Customer Feedback

CHEESE WIZARDRY

I’ve been living in Nara prefecture in Japan for a few years now, but I’m half Japanese and have been coming to Japan my whole life, and came to accept that despite all the amazing food here, good cheese is just something that I cannot get in this entire country. I love Okinawa and have been many times, and last time I went, my friends said that if I want good cheese in Japan, I had to try your cheese shop. I have to say, I was jaded at this point and didn’t really believe them. But we all went together, and I was SO blown away by how good everything was. Cheese wizardry. It truly scratched the itch. I only wish I lived in Okinawa so I could get some more often.

You weren’t there at the shop when we went, but hopefully you’ll be there next time, and I can say hello.

Thank you for marking the delivery time. And thank you for the cheese!!! This time I’m ordering a bunch for a big cheese party.

KD


The cheese arrived yesterday and I could not be happier.
Thank you so much once again.
I will surely order again and hope to visit your store soon.

May God Bless You and your business!

LL


CHEESE CURDS

Hi! Just wanted to send a small review. Le goût du cheddar en grain était très bon et fidèle à ce qu’on peut trouver au Canada. Ça fait de bonnes poutines ! Merci beaucoup !
(The taste of the cheddar grain was very good and true to what you'd find in Canada. It makes great poutine! Thank you so much! )

Thank you John for recommending me to get the Halloumi and helping me out with the ordering process. The recipe you suggested was incredible too..

will be ordering again soon!

LA


MEXICAN

Everything was fantastic.
Going to be ordering more this coming week:)
Have a dinner party this weekend where I’m planning to make Mexican so definitely cheese on the card.

KS

CHEESE AND PACKAGING

The cheese was as wonderful as ever, and the packaging was fine - it arrived in perfect condition.

G


これもシークァーサー風味と共に買いました。「焼くやつ」というネーミングがなされていました。店頭外で焼いた試食で次女大絶賛でした。
(We also bought cheese flavoured with Shikwasa (Okinawan Citrus) and some cheese named "Yaku Yatsu" (Grill Cheese). My second daughter raved about it when she tasted it grilled outside the shop.

HM


FACTORY VISIT

We met him at the shop and he took us to the factory. Wonderful cheeses!

JCL


TASTING AT THE CHEESE SHOP
My daughter and I took the hour or so drive down to the shop today. What a treat. Actually met John, shared many tasting with us and we bought quite a few different amazing cheese along with a yogurt. Had a wonderful chat with John who is very welcoming. Unfortunately they were out of quite a few cheeses but it is the holiday weekend so we totally understand. We will be enjoying the ones we bought no doubt. Thank you John for a wonderful experience and you will see us again.

PSL


MAKAYLA 2023-08-13
Hello, dear Cheese People!

My order arrived in a day and was perfectly packaged. Thank you!

I loved the cheese I ordered - it is known as Sirene in my country, Bulgaria. It is similar to Feta except that it is made with cow’s milk. Your Sirene* exceeded all my expectations. It was creamy and with well balanced acidity - great to put on a salad or to make a cheese pie.

Unfortunately it was too good to survive long enough for the latter 🙂 Since cheese like this is a little salty, I like to make my own low salt brine and keep the cheese in it overnight. It’s even better then!

Thank you for making this Bulgarian happy! Your Sirene* can safely compete with the one I find back home.
(*Sirene is the Bulgarian name for the feta type cheese we sell as "Stracchino.")

M


OKINAWAN CHEESE
沖縄の色々な食材を使った種類豊富なチーズ達が盛り沢山です！
見ているだけでも楽しいし
食べても超～美味しいよ～
(A wide variety of cheeses made from various Okinawan ingredients!
Just looking at them is fun!
And it's super delicious to eat too!)

K

SO MANY VARIETIES
初めて行ったチーズの専門店！
あまりの種類の多さに選びかんてぃしたけれど、偶然居合わせた知り合いとお店の方の親切なナビゲーションで、取りあえず琉球TaleggioとOzatoBasilの2種をゲット。
(This was my first visit to a cheese shop!
There were so many varieties to choose from, but with the help of a friend who happened to be there and the kind navigation of the shop staff, I got two kinds for the time being - Ryukyu Taleggio and Ozato Basil.)

YH

OKINAWAN CHEESES
沖縄産の原料を用い、他では購入する事のできない美味しいチーズを手に入れる事ができます。一般に売られているチーズには飽きていたので、このような素晴らしい店が沖縄にある事を感謝します。試食もできるのでお勧めです。
5 stars
(Using Okinawan ingredients, you get delicious cheese that you can't buy anywhere else. I was tired of the cheeses sold in general, so thank goodness there is such a great shop in Okinawa. I recommend it because you can also do tastings.
5 stars)

HT


CHEESE CURDS

Thank you John
Cheese (curds) arrived safely and on time and were delicious
Much Appreciated

J


ONCE A MONTH
Awesome! Thank you, my wife and I live in the area and get your cheese at least once a month when possible. Truly appreciate what you do!

