Blogs from Okinawa, Japan, Asia - page 8

Former Navy Underground Headquarters It was a little rainy today so the Memorial Day picnic I planned on attending was canceled. After thinking about what opportunities were available on Okinawa in which I could remember the ultimate sacrifice paid for by members in the US military, it seemed appropriate to go to one of the battle sites. James, Aaron, and I drove down to the Former Navy Underground Headquarters which was used in WWII. Although many of the signs were in Japanese, I was still able to learn about the horrendous conditions and radical enemy which U.S. Marines encountered and fought against. I highly recommend this be a stop for all those who visit Okinawa. The Battle of Okinawa was the last battle of World War II and it turned out to be the bloodiest as ... read more

Sushi Zen I had heard about Sushi Zen since coming to Okinawa, had ventured out with a friend to find it during our lunch break, but had never managed to locate it. Well...a couple of weeks ago I finally discovered it's location while being certified to dry suit scuba dive. While prepping all my gear for the dive I was pleasantly surprised to see that Sushi Zen was right behind me! A few weeks later Edwin suggested we go check it out so I was all for it. Sushi Zen is definitely an American oriented restuarant. On it's front door there is a Japanese sign that says "'No Japanese". Turns out that if a Japanese person wants to eat here they must pay an initial fee of 50,000 Yen and then 100,000 Yen per year thereafter. ... read more

Scuba Diving - Tengan Pier For my second dive I went to Tengan Pier. This was the first time I dove here so I wasn't sure what to expect. It took about 30 minutes to reach the end of the pier. We were fighting against the tide so it took quite a bit of energy. It's not usual for my calves to cramp up on me after swimming strenuously but today my quads cramped up a few times. No big deal...I was too excited about trying a new site to have some cramped muscles stop me! Once we reached the end of the pier we dropped down and the current actually carried us off the pier. Because the visibility was about 7 feet my dive group and I didn't realize this. We searched around for a ... read more

Kurishiki Dam James and I decided to relax on Saturday by going to Kurishiki Dam. This is an awesome park just a bit north of Kadena with paved trails to walk on, a open grassy area to play on, and lots of trees to seek shade under. Surprisingly, even though this is located extremely close to Kadena Air Base there aren't many Americans that visit. Of the few people we saw, they tended to be Okinawans. It was very quiet here and that's something James and I enjoyed most. James and I spread out a blanket under some trees and spent the afternoon "people watching" and talking. Even though it was a bit warm out, the trees gave us just enough shade to keep the temperature comfortable. He and I plan to go back when the ... read more

Sam's Anchor Inn To celebrate James' return to Okinawa after a long business trip, we went out to Sam's Anchor Inn in Ginowan. It's website claims it is the "first and still largest Teppanyaki steak house in Okinawa and Japan's most famous Teppanyaki restaurant." All I know is the food is goooooood. Everything inside is themed as a Navy ship so there were portholes on the wall, wooden helms in several locations, swashbuckling swords and old wooden pistols hanging on the walls, and a staff dressed in sailing attire. We were served mango kimchi (spicy! but delicious), followed by Navy Bean Soup (sure wish this was served on some of the ships I've been aboard), salad, and the main course which is traditionally teppanyaki steak. Teppanyaki (鉄板焼き, teppan'yaki) is a style of Japanese cuisine that uses ... read more