What I Ate: Kobe, Japan

A day trip in Kobe is not complete without going to Nankimachi (Kobe's Chinatown). 

It's a whole street filled with food vendors. It was so exciting to walk down the street and also see food. We were in heaven looking at the different types of food that each vendor is cooking. Our first order of business was just to walk down the street once and figure out which food we should try. 

Our first choice was the pork belly buns. Looked too good to resist it. 

The pork belly was cooked for a long time. It was very soft and delicious! 

Peking duck wrap! Oh man, this was really really good ;)

And of course, we had to get xiao long bao. It was perfect to eat since it was cold. 

We found this food stand with a line. Immediately, joined the line. I love eating croquettes. We got curry, beef, and pork. 

Fun Adventures in Naha, Okinawa

Our flight was cancelled so we drove to Naha to sort out our flights. My husband called Customer Service but they were not very helpful so we had to go to the source in order to sort out our plans. 

We drove in a torrential downpour from Onna to Naha. Poor Keiko was driving and it was scary on the road with the heavy rain. 

We made it to Onna and we went to the airport directly to speak to the counter agents at Jetstar. They were really nice. We were all offered a flight the next day with free hotel and food voucher. We were supposed to all go to Osaka together and Keiko was supposed to stay with us for 1 night. But she decided to stay with us in Naha for 1 more night and fly back directly to Nagoya. 

We had 1 night together before we had to go our separate ways again so we made the best of it. 

Our first stop was lunch. We found this small restaurant close to our hotel. I remember eating the best rice bowl with pork here. Maybe I was just super hungry but it was really delicious! 

We walked around the touristy main street of Naha. Lot of stores and restaurants. And of course we have to stop by the pharmacy. I still regret not buying this kawaii backpack. 

Keiko and I found this cake shop where they make Baumkuchen which means tree cake in German. Not sure how it became popular in Japan but we were intrigued. It's made in a spit which is how it looks like tree rings. I don't know how long it takes to make Baumkuchen but I wanted to eat it. We got a slice and took it back to our hotel and we both demolished it. 

                         

                         

Also, finally tried Blue Seal ice cream. I tried the Okinawan sea salt flavour. It was good but nothing to get excited about. 

                           

This was our eating day adventure and we found a dumplings restaurant. 

We sat on the tatami floor and Keiko ordered for us. We basically copied what people ordered besides us, haha. We got dumplings, pigs ears, veggies, and cucumbers. We also ordered lemon whisky highball (the best!!!). 

                   

The restaurant was really fun. I don't speak Japanese but the atmosphere was great.        

After eating, we walked around some more and found another izakaya. We ordered more whisky highballs and ordered liver sashimi. Oh man, it was soo good. 

What I Ate: Izakaya in Onna

We drove around Onna in the dark to try to find an izakaya for our last night on the island. My husband spotted one with his terrific eyesight. 

The owners warmly welcomed us. One of the surprising things we found in the izakaya was fresh bread which was baked by the owner. He gave us free bread with curry (it was delicious!) and seaweed. 

We ordered drinks and skewers. I always ordered whisky highball in Okinawa. The lemon highball is the best. The lemons on the island are sweet and tart at the same time. It goes well with whisky. 

We just ate, had drinks, and laughed a lot. Japanese people are very friendly and it was a very laid back atmosphere. No overpriced food on the menu like we have here in Toronto. 

What I Ate: Nagoya, Japan

Let's talk about food! Japan is my mecca for food and the first meal we had after our long journey from Toronto to Japan was fried chicken wings! We went to a karaage restaurant next to our hotel. And of course we had drinks. I ordered whisky highball. 

Since, I'm a morning person, I always wake up before my husband and instead of me searching for breakfast alone in Japan, I usually buy cup noodles so I can eat my breakfast inside our room. Our hotel didn't have room service. 

Misokatsu Yabaton! This was highly recommended by a friend and when we passed by the restaurant with no lineup, we quickly decided to have an early dinner here. Pork cutlet with miso sauce. Soo good! 

Expensive but worth it for the taste. Japanese strawberries are the best!

Ichiran was next to our hotel, we absolutely had to eat here and it's worth the hype. 

Another must visit chain restaurant for me is Coco Curry. I never leave Japan without eating Japanese curry. And since, I'm very clumsy when I eat, I had to protect my white shirt by wearing a bib. It's a good look.

We also ordered kaarage and fried gyoza ;)

Another day, another ramen. I can't remember the name of this restaurant because it was a random place. My husband dragged me to a soccer store and made me walk miles to get there. And he proceeded to try on a million shoes.  I was hangry by the time he finished buying shoes. This was the closest place we could eat in before I turned into a monster. 

Ramen was delicious and so was the gyoza so he was forgiven for starving me. He was not harmed. 

Ice cream treat for me. 

A little blurry because we went to a random izakaya. We could not read the Japanese menu but we had a nice server who helped us figure out what to order. We ended up ordering chicken, pork and liver skewers and some meat stew especially for my husband. 

Last meal in Nagoya. This was at the airport. It was my birthday and this was our lunch. I love tonkatsu and the cabbage salad in Japan is unreal. It's nice and sweet. 

I miss my hometown Nagoya. I always feel at home in this city. I can't wait to come back.