Nuclear Viking

Speeding along a sign on the side of the road caught my eye. Just a left turn away was a parking lot with 50 spaces and a Manga Café with a buffet lunch for 780 yen.

What is a Manga Café you ask? Imagine a library you pay by the hour to sit in that is stocked with the latest comic books and magazines. The fee, which varies from one Manga Café to another, typically includes a free drink bar and reserved cubical that has a computer with internet access and a comfortable chair in it.

Wondering what happens when you combine a Manga Café with a buffet, I turned left into the ample parking lot and ventured inside. After filling out a membership card, which is free and typically required to use the café, I walked over to my cubical dropped off my motorcycle gear and then ventured over to the buffet.

It was everything that I had hoped and feared it would be. Piles for fried rice, vats of curry, Spam and fried noodles, and several limp looking salads all begged to be consumed; it was the type of fair you consume only if you are willing to declare nuclear war on your body. Having faith that the Ulong tea from the drink bar would combat the MSG and grease, I loaded up four plates and waddled back to my cubical.

Once inside the dimly lit tobacco stained cocoon, I loaded up the internet and then dug into to my carefully picked feast, which contained so much MSG that it took nearly a gallon of water to quench my thirst.

In other words, it was amazing.

Rainy Season Sunrise

Early morning in Okinawa from my apartments balcony

Ginowan, Okinawa

4 Months of 沖縄

Kinser Point

The Nakamura House outer garden

Nago City

The Sunrise over Ginowan

スーパーカツプ

Today the local Family Mart had this treasure sitting on its shelf. This particular brand of instant ramen claims to contain full two servings of sodium loaded goodness.



And the verdict on this pork and cabbage based concoction: It blew my mind and blood pressure off the charts

Pizza Yaki Soba??!!

Dear Readers, hell has frozen over and pigs are flying. Maruちゃん and Frito-Lay have joined forces to combine the famous junk food of the West, pizza, with the famous junk food of the East, yaki soba.

The result? Truly delicious, yet I cannot enjoy this moment of perfection, because I know many of you may never place this culinary masterpiece in your mouth. So while this wonder cools, allow me to write the flavor into your mouth.

It's a dark night. The pizza delivery boy is late. He has 1 minute left to deliver a seafood pizza before its free (and that will be taken out of his minimum wage check). Knowing its a bad idea, the pizza delivery boy pushes the light; hoping to make it in time. Yet alas the Chinese food delivery boy, in a similar situation, pushes the light at the same time. After a crash and a bang metal crunches, food flies, and insurance rates go up. But wait by an act of the unholy one the seafood pizza and stir fried noodles collide mid air at the speed of sound. And at that moment this superfood was created.

Yes ladies and gentlemen that very flavor, unholy union, and or whatever you may call it is what's swimming about my palate right now.

Monday Monday

The ride started out with a wander down the east coast of Okinawa, where I found a natural spring.


After ridding down the east coast and over the mountains to get to the west coast of Okinawa I stopped at the Hawaii Drive-In Restaurant (which was not a drive-in a at all). There I ate this very Japanese combination of an egg and hamburger on some rice and salad. How did it taste? Well for once I am at a loss for words.

From there I took an afternoon dip outside of Nago City.

After that it was back up to the mountains, where I found an old man harassing a one-eyed dog.


Then after getting the motorcycle nice and low in some corners, I ended the day at Haji Dam watching the Koinobori (carp flags) swim through the wind.