As irrigated rice fields were uncommon on the Miyako islands, rice was not a dietary staple until the middle of the Showa Era (the 1960s). Instead people mainly subsisted on sweet potatoes (satsumaimo), with seaweed, shellfish, vegetables, and cereals such as millet adding variety to the daily diet. On special occasions, rice balls with adzuki beans were served. In recent years, people have come to eat rice or pork on a daily basis as well as a variety of tropical fruits and sweets made of unrefined sugar (kokuto).