JTL


WINE AND CHEESE ON SUNDAYS

Dear John Davis san

I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the amazing cheese you produce.

Your basil-flavored cheese and mugwort-flavored cheese are absolutely fantastic, and I can't get enough of them!

I always drink wine with your cheese every Sunday, also today too. Pairing your cheeses with a glass of wine brings me happy time and it always puts a smile on my face.

And now I'm curious if you have been working on any new flavors lately. Personally, I think a pineapple-flavored cheese would be absolutely delightful (lol).
I look forward to visiting your shop again to find your new cheese creations.

Thank you !

PS:
Okinawa will enter the very-hot season from now on. Please take care of yourself.

Warm regards,

I H


(2023.06.18)

2023-06-17
Jared Robert
The cheese guy is real! ladies and gentlemen, John was beyond hospitable today and gave me an entire cheese tour before even knowing what I intended to purchase.

I’m having a party and wanted a massive assortment for my cheese tray. I ordered one of every cheese they currently had in stock, and then he gave me some local sights to check out while he prepared my order!

Check out his website too! This is a must visit place for your next Okinawa adventure.

JR

(John's comment:
This customer and a friend came into the shop and stood at the back, nibbling on everything I gave them. After a while, their pace began to slow a little and I asked, "Gentlemen, have we reached a decision yet?" To which JR replied, "Yes. We'll have 100g of everything you have!"

"OK, I replied. You realise we have something like 30 kinds of cheese, don't you?" He did and seemed happy with it, so I confirmed the order. "And you would like 100g of everything?"

Receiving a reply in the affirmative, I advised them to kill some time as it would take us an hour or so to cut and wrap this order. I sent them to a 14th Century ruined castle just up the road - Itokazu Castle. Great place to explore.

They were very happy with their order!)


BEST

John Davis is the best!

RG


NOTHING AT THE COMMISSARY COMES CLOSE!
I'll be completely honest because when it comes to most things, I'm pretty cheap. Considering there's practically nothing in Okinawa that one would consider real cheese, his cheese is the best you can get. Not only is the cheese phenomenal, but the yogurt he sells is out of this world. Nothing at the commissary comes close!

He really is the best! I wouldn't survive Okinawa without the knowledge that he makes amazing cheese that I can get here!!!

CT


CARES ABOUT HIS CUSTOMERS
We went yesterday as well, he gave us a taste of every cheese he had in store, definitely cares about his customers. The yoghurt with the winter melon syrup is very delicious too!!

C and MR


SUPERIOR QUALITY CHEESES

Sooooo....happy for you! You are amazing and always delivered superior quality cheeses! I'm only sad that I am no longer in Japan and cannot enjoy them.

JAL


PASSIONATE ABOUT MAKING GOOD PRODUCTS
John, I needed my cheese fix!😁 It's been way too long since I had true, good cheese. So nice to meet you and your team, and so happy to find someone passionate about making good products and sharing his knowledge. We'll come see you often.

EC


JEWEL

Thank you so much for making this jewel available in Japan

MY

OAXACA CHEESE
I can highly recommend this cheese, it is delicious, homemade and 100% equal to the best cheese you can find in Mexico.

LDRB

HALLOUMI
Halloumi is also very very good!!
RG

GENERAL

I ordered small amounts of four types of cheese from your shop on Saturday, and was pleasantly surprised to already receive them today here in Yamagata. I was even more pleasantly surprised by their quality! Due to the dismal cheese situation of Japan – which you must be very familiar with – I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I loved all of the varieties I ordered.

I have lived in Japan for almost ten years and had already resigned myself to never being able to (affordably) be able to eat proper cheese here, but your shop has provided me with a solution. I’m sure you hear similar stories all the time, but regardless: my sincere thanks to you and your shop!

I am already looking forward to trying out new cheeses when I make my next order, but I noticed from your pamphlet that you also sell yoghurt and quark. I didn’t see these as options on your website; is there a way to order them to mainland Japan, or should I wait for my next Okinawa visit? Similarly to cheese, I also find Japanese yoghurt varieties severely lacking, and I’ve been missing quark ever since I left Finland, where you can find it everywhere.

 AT

 

GOAT CHEESE, CHERRY BLOSSOM CHEDDAR

Hi John, The cheese arrived late Sunday we missed the first delivery, but we dove in anyway. We sampled them all with some great sourdough rice bread. The next morning I melted a little goat cheese into the greens and beet root I picked and cooked for breakfast. My dearest friend of almost 50 years said it was hands down the best breakfast she has ever had. Did a similar breakfast today with the same results.

