Dirty Dozen +1 (Around the world...)

[moykky]

Hmmm...does the rest of the world eat their burgers & fries with a fork? Or are we just really backward here in Singapore?

Yeah, it's so annoying that we have to spit and curse all the time!

[mizanation]

today, yuki got the keys for the retail space which will become her new boutique.

pretty empty right now. it used to be a famous music studio for one of the top record labels in okinawa. they've moved to a huge state-of-the-art facility, but hopefully, some of their success will rub off on us.

next, we went to makeman. makeman is like home depot on steroids. they have all sorts of DIY stuff.

wood.

lighting.

flowers.

spray paint.

i always try to get a quick workout in whenever i go to makeman.

[mizanation]

toilet technology in japan is super-advanced. the toilets here have heated seats and they spray warm water at your asshole. now, that's CLEAN! in the states you have to pay someone good money for that kind of service! not to mention, it's illegal in 11 states.

makeman has a nice assortment of fish.

believe it or not, they sell poisonous baby puffer fish, aka fugu. they're cute but possess a liver full of deadly toxins. kinda like some girls i've dated in the past.

they had a dressing room so you could try on different uniforms, etc. inside i discovered the most ridiculous engrish i've ever seen.

i usually carry both “cheaks” into the dressing room.

me having fun with some cinder blocks.

nothing says “DIY” like a white guy with a saw.

[mizanation]

for dinner, we went to a special japanese izakaya (bar restaurant) called “ugokumachi,” which means “moving town.” it reminded me of the inn in "spirited away." it was like being in a beautiful but eery world.

like many japanese restaurants, you must remove your shoes. they have lockers available so someone doesn't steal your limited edition dunks.

this izakaya is supposed to capture the feel of the night before a japanese matsuri (festival). the night before a matsuri there's always a big party.

our booth.

the view from our booth was beautiful.

japanese menus are action-packed.

in japan, you can press a button to call the wait staff over.

[mizanation]

our first dish was a daikon salad.

next, spicy tuna spring rolls.

chinese style pan-fried seafood noodles.

deep fried chicken drizzled with ginger dressing.

at this point, the lights go completely off and loud club music starts blasting in the izakaya. then the whole place lights up in purple lights and a disco ball shines light everywhere.

apparently, they are having a drink special for 30 minutes. while the club music is playing and the disco ball is twirling, you can get a discount on cocktails.

we settle for a delicious dessert instead. toasted danishes with vanilla ice cream...

i had such a great time here. the place had such an ethereal ambiance.

[beatle]

Man - the food looks delicious....

[thaiison]

yes it really does. and miz, you're doing a great job. Thank you for all the updates

[mizanation]

we finish off the night by stopping by kozakura, one of my favorite bars. it's run by our friend masako-san who is an extraordinary person. she has dedicated her life to this town and its citizens. in the day time, she runs an NPO for the koza community. at night, she runs this bar, which is like the cheers of koza. at kozakura, you can meet a lot of very interesting people—surgeons, chefs, musicians, government officials, writers, business people—and that's just the regulars. just tonight, we randomly met a famous record label owner and a world-ranked professional boxer. this place reminds me of the old bars you read about that were places where all the intellectuals, entrepreneurs and artists met. a very special place indeed.

[Leonard Leroy]

Was the boxer Japanese? Japanese boxers haven't been impressive lately, but I'm curious. I wanna to deduce who he is and boxrec him.

(I love boxing so much.)

(I'm the biggest boxing fan I know)

(And I am ridiculously enthralled by your Okinawan account here, miz)

The atmosphere of that bar looks awesome, it appears to me as if someone opened a bar in their house and invited friends over every night.

[mizanation]

at every japanese restaurant or bar, they will give you a moist hand towel. it's customary to wipe your hands with it, but it's considered bad form to wipe your face with it. i'm not sure what they will do if you wipe your ass with it.

tonight i drink awamori. awamori is the official distilled liquor of okinawa. it's made from thai rice and like all good things, get better with age. awamori is usually 60 proof and tastes nice and has a robust taste. traditionally, you drink it on the rocks mixed with water. this stuff can get you pretty drunk, pretty damn quick. but, the best thing about awamori is that the following day, you will rarely get a hang over.

awamori can come in clay jars like this:

but it usually comes in bottles like this:

mix with ice and water and you're good to go.

kampai!

that's all for now! see you all tomorrow.

