Bad stomach this morning...

...so stayed home from work. But it was anything but quiet. They were demolishining the house across the street - 6:30 am to 4:30 pm.


Stomach settled so went to Zippy's for my saimin and teri beef. And a Bud Light.

Seem to be on saimin journey...

First was lunch yesterday...went to Palace Saimin, and it was terrific! Small saimin (($3.25) and two beef sticks (($2 ea.). I'll be back again. I only work a half day on Fridays.


This morning at 6 am was the small saimin with the teri beef slice at Zippy's Kahala. Oiishi!!! Really found my thing ($5.55). And seems when you just ask for just green onions and char siu, the cooks really pile the char siu on.

Food today...

...what I ate for breakfast and lunch. From Fukuya Okazuya before 6 am this morning. Breakfast was the nori maki and small inari sushi on the left ($5). Lunch was a small inari sushi, slice of beef teri, potato hash, mochiko chicken and a shrimp tempura, plus namasu and takuan ($6.95). Just enough so I wouldn't fall asleep after lunch.

A good snack or meal...

...that I've figured out how to order, what I want to eat, and it's in my neighborhood so I don't have to drive to Kalihi. It's from Zippy's Kahala. A small saimin with a slice of teri beef (no meat sticks there). I ask for the saimin with just green onions and charsiu - no egg, kamaboko or veggies. I love the simplicity of years ago, just adding my own shoyu and pepper. And the teri beef slice seems more tasty than what you get in a teri beef plate. And it's only $5.55.

By the way, you haven't heard too much from me cause I've been having problems with my internet, problem being with the wireless connection I'm using with my laptop. My desktop is here but not set up yet as I still have issues with my dual monitor setup that I had in Okinawa and haven't fully fixed yet.

Boulevard again...

Went back to Boulevard Saimin yesterday

Had just a small saimin with a BBQ meat stick...this is one of my most missed things while in Okinawa.


Now this is what a meat stick should look like and taste like...small tender bites, koge and covered with sauce.

Boulevard Saimin...

...been over 10 years since I've been to Boulevard. But checking out Pomai's Index, I visited his Boulevard blog on it. I went there to check it out and it's still very good. My daughter used to work there (I get t-shirts). Had the small Saimin Combo with Wuntun, and along with the teri beef, shrimp tempura and potato/mac salad - was a big and tasty meal! Couldn't finish.

Lunch today...Fukuya...

...okazu I bought at around 5:45 am this morning. Fukuya's posted opening time is 6 am but a guy I know who was a cook there said they put the food out as it's finished, so you can buy early. Everything was already out. And it's wasn't crowded, though as I was leaving the parking filled up.

Had chow fun, shrimp tempura, shoyu chicken, hash, miso butterfish, nishime, kinpira (gobo) and namasu. Was a bit too much. My eyes were certainly bigger than my stomach. When I go again it'll be less. Thinking about what should go into a good okazu bento to get just enough for lunch.

Shige's Saimin Stand

The other day I tried Shige's Saimin Stand in Wahiawa. Didn't have my camera. Good, because was a bit disappointed. Don't like the wide saimin, the broth was just OK, though the wuntun had a pretty good taste, but were kinda small. Also had the teri beef stick and was really, really disappointed. Though there was a small, thin, nicely burnt piece at the tip, the rest of the stick consisted of a much thicker single piece of semi-cooked meat that didn't have any koge surface and was tough. Gotta bite and tear off a piece of tough meat, intead of the normal pull off of a piece of tasty meat each time. Defintely not worth going back there again to have/eat it. Had good reviews, but now off my list. Tried it, feeling is generally - "junk" place.

Naw, this is my No. 1...

...this is Shuri Castle in Naha. It was destroyed during the Battle of Okinawa towards the end of WWII. But it was rebuilt and in1992 was reopened.


As part of the celebration, a special issue of awamori (Okinawan sake) was issued. Below is the bottle as issued. Only one distillery manufactured it.


The bottle is exceptional. Made of Ryukyu glass with the ocean and waves expressed by the blue in the glass. The design is fantastic. Only Prefectural-sanctioned issued awamori for the occasion (in 1992).


Etched on the surface of the bottle is an Okinawan junk. It changes as you turn the bottle. When told about it I really wanted one (this was in 1997). A friend finally found one and I bought it. Cost ¥9,275 at the time. And I still have it, and treasure it. Big bucks now too. But decided to share it. Part of my legacy of nearly 10 years on Okinawa.

My blue thing...

...following Rubber Slippers In Italy's tag...


...but I'm just offering my No.1

I miss sumo...

...that I used to watch live every two months in Okinawa. Right now they will be coming on the 10th day of the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo (tournaments are 15 days). There are six tournaments each year in major cities throughout Japan. They are broadcast live in the afternoon - from about 3 pm to 6 pm JST. With the big bouts from about 5 pm. I would always go home after work and watch the bouts from about 5:15 pm. Deciding what I was going to cook for dinner or just going out. Now I have to wait until late into the night to see the results, like midnight or !:00 am Hawaii time.

Taking The Tasty Island's advice...

...took my family to Goma Tei Ramen Restaurant in Ward Centre. Above is the Seafood Shoyu Ramen which I had. The seafood was OK, a good amount of shrimp and ika but just lonely 1-1/2 scallops. I really liked the shoyu broth though and drank it all. And what else can be said about Sun Noodles. My daughter had the Char Siu Tan Tan Ramen and my SIL had the Char Siu Shoyu Ramen. My GD had some Shoyu Ramen also enjoying the broth (tried but didn't like the tan tan) and really enjoyed the Gyoza.

