Holy Mackerel! Lookit What I'm Doin' Now

 March Is Sneaking Up

It's almost the end of February and the blog hasn't been touched.  It's time to update.

Not much outdoor activity has been going on due to poor health and the weather.

The health is improving and the weather almost seemed like spring for a few days.

Then winter came once again.

So Let's Get On A Health Kick

Pretty much hanging around the house and not exercising fattens folks up.

One day fumbling around on Google I discovered the benefits of canned fish.

Yeah, I consume a couple of cans of tuna each week but, here's something new.

A can of Saba Misoni is Mackerel simmered in Miso.

What the heck is Miso?  It's a paste made by fermenting soybeans in Japan.

Between mackerel and miso, there are all sorts of health benefits.

Like lowering blood pressure and cholesterol while boosting the body's immune system.

Supposedly, canned mackerel is more powerful than tuna.

During warm weather, I BBQ mackerel and think it tastes better than canned fish.

The canned stuff is like the first time you tasted beer. An acquired taste is required.

Part II Nothing to See Here

There won't be any images or videos posted, just use some imagination.

Since early September, I've had to take things easy. No lifting and no long walks.

A broken disk in the back makes life kind of miserable.  Things are slowly improving.

For the first few months, a back brace had to be worn, all day long.

No long walks and no heavy lifting were the doctor's orders.

Weekly rehabilitation visits and all sorts of therapy took place.

They even microwaved my bones!

Now that the broken disk has healed, muscles and nerves need some fine-tuning.

The painkillers I was taking (opiates) are no longer required. Amen.

Slowly getting back into an exercise routine, I still have to take it easy.

The left hip seems to malfunction frequently. Sometimes, it locks up.

Range of motion stretches and massage, along with heat therapy seems to help.

The Funny Part

Sometimes it's difficult for a therapist to determine what a patient needs to do.

Last Friday the guy says, "Mike walk on your fingers."

That seemed odd but, I bent over and started to kick my feet in the air, to do a handstand.

"No, your foot fingers."  He's Japanese. He meant to step with my toes down before my heels.

If he would have said, "Ashi no yubi," I would have understood. Now he knows, "toes."

Can you imagine what an old bearded guy looks like walking on his tip toes?

Well, I like to walk early in the morning. Before sunup, there are not a lot of people around.

Thinking I'd look like a fool, I only walked on the toes of the left foot.

That way, I'd only look like I was half crazy. Don't you think?

Whenever I spotted a car coming or someone walking their dog, I walked normally.

Tiptoes on both feet. Can you picture a ballerina in yellow flip-flops?

Anyhow, this therapy might be working. Let's wait and see.

Wordless Wednesday: Meet Spaghetti

Location in Kin Town

Fast Food Funnies: A Silly Sign to Take Serious

Coronavirus Has Changed Things

Most restaurants have been losing business because of spacing requirements in Japan.

The law says customers must maintain 2 meters distance when out socializing.

Lots of places closed and are taking extended vacations, staying home. Hah!

Smart business managers have figured out ways to keep serving their loyal customers.

All restaurants should be doing this. Serve takeout meals or, DELIVER to the customers.

Just let them know. It takes room to prepare YOUR FREAKIN TACOS!

This bit of humor courtesy of King Tacos in Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan.


MORE SILLY SIGNS IN THE DOOZIES

12 Scenes from the Kin Town 2019 Nuchigusui Festival

Mental and Physical Good Health

That's what it's really all about, nuchigusui - Okinawan language for well being.

Take a sip of a healthy, refreshing drink or, chomp down on some delicious Ryukyuan food.

Sniff the air and get a whiff of some soothing flowers and say, "Nuchigusui yaasa."

That'd be like saying, "Feels good."  What about seeing some boobs?  Wait 'til later.

Shortly after 10 AM, on a Sunday when the weather was predicted to turn, here's the entrance.

Anytime the sun shines in December, I'm feeling nuchigusui with that!

