On Saturday, before the tropical storm swept through, we made our first family foray out into town. We started small and ventured through American Village. American Village is a large outdoor marketplace (with some indoor areas) with shops, restaurants, and a huge Ferris wheel. It is right across the street from Camps Foster and Lester. As you can see, we are all thrilled, and Memphis is continuing her support of mixed prints. At least she’s not wearing the Uggs.
We had lunch at a restaurant called Depot’s Garden. The menu was largely in Japanese, but it had a few English translations and lots of pictures. The kids ordered from the pictures. Matt chose teriyaki chicken, which was a seared chicken breast with cheese. Ransom and I ordered a cold pasta dish with tomato sauce and pork spare rib. Jet and Memphis ordered a kid’s hodge podge plate, and Cora Jo ordered a cream corn soup over rice.
We immediately received soup and salad—the soup was a delicious creamy cheese soup with a potato base. The salad was largely iceberg lettuce with cabbage and a tangy lemon dressing. I loved both and could have probably stopped there.
One of the great things about eating out here is how quickly they bring the kids plates out. The kids’ hodge podge plate included a little spaghetti, a happy face French fry, corn, a small hamburger, a fried shrimp, a scoop of mashed potato, and an orange drink. Unfortunately, the kids mostly did not eat, although kudos to them for trying everything on the plate.
Matt’s chicken was delicious and perfectly cooked. Ransom and I agreed that the pasta was good, although it had a tangy sauce that was definitely different. At the end of the meal, they brought two desserts out—I didn’t get pictures because we ate them too fast. We had a strawberry cake and a sweet potato cheesecake. They were delicious, albeit less sweet than the American versions. I would definitely go back for dessert and tea one afternoon. Aside from the chopsticks next to the forks, the dining at this restaurant was similar to an American experience; we sat in booths, kept our shoes on, and tried not to shoot each other with straw wrappers. One difference in Japanese restaurants is that service is included in the prices, so we did not tip. Our little meal was about 6000 yen, which is about $76 dollars. I would have liked to be irritated at spending that much money for the kids not to eat, but combining kids and new dining experiences is always a gamble. Heck, sometimes they do that in the states, when they order $5 mac and cheese and then refuse to eat. Oh well, we’ll keep trying.
After lunch, we walked over to Sunset Beach to see one of the beach areas. This one was a little cove area, and it was netted off to keep the jellyfish out. (Ransom in front, Jet WAY behind…they refused to stand next to each other. Yay for family love.)
Next, we walked up the street and headed indoors for some air conditioning. We stopped at the 100 yen store, which is similar to the dollar store, and a lot of fun. From there, Matt, Ransom, and Memphis rode the Ferris wheel, while I stayed downstairs with the chickens…
On the way back to the van, Matt got to stop at Starbucks, and he learned not to say “room for cream,” because they heard “add a metric ton of cream.” At the Starbucks here, they have little individual cups (like creamer) of simple syrup to flavor your drinks (Bradshaws, I am going to send you some.) Otherwise, the store looks much the same.
We got to practice our hellos, thank yous, and money exchange skills. Next time, I think we’ll venture out a little further. Memphis is begging for noodles, and Ransom is dying to check out the beaches. More prints to wear and adventures to come!