The Ginza and Gyuemon

Day 3 of serious typhoon watch and Okinawa is allegedly getting hit as I type. We are supposed to be hit in the next few hours, but so far there hasn't been much more than an obnoxiously depressing drizzle very reminiscent of the Pacific Northwest. I would say it's making me feel right at home... except the rain is my least favorite thing about the Northwest. So really, it's just making me grimace. Though we ARE already using the cherry rain boots. And I get the to see Hubby carrying Aria, with her "helping" hold the umbrella. Today was especially adorable because she kept struggling to hold the umbrella upright while snuggling her head onto Daddy's shoulder. She was in a particularly snuggly mood today.

We wanted to do some more exploring on the Ginza (Arcade), and learned that we could shave 300 yen off the cab fare if we walked to the NEX first and had a cab pick us up there. Good knowledge to have in a financial pinch. Just think of the cab fare we would save if we walked the whole way! :) If this rainy season ever lets up I will be able to do a clearer cost-benefit analysis of walking the whole way.

There were certainly some interesting signs to be seen there. We didn't really manage to do any actual shopping but we got some exercise carrying Aria everywhere. And we are much more familiar with the strip now, so next time we can head directly to whichever section we need.

I almost missed this walking by, but if you look closely at the lower right corner of the window at this barbershop, you can see a sign that says "USA Welcome." Makes you feel pretty warm and fuzzy, doesn't it? Plus with the base being closeby and enough Americans roaming about the place, it's just good business practice to invite the Americans in. I have heard rumors that not all places here are that inviting, and that some places Americans will walk in and hear "dame dame!" or even "not your people." But so far our experience has been very inviting, and I hope it remains so.

I got some funny looks for snapping a picture of this, but it was too uniquely Japanese to ignore. This sign advertises the "Superkatsu Burger." For one, the name cracks me up because the way it's actually pronounced is exactly the same as the word "Supercuts" would be if a person with a Japanese accent were to pronounce it. "Su-pa-ka-tsu." Okay, so maybe I'm alone on being amused by that. Still, what is more hilarious to me about this "burger" is that it is actually a deep-fried panko-breaded chicken breast, topped with spaghetti and Japanese mayo. I imagine it's not so different from having a chicken parm on a bun, minus the cheese.

All this wandering and finding interesting signs got us hungry, so we decided to aim for try #2 at going to Gyuemon. Poor Aria was so tired at one point she tried to take a nap under the table, using her backpack as a pillow. We kept her awake with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on my iPhone, and that seemed to re-energize her a bit. We even managed to get her to eat a few bites of food!

This place, as my husband so eloquently put it, is like a Japanese Sizzler. Or some other chain diner. Hubby got the lemon steak, which had come highly recommended by several people. I had a bite and it was pretty tasty, in my opinion. Though he said it was on the greasy side. He elected to have the rice, miso soup, and salad as his sides. So all in all a pretty healthy meal.

I on the other hand, chose something off the "light meals" menu. I had seen it going by on a tray, to another table, as we were first seated. It looked delicious. This light combo meal consisted of smaller portions of spaghetti, shrimp gratin (which was like a cross between shrimp mac n' cheese, and S.O.S. Mostly flour and milk, and exceptionally thick), salad, and cream of corn soup. There was nothing light about this meal. Even the salad dressing felt heavy.

If we return to Gyuemon, I will most definitely be getting the lemon steak instead. That being said, the service was lovely and the ambiance homey and comforting in a very Western way. So for those wanting to eat at a Japanese joint, but feeling homesick for the USA, Gyuemon is not a bad way to go.

Hubby said he was still hungry, so we returned to one of my favorite places: Mister Donut.

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This... was a very good choice.

Home we headed with a bag of donuts and a very tired Aria. Needless to say we took the hit on the extra 300 yen, and took a taxi all the way back to the hotel. The rest of the day was spent waiting indoors in comfy pants for this Super Typhoon Sanba to make things extra miserable. So far we have been lucky, and our thoughts are with everyone hit hard by the storm (and all those still expected to be hit). This thing looks pretty ugly on the satellite imagery, but we continue to be optimistic we will remain relatively safe. And just in case, we're stocked up on pop tarts and water.