A light jacket or long-sleeved shirt would be all that's required on a day like this.

On the way to the festival food and flower displays, I spotted these caged chickens.

Dozens of roosters and hens were there but, really didn't cooperate with the camera.

Some fancy varieties of chickens were there and, I don't think they were for eating.

Hoping to see some of the "other white meat" I walked around looking for some piglets.

Nope, no porker would be seen. Pigs would have posed. I get along just fine with pigs.

Moving along to the main attractions, I knew I would be indoors or, under a roof outdoors.

On the second floor of a community center, I spotted firemen training families.

Here, a father has his children learning how to use an AED machine.

That's a pretty neat skill for children to know. They could save a life someday!

Members of the Ryukyu Rehabilitation Academy maintained stations in several areas.

Here they were doing some sort of posture analytics on volunteers. I declined.

With an aching back from over-exercising the night before, I had another plan.

There were about a dozen massage tables set up and, I could sure use a free massage.

Too many volunteers were waiting at the massage area so, I had to move along.

Mental and physical nuchigusui stuff was out of the way for today.

 Next, it was time to go downstairs to check out the foods and flowers.

The location was outdoors, sort of in a huge parking area. Windy but not wet.

Every kind of healthy festival food you could imagine was being cooked and served.

When hauling around a camera, I'm not really interested in eating.

Everybody was friendly and some tried to give me free samples but, I couldn't eat.

Ever try operating chopsticks and shooting a DSLR at the same time? Me neither.

Looking at colorful flowers, smelling them or, gardening, I'm not sure which is healthy.

Maybe, all three. All I know, for sure is, the prices for buying them weren't all that much.

The wife wasn't allowed to see this photo until the day after. Too late to buy any now!

What About the Boobs?

That part comes a little bit later. This is a festival sort of event, not pole dancing. OK?

Making the rounds under fairly horrible lighting conditions, I was bouncing around.

I'm deciding what to photograph with families continuously moving through scenes.

It seemed impossible to get a photo of this farmer's food and displays.

He was selling Okinawa's prized Agu Pig Pork servings, freshly grilled in his booth.

Noticing a photo of him posing with  Hidehiko Ishizuka, I asked if he could near it.

Ishizuka is sort of a comedian, food sampler, traveler, TV star in Japan.

Wouldn't it be neat if, he went drinking with me someday?

Here's what the open-air-sorta-garage looked like.

Families are seated at folding tables and chairs, sampling the health foods.

The food, flower and plant booths surround the tables and other displays.

My favorite activity would take place here, not outdoors as usual.

The closest thing to natural, outdoor lighting, was this display.

Pictured in the background, are the Taimo fields of Kin Town.

On display are some taimo plants (sweet potato) and produce.

Titty and Nipples Are You Ready?

Before anyone goes screaming off to the police station, let me explain.

This is supposed to be a blog the whole family could read.

Some fruits and plants must be Nuchigusui, just to look at.

What some people call Fox Fruit is in the photo above. They are poison so, don't eat any.

Titty Fruit, Nipple Fruit, and Cow's Udder are some of the other names for this plant.

Learn more about this yellow fruit from a lady at Japan Times.

My favorite part of the Nuchigusui Fest is featured here.

Better than carving a Thanksgiving Turkey is the cutting of a maguro.

Each year this knife-wielding chef, butchers a tuna, right before your eyes.

It doesn't take 10 minutes for him to hack that fish to pieces.

He's talking through a microphone so, you can learn how to carve a fish, too.

When he's done, the fish gets carried away and cut into smaller servings.

Then, the crowd line up, to get some maguro sashimi, for free!

What'n Hell Is a Faceburger?

First Time I Heard of It

That's exactly what I said one night in an entertainment district of Nago, Okinawa.

A gal who spoke English asked where I came from and I said, "Kin Town."

She said she likes to go there to buy Faceburgers. They sold them at King Tacos.