[mizanation]

btw, thanks for all the friendly comments!

[Spastic_Koala]

I wouldn't mind trading lives.

[cheep]

me either.

[denimdestroyedmylife]

why can't i be miz?

[moykky]

why can't i be miz?

Devote your life to buddhism and who knows -you might born as Miz in your next life! Om mani....

[cheep]

Devote your life to buddhism and who knows -you might born as Miz in your next life! Om mani....

what happens if this is your last life tho? im pretty sure im not gonna be reincarnated...

remember, go to the blue light, not the soft white.

[↓ Is The New ↑]

nothing says “DIY†like a white guy with a saw.

oh tis funny indeed.

[pomata]

now I wanna visit Okinawa and have some awamori. kampai!

by the way, jeans look good also.

[wesc]

awamori sounds good ! i must give it a shot one day haha. (literally)

[sircheesecake]

I check this thread every morning because I know Miz will have another episode of his epic journeys through Okinawa.

ウないよ。

[Akira]

I bet the sweet potatoes at that farmer's market would be amazing (it goes without saying that I mean Okinawan sweet potatoes of course )

[chambo2008]

well done best pics/update!!

[bonjin]

this is amazing. love the detailed updates.

i went to okinawa for a week once. i think i might need to move there now.

[mizanation]

today was a pretty uneventful day. it's typhoon season right now in okinawa so the weather has been rainy. every year around this time, typhoons hit the region. it's not a big deal, if anything, it's a big excuse to go the bar and drink. the houses here are usually made out of concrete so rarely is there any damage. people here have been coexisting with typhoons for thousands of years. in fact, when there are no major typhoons (like this year), it causes problems for farmers who rely on rain water it brings. hopefully, a big typhoon will hit in the next couple weeks so i can show you some pics.

we went to makeman again to look at flooring. on the way over, i saw a funny sign for a dentist office. i hope they are talking about your teeth:

at makeman, they have a blue seal ice cream stand. blue seal is okinawa's favorite ice cream. they've been scooping out ice cream to locals for 60 years. their ice cream is really good and they have okinawan-themed flavors that aren't available at the other spots.

today, i ordered a very okinawan ice cream combination. the purple scoop is ice cream made from okinawan sweet potatoes. the bottom scoop is called "blue wave" and it's basically sherbet with pineapple chunks. both tasted fantastic!

at makeman, they have items that you don't see at home depot. for instance, you can buy mini tatami mats that add a nice japanese touch to your home. they give off a nice fresh straw smell. in japan, people take off their shoes in the house, so tatami mats are comfortable to walk on. also, in the summertime, they stay nice and cool, whereas carpet can get pretty warm.

these are goza straw mats. they are like tatami's lightweight cousin. you can throw these on the floor whenever you want to sit on a straw mat. when you're done, you can roll them up.

[mizanation]

some of you may be wondering what kind of sandals i've been wearing. they are sandals made by mr. and mrs. maeda in naha, okinawa.

mr. maeda is the son of a sandal maker. he has been designing and making footwear for many years. in milan, he studied italian shoe making. now, he and his wife run their own sandal shop called "eyefinger" in okinawa. eyefinger is the name of an okinawan tree frog. since it only lives on land, it doesn't have webbed feet.

anyways, the cool thing about the eyefinger sandals is that they get better with age! the okinawan climate has been too hot and humid for the heavy leather boots that i love so much. luckily i came across mr. maeda's sandals that over time mold to your foot and develop a nice patina.

here's an example of maeda-san's own pair of sandals that he wore over a year. they started out looking like the pair on the left.

he makes many different styles...

i got a pair in this style:

here's how they look with the evisu's...

i've been wearing these everyday and they are super comfortable. the leather is already conforming to my feet. in a few months, i think they are going to look and feel pretty nice. if i'm satisfied with how they perform, i am going to see if i can sell these to people outside of okinawa.

anyways, that's today's update. might go drinking tonight, we'll see.

[denimdestroyedmylife]

P1AeCsIKq8g

[mizanation]

that was incredible in so many ways, diddy.

[beatle]

Yes....diddy's always got a great punchline...love the what kind of car ..a penguin car part...

[mizanation]

i will never look at that logo the same way again. from now on, i will always imagine a penguin blowing a seal. thanks, diddy!

[maruka]

hey miznation do they have the D.A.R.E program in okinawa as well? they taught that in elementary schools in canada. I was very surprised to see you wearing that shirt.