Heiwa-Dori and Ichiba-hon Dori

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Heiwa-Dori

Heiwa-Dori (meaning "Peace Street") and Ichiba-hon Dori are two narrow, covered pedestrian streets that branch off from Kokusai Street. Robin and I decided to bike from Camp Kinser down to these streets to do a bit of exploring for the afternoon. Unfortunately for us, the weather didn't want to cooperate with our plans. Right as we arrived at Kokusai Street, it started to pour. Because we were soaking wet by the time we arrived, we decided to continue on our trip. The Okinawans who were protected from the rain by overhangs looked at the two of us as if we were crazy. Then again, we were the only ones out in the rain so I suppose it was an odd site.

Kokusai Street was shut down to traffic for the afternoon so we slowly biked north until we hit Heiwa-Dori and Ichiba-hon Dori. Once we arrived we had to dismount our bikes because the street was so narrow. We stopped to buy something to drink and eat. Robin picked up mango juice and sliced red dragon fruit. The dragon fruit didn't have a very strong taste but it was still very refreshing at it was pretty humid outside. Here's some interesting facts about dragon fruit:

These fruit are also known as pitahaya, dragon fruit, huǒ lóng guǒ (火龍果/火龙果, "fire dragon fruit"), lóng zhū guǒ (龙珠果 "dragon pearl fruit"), strawberry pear, nanettikafruit, or thanh long. Dragon fruit plants have adapted to live in dry tropical climates with a moderate amount of rain. The dragon fruit sets on the cactus-like trees 30-50 days after flowering and can sometimes have 5-6 cycles of harvests per year. There are some farms in Vietnam that produce 30 tons of fruit per hectare every year.

Sweet pitayas come in three types, all with leathery, slightly leafy skin:

Hylocereus undatus (Red Pitaya) has red-skinned fruit with white flesh. This is the most commonly-seen "dragonfruit".
Hylocereus costaricensis (Costa Rica Pitaya, sometimes called H. polyrhizus) has red-skinned fruit with red flesh
Hylocereus megalanthus (Yellow Pitaya) has yellow-skinned fruit with white flesh.
The fruit can weigh from 150-600 grams and the flesh, which is eaten raw, is mildly sweet and low in calories. Eating the fruit is sometimes likened to that of the kiwifruit due to a prevalence of sesame seed-sized black crunchy seeds found in the flesh of both fruits which make for a similar texture upon consumption. The skin is not eaten. The fruit may be converted into juice or wine; the flowers can be eaten or steeped as tea. Although the tiny pitaya seeds are eaten with the flesh, the seeds are indigestible. It is generally recommended that dragon fruit be eaten chilled, for improved flavor.

I bought us some Beni Imo Tarte Cakes. Essentially, these are little pastries that have purple sweet potatoe as a filling. "Beni Imo" is Japanese (紅いも) for purple sweet potatoe. The town of Yomitan claims to be the "beni imo hometown" (紅いもの里), and holds a "beni imo musume" (Miss Beni Imo) contest each year. Sweet potato cultivation first reached Japan via Okinawa from present-day Taiwan, predating rice cultivation, and either Yomitan or neihboring Kadena can lay claim as the first cultivators of sweet potato in Japan. The pastry was pretty good but it wasn't like the pastries in the US. This wasn't very sweet but I wouldn't say it tasted like a vegetable either.

To see photos from the trip to Heiwa-Dori and Ichiba-hon Dori visit: http://s165.photobucket.com/albums/u53/kimdupak/Okinawa/Heiwa-Dori%20and%20Ichiba-hon%20Dori/

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