Her explanation was, "It's a hamburger, as big around as an Okinawan's face."

Now, you know what a Faceburger is, too.

Over the years, I've met many Okinawans, who call the huge hamburgers, Faceburgers.

They are getting hard to come by these days but, I found one to show you.

First I should explain something. Last night I went out and tipped a few too many.

Today, I was feeling rather extinguished. So, I decided to buy supper out in town.

That way the little lady, wouldn't have to fire up the stove and have a hot kitchen.

The burger on the right is a normal-sized hamburger. Mine is on the left.

That's a Faceburger from Gate 1 but, they call it Jumbo Burger.

Don't try ordering a Faceburger, young folks won't understand you. 

It's best to just point at things on the menu if, you can't speak the local language.

Any of those 450 Yen Jumbo Burgers would be the Faceburger not, the 300 Yen size.

My favorite is the Jumbo Pork Cutlet Burger.

If they had a real USDA 100% Beef Hamburger I'd be willing to pay 10 bucks for one.

One of these days, I might have to open my own damn Faceburger Joint. Hah!

For folks interested in other types of junk food, I took these iPhone menu shots.

The staff at Gate-1 were nice to me and fixed my food in a hurry.

So, feeling not-as-extinguished as I did before eating, I thought I'd share the menus with y'all.

End of Report

Wordless Wednesday: I'll Eat My Flip-flops

Last Night's Grilled Smoking Chicken

Maybe I'll Be Late for My Own Funeral

The weekend is packed with festivals, rain in the forecast and, a full moon!

Yesterday, I walked through town, on the way home and made one stop.

Lousy weather has kept most people off the streets but, not me.

It seemed like a good idea (around sundown) to grab something to drink.

There weren't any customers in this tiny restaurant, other than me.

So, I ordered everybody a beer and we all said, "Kampai" that's "Cheers" in Japan.

Then, the chicken thing started happening and, some grilled steak, too.

Busy doing research and photo processing, I forgot all about the time, today.

Next thing you know, the sun's getting ready to go down, again.

A hundred projects are piled-up on my desk but, I have to run and shoot a festival.

It's too late, to organize a blog post so, I took this screenshot of Google Maps.

Either you can squint and read my review of Kitchen Brasil or, GO HERE

It's time for me to grab a camera and head out to a Christmas Festival Thingy!

Jack Daniels Wood Chips and Smoked Meat

Torn from My Work Again

This morning a friend, living north of me, posted this on Facebook.

Joking with him, I asked what time it would be ready?

It looked like a meal, worth taking a taxi ride, to consume. But, he may have been joking.

Next thing I knew, he said "I'll come by at 2 PM and, pick you up. So, I'm outta here.

Help Wanted

Yesterday's blog post, about a Reuben Sandwich, went kind of wild.

Thousands of people liked it and, are even asking questions about the place.

There aren't enough hours in a day, for me to assist everybody.

If, they would just look at Google Maps, directions, menus and images, can be found there.

In less than 24 hours, this Facebook post of the sandwich got over 8,000 views!

Now, I have to hurry and get ready, to consume some smoked meat.

My friend will arrive shortly.

Bingo - The Best Reuben Sandwich on Island Discovered Today !

Running Late

Just a quickie tonight because I'm later than usual. Vegetarians, don't have to look.

Hanging around the island for some forty years, I've never had one like this.

The place was recommended to me by the proprietor of Bingo's Pub, in Kin Town.

It's called Five Star Deli.

Poke on the link and, you can get directions, see more photos and read my review.

For now, let's just say, I'm on a secret mission. Bye. 

Don't Let the Sign Fool You - The Food's Great

They Meant Breakfast

The problem with having handmade signs painted is they don't have spellcheck.

So, when ya spend big bucks and get a misspelling, Don't sweat it.

This one was discovered, when three hungry travelers were looking for a place to eat.

