Yazaemon

Many months ago I posted about our first experience at a sushi-go-round. This particular sushi-go-round, Yazaemon, is located inside of a mall in Awase. The first time we went there I was impressed by the go-round and not by the sushi; mostly because I had not been exposed to the nigiri style (fish on rice). So the first time was good, but not great.


We went again, and again, and each time Yazaemon grew on me. The fish was always fresh and delicious and the Japanese very kind to us.


Then March came, and we took my parents to Yazaemon. Mom and Dad love sushi, so this seemed like a natural choice. I don't think I've ever seen my dad (1) so excited for dinner and (2) so sad to leave dinner! They liked it so much, that we went back! Twice in a two-week vacation to Okinawa.


My parents left, and then Joe and I left for Tokyo. It was a difficult week; but Tokyo was wonderful and a much needed break from Okinawa. We arrived back in Okinawa at dinner time, and didn't have any food left in the house - so where did we go? Of course I suggested Yazaemon! It was then that Joe pointed out my new love for Yazaemon; I had two wonderful evenings there with my parents and Joe. I am definitely one who emotionally equates food to family and memories. (Or maybe it is a Polish trait and many years of Wigilia!)


In April we took my cousin Colleen and her husband TJ to Yazaemon. Even though Colleen was still not a sushi fan, she was in love with the at-table hot water for green tea. TJ was adventurous and he and Joe tried almost every plate that went by us on the conveyor belt. They liked it so much that I also took them back for lunch later in their trip. Again, twice in one week!


Well, I was there again tonight. (Joe and I have been back since April. I believe I requested Yazaemon before we went to the states, as I needed sushi before I left!) Joe was at a dental dinner, so I decided to treat myself to some sushi. As I sat at the bar, watching plate after plate pass me by, I couldn't help but think of all the wonderful times I have had with my family at Yazaemon. It's funny that one little restaurant in Okinawa could instill such a powerful feeling in me. Each time I visit the restaurant, I not only have a delicious meal, but a wonderfully warm sense of home. If there is such a thing as sushi comfort food, its at Yazaemon.


It made me wonder for the first time, what will I truly feel nostalgic about when I leave this foreign island? Right now, I am nostalgic for family in unusual places. But two years from now, what part of Okinawa will leave an imprint on my heart? Will it be Yazaemon, a place of truly wonderful food and "western" memories? Will it be a beach or a park? Another restaurant? Perhaps the kind Okinawans that we see in passing?