Tonight we made grilled cheese sandwiches with the Sakura cheddar. All of us loving the subtle flavor of the cherry blossoms we just spent a week living around. So beautiful. I adore the goat and am not sure I want to ever live without it. The black pepper is amazing the caraway blue is wonderful, love the Ozato, well love all of them! Thank you so much! Having this deliciousness has added another dimension to the joy of having good friends visiting.

MN

 

CHURA NANJO, CHEDDAR

The cheese was….. incredible! I shed a tear over the Chura Nanjo, it was sublime. And both the cheddars were sensational. It was all fantastic, actually, thanks so much! I want to try all the others now… I think I’ll finish this batch in about a week, and then I’ll order more, if that’s ok.

RC

 

GENERAL

(French)
Re-bonjour John, comment vas-tu ?
Crois-le ou non, j'ai déjà tout mangé le fromage que j'ai commandé ! C'est incroyable, il était si bon que je l'ai dévoré d'un trait, en quelques jours.

J'ai déjà pris quelques kilos depuis Noël, en raison du sel, du gras et du sucre.

Je voulais savoir, quel est ton fromage préféré ? De plus, quelle est la durée de conservation du beurre ?

J'aimerais faire une commande à nouveau, et essayer de nouveaux fromages, ainsi que du beurre.

Merci et à bientôt

LT

(English)
Hello again John, how are you?
Believe it or not, I've already eaten all the cheese I ordered! It's amazing, it was so good that I devoured it in one go, in just a few days.

I've already put on a few kilos since Christmas, due to the salt, fat and sugar.

I wanted to know, what's your favorite cheese? Also, what's the shelf life of butter?

I'd like to order again, and try new cheeses, as well as butter.

Thanks and see you soon

LT

 

STRACCHINO

This is delicious! (Stracchino) It has an even more exciting flavour when ripened at home. Seriously, if you ordered this cheese at a high class restaurant, the price would be unbelievably expensive. We are very happy to have John's Cheese nearby.

When it gets mouldy like this, the blue-cheese pungency and the mild fresh cheese flavour come together, and it's about the best thing I've ever had! (Stracchino, matured for two months)

KK

 

OZATO BASIL, STRING CHEESE, HALLOUMI

I am the one who visited yesterday evening with a couple + baby.

We had the basil cheese and string cheese last night. They were just as delicious as when we had them at the shop. And this evening we are having the grilled cheese. It has a gentle flavor with a hint of buttery aroma, and it goes great with white wine, and we are both very impressed. I wanted to send you an e-mail to express our feelings. Thank you very much for making our dinner so wonderful.

YK

 

CHEESE CURDS

(French)
Ce matin, j’ai reçu le fromage, et cela m’a rendu si heureux ! Il est DÉLICIEUX ! C’est le meilleur que j’ai mangé, très frais et « squeaky ». Au Québec, nous disons que c’est du fromage qui fait « squick squick ».

J’aimerais beaucoup voir votre fromagerie et visiter les installations un jour, avec mon épouse.

(English)
This morning I received the cheese and it made me so happy! It is DELICIOUS! It's the best I've had, very fresh and squeaky. In Quebec, we say it's cheese that goes "squick squick".

I would love to see your cheese factory and visit the facilities one day with my wife.

LT

 

OKINAWAN CHEESE

Using Okinawan ingredients, you can get delicious cheese that you cannot buy anywhere else. I was tired of the cheese in supermarkets, so I am thankful that there is such a great shop in Okinawa. I recommend it because you are encouraged to sample the cheeses.

TH

 

GENERAL

I've never had such fresh and delicious cheese! I had no idea that there was someone in the prefecture making such wonderful cheese. I bought it to pair with Beaujolais, but I devoured it as soon as it arrived. The accompanying description of the cheese was also very helpful. I always tend to choose hard or blue cheeses, but an assortment like this one made it easy for me to try new cheeses.

I am glad. I will have to buy again.

C 

 

CHEESE CURDS

John Davis thanks for our last order. We had a delicious poutine at lunch today, thanks to you!!!

DB 

 

GENERAL

I can't say enough wonderful things about John "The Cheese Guy" and his amazing storefront. The cheeses are absolutely heavenly! John provides so many options, you'll find a cheese perfectly suited for any recipe and taste (and his yogurt is divine!).

Going to the Cheese Shop to meet with John and his lovely wife is a highlight of my day when I'm able to get over to Nanjo. John will go over the cheese selections with you, provide yummy samples, and even go above and beyond to give suggestions when you know you want a cheese, but just not sure how you want to incorporate it into a snack or meal.

