A couple pics from Okinawa, Japan

#1

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/clee130/5524909​087/
Closed by clee130, on Flickr

#2
IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/clee130/5524909​561/
Tired by clee130, on Flickr

#3
IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/clee130/5525499​508/
Yakitori Street Vendor by clee130, on Flickr

#4
IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/clee130/5525499​902/
Yakitori Street Vendor by clee130, on Flickr

6 yakitori for $5 or 500 yen

(Admittedly, I was a little drunk when I took this photo but those were the best yakitori I ever ate. My mouth was literally watering when I was waiting for the guy to cook my order of yakitori.)

#5
IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/clee130/5535373​520/
Okinawa Soba by clee130, on Flickr

Izakaya Shimagohan Resturant - Koza Music Town, 2nd floor

A traditional dish - okinawa soba is a type of noodle soup eaten in Okinawa. It is sometimes simply called soba or suba, although it is different from buckwheat noodles known as soba in the rest of Japan. The thick wheat noodles resemble udon, while the soup is more similar to that of ramen.

The noodles tend to have a circular cross section in the Yaeyama Islands, and tend to be slightly flat in the rest of the Okinawan archipelago. It is served in a broth flavored with konbu (edible seaweed), katsuobushi flakes and pork.

Standard toppings are kamaboko (fish cake), sliced scallion and a thick slice of stewed pork belly or boneless pork ribs and usually garnished with beni shoga (pickled ginger).

#6
IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/clee130/5534795​645/
Salmon sushi w/ side of grilled chicken with lemon sauce by clee130, on Flickr

Izakaya Shimagohan Resturant - Koza Music Town, 2nd floor

In the background - salmon roll

#7
IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/clee130/5535372​854/
Orion Beer by clee130, on Flickr

Taken at "Midori's Bar" which we found completely by accident by wandering down a dark alley. Seriously.

The bar was completely empty and the owner - a wonderful woman named Midori - was about to close up when we walked in. Imagine her surprise when 7 Americans walked through her door. Wary at first, she warmed up when she realized we just wanted some beers and were not going to cause any trouble.

Orion beer is locally beered in Okinawa and is the 5th largest beer brewery in Japan. Founded in 1957 in Nago, Okinawa during the American occupation of Okinawa, Orion began making beer in 1959. Orion struggled to compete with the other major Japanese breweries, but after changing from a German-style beer to an American-style beer, it gained the top share in the Okinawan market.