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Every athlete is looking for an advantage over the next athlete. In Japan they take it to the next level for sure.

Forget about performance enhancing drugs, they cut fastballs in half!

Our last night in Tokyo we decided to check out a place I found while doing my recent photowalk in Ginza. The place I speak of is a pretty popular and famous destination that goes by the name of Sapporo Lion Beer Hall.

The Sapporo Lion Beer Hall located in Ginza is Japans first and oldest beer hall, built in 1899. Even more surprising is how this beer hall has managed to stay standing after the massive air raids by allied bombers during WWII. The fact that this place still exists is enough for me to check it out.

We arrived around 7 p.m. and it appeared that every table had someone occupying it. It was busy but we got right in and seated. The bottom floor has very tall vaulted ceilings and an almost Gothic styling that I enjoyed. Towards the back of this massive room was a mural that covered nearly half of the wall. I thought the mural really added a lot to the atmosphere and brought the restaurant together nicely.

Upstairs was a little less crowded but it still had crowds of  excited people enjoying a cold beer. After speaking with a waiter, the difference in the floors is the menu. Supposedly, the first and second floors have somewhat different menus. I didn’t get a chance to check out the bottom floor menu but I will take the waiters word for it.

As far as the food went, I had the beef stew and thought that is was surprisingly good. It could have been the two large boots of beer that accompanied my stew though. My wife had some fondue, but I don’t think someone can really mess up fondue.

Another great bonus was every boot of beer I ordered came with a little ticket that I had to open to reveal a prize. Apparently, I won both times and received four ¥500 off tickets which I gave to the party of people sitting next to us. It was our last night and we knew we wouldn’t be back , so I figured the nice people next to us would really appreciate a couple free beers on the gaijin couple.

As far as last nights go, we are pretty happy we stumbled upon the Sapporo Lion Beer Hall. The atmosphere, food, and especially the beer were all worth while.

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Here are all of the photos from the Sapporo Lion Beer Hall.

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It has been a wonderful experience spending the last three years of my life in Okinawa, Japan. Okinawa will always have a place in my heart for sure. It was the place I got married to my beautiful wife, discovered my passion for photography, started this website, and met and created some great friendships.

A quick look through my website and you will see that the majority of the content has to do with Okinawa. For this reason, it is quite obvious that my wife and I really enjoyed the island, culture and the especially the people.

What else can I say about Okinawa except, you really have to experience it first hand to understand how much it saddens us to leave. I hope we can have the great fortune to visit or someday live there again.

Goodbye Okinawa!

One of my favorite local taco restaurants on island is Charlie’s Tacos. Today I decided that I would stop by and have some tacos before I leave and really regret not getting my Okinawan taco fix.

Charlie’s Tacos has some really great tasting food. You will probably pay a little more than what you are use to for a  taco, but I am sure you will appreciate their unique style.

Charlie’s Tacos is a very popular spot and that is evident as soon as you walk through the door. Every time I have been there the place is just packed.

I generally stick with and suggest getting their two tacos and taco rice set for ¥980. One of my favorite things about this set is their taco rice. They give you the option of ordering it regular or spicy. I promise you that their spicy taco rice is definitely out of this world because every time I go there I inhale it!

Charlie’s Tacos isn’t a new place to grab a great tasting taco in Okinawa. You will notice everywhere that Charlie’s has been providing great service and amazing taco since 1956. If you don’t trust me, have a look at their walls. They are covered with satisfied customers throughout the years.

I always go to the Charlie’s Tacos right outside of Kadena Air Base gate 2. But, if you are in Naha on Kokusai street, make sure you check out their second location.

The bottom line is that I have really enjoyed going to Charlie’s  Tacos for the past three years. If you have a chance, check it out!

Helpful Information

Hours/Phone

Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Phone: 098 937-4627

Location/Directions

Location: 4-11-5 Chuo, Okinawa-City

Directions: Charlie’s Tacos is only a five minute walk from Kadena Air Base Gate 2 and is located on B.C. street.

From Kadena Air Base gate 2, drive straight a couple of lights and make a left. You will reach B.C. street. Make a left on B.C. street and Charlie’s Tacos will be on your right.

Ever look at the bottom of the tequila bottle and wonder how the worm would taste? Well, I kind of had that moment last night when I decided to take things one step further by trying some habu sake. If you have no clue, habu sake is made using the poisonous venom of the habu snake and is a very popular drink in Okinawa, Japan.

The strange thing is that habu sake isn’t actually sake at all. It is made with awamori . Unlike sake, awamori is created through the distilling of rice. Generally,  longer awamori aging will produce a smoother more potent awamori that tastes absolutely terrific.

One major concern about drinking habu sake is thinking the snake venom will be harmful to your body. However, the habu sake poses no risk because the poisonous venom dissolves in the alcohol. Actually, the habu is said to contain 19 amino acids that are actually beneficial to humans. So I would suggest drinking this stuff as often as possible!

Here are a couple photos from last night when I got the bartenders from the Tokyo Dai-ichi hotel to join me in a couple shots of habu sake. For some reason some of them were reluctant to have a shot with me.

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I love Japan and the fact that you can buy an Orion draft beer straight from a vending machine. This is something you definitely don’t see back in the states.

If you have ¥290 or roughly 3 dollars you can have a great tasting beer from a vending machine!

Just in case you forgot how to use a vending machine, here are a couple pictures that may make things a little easier for you.

Ask almost anyone what their favorite seafood restaurant is on Okinawa and they will most definitely tell you Sam’s By The Sea . Every year Sam’s By The Sea wins numerous awards throughout the Pacific region including best seafood restaurant for what I believe is 8 consecutive times. This is hands down my favorite place to go for special occasions with the wife and friends.

Sam’s by the Sea in Awase is actually part of a chain or group of Sam’s restaurants here on Okinawa. I can only vouch for the Sam’s by the Sea in Awase though. My guess is that the quality of service at the other locations is top notch also.

The menu is a little more pricier than other establishments off base. However, the quality of food, level of service, and atmosphere are well worth the final bill. My wife and I usually order their specialty drinks which come with a really cool cup to take home, appetizers, surf and turf or King crab legs for dinner and our bill ends up around $90. Like I said earlier, we absolutely love this place.

To emphasize a point more in detail…this place is truly amazing! I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone staying on Okinawa.

The best waitress ever

Helpful Information

Hours/Phone

Hours: Open everyday from 16:30 – 24:00

Phone:  098-937-3421

Location/Directions

Location: Address / 1-41-15 Awase Okinawa City. code 904-2172

Directions: From Kadena Air Base gate 2, drive straight to the Awase area. You will pass through the RT 329 intersection and continue going straight until you see a large King Kong on the left side of the road. Take a left at the light right after King Kong Yakiniku and follow the signs. They have plenty of parking so don’t worry.

Our time here on Okinawa is quickly coming to an end. It is amazing to think that nearly three years have passed since we first arrived here on Okinawa. In a little less than three weeks Brittany and I will be leaving Okinawa for England. It really makes me sad to think of leaving such a great little island.

On a more pleasant note, we wanted to have a sushi night at Yoshi Hachi’s with Mot and Ashley before they leave for Texas next week. We might as well have some great sushi before leave…right! Not to mention that Ashley is a total Yoshi roll fanatic!

Here are some pictures from the night.

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