mercure-okinawacapezanpa-resort.jp/news/awamori-zanpa/
A representative from the distillery will be on hand both days to talk about the awamori's story and flavor.
Higa Shuzo describes its brand concept for Zanpa as "SMILE BE WAVES" — bringing people together over a drink so that smiles ripple outward the way waves do, expressed through its products, tasting events, and food-pairing gatherings. Official website: http://www.zanpa.co.jp
A New Pairing: Pineapple Wine Meets Seasonal Sweets
Starting in October, the buffet restaurant fills with sweets built around pineapple's sweetness and bright acidity, and a sweet, fragrant aroma spreads through the room. Paired with the sweets, and poured on weekends only while supplies last, is a pineapple wine called "Lagrima Del Sol" from Nago Pineapple Winery. The name means "tear of the sun" in Spanish, and the wine carries the flavor of pineapples grown under plenty of sunshine. Its fruity aroma, gentle sweetness, and pleasant acidity make for a refined pairing with the sweets, with the layered aromas opening up new dimensions of flavor.
Bright pineapple sweets are joined by an Okinawan purple sweet potato Mont Blanc
Pineapple Tart, finished with a fragrant baked crust
Rare cheesecake's richness layered with pineapple's bright acidity
A smooth, melt-in-the-mouth dessert finished with a tangy-sweet fruit sauce
Pineapple Roll Cake, soft and fluffy
Pineapple Fair Overview
Period: October 1 (Thursday) to November 30 (Monday), 2026
Hours: 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM (last entry at 8:30 PM)
Venue: Buffet Restaurant "Le Sensoriel"
Details: https://grand-mercure-okinawacapezanpa-resort.jp/plan/pineapple-fair/
The fair's sweets are served as part of the restaurant's dinner buffet. Pineapple wine is offered in limited quantities, on weekends only.
Nago Pineapple Park, in northern Okinawa's main island, is a hands-on theme park built around a subtropical forest home to roughly 120 pineapple varieties. A self-driving cart called "パイナップル号" carries visitors through a jungle-like course past a lineup of dinosaurs, and the park's original character "パイなそー" and photo spots are popular with children. After exploring, visitors can browse pineapple sweets and shopping, and an on-site winery and distillery round out the experience for adults. Playable rain or shine, it's a theme park for all generations. Official website: https://www.nagopine.com/
Alcohol is not served to guests under 20. Alcohol is not served to guests who will be driving.
About the Resort
The roughly 128-meter lazy river includes a heated section
"Yukuru" (meaning "to rest") Pool is a heated pool reserved for adults
Located in Yomitan Village in central Okinawa, Grand Mercure Okinawa Cape Zanpa Resort is an all-inclusive hotel overlooking clear, coral-rich waters. Its pool area, one of the largest in Okinawa, stays open year-round, alongside select beach-based marine activities. Morning and evening buffets built around local ingredients, evening alcoholic beverages, lounge access, and use of the panoramic bath are all included in the room rate. The top-floor Executive Lounge opens onto sweeping views of the East China Sea, offering Executive Floor guests an especially relaxed, upscale stretch of time as the sea's colors shift through the day. The lunch buffet is also open to non-guests, drawing both travelers passing through Okinawa and local visitors.
The open, light-filled entrance lobby welcomes guests at the start of their trip
Spacious, relaxing guest rooms
The Executive Lounge on the hotel's top floor overlooks the sea
About 70 minutes by car from Naha Airport
Address: 1575 Uza, Yomitan Village, Nakagami District, Okinawa 904-0328
Phone: 03-6627-4738 (Reservation Center)
Rates: All-inclusive from ¥29,500 per person per night (double occupancy, tax and service charge included). Some drinks and activities are charged separately.
Official Website: https://grand-mercure-okinawacapezanpa-resort.jp/
Access: Approximately 70 minutes by car from Naha Airport
Images are for illustration purposes only.
