Eating In Okinawa: Ramen Danbo

Surprisingly, we’ve never heard of this ramen chain store until we went to Okinawa.

Apparently, they have so many outlets in Japan and all over the world including the States! In fact, we had stumbled upon this long queue of people outside a ramen restaurant along Kokusai-Dori and thought to ourselves like true blue Singaporeans that this must be good ramen. So we decided to queue for it despite it being a windy cold 14 degree C night. After a good 70 minutes of queuing, we made it in!

Like many ramen restaurants, they don’t have that many different choices but since it was my first time trying it, I opted for the most basic & signature option while the husband chose the sesame version.

Ordering is done via a machine, so order first before taking  a seat, then give details about your orders – Texture of your noodles, flavour of your soup and choice of add-ons etc.

I had high expectations of the ramen because of the long queue and the truth is, if I had queued so long for this, it’d better be good, right??

AND…. IT’S SUPER GOOD! The ramen tasted pretty similar to Ichiran’s and I love the texture of the noodles. The gyozas were good too – Super juicy as I bit into them!

And as you can see – the egg was good too! Cooked perfectly.

We enjoyed the meal so much that we decided that we had to go back again another day, and this time round, we went at 1am (The shop closes at 2am) and thought that we won’t need to queue at this kind of weird timing. I mean, who eats ramen at 1am, right?? Apparently, we were not the only ones with this grand idea. We still had to queue but we made it in within 15 minutes, which I was grateful for. Haha. So far in Japan, they have outlets in Tokyo, Fukuoka and Okinawa. Strongly recommend you give it a try when you are in those places! =)

To read my earlier posts on Okinawa, you can click here: http://www.jbabiesinthedaisies.com/search/label/Okinawa

Okinawa Travel: Sakura Blooming 2019

There were many reasons why we decided to visit Okinawa during its off peak season in January. The weather would be perfect at 14 to 19 degrees Celsius and there would be much fewer people because Okinawa is typically a popular summer vacation destination where throngs of people would flock to the beaches to surf and dive. Therefore, everything is cheap during this period – Airfares, accommodation etc. We only paid $250/pax for our Jetstar direct flight tickets from Singapore to Okinawa! But perhaps the best reason of it all is because it’s also their sakura blooming season! From Jan to Feb, sakuras will bloom in Okinawa, first among its other Japan counterparts. This would be our best chance to catch sakuras without burning a hole in our pockets.

There are several Sakura Festivals happening at various places in Okinawa and you can easily find those information on google. We chose to visit Mount Yaedake because it was nearby to the other attractions we were visiting that day. Some trees have started to bloom, but I’m sure when it’s peak sakura season, it’d look gorgeous! We were a little early for the season but my heart was already filled with gratitude we managed to see them! Words don’t do justice to the beauty of the sakuras, so I shall stop here and leave you with the photos we captured!

You can read the rest of my post in this series of Okinawa Travel here: http://www.jbabiesinthedaisies.com/search/label/Okinawa
For my self-drive itinerary, you can go to this post.

Eating In Okinawa: Ryukyusabo Ashibiuna

During my research on Okinawa, I came across reviews of this restaurant near to Shuri Castle and recommended by many people online, so I added it into my itinerary on the day we planned to visit Shuri Castle. I wasn’t planning on spending time to look for the restaurant but as we were walking from the castle back to the monorail station, the husband saw this restaurant with a lush green entrance and walked in to take a look. Turned out it was Ryukyusabo Ashibiuna! Totally didn’t waste anytime looking for it. =P

I could recognise the restaurant instantly because I had seen many photographs of it online and that garden courtyard is hard to miss. Netizens recommend waiting for seats in the open courtyard and we did. Thankfully, the queue was not long despite it being peak lunch hour. The entire restaurant was packed to the brim but we still managed to get our outdoor seats within 15 minutes. All’s good!

