Afternoon shopping

✨ Afternoon Shopping｜To Kugani Market Before Lunar New Year

I headed out shopping in the afternoon.
Today was the weekend before Lunar New Year, and with professional baseball spring training also underway, I expected many tourists. So I headed to Kugani Market in Haebaru Town.

The parking lot was full, but luckily I managed to park in the closest available spot.

🍌 Apple Bananas and “Insunaba”

Inside the store, I first bought my main goal: apple bananas.
After that, I also bought “futansou” (called “insunaba” in Okinawa).

It’s incredibly delicious when stir-fried with canned tuna and miso.
This was also my late father’s favorite dish, and I plan to make it for offerings during the Lunar New Year.

🍤 100-Yen Tempura at the Tempura Shop

After finishing shopping and stepping outside, I found a tempura shop right nearby.
They had five types, each for 100 yen, so I bought two of each kind.
It was a great deal for a total of 1000 yen.

As soon as we got back to the car, my mother happily dug into the piping hot tempura,
eating it with a big smile.

Lunch at Sanei Tomigusuku Store

On the way back, we stopped at Sanei Tomigusuku Store
to grab lunch and do a little shopping.
This was probably our second visit.

The food court is on the basement floor,

with

McDonald’s,
Joyful Mini,
and Wafutei

lined up.
There’s also “Coffee Time” on the second floor.

This time, I ordered the Okinawa Soba Set Meal at Joyful Mini.

Mom had eaten tempura in the car and said, “I don’t need lunch,”
but I asked her to eat just a little to take her medicine.

She ate two slices of pork cutlet and about half the rice,
so I think that’s enough for today.

🚗 Returned home

After that, we did a little shopping in the grocery section and headed home.
It was about a two-hour drive and shopping trip,
but Mom seemed to enjoy herself, making it a nice afternoon.

🌿 Summary

The market before the Lunar New Year was bustling, and it was an afternoon full of that quintessential Okinawan atmosphere.
I was able to buy the “insunaba” my father loved, and my mother ate a little tempura and Okinawan soba, making it a peaceful and pleasant time.
Next week, I’d like to go shopping again slowly, keeping an eye on my mother’s condition.
The temperature inside the car was hot. It felt like summer.