Izakaya

While my sister was here, she suggested we go out for a drink one night. She wanted to go to a local bar to get the full experience. There are plenty of bars here, and of course there are the ones that American's tend to frequent. She didn't want to go to one of those. 

Her last night here, we went in search of a bar. We drove around for a bit before stopping at a bar I had already been to. A lot of the bars here are izakaya's - both a bar and restaurant. You know they are open when the lanterns are out and lit.

The place we went to was pretty much a hole in the wall. There was a bar on one side and a row of tables on the other. When we walked in, it was one of those moments when you feel like the room stops and everyone turns to look at you. It didn't, but it felt like it. We took a seat at the bar and ordered a beer. The two guys sitting at the bar automatically tried to start a conversation. Their English was better than our Japanese and between cell phone translators and basic conversation we figured it out. The first thing they asked was if we had been there before. I told them that I had, almost 2 years ago. The lady working there got an 'a-ha' look on her face and started gesturing like she was playing golf. I'm pretty sure I started bouncing up and down in my seat. They totally remembered us! My husband and I stopped in for a drink 2 years ago. We were there hours and by the end of the night, the tables had been moved aside and they were practicing their golf swings.

The lady first gave us a small dish of something. It was breaded, fried meat (I think). It was good, we just weren't sure what it was. Next, she gave us a plate of something else. They said it wasn't egg, so I think it may have been tofu or something. It had chives and ham in it and was good too. Then she made us a tofu and noodle dish. She just kept feeding us! They had a good laugh at my chopstick skills. At one point, a huge jar of plum sake appeared and they insisted we try that too.

The conversation quickly got around to who was single and my sister is. All the single men there (the two guys at the bar, the bartender, and a table of 5 or 6 guys were the only people there) were then pointed out to us. We were told names, ages, and found out where some of them work. The table of guys soon left, but not before one drunk nice guy told us he loved us, a lot. We were also told we looked like Hollywood movie stars.

I have not laughed that hard in a long time. It was a fun evening. By the end of the night, one guy was asking for my sister's phone number. When we left, he said 'next year.....my wife!' and pointed to her. Freaking hilarious. They were all very nice though. 

Karaoke may have also been involved.

Exploring the Island

Yesterday, a friend and I loaded up the kids and set out to do some exploring. We originally headed to find a neighborhood we had both heard about. We had directions, we had GPS, but we never found it. We gave up and kept on driving.

We headed into Naha and turned towards Kokusai Street. It's on my to do list, so we just drove through to check it out. We both decided that a trip back would be in order, but someone in the back seat was fussing for a bathroom, so we drove on to find a convenience store. Once back on the road, we were crossing a bridge when we saw a whale in the distance. 

 

Can you see it? Bless Google Maps.

After some manuevering (roads are tricky here), we got the kids out to check it out. We found a crab

 

and the whale. The head of the whale was huge! The inside had a good size slide, a bridge, and several walkways. At first glance, we thought maybe it wasn't open. They were doing construction nearby and the grass was in serious need of a mow, but it was open. The tale was locked up though.

 

While we were trying to get to the whale, the kids saw another park on the other side of the highway, so we headed there next. This park, we discovered, was the Onoyama Athletic Park where the big baseball stadium is. We parked and headed towards where we thought the playground was. We ended up crossing a small pond and then checking out the fish and turtles, found a torii gate, and then the playground. The roller slide was HUGE, but sadly, it was closed because they were installing a new playground at the bottom. The kids played on the old playground for a while until we headed towards the next park!

 

Hubby and I had gone to the Japanese Naval Underground over the weekend and I knew we were close to it. There is a huge park in front of the Underground. 

 

Yes, there are 2 roller slides in that maze

We all had a blast! The kids were good all day (besides Little Missy's frequent bathroom trips and upset stomach, but she was a trooper, if not stinky). When we were at the last park, a few Japanese boys, they were maybe 10 or 11, kept talking to us. At first I think they were asking us things, but then I think they were just trying to get us to repeat what they were saying. One of the boys said something that sounded like America. I cocked my head to the side and said 'America?'. Then they started mocking us. They made fun of our laugh and I'm pretty sure they making rude gestures trying to get us to make them back. Little shits. It was hilarious though.

I'm a Dumb Foreigner, But I Can Laugh at Myself

So.......you know how I said yesterday that I didn't have hot water all weekend? Funny story about that.

There's a small box on the wall in our hall. When we moved in, hubby was playing with it and told me it was for the doorbell. I never messed with it. On Saturday, it was flashing E3 and a little red light on the top was flashing. I figured the batteries were dying, so I just turned it off. It's only the doorbell, right?  Saturday night, I took a shower and the hot water ran out halfway through. It was slightly annoying and had never happened before, but I wasn't too worried. Sunday, the kids were outside playing and got all dirty, so when they came in, I made them get straight in the bathtub. When I went in to wash Little Missy, the water was freezing cold. Little Man had run the water and he prefers his baths on the cool side, so again, I thought nothing of it. At some point that day, I turned the kitchen faucet on to let the water warm up so I could wash dishes. I checked it once and it wasn't warm yet, but then I decided I really didn't feel like washing dishes, so I just turned the water off.

Monday morning, I turned my shower. It normally takes a minute or two to warm up, but it just stayed cold. I called my housing agency and she said she would send out the guy to fill my kerosene tank. He showed up Monday afternoon, filled my tank, and I still didn't have hot water. I waited over an hour and tried again, nothing. While I was sitting on the side of the bathtub, waiting for the water to warm up, I could see the box on the wall. It hit me then that the kerosene guy rang the doorbell and it worked. I turned the box back on. The screen was no longer flashing anything, but the little red light was. I called the housing agency back and told her I still didn't have hot water. She asked me if I pushed the button in my shower. There is no button in the shower, just a normal faucet. She said she would call the kerosene company and call me back. I went next door to ask my neighbor. She nicely laughed at me and told me that box was for the hot water. The housing agency must have had a good laugh at me.

I think I was actually out of kerosene though. The bill he gave me was a lot bigger than the last one I got in September. I'm thinking the box was trying to tell me it was out. I'm blaming this one on a pain induced fog. Hubby said he knew it was for the hot water, but he's the one who originally told me it was the doorbell. A lot of places have labels on everything with the English translations and nothing in our place does. My poor neighbor has also had to help me figure out my A/C remotes.

Sometimes my hair color shines!