Okinawan cuisine is often overlooked by Japanese food enthusiasts, but it boasts a distinct and varied lineup of goodies thanks to the island's history and climate. Even if you can’t make it down there this summer, convenience store Ministop is bringing some treats to the whole of Japan thanks to their 'Okinawa Fair' campaign.

If you already know a bit about Okinawan specialties, it will be no surprise to you that the purple sweet potato (beni-imo) is one of the main stars of this collection. There’s several desserts on offer featuring this popular ingredient.

One of these is the purple sweet potato mont blanc made with beni-imo mousse.

Or you can go for the tart which combines the sweet potato taste with almonds and white chocolate.

The beni-imo chiffon cake looks particularly fluffy and light.

The beni-imo fest doesn’t stop there, as there’s also a purple sweet potato croissant in the mix.

One dish that encapsulates the variety of influences in Okinawan food culture is taco rice. This combination of Tex-Mex and Japanese food is also appearing as an option at Ministop.

Another favourite Okinawan dessert is sata andagi, a deep fried treat similar to a doughnut. Ministop’s take on these are flavoured with Okinawan brown sugar.

Ministop has various other Okinawan inspired offerings in store, which will probably have similar labels to make them easy to recognise. The yellow labels look as tropical as Okinawa itself with shisa lions, sanshin, and other Okinawan motifs.

The campaign will be running until 8th May 2022.