I've also been so honored to tour John's cheese factory to see the processes for how these delicious cheeses are made. As a bonus, John was so gracious to take my husband and I to a wonderful nearby store to look at wines and a farmer's market to look at fruits and vegetables to pair with the cheese. Overall, best cheese in Okinawa and maybe just about anywhere I've been! It will be a sad day when my family leaves this beautiful island. I may just have to find a way to invent a teleportation machine so I can still get my cheese fixes!

RG 

 

GENERAL

Dear Sadako.

Thank you very much for your help.

I am N from Chura Marche. I would like to share with you a review from a purchaser.

“I bought it as an accompaniment to wine, and it was the No.1 tastiest cheese I have ever eaten. I would like to visit the shop if I have the chance.”

If we get any more submissions, we'll share them!

N 

 

GOAT, BUTTER

John, I just got the package and am delighted at the surprises! I was a bit taken aback at Goat Feta, and thought “I really need to say NO GOAT” because I don’t like it generally, but on tasting I found it quite mild with a true feta flavor AND I think it’ll taste truly excellent with the toganzuke—which I love--and I want to try it in that pasta recipe with the feta and cherry tomatoes, too. I am also not really a chocolate person but I am very happily munching on the chocolate cheddar, which has a nice dark chocolate flavor that goes quite nicely with the cheddar and is not sweet! You have another winner! The butter, which I could not resist tasting, has a lovely hint of the grass on which the cattle graze and is a wonderful treat!

Truly excellent all around and thank you very much.

Use any bit of this you want as customer comment. I like it all too much and feel like a little kid on Christmas morning!

C 

 

OZATO BASIL

The cheese we ordered from Chura Marche arrived and we immediately enjoyed it. Today we had Osato basil with red wine. The basil was very aromatic and the wine went down a treat.

Thank you for the delicious cheese.

I will visit your shop soon.

KA

 

CHEESE CURDS, OZATO BASIL

We just received the order of fresh cheese curds and two selection packs this morning.

I love the 'Cheese News’ you included and want to say that the Ozato Basil looks gorgeous.

Thank you as always for taking such special care and attention.

MB

 

BASIL

Thanks for the cheeses. They arrived today. Super quick. I already finished the basil cheese. Very nice and creamy.

SL

 

GENERAL

The cheese arrived today and is delicious 😋

ZL

 

OZATO BASIL, BLUE CARAWAY

High quality across the board, but the Ozato Basil and Blue Caraway were my favorites. Will be ordering again soon!

SNI

 

CHEESE CURDS

Got some cheese curds for Canada Day poutine. Super tasty!

HS

 

GENERAL

You will be so glad you found this amazing fellow and his fabulous cheeses!

CY

CHEESE CURDS

Was at the event last night, and the cheese (poutine) was right on!

NCCS

CHEESE CURDS

(French)

John Davis merci John pour ce magnifique fromage qui a dépassé toutes les attentes ! Vous maniez votre art avec grande dextérité et grâce à vous, le Québec a pu reproduire sa fameuse poutine ici, au Japon !

(English)

John Davis, thank you John for this magnificent cheese that exceeded all expectations! You handle your art with great dexterity and thanks to you, Quebec was able to reproduce its famous poutine here in Japan!

Délégation générale du Québec à Tokyo 

 

OAXACA CHEESE

I can highly recommend this cheese, it is delicious, homemade and 100% equal to the best cheese you can find in Mexico.

LDRB

 

HALLOUMI

Halloumi is also very very good!!

RG

 

FRESH

The cheeses that John makes are perfect and the freshest you'll get out here! I highly recommend you give the cheese he sells a shot.

CT

 

GARLIC, SHIKWASA, OZATO BASIL

I am from Wisconsin, love cheese, and will GLADLY state "The Cheese Guy" cheese is outstanding!

Before ANYONE knocks him about his product, or what he wrote here, let me add, the man is TRUSTED in the community and well known as a good man! I have met him a number of times over the past few years (pre-covid) and a better man you could never meet!

I personally love his garlic cheese, shikwasa cheese, and Ozato basil are my personal favorties!

If you get the chance, come on down here, he gives free samples upon request!

PM

 

BEST CHEESE

Look no further

Hands down the BEST cheese

SB

 

GENERAL

I made an order with Mr. Davis a few months ago and my partner and I were both thrilled. The cheese was delicious, it was a lot of fun to try all of them (along with some nice crackers from Seijo Ishii!) and I'll make another order soon. For the record, I bought Oki Cheese, Blue Caraway, Stracchino, Goat, Garlic, Juniper and Fennel, Ozato Basil, Mellow Yellow, and Kohaku Smoked Cheese. The Stracchino was amazing... really they were all delicious.

MG