While waiting for my household goods to arrive...

...I decided to finish off my computer area. I had made this closet in my spare bedroom into a work area years ago, but it was unfinished all the while I was gone. Added trim, painted the desktop, all the raw wood and the walls, got a piece of glass for the top. And Voila!

My desktop CPU will be on the left side, dual monitors next, and hopefully space for my laptop. At right is an old TV/VCR. Have a same-size TV/DVD coming from Oki but it's going into my bedroom.

On shelf above is my old reliable HP DeskJet. Have another HP Multi-Function DeskJet coming back that includes my scanner which will go up there too. The left of the shelf will have my external hard drives and a couple DVDs.

Settling in...Hate the drive to WAAF and back every day!

Just my appetizers...

...at dinner for my mago's (grand daughter's) birthday dinner at the Hawaii Prince Hotel's Sunday Seafood Buffet last night. Sorry...only pictures of the half shell oysters, chilled crab legs/shrimp plus a bit of sashimi I had. Moved on to scampi, steamed clams, steamed crab legs, kalbi and prime rib amongst the huge buffet and forgot about taking pictures!

A past thought today...

...I was driving around Young Street and thought of when I got my driver's license 45 years ago. My father took me down to the Police Station for my road test, which had previously moved to the old Sears Building. My father and I were waiting in line on the sidewalk on Young Street when the examiners came out, we were about fifth or sixrh (no appointmenst in those days).

One of the examiners calls out to my father asking him what he was doing there. My father said he had brought me for my driver's test. The examiner (a sergeant) told my father to go get the car and he pulled me out to be first in line, to the stink eyes of the people in front.

Seems the examiner painted for a hobby and was a customer of my father. My father had an art supply/picture framing shop downtown and the examiner bought his art supplies from my father.

So I get behind the wheel and start off Ewa down Young St. The first turn is a right turn up Pi'ikoi. That was the critical turn in the test - supposed to turn and stay in the lane as close as possible. That was a MEAN turn in those days, still is kinda. I proceeded to clip the curb with the right rear hubcap. I can still hear it.

But the examiner just ignored it and told me to go up Pi'ikoi, then turn right on Wilder Ave. Then he said to turn right on Keeaumoku and stop at the corner. There used to be a little local-style mom & pop store on the corner. He said he needed cigarettes. So he tells me to stop in a bus stop red zone (he said don't worry), he went in to get his smokes and came back out.

Then he said to go back to the station. So down Ke'eaumoku, left onto Young and into the parking lot. Around the block so to speak. And that was it! I had gotten my license! No parallel parking - the dreaded test!

That was the good old days! The examiner was taking care of my father. And I've never had a traffic ticket (knock on wood), always remembering the examiner and trying to uphold the trust he had in my father.

Getting used to coming home...

...DRIVING!

Not that bad going from a right drive car back to a left drive car - and driving on the other side of the road. Somehow it comes right back each time. To me the worst thing is the turn signals/lights and windshield wiper controls.

In Japan the turn signals and light controls are on the right side of the steering column. Here it's the opposite - the left. So always feel strange and stupid when I'm signaling for a turn and the windshield wipers turn on. Am still doing it!

A thing I miss is the reverse beepers that ALL vehicles have in Japan. Seems so odd to not hear it when I put the car in reverse here. It really is a safety thing that should be adopted in the U.S. In parking lots it's so helpful in being aware of unaware drivers backing out of their spaces.

A thing which I'm glad isn't legal here is the "three car" rule at red lights. In Japan it's actually a "three second" rule that allows drivers to be in the intersection after the light turns red. But in Japan they've taken it to mean "three cars." So you always have to be careful at intersections. They enter the intersection when the light is red! Almost got nailed a couple times. Actually kind of stupid for Okinawans to be so anxious, because they get stopped at the next light.

Another thing is there's no left turn on red. Opposite of here - right turn on red. If they could, Okinawans would never come to a stop first and just turn. They are that impatient!

So in a way it's better here. Just the stupid turn signals.

Typhoons/hurricanes...

...boy, lots of stuff happening.

Typhoon Morakot passed south of Okinawa, smashing through Taiwan - 300 miles away (that's what the case was last year and so far this year). The Philipines, Taiwan and China got nailed so many times, still the same. Okinawa got only sustained winds of 30 knots (34.5 mph) and gusts up to 50 knots (57 mph) and some rain which is needed there. There's another forming but it's not big and headed to mainland Japan.

And here in Hawai'i we're going to have the remnants of Hurricance Felicia.

Actually I miss them, crazy, huh? My last real typhoon was Super Typhoon Man-yi (Cat. 5) in 2007.

I need a cell phone...

...you folks in Hawai'i I need help. I don't need a iPod, iPhone or Blackberry. Just a simple cell phone. Any suggestions for phone and/or service?

Back in Hawai'i...

Back home!

Sitting here in United's First International Lounge...

...enjoying a couple gin and tomato juice and some small pupus in Narita Airport. What a break from the stuff outside in the regular lobby. Got almost 4 hours more of a wait for my flight back to Hawai'i.

What a day!

OK, my last dinner in Okinawa...

...decided on Sabani. A friend called and suggested a last dinner. When I sat down a nama biru of Orion was brought to me with the ribbon attached. What a nice gesture!


Ate the Sabani Teishoku Set and this is the lobster...this one's for Rowena. Sorry, I ate a piece Rowena.


And the rest - unagi, rice and miso soup.


Plus a small sashimi plate. Wonderful last dinner here in Okinawa! I am going to miss Okinawa, especially it's food!