Day Nine Okinawa

DAY NINE OKINAWA: September 13, 2013

Today was a leisurely day of errands and relaxation in general.  A little souvenir shopping was on the agenda for the day so we headed back to some of the shops we most enjoyed.  First stop was Aeon where I snapped a picture of the parking lot to demonstrate a major difference in mode of transportation.  The majority of vehicles are very compact and generally speaking most everyone drives very similar vehicles.  Small compact vehicles are very essential because the roadways and parking lots are very compact.  In fact when we saw a full size semi-truck driving down the road, you took notice because it stuck out like a sore thumb.   

Then it was a morning stop at Mister Donut.  A variety of doughnuts were selected for the next days breakfast and it was hard not to get one of everything.  Doughnuts are a bit more dense and chewy than in the States, but still tasty and delicious.  

After spending time shopping it was time to head out to drop off one member of our team who was not a fan of fish and then head back for a lunch date with some friends of my hostess at a sushi restaurant- and boy was I excited.  This was one of the two things I most definitely wanted to experience while here.... took me till day nine but that was fine.  This particular restaurant is called a "Sushi go Round" because there is a conveyor belt that goes around the entire restaurant with a selection of sushi for the customer to select from.  You can also order from the menu that is provided if you prefer one specific type of sushi roll.  

If you select your sushi from the conveyor belt you use the pricing guide that is based on plate color (above picture in lower right hand corner).  You simply pick your plate off of the conveyor belt and stack them up as you finish your food.  At the end of the meal the waitress comes to the table and scans the stack of plates and creates your bill.

Another fun feature at this restaurant was the powdered green tea (called maccha) that you shake into a glass then fill with hot water from the tap at your table to make a nice cup of green tea to enjoy with your sushi.  The next few pictures show the various rolls I tried and sad I could not try them all.

After lunch we took a walk across the street to a local Froyo.  However, this place had a few flavors that I have not seen in the states.  I choose a tangy and refreshing blend of Litchi and Mango topped with granola.  It hit the spot on a warm day after a wonderful lunch.

After the froyo break we did a little more shopping.  My hostess was in search of jeans and shoes, which in theory should not be that hard to find based on the sheer volume of stores.  However, sizing is a bit different in Okinawa and it was difficult to find clothing and shoes that were anything above a United States medium or size 7 ladies shoe.  The shopping mission was not a total loss for me as I found these two awesome converse high tops that I just had to share!

After all the shopping was attempted, it was back to the house for a girls night with movies.  Our hosts kids (6 and almost 2) were excited to hang out and watch movies.  Tomorrow is yet another adventure to a spot the 6 year old loves and says we must go see.... cant wait!