Earth's bounty. On a tiny little island.

If you ever venture to Yoron, you simply must experience the fresh, wholesome, organic goodness that is Sharon Fruit and Herb Garden Restaurant.

This restaurant is situated on an organic farm, and wouldn't you know it, all the fruits and vegetables and herbs come directly from the farm. The farm right outside the restaurant's doors. The farm that is tended to everyday by the happy people of Yoron. And by the happy kids of Yoron, who come to the farm from the neighboring preschool to learn about how veggies and fruits and plants grow.

I just loved it. All of it.

On to the actual eats: to start off, we had two kinds of pizza -- one with corn and ham, the other with calimari and shrimp and peppers. You can start off any meal with pizza, I think. Especially if they taste like these did.


Then, spaghetti with pork belly and fresh okra, onion and tomato.


And just in case we weren't stuffed from the huge mounds of pasta, they gave us little sandwiches, too. These were as simple and as scrumptious as can be.


Dessert was just amazing: fresh mango pudding. SO fresh, and you could taste it. I felt like I was eating the mango straight off the tree.


And finally: refreshing homemade papaya soda.


And something that isn't shown here: fresh lemongrass herb tea. Made from fresh lemongrass. That is GROWN, right THERE, in the gardens outside. That they hand-picked just for us. You just can't get any fresher than that.

I tasted Earth's bounty that day. And it was delicious.

Don and don. (But not done.)

First, I have to disclose that I am no longer in Japan (unfortunately). I've been back for a few weeks now, but there was too much good food consumed to stop blogging about it! So bear with me as I hammer out these last few posts.

During our stay at Yoron Island, a tiny little island near Okinawa, we frequented a delicious little restaurant in town run by by the nicest Yoronese couple you might ever meet.

A small group of just strolled in one night, stuffed our faces, and in appreciation, brought back our friends a few more times to partake in the tasty local grub-eating.

A sampling of what was devoured:

Ten-don -- tempura (with the dipping sauce IN the batter) over rice.


Katsu-don -- breaded pork cutlet over rice.


Gyu-don -- beef and soft-cooked egg and onions over rice.


Wow.

That's a lot of don. I ate a ton of don in Yoron. I realize this just now. Well, can you blame me? It's yummy, comforting, cheap cheap, and filling. We did a TON of walking. I needed don, for the energy and sustenance. Yes, that's right.

I probably didn't need this homemade gyoza, but I sure as hell wanted it.


Take me back! I'm overdue for my don.

Markets in downtown Naha, Okinawa.

Glorious sensory overload, especially for seafood lovers:




Mini mangoes! Together now: Awwww.


An Okinawan specialty: Taco rice.


Miso that resembles salsa:


I picked up this strange fruit: kanisuteru. The flesh was sweet, soft and starchy, and tasted similar to chestnuts.


Mango Tango ice cream from Blue Seal -- how Okinawans do ice cream.

Multi-course meal at Ichi No Yuu.

Our hotel in Hakone, Ichi No Yuu, served up some of the tastiest dishes ever for dinner, which came with our stay. This was one of the best meals of the trip thus far.


Fried unagi salad appetizer.


Delicate, custardy tofu with shrimps.


Cold buckwheat udon noodles.


The main course: sliced, steamed pork belly.


..With ponzu. I was in heaven.


Smoked salmon with wasabi spinach.


No meal is complete without steamed rice.


It just kept on coming: scallop fishcake with nori and mushrooms.


And for dessert: Fresh yuzu sorbet with pieces of candied yuzu peel.


We also had a multi-course breakfast the next day. Mmm!

Shiso kamaboko from Hakone.

This was just a little ball of fishcake goodness with bits of shiso.


Sensei shared her bag of kamaboko (fishcake) with us. I was going to get my own, but we would have missed our train. Hakone is known for its kamaboko.

Serious comfort food.

Delicious shio ramen from a little dive in Chidori-cho in Tokyo, near our hotel.


I feel like I haven't eaten enough ramen on this trip. I've only had it twice. Blasphemy!

Pork katsu curry rice from Coco Curry House in Shibuya. The curry had bits of tender meat.


I finished it ALL.

More food on-the-go.

We're traveling around a ton, so a lot of the food I've been picking up comes from the konbini (convenience stores), train stations, food stands, etc.

A mixed sandwich box right before we're about to hop on the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Hakone.


Ham and cheese, egg salad, and tuna. I tasted a hint of curry in the wheat-looking bread.

By the way, looking at this photo again is making me crave American food. A really big, cheesy slice of pizza sounds so good right now.

Harajuku crêpe.

This is the filling of a stuffed crêpe, obtained in the Harajuku district of Tokyo.


Fresh strawberries, strawberry pudding, whipped cream, and rice dumplings. I wolfed this puppy down, and then I craved another. Are ichigo (strawberries) sweeter in Japan?

They just do some things a little better here.

Things eaten in Japan I just can't get in the States.

McDonald's McFlurry (makkufuruurii) with real strawberries and crushed Oreos.


Makku also cooks eggs perfectly -- as in: soft to medium, and not rubbery and overcooked -- for their breakfast sandwiches. Yes, I went there. So?

Thick and luscious mango gelato in a waffle cone from 7/11.



EDIBLE -- and delicious -- chirashi-zushi bowls from your local supermarkets and convenience stores.


Balls of fruity sorbet from Circle K.



As much as I love food back home, I know I'll seriously miss this stuff when I return.

Nishiki Market in Kyoto.

Biking allows for fantastic exploration. In Kyoto, I rented a bike and decided to find Nishiki Market, which I read about in my travel book. Tucked away between residential alleyways, the market takes up a couple blocks and, according to the book, is where chefs and cooks go for fresh ingredients and supplies.




I could totally imagine myself living in Kyoto and biking to this market regularly.

By the way, you know the scene in Kill Bill when The Bride gazes lovingly at Hattori Hanzo's collection of katanas, while angelic music provides the soundtrack? That is similar to what I felt looking at these knives.

As I was wandering around, I passed by a vendor selling various yakitori and fried things on sticks. They pulled me aside, quite forcefully, for a sample of fried unagi (eel).

I was so glad they did.