It was kind of a ramshackle, little joint, just off the highway, open early in the morning.

After placing my order, I went outside, for fresh air and a smoke.

They had tables with umbrellas over them and, food can be delivered by the staff.

It wouldn't take long for the meals to show up. That's when I noticed the misspelled sign.

My meal, was a tuna melt sandwich with soup and salad. Lots of salad.

It was delicious and, I was too hungry to bother taking photos of other folks meals.

The gals, ordered some sort of french toast, with ice cream and fresh berries. Yuck.

The location was near Uehara Ferry Terminal in northwest Iriomote Island.

In a few months, I'll be heading back that way and, plan on eating here again.

Iriomote no Shonen

Stumbled Into チキンパラダイス or Chicken Paradise

Unusually Fantastic

The wooden door creaks when you open it, to enter and, slams shut behind you.

It's a dimly lit, tiny little place, that smells like fried chicken.

No cameras were with me. It was, visit the hospital day and, I was heading back to my office.

In case anyone's wondering, I'm in great shape, just had to pick up some medicines for travel.

Blood pressure's fine and, ticker does 68 BPM (beats per minute) after walking a mile.

But, they like to give old folks, monthly doses of drugs, to help the economy, I guess.

Got my meds and was walking on the shady side of the street, when my stomach growled.

All the menu signs outside are in Japanese but, I could read the simple stuff.

Using the iPhone, I snapped some photos so, I could put it on Google Maps.

Big Guy at Counter

He was the only customer in there, I noticed as I squinted to adjust my eyes to the darkness.

Just one dude, wearing a plaid shirt, was at the left end of the counter.

His face wasn't visible. I just figured he was some big sumo dude, eating his lunch.

No sense bothering anyone so, I went over to the far right end of the L-shaped counter.

An Okinawan gal with a round, smiling face greeted me, from the tiny kitchen.

Ordering a Jumbo Chicken Katsu, I asked if, taking photos would be allowed.

She gave me the OK and, I went around the place snapping pictures.

When she didn't look busy, cooking I asked if, the place was on Google Maps.

She wasn't sure so, I told her, I'd get it done today and, shoot more photos later.

It's best for me, to go back there with a real camera and wide angle lens.

Big dude, continued eating his meal, facing the wall so, I guessed he was hungry.

Maybe, he was watching the TV, they had on turned on, near where he was sitting.

Before 5 minutes had expired, this meal came across the counter and, the girl smiled.

Forgetting to take a photo, my growling tummy, made me start eating. Rats.

It wouldn't be right, to put a restaurant on the map, without a food image !

OK. A some of the chicken is missing. Gives an idea what the cooked chicken looks like.

There's salad, a  bowl of rice, soup, pickled veges, and tofu with some greens.

Hidden from view (under the chicken) some thick, fried potatoes. All scrumptious.

There was no way, I could consume all that food so, I had to ask the gal something.

"Do you do takeouts here, too?"  She said, "Yes."  And, I said, "Good."

Big Dude Speaks

This sort of surprised me. He said, "Can I get some more sauce?"

He spoke English. Still, I didn't want to bother the guy. The gal brought him some sauce.

Then, I quietly asked her (in Japanese) "Do you speak English, too?"  She, didn't.

Next thing ya know, the big plaid shirt, saunters, the 4 or 5 steps, over towards me.

This could be fun or, not.  I try to stay flexible. Ready to jump, defend myself or, run.

He was a peaceable individual and introduced himself. "I'm Alfredo from El Salvador." 

We became friends, swapped emails and, tried to connect on Facebook.

He's visiting his daughter and, goes home this weekend. We must do some beers.

He ran back to his room, while I was finishing (what I could of) my meal.

And, he came back with his cell-phone, to make sure, we got connected.

The restaurant gal, packed half my lunch in a takeout box for me.

Then, Alfredo and I walked across the street and, I showed him, where my office is at.

He was heading out, to buy an Okinawan Kariushi shirt, down in Naha.

