We got back from the park quite late, so instead of trying to cook dinner, we walked over to River Mall and into Tobari Ramen, one of our favorite eatin' out places on the island.
That's Tobari-san coming out of the shop. He's quite a character. He's about 50 years old with a full grey beard. He always wears Japanese outfits, never western wear. He lives on the island, and you can often see him shuttling between his home and the shop on the island's only motorized skateboard. He took the picture above.
This is the house specialty: ramen, which is Chinese noodles in a rich, spicy broth, topped with all kinds of good things such as vegetables, pork, sesame seeds, and even gyouza.
In front of Michelle is a plate of gyouza. Chinese soul food. I lived on these fried meat-and-vegetable dumplings my first year in Japan, until I realized that their high garlic content was ruining all of my shirts. Still, I eat them every chance I get.