Hinoe Izakaya

A few nights ago I DDed since my Mom (not pictured) wanted to go to a party at an izakaya called Hinoe. I had never been there but had passed it many times so it was cool to try a new place. Since I wasn't drinking, all I really had to do was eat & watch all of the drunk people talk/fight with one another haha! Okinawans tend to order 5 thousand things at once so there was a tonnnnnn of food. Here are some pictures of my favorites dishes that we consumed: butterfish, mixed kebabs, pizza, & cheesecake. Considering I was sober with a bunch of super drunkies it was a fun night & I also made a new Japanese friend Ayaka. She is so cute & sweet & the same age as me. :-) It was actually a party for her & I'm really glad I met her!

Sakura

Went to see the sakura aka cherry blossom trees in Nago. In Okinawa they bloom earlier then on mainland Japan because it is so much warmer here during the winter time! They were gorgeous! 

Ikea Island Hidden Hike

Last month on Ashley & I's Ikea Island adventure, we found a little hike hidden behind some farming fields. It was made to reach some graves that were at the end of the stairs, however it also led to an amazing view of the ocean! It was a really rough trail but the beautiful blue ocean was definitely worth it.

Ikei Island Vestige

 

A few weekends ago my friend Ashley & I went on a little road trip to Ikei island. Ashley knew a little spot that had a vestige & burial spots. It was very low to the ground & we had to bend to get inside. I kind of regret going inside because I had a headache long after I entered the vestige. It was very creepy & even looking at these pictures gives me the chills!!!

Arin Krin

A few weeks ago my friend Ashley & I went on a little island adventure & ended up going completely the opposite direction of where we had intended to go. We ended up in the deep south of Okinawa but eventually we found our way back to the main road. To reward ourselves after our crazy road trip, we went to Arin Krin, the famous garlic house in Okinawa on 58 near Camp Kinser. Arin Krin is very popular amongst Americans stationed here & when we got there, the place was packed full of military families. They have a variety of garlic flavored foods from pizza, chicken, curry, pasta, potatoes & more. The food is not bad & for a reasonable price. The servers are nice as well. The only thing I could complain about is their parking so if you're going, the smaller the car the better! It was a very satisfactory end to our little road trip.

Lil Jon in Okinawa

In September the rapper Lil Jon came to Okinawa so I went to his show with a new friend. Surprisingly he sang a lot of songs I knew. We also made it to the very front & ended up getting tons of champagne showers & even got to take a tequila shot poured by Lil Jon as well during the "Shots" song. I also caught one of the Lil Jon masks being thrown to the fans. It was like being in a rap music video I loved it. It was also nice having someone new to see since not a lot of artists come to Okinawa.

Churaumi Aquarium Field Trip

Went to Churaumi Aquarium for a work field trip yesterday. It is the second largest aquarium in the world. The sea creatures were so beautiful & the whale shark was enormous. I'm a pisces & something about the water & the animals was so comforting to me. It made me want to hop in there & go swim with them :P The dolphin show was very cute & there was also a live scuba show where the diver talked about the different animals. Can't wait to go again on my own time. :)