1 week to go

Things with this move back to Melbourne are getting REAL, people! We are now less than a week away from flying out of Okinawa, and only 2 days left of work! To top it off, this week at work is one of the busiest of the year and involved a 1am finish on Monday. 

Otherwise, things seem to be progressing as smoothly as can be. The house is slowly emptying, although most of the big stuff isn't going to it's new homes until this weekend, and the last of the pet visits is on Friday before they fly out on Monday. Yikes!

Last week I managed to squeeze in a new haircut and dye, and I spur of the moment made the decision to get a fringe again. I'm still not sure i'm completely happy with the decision, but oh well! Melbourne weather is much more suited to fringes, so only one more week to try and wrangle it in this humidity.

Last saturday night I also managed to get in one last dinner with my favourite Okinawa ladies, Ashley and Katie at Yomitan Monogatari. That place, as always was delicious, and ended with an awamori tasting flight, fitting for Okinawa.

These ladies <3

Sea Grape and perilla somen noodles at Monogatari
Awamori tasting flight at Monogatari
Meanwhile, let me rant for a moment. The process to cancel your phone contract here is so ridiculous. When I first signed up for my phone, I paired it with our internet contract as well for a discount. Twice now I have gone in to the au shop to ask about cancellation. The first time they were too busy and told me to come back later, however for the internet cancellation I could only do it over the phone. However, for the phone contract, you must go to a store to cancel it.... sigh.

So I went back to the au store this past weekend. Someone finally had the time to help me, only for me to find out that if I go in to the store to cancel my contract, it takes effect IMMEDIATELY! There's no way to cancel in advance, and no other way to cancel than in store.... This wouldn't be such a hassle, except for the fact that I need my phone until the very last day in case of any issues with our pets flights etc. My only option is to try and cancel my contract while we are on a stop in Narita. Fingers crossed it's not too busy to get served.

Anyway, this blog has turned into a moving rant. I promise in the next 2 weeks it will be back to more informative posts. On that note, if you have any suggestions for a new blog title, please let me know. It seems weird to have a blog called Sea Change Okinawa when I'm not actually living in Okinawa.


American Village in Chatan
American Village Chatan



The cat is starting to notice all her sleeping spots are slowly dissapearing

Vegan and Vegetarian food in Okinawa

During our time in Okinawa we've had quite a few vegan friends visit, and of course H is a vegetarian, so it has been our mission to search out the tastiest vegan and vegetarian food options in Okinawa!

Before we leave Okinawa for good, I thought I would share with you our favourites.


DECHIBICA

Dechibica is probably my favourite and first place I will usually take any vegans visiting us. Not only is the food delicious, but it's presented so beautifully, it's hard not to be impressed.

They offer a variety of vegan meals (as well as a couple of non-vegan options) and everything we've ever tried there has been great! Another bonus if you're with kids, is the fact that they have a bunch of kids toys there to entertain them if you forgot to bring anything from home.

Dechibica okinawa
Pictured: Tofu set, kids curry and curry udon

Dechibica is located in Furugen, Yomitan and you can follow their Facebook page for directions, opening hours and daily specials


GUBGUB'S VEGAN KITCHEN

Update - I've heard GubGubs is now closed but the owner can still be found selling burgers at the Koza Vegan Night market and the vegan food fest.

GubGub's is the ultimate vegan junk/comfort food experience. We have been here with vegan friends numerous times and they are always blown away by the food! Their Cheeseburger and BBQ burgers are my ultimate favourites. They also offer an option to pay a little more and support animal welfare, and you can bring your dogs and sit outside if the weather is nice.


Gub Gubs is also located in Yomitan and you should follow the Facebook page as the opening hours can sometimes vary or he might sell out. Always good to check before you go.

UKISHIMA GARDEN

Ukishima Garden is a lovely vegan restaurant in Naha, perfect for a fancy date night with organic wines. We have been here every time we have been to Naha and it's always lovely. Their tofu caprese salad tastes just like real mozzarella, and the creamy pasta was also amazing. Their lunch menu is more casual with burgers, soups and curry.

Ukishima Garden Naha

Ukishima Garden is on Ukishima-dori, just off Kokusai Dori, so easily accessible when exploring Naha. They also have another restaurant in Kyoto.


BOLLYWOOD DREAMS

Bollywood Dreams is the most delicious Indian resaturant we have found in Okinawa (and we've tried lots!). They also have a select number of vegan curries, which are amazing! The dinner menu is more extensive and lunch is mostly just set meals. This place gets BUSY, so it's worth coming early for lunch or dinner.


Bollywood Dreams is located in American Village in Chatan, and they have also recently opened a second restaurant, Bollywood Jewel a short walk from the original.


ESPARZA'S TACOS AND COFFEE

Esparza's is relatively new offering vegan and non-vegan options, but has an aim to be completely vegan in the next year or 2. They have delicious tacos and even open early for breakfast burritos.