That's crazy. I gave him directions, to someplace a lot closer and, prices would be lower.

He thanked me and, promised before he leaves this island, we're doing some drinking together.

Maps Got Done Quickly

Back at work, I tweaked the images and uploaded them to Google Maps.

A quick review was done. I had to input the address, hours and phone number.

Normally, it takes a few days, to get a new location loaded and approved, but not this time.

Chicken Paradise is on the map and, I showed the restaurant owner.

Looking closer at the image of the menus, posted outdoors, gave me an idea.

All that chicken (above) cost me only 700 yen.

For just 100 yen more, I could have gotten a Psycho Roast Steak. I will, next time !

Visit Chicken Paradise

Stop and Think: How Many Characters Named Donald Do You Know ?

Pottery District of Naha

Down in the district know as Tsuboya I ran across this scene one day.

A Donald Duck doll was taking up space at a table, where I wanted to sit to eat.

Not many yachimun (pottery) shops serve food but, this one had a small menu.

The name of the place slips my memory at the moment. But, the curry was unforgettable.

Photo Comes in Handy Today

The little, flashy dude stands out among all the ancient-looking urns, vases and shisa.

Anachronism, might not be the best way, to describe this scene.

The clay pottery sells fairly quickly, from those little shops in Naha.

So, the stuffed character is as old or older than, those items. I'll post this blog and share it.

It will hit a wider audience over on Facebook and, I'll ask two Questions.

1. Does anyone know the name of this pottery shop ?

2. How many people, do you know named, Donald ?

Sampling the Ultimate - "Sparky Burger"

Not for Calorie Counters

Returning from the expedition to Motobu and the Hydrangea Gardens, it was lunch time.

The Map It Okinawa dude and I decided, we'd check out Captain Kangaroo.

It's been almost five years, since the last time I'd eaten there.

Providing, the joint wasn't crowded with tourists, we figured, they'd get our business.

Disappointed with the last meal I had there, I gave them a 3 star review on TripAdvisor.

Just in case, they had a Bad Chef day, I promised to review the place again, in due time.

Food and Service Now 5 Stars

The building was probably, halfway full. Plenty of staff on hand, greeted us as we entered.

The airconditioning was on and, felt great, after having been outdoors all morning.

We figured, even if it was half an hour wait, for our meal, at least it would be comfortable.

My selection, off the menu, was the Sparky Burger and an order of fries.

There was even enough time, for me to go out front for some nicotine replacement therapy.

It was 1:07PM when I snapped this photo with the smartphone. It's a huge meal.

The wooden stick, poked through the burger, must be 6-7 inches long.

No way, was I going to try picking that monster up, for a bite at a time.

I asked the waitress if, I could have a fork and knife and, she hooked me up.

My guess, would be, the difference between Sparkies at 900 and 1000 Yen is the burgers.

Once, I pulled the wooden sword out and started chopping, I couldn't tell.

A pile of  crispy baked onions, lettuce, bacon and tomato, were the first things I saw.

Hacking away with the knife and fork, revealed lots more, meat and sauces.

Map It Dude, was done eating his regular sized burger, way before, I got done.

My hamburger meal, looked like some sort of  Smorgasbord salad, the way I did it.

The whole plate was covered (overflowing) with my grunting, carving, slurping and burping.

Here's what my plate looked like at 1:33PM. I could have done better.

A few specks of meat, were left on the plate so, they wouldn't feel like I was going home hungry.

Licking the dish clean, would have been fun but, I didn't want them to think, I was an animal.

If, there aren't a bunch of pretty women and children in there, next time, we'll give it a try !

Visit Captain Kangaroo

Trying to Shake Off One of those Evil Days

Writer's Block Is One Thing

Supposedly, it may happen to anyone, involved in the writing business.

Recurring spells are a regular thing, with me mostly because, I hate writing.

