Okinawan grocery store

Yesterday I couldn't wait any longer to venture off base for some fresh veggies and fruit. I have been wanting to go to Naval Kadena and the Farmer's market for a while now. And to make things better I remembered my camera! I didn't take any pics at the Farmer's market because it was so crowded/busy... maybe next time! The grocery store that I went to is actually pretty small, but still fun. I took as many pictures as I felt comfortable taking. Most of the time the locals were looking at me like I was insane. I guess it would be weird to see someone taking pictures in the grocery store. But anyway, here you go...

Here is what you see when you first walk in. Looks normal, right? Well if you walk past the fruit/veggies you find this stuff. I have no earthly idea what this stuff is. It all looks really weird and being the picky person I am, I have no intention of trying ANY of it!

Here is some of the meat, which has a lot more selections than you would ever find in say an Albertson's. But keep in mind that the Japanese love fish and all sorts of meat, where Americans tend to be a bit more selective. Speaking of fish...here are some whole ones in their freezer section. I gaged a little just taking the pic, but thought you might like to see it. (Did I mention I HATE seafood?)

I can't even begin to tell you what this might be, maybe some type of seaweed? All I know is that it looks D.I.S.G.U.S.T.I.N.G

Now for a few things that you might recognize. These are bags of rice, LARGE bags. I don't think there are little bags of rice in this store. Which makes sense, because the Okinawans use a lot of rice. Sticky rice is what the Americans here call it. It is different than the rice we have in the US, much more well stickier. YUM!

I had to take a picture of his for my father-in-law. He loves Mountain Dew and will be glad to know it's even in Japan. The bottles are slightly different and a bit smaller than a two liter bottle.

Pizza inn

Good food at good prices!
Our taco pizza after we took a slice to eat!

Being that it's our last year in Okinawa, Nick and I have decided to take advantage of this time to try new things. Last weekend we ate at two new restaurants: Obbligato (Mexican-obviously) and The Pizza Inn. Obbligatos is known as the best Mexican restaurant on Okinawa according to local papers (although we love Mike's Tex Mex). Nick and I love Mexican food so we gave it a shot. It was actually pretty good. The tacos tasted like the ones you make at home. The chips and salsa were pretty good. They make their own soft shells right here in Okinawa. We wish we wouldn't have got the same thing as each other so we could have tried more, but overall it was a good experience. I will have to take pictures next time!!! On Sunday we went to the Pizza Inn. The waiter tried to encourage us to try the buffet but we opted to order our own pizza. I LOVE taco pizza and haven't had any in ages, so we chose to order one. It was really good! The sauce was just right. As you can see (in the picture)they have an array of different foods. Next time we want to do the buffet so we can try all the different things they have to offer. I was so surprised at how good the food was that we had a both places. I wish we would have tried them sooner. Hopefully this weekend will bring some more good memories that I can share. Have a nice weekend!!! :)

Japanese grocery store

We took a trip to the grocery store off base yesterday. I was really wanting some fresh veggies/fruit. I heard they had some good deals, so off we went. We went to a smaller store rather than the large one, since it's closer to where we live. It's always an interesting experience. Next time I really need to bring my camera; I didn't even think of it today. Anyway, we got some strawberries, lettuce, kiwi, broccoli, and Aussie beef. This was our first time buying meat off base. I am really anxious/curious to use it. It looks like the leanest beef I think I have ever seen. Nick wants me to make it into beef tips. I was thinking of making some soup with it. We will see.... Anyway here's a pic of what the packaging looks like. Not too different, but kind of cool. Don't you think?



PS I meant to take the picture before the beef was frozen, but time got away from me. OOPS!

20 reasons I know I live in Japan

You know you live (or have lived) in Japan (on or off base) when:

1. You know that someone saying hi (Hai) doesn't mean hello, but yes.

2. You bow when greeting people, even after you have left the country.

3. You have rushed home to beat the 5pm national anthem that makes everyone stop on the side of the road.

4. You have stood up for the National Anthem before a movie.

5. You show your ID EVERYWHERE you go. So much that when you are on leave you still accidentally pull it out at Walmart.

6. You own something with Kanji on it.

7. You know what Konnichwa, Arigatou gozaimasu, and Dou itashimashite mean.

8. You know how to count to 10 in Japanese: ichi, ni, san, shi, go, roku, shichi, hachi, kyu, ju

9. You have used a toilet that is in the floor.

10. You have eaten teppanyaki.

11. You have come to hate small parking lots, unless you bought a tiny car.

12. You have a mink blanket as does everyone in your family.

13. You have mailed everyone you know either a Japanese doll or some type of china.

14. You have at least one child with Japan as the birthplace.

15. You think Vonage is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

16. You have to count the time difference in your head almost every time you call home.

17. Driving on the left side of the road is no big deal, after you've hit a couple curbs, been on the wrong side and someone waves you to the correct side of the road.