Esparza's Tacos and Coffee is located on Route 58 in Chatan

SAKAE RYORITEN

Ok, so Sakae Ryoriten is the place we keep going back to, and pretty much take all guests to. It's "okinawan style" food, so a great way to get a taste of the local cuisine, but they will also adjust the menu for any allergies or dietary requirements where they can, which means making food vegan and vegetarian friendly. It's also very kid friendly.

The go-to dishes they will adjust for vegetarians is the Umibudo (sea grape) and tomato salad, the jimami dofu (peanut tofu), the seasonal stir fry vegetables and the eggplant and red pepper with miso stir fry. They might likely adjust other dishes, but these are our go to every time we're there.


Sakae is located in Ishikawa and they have ample parking space in a lot across the road. The entrance is quite unassuming (pictured above).


COCO'S CURRY

What would a post about vegan food be without mentioning the vegan menu at Coco Ichibanya? Coco's, over the past year or so have been rolling out a vegetarian menu at select stores. It says vegetarian but is actually vegan. In Okinawa only 2 stores that I know of have the vegetarian menu, Ishikawa and Haebaru. Please feel free to comment if there are any more additions to this. Cocos, although i'm sure is full of MSG, is super delicious!

vegetarian curry menu at coco ichibanya


I'm sure there are many more options in Okinawa, but the above are the ones I regularly eat at and love. If you want to keep up to date with new places and other options, I recommend joining the Okinawa Vegans and Vegetarians Facebook Page, as people are always adding new places, and it's a good place to ask for advice.

Feel free to comment with your favourite Vegan and vegetarian friendly places in Okinawa!

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2 weeks to go

2 weeks to go! To say we're freaking out a little bit is an understatement. So much left to sell and organise and we're quickly running out of time!

That being said, this past weekend had glorious weather and was perhaps our last chance to get to the beach, so Saturday morning first thing we headed to Maeda beach for a family snorkel and some relaxation. It really was perfect and i'm so glad we got another chance to visit our favourite beach before going back to Melbourne to a cold cold winter!

Sunday was another lovely day, and seeing as H had a work meeting at Moon Beach hotel, G and I took the opportunity to hang out at Moon Beach Pool for a while. I really love that pool, and it's one of the cheaper hotels to visit and use their recreation compared to the other hotels in Onna, some which charge up to 5000yen!

Anyway, currently my life is consumed with trying to sell all of the stuff in our house before having to declare it all FREE the weekend before we leave. In good news though, I've managed to already land myself a job at the University of Melbourne starting the week after I get back and we've already leased a unit to move in to! Definitely kicking some goals here....

I hope everyone had a relaxing weekend!

The Entrance to Maeda Beach is directly across from Pizzeria Da Enzo
Maeda Beach, Okinawa is so beautiful and offers great snorkelling straight off the beach. If you're lucky you can even spot Nemo!
Paradise


Maeda Beach, Okinawa

Tropical

Shaved ice from Onna no eki
Nothing beats this on a hot summer day in Okinawa

Moon Beach lagoon pool okinawa
Moon Beach pool

Bacar - Best pizza in Okinawa?

So this past weekend we went down to Naha and had a little staycation with our friends. It was nice to get away for a night and forget about all the things we still need to do to before we leave.

After meeting in Naha at lunch time ( we went to Ukishima Garden - always delicious), and wandering around Kokusai Dori with the kids, we headed back to the hotel for a rest before heading out to Bacar for dinner. I've been wanting to go to Bacar ever since a work colleague told me about it. One look at the website and I was SOLD! Seriously, check out the marinara pizza on their website! Drool!

Anyway, it would have to be one of, if not the best meal i've had in Okinawa. Can't believe we only discovered this right before we leave. Let's face it though, it's probably for the best, otherwise you'd be rolling me out of here!

Anyway, the pizza chef at Bacar trained in Italy, and it shows. They only have 2 pizzas on the menu, margherita and marinara (which i'm pretty sure is vegan - no cheese). They also have a bunch of side dishes and plenty of wine. We went with the caprese salad and the garlic broccoli (both amazing!). 

I definitely recommend you try the marinara pizza, as well as the Margherita. I think people might choose the one with cheese, but the marinara one was simply amazing!  If you are vegetarian or vegan visiting Okinawa, then this is a place with some delicious food options.

If you're ever in Naha, make the time to eat at Bacar. They're only open for dinner, not lunch according to their website, and are close to Kokusai Dori.

Bacar in Naha, Okinawa is absolutely superb. Be sure to make a booking as this place gets busy!


This photo was the best of about 10! It's hard to get a good family photo with the squirmy 5 year old!

That mozzarella!

So garlicky and delicious

The Margherita pizza from Bacar in Naha, Okinawa. Simply delicious
Margherita

Marinara pizza from Bacar in Okinawa. It is so garlicky and delicious. It doesn't matter that there's no cheese!
Marinara

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Bacar in Naha, Okinawa is some of the best pizza I have ever tasted. Both options are vegetarian, with a big selection of sides as well as wine. This place is worth the effort.