No blog was posted yesterday. I did plenty of preparation for today's post and, was worn out.

Pouring rain this morning got my day off, to a crumby start. It would get better, I thought.

On the way to the office, I usually manage to get a few people smiling and it lifts my spirits.

Maybe, I left for work too early. No one was walking in the rain but, me.

On top of the disorganized pile of papers on my desk, I placed a blank paper and a pen.

That would remind me, something had to be done today, bright and early.

The brain wasn't ready for scribbling yet so, I did some calisthenics and weight training.

Then, decided to walk down the street and get a bento for breakfast.

Things Went Downhill

It was raining cats and dogs and a strong wind blew but, that didn't bother me.

A huge umbrella, large enough for three of me, wind resistant and, I was good to go.

It's a few minutes walk so, I lit a smoke to enjoy, along the way.

That bento has enough food in it to feed me for an entire day, breakfast through supper.

Besides the rice, there's carrots, potatoes, yakisoba, spicy chicken and pork tonkatsu.

Plus, eggs, sausage and goya champuru and, some tofu. It usually costs around four bucks.

I set it on the counter next to the wrong gal.  I even helped her put the lid on.

Most of the young ladies charge me 400 yen, no matter how much food I took.

Well, the ugly girl, weighed my meal and told me, it would be 450 yen. So, I gave her 500 yen.

She handed me my food, wrapped up in a plastic bag and, thanked me.

Being, I was trying to stay in a good mood, I didn't say anything about the 50 yen I, didn't get.

Maybe, she was just having a lousy, rainy day, too.  No need to make it worse.

But, I hope she slips and falls in a big puddle, on her way home. Hah !

Back in the shop, that blank paper was staring at me so, I set my hot meal on it for a photo.

Of course, I moved it and had some breakfast, while it was piping hot.

Some eggs, yakisoba, spicy chicken, goya and rice, are a good way to start the day.

My brain still wasn't ready for writing. I decided to go outside for a cigarette.

There's a corrugated roof in the alleyway. That's a good place to smoke and stay dry.

The sound of rain, beating on that roof is relaxing. I started to forget about the fat girl.

Back inside the office, I figured the meal was cool enough, to place in the fridge.

Then, decided I'd rather do some more physical stuff than, sit down and start writing.

Remember, when you were a kid and, went to the beach with your family ?

When, you got done eating, parents would tell you, you have to wait an hour, before swimming.

That's a myth, I believe. Look at Jaws. The guy was always in the water, swimming.

He'd eat people and, keep right on swimming. You, don't need to wait one hour !

So, I wasn't going to wait before, going back to my exercises and weightlifting.

It was so invigorating, I bet I spent four hours doing physical training today.

Every time I went and looked at my desk, that stupid blank page was there. I wasn't ready.

It was starting too look like a Butsu-metsu (bad luck) day.

So, this afternoon I rolled out my sleeping bag and, took a nap.

It was getting late in the afternoon and, I hadn't written one word, yet.

With creativity at an all time low, I remembered these junk toys, I keep in the shop.

They come in plastic bubbles, on top of coffee cans at convenience stores.

They aren't for me. I buy them, in case any kids come by my office.

Maybe, spreading them around on that page, would give me some ideas.

The thought had occurred to me, "That girl's hair, should be black."

There's a can of black spray paint out behind my shop but, nah.

During rainy season, it would take a few hours to dry or, I'd make a mess.

The story, I'm supposed to be doing, is about how Okinawans first came to the islands.

With all the research, I've done, 1,500 words could easily be written. I'm just not ready.

Start Simple with a Rough Draft

Writer's block is something you have to deal with. It's like having some sort of brain cramp.

Rearranging things a little bit, helped me formulate the story, to where it might work.

Of course, when it gets typed, spellcheck and punctuation, will be utilized.

I'll try to get some photos or sketches to give readers a better understanding of my creation. 

Er maybe, just take another week off from writing.

Good and Bad Days in Japan