Okinawa – Sakura
Michelle and I are hungry, we skept lunch and we are looking for local food, it is past 6.00 pm. We are a bit disappointed as we are surrounded by tex-mex, tacos and burger places. It takes a while till we recall that probably this has to do with the massive presence of US soldiers and the numerous American military bases in Okinawa.
We spot a tiny tiny restaurant, named Sakura. We enter it and we are welcomed by a charming elderly lady that does not speak any English. She accommodates us at the only table of the restaurant (the other clients will sit at the counter) and she brings us a menu translated in English with pictures of the dishes so that we are able to order. We go for fried fish, fried tofu, fried seaweeds, marinated seaweeds, and a rice dish. Everything is delicious, but we particularly like the fried crispy fish, so we order two more portions of it. The icy draft beer put us in a great mood and even if communication is difficult, the lady understands we appreciate the food. All the other clients are Japanese and they make us feel very welcome. « Enjoy Japan. Enjoy Okinawa ».
What struck me most here was the honesty of the lady. She brings us the check and I misread the amount, so we pay way too much. She realizes the mistakes and gives us back more than half the money. Now, coming from a country where many restaurants in touristic areas are accustomed to screw clients, especially foreigners that do no speak a word of Italian, I deeply appreciate the fact that they do not reciprocate that awful treatment.
The following night, Ylenia has joined us and we decide she must experience Sakura restaurant. The lady is overjoyed to see that, not only we came back, but we brought a friend with us. This time we order three portions of fried fish (it’s the only thing we don’t want to share), jointly with marinated octopus, roasted fish (that we were ask to select) seaweeds and I can’t remember what else. We do enjoy the atmosphere and the food. After two icy draft beers, we go to the next level, I take plum wine and my travel mates go for highball.
We have pictures with the lady and we hug her strongly before we say goodbye. That was the apex of our experience in Okinawa.