18. You know that you can get an array of different foods in Japan to include: Mexican, Thai, Chinese, and Mongolian (and they are awesome!).

19. You've been to a beloved 100 yen store and end up spending 2000 yen before you know it.

20. While the experience of Japan is cool, you can't help but miss the little things like Walmart, Target, and Arby's!!!


This is a list I made up all on my own. I was just thinking about it the other day and came up with the list. I could probably have added way more but I am about ready to hit the sack. Happy blogging!!!

A little of this, a little of that...

November 13th- I am thankful for fresh air. Sounds kind of crazy but it's it nice to go outside and get some air? I love this time of year when the temperature is cooling down and it feels so nice out in cool air. Love it!

November 14th-I am thankful that I get along with my in laws. I have several friends that despise their in laws. I am so lucky to have a nice relationship with mine. I couldn't be more pleased with mine. It makes for an even happier time when we can all get together without drama!!

November 15th-I am thankful for pictures! Yes pictures! I am thankful for them because they are our link to the past to memories. Isn't if cool to look at pictures of yourself as a baby and then see the comparison in your children? On Saturday we did pictures with our friends on a cool beach here in Okinawa and it was so much fun. I will post some later....

November 16th-I am thankful for fresh produce. We went to a little store off base and bought some fresh lettuce and a few other things. It was so nice. We came home and had a salad for dinner. That was the first time that I have ever bought food off base that wasn't in a restaurant. I know, I've been here almost 3 years so that's kind of crazy, but I will be returning to do it again once we get back from the states. And if I remember I will try to take pictures in the grocery store to let you see what stuff looks like. :)

November 17th- Wow Kara turned 7 months old today. I can't believe it. Time is just flying by. On reflection of today I will say I am thankful for a routine. No just in my everyday life but in things that you always know are going to happen or something you are going to do. It's a little comfort that we all have. Most people have their morning routine that feels comfortable. I enjoy mine and am thankful for that.

Thankful post for yesterday and today....

As of yesterdays' happenings, I was having a hard time being thankful. Sounds horrible, but it's true. So yesterday the thing I was thankful for was rest and sleep. Rest that lets your mind be at ease and not worrying. I was thankful to go to bed no longer wondering who our next President would be. I was thankful for sleep that let my mind and body rest and not be in dismay. Yes, sleep was the highlight of yesterday for me (I took a long nap with Kara!!).

Today I will say I am thankful for hope. I am thankful that hope lives in me. I am thankful that I have hope for tomorrow, next year, and the future beyond that. I am thankful that I can rise above being scared for our nation and can hope that good will come to us all. Hope is a wonderful thing. Today I am very thankful for the hope in my life.

PS. I have a few pics of the monkey to share. She's such a little doll.

Laying on daddy's shoulder at the Halloween party. Aww!

Sitting with mommy in front of the Halloween display.

Trying her first taste of funnel cake at a festival!

She wrapped herself up in the blanket. Recognize it Aunt Sandi?

Kara and me at a castle ruins.

Just the three of us! Daddy and Kara at the castle ruins.

She and Chloe are becoming friends!

Bios on the hill

My husband is home!! On Saturday we went with Nick's friend, Steve and his family to a place here on Okinawa that I hadn't ever heard of called, "Bios on the hill". It was actually a pretty cool. We went on a boat ride that was nice. It had the coolest playground that I have ever seen, besides the rope one we took Maddy to here a few months ago. They had these really awesome swings that I fell totally in love with. I always loved to swing when I was a little girl! Kara seemed to like it too! As you can tell from the pictures she is enjoying having her Daddy back. They are so cute together. She thinks some things he does are funny and she likes to look at him and smile. We went to the beach after the park but just for about half an hour. We didn't bring swim suits or anything so we just hung out and let Kara put her feet in the sand. She really seemed to like it. She's such a happy little baby, until nap time and then she's crazy! Last night we gave her prunes for the first time and she LOVED them. I couldn't believe it. She's growing so fast and always so entertaining. I will be posting more pictures soon! I hope you are having a good week!