How lovely is this?? Dining outdoors especially during winter is an extremely enjoyable experience. Hot bowls of food delivered to you and you can dig in with the gorgeous garden view in front of you. It was such a relaxing gastronomic experience!

We ordered a bento set as well as their signature Okinawan Soba. The food was good and comforting and prices were not as exorbitant as we thought it would be. I think we spent about $40 for this meal – Totally worth it.

My stir-fried pork slices served with Okinawan rice was such a tummy pleaser. Don’t know what side dishes those were but they tasted not bad. Love it that they also included two small slices of pineapples to end the meal with.

We had to order their Purple Yam Tiramisu since purple yam is Okinawa’s local produce and it tasted pretty good! All in all, it was a happy and good meal. I highly recommend a visit when you are in Okinawa!

Ryukyusabo Ashibiuna
Address: 2 Chome-13 Shuritonokuracho, Naha, Okinawa Prefecture 903-0812, Japan

To read the rest of my posts on Okinawa, please go to: http://www.jbabiesinthedaisies.com/search/label/Okinawa

Hotel WBF Artstay Okinawa Naha

Media Review

We stayed at two different accommodations during our trip to Okinawa and the first one left a deep impression on me. Hotel WBF Artstay Okinawa Naha is conveniently located right smacked on Kokusai-Dori, the main shopping and dining street in Naha. Donki Donki, convenience stores such as Lawson’s and Family Mart were within walking distance and Starbucks was just diagonally across the road from the hotel. The hotel was also nearby to two Yui Rail stations with many bus stops scattered in the vicinity. The best part was that even though it was located in a prime area, the rates are very reasonable and you’ll literally gasp when you step into the boutique hotel because of how beautifully furnished it was. At least I did!

Love how the walls and ceilings are all lined with wood – I thought I was in a cabin in the woods! Everything in the space was very muji-inspired and exuded a soothing and relaxing vibe. Did I mention it smells good in there too? It was a huge contrast from the rowdy and busy shopping street outside and I felt like this was a such a restful abode.

The reception counter was decorated with colourful painting done by kids in Thailand. Many of these kids may be living with poor conditions back in their country, yet their paintings showed so much hope and joy. The hotel supports them as part of their community efforts and such paintings can be seen everywhere in the hotel.

I was actually quite surprised when I stepped into our room because Japan is notorious for their shoebox hotel rooms. Our room was actually huge and spacious – There was even a full-length writing desk by the window!

Every room in the hotel is decorated differently, and you can see all the room designs in the coffee table magazine available for browsing at the lobby area.

There are separate toilet and shower rooms, with all the toiletries provided of course.

There was also a free smartphone provided in the room, which you can bring out with you and tap on their google search functions so you don’t have to use your personal data plans. What a nice gesture!

You’ll be pleased to know that the hotel provides complimentary drinks and snacks 24 hours a day in their lobby restaurant and by that, I’m talking about many different types of coffee, 24 different types of tea, miso soup and sake! It’s beyond amazing, I know!

Breakfast was such a glorious affair here in the hotel because they serve breakfast all the way till 12noon! How awesome is that! The selection was impressive as well ranging from Western to Japanese and even Indian food!

I enjoyed all my breakfasts in the hotel because the food was good and the ambience was perfect!

Families travelling with kids would be happy to know that they not only have a kids’ play area within the lobby restaurant, they also have a food line just for the kids, and there’s even a chocolate fondue fountain!

Not only that, the hotel also provides complimentary toiletries and items for your baby and children’s needs. They are readily available near the reception counter. Really a nice gesture by the hotel, I feel!

If you are planning a trip to Okinawa soon, consider staying at Hotel WBF Artstay Okinawa Naha. I super loved my stay there and would definitely consider staying there again if I go back to Naha. =D

To read the rest of my posts on Okinawa, please go to: http://www.jbabiesinthedaisies.com/search/label/Okinawa

Disclosure: The J Babies was sponsored a 3D2N stay with complimentary breakfast for two, for review purposes. All photos and opinions in this post are solely ours.