The Five

Ok since I'm not really good at recording things as they happen for people back home to see what I see(I prefer the good old fashioned face to face conversation ), I have decided to write this blog on five things in each aspect I want to talk about. There's a lot so prepare yourself. Here's five of everything I need you to know right now.

My five favorite places in Japan (In no particular order):

1. Harajuku. All those that knew me in college will immediately understand why. I was harajuku before I even knew what harajuku was. Although in college I did know what it was and I loved it! I wish I could move to Tokyo.

2. The beach. I love all beaches really and I like meditating there. I haven't been able to be by myself on any beach however and its heartbreaking that I live on a georgeous tropical island but I have to travel through traffic to the next city to enjoy any beach because the one down the road from me has a military base. Let's move on from this depressing topic...

3. My apartment. When the going gets rough and I'm feeling too much pressure I retract into this fort where I'm neither in America nor Japan and I am sane. I'm neither trying to be polite nor representing anything. I'm just me. Being. I might play South African movies and music if I'm missing home sometimes. I'm a socialite but I do appreciate a lot of time by myself. It's nothing new, I grew up this way.

4. Tokyo. I fell in love with this place. I guess its just the city vibe and the constant running around that I did there that reminded me what I really enjoy doing in life. I like to be busy. I like Okinawa and everything but I finally understand why people ask me if I like it so much or why I chose it. (I didn't choose it, but we don't want to upset people now do we? )I'm trying my best to feel like I'm not betraying Okinawa here. Okinawa is not really Japan. It's Ryukyu. It's beautiful! And mysterious and many other wonderful adjectives and I love it but I came here looking for Japan.

5. Miyako island. Now I've never dreamed I would set foot in such a beautiful tropical island. It seems like a dream. Even now it doesn't quite feel like reality but being there was completely euphoric for me and its as if I was on a five day high. Which somehow makes me glad I only stayed there week. I think I was too happy. Maybe its the water?

My five favorite Japanese/ Okinawan foods( In no particular order):

1.  Japanese soba. Buckwheat soba. It's delicious. And I love those tiny noodle stops at subways stations or little corners and passages in Tokyo. They really are small and some don't even have seats so you eat standing and you slurp away quickly and move along because its not a restaurant. It really is a fast food stop.

2. Hijiki. When I got here I discovered seaweed. (Its not popular back home, Im not even sure its available). I have tried various kinds and I'll happily say that I'm a seaweed lover but I can never remember any names. Except for hijiki because its everywhere and I think its really delicious. Its black and I think it makes my rice look nice.

3. Sweet beans. When I arrived here I didn't like the sweet beans or the sweet bean paste or the fact that people here thought it was the perfect replacement for chocolate and ice cream and  substitute both with it in many desserts and sweets. Sweet beans are really really sweet! I really have grown to love them even though I can only have so much. And what do you know, less calories!

4. Japanese bread. Japanese bakeries are some of the best in the world I've heard. I wouldn't know, I haven't been anywhere else. The bread here is amazing. All of it! They also bake awesome, creative cakes and other confectionery  but I really enjoy the bread and pastries. Flour is my weakness!

5. Seafood. I wasn't a big sushi lover when I got here. I still can't stand wasabi. However, I'm growing to love sushi and sashimi, especially if its salmon. I love salmon! I've also been exposed to a much much wider range of seafood since I got here.  The Zulu diet doesn't have much seafood in it. I love it! And I love the variety of fish and shell fish so much so that I attempt to cook it best I can (I mostly grill really). My diet is becoming pescatarian and this is my ultimate goal. I still have a big thing for chicken though. But I've found fish that tastes like chicken. I have no idea what I'm buying most of the time but I experiment and most times I get nice surprises. I haven't attempted making sushi yet... Thats a delicate skill (choosing fish I mean). I don't remember names. I just know its all seafood that I buy. Yum!

My next posts will have more fives as a continuation of this blog!