Some Japanese finds and thanks

So I know that I complain a lot about how the shopping here is awful and they don't have anything cool, but I have found a cool store that is pretty awesome. I don't know the name of it, only that there's a bunny on the sign, so I refer to it as just that "the bunny store". It is strictly a children's store and it is pretty cheap. Somehow I managed to only spend $50 this last visit and this is what I got:

Here are three outfits that I had to get Kara. Two are little sun suits and the other is a cherry pant suit. I have some weird obsession with clothes with fruit on them. I think they are so adorable. Luckily for me the Japanese seem to have the same obsession. Cherries, strawberries, and watermelon everywhere!!!
Here are some sleepers, a pillow (which I think will be good for travel), and some little tank tops. I got most things in 12 months size (they have a conversion chart) because she has so many in 6 months size. Notice the cherries on the tanks. Love it!!! The cat on the pillow is named Marie, from Walt Disney's Aristocats movie. They have that cat everywhere. I think I like stuff with her on it because my cat, Chloe is white with blue eyes too!
Not too long ago, my friend Amy brought over this adorable outfit for Kara. Yes, it's a watermelon outfit. I think it is so cute. It was funny she got it without knowing my obsession for fruit clothing. Thanks Amy!!!
Amy also got Kara her first kimono and little Chinese outfits. Aren't they adorable? I can't wait until she fits in them to take some pics. The kimono has little fish all over it. You can click on it to enlarge it. What's a baby born in Japan without a kimono of her own? :)

Our day trip

Anchors away!

The glass bottom boat was our first stop. I have never been on one before, which is a bit surprising since I grew up in Florida. But I have to say it was pretty cool. We saw fish, starfish, sea snakes, blow fish, and sea cucumbers. It was probably one of the coolest things we have done here by far.
This is the beautiful resort where the boat takes off. Nick and I are hoping to come back and stay a few days at this hotel. It had all kinds of cool things to do like jet skis, a mini golf course, and other water activities.
Maddy and my mom along for the ride.
Some fish
Me and Nick on the boat.

This is the view on the way back from the underwater observatory. That was our second place we visited. It was pretty cool. There were a lot of fish and coral around. I even saw Nemo.

This fish wanted it's picture taken by everyone. I must say he was very photogenic.This parrot fish was happy to have his picture taken!

I saw a lot of cool fish but she was the cutest thing I saw all day!!!

So our next stop was Neo park, a big petting zoo, so I was told. I was also told they had monkeys there that were running wild. That was the selling point for this place. Supposedly if you had bananas they would come sit on your shoulder. Notsomuch!!! Sure we saw monkeys, IN CAGES! I was so distraught. I wanted to hold a monkey, to have it on my shoulder, to feed it a banana. What the durn??? So anyone in Okinawa, don't waste your time on Neo park, it stinks, literally people!

After all the tons of birds we saw, I am thinking Neo park should be more like Bird World. They did have a petting zoo part, which, I kid you not, only had dogs and sheep. Yes, I said dogs... a Beagle, Poodle, and Pomeranian to be exact. Crazy stuff!!!

Not sure what this animal is but it was in one of the cages. WEIRD!

Some baby pigs, they were pretty cute!

My mom and Maddy by a fountain at butterfly park. This was our next stop. Maddy had been wanting to go for a long time and we had to take her before she left us. It's like a huge green house thing filled with butterflies and flowers. Maddy said it was her favorite place in Okinawa. It is pretty cool, but not my favorite.

Those things were all over my mom, must have been the flowers on her dress.

She was in awe of the butterflies. Look at her face, she loved it!

We were told that butterflies are attracted to red so Maddy made sure to bring a red shirt to change into. However, the butterflies didn't flock to her anymore than they did to me. So we are convinced they spray their red hats and umbrellas with something to make them go to them. But she had fun trying to get them on her anyway.

Look how happy she was to be in her stroller rather than the hot car. I love this face. My sweet baby Kara. She's just rotten, pure rotten.

Our final stop was a huge playground at Ocean Expo park. It has nets like this EVERYWHERE. Maddy loved it, but Nick was mad because he wasn't allowed to play. Poor Nick he's just a big kid himself. Overall we had a really fun day!