Chuka Soba Tsuki no Akari is a sleek shop on Gate 2 Street that is popular and familiar to Kadena residents and employees.

If you’re traveling to Japan with your entire family - particularly with little ones in tow - you may be wondering about quick, relatively inexpensive places to eat that cater to the whole crew.

Growing up, subuta, a sweet and sour pork dish, was not my favorite.

Seeking a familiar flavor of my time years ago in Tokyo, I visited Chinmaya Izumizaki Icchoume-ten in Naha for spicy mapo tofu over rice.

Ebi-chili is a sweet and spicy shrimp dish you’ll find at many Chinese restaurants in Japan.

On Okinawa, where the heat lasts beyond summer, my love for spicy food remains even through the autumn season. Despite the variety of spicy foods I can have, there is one that I miss from when I lived on the mainland— Mapo Tofu, a spicy dish.

Chao fan (Chinese fried rice) is loved around the world. Commonly called “chahan” or “chaahan”, this Chinese food has many fans in Japan as well.

Try this mouthwatering shrimp fried rice that is easy to make at home!

If you want to taste what tsukemen is like, this is the place. Enjoy dipping fat noodles into a thick rich pork broth soup. You may have to wait in the line because it’s a popular.  And get there early because the shop closes for the day when the tsukemen is sold out.

I like to eat. No. I love to eat. But there were a few things I’d heard are particularly good in Hong Kong that I absolutely had to try.