It used to be called Jesco (I'm not sure about spelling)...that's what everybody calls it...but technically this crazy place is now called Aeon. It has almost anything anybody could ever want and is your stereotypical Japanese experience. From groceries to an arcade, bubble tea to fabric. It's all there...and completely insane.
It has a Japanese style bakery where you use a tray and tongs to pick out what you want from the variety of baked goods which are made on a daily basis. The first time I shopped there I went to put my tray back (trying to be polite and helpful) and almost gave the poor ladies who worked there a heart attack. My GERMS were on it! Oh no! It could not be used again before sterilization. Hmmm. I like that. One of my favorite things to get at the bakery (so far) is a yummy sweet bread that goes great with coffee. I'm trying to stay away from the sweets that have a whipped cream in the middle because those could definitely get me in trouble.
The grocery section has better looking produce and meat products than the commissary offers, but some things are, um, a little different. Like they have fish for sale, cut up in hunks, head and all. Eyeballs staring at you. Ew. Other things are familiar, like the Campbell's Soup and Del Monte tomato paste. While others are just interesting because they are different but look delicious...like the deli section that has sushi rolls and tempura everything and beef on a stick and so much more. You can make a little bento box of anything you want and pay by weight. Another perk of shopping at Aeon is buying beer. We have become Asahi fans, but it's pretty expensive to buy at the shopettes or commissary. We must pay some sort of import tax because a 6 pack of cans is over $10. It's a little cheaper at the Japanese grocery store, but with the crappy exchange rate you still pay a chunk of change. A case of Asahi is about $50. But Orion is a locally brewed beer here on Okinawa, and it isn't that bad and a little cheaper. However, I personally think it's better on draft and watching the sunset on the beach during "Happy Time."
Also at Aeon are a variety of fast food and sit down restaurants, kiosks for this and that, tons of clothing, shoes, kitchen items, a 100Y area ($1 store) etc., etc. But the mall is set up much differently than your typical mall. Instead of stores offset in the perimeter only, stores are set up throughout the middle as well with little or no barrier between it and the next. It makes it hard to know when you're leaving and going into another shop, as you have to pay in each area before you go on to the next or they will chase you down because they think you're stealing (so I've heard...not from experience. :-)).
Some interesting things about shopping in Okinawa are:
-You never hand money directly to the cashier. There is always a tray for the transaction.
-If you pay with a card, you are supposed to hand it to the cashier with two hands, and receive it back with two hands as a sign of respect.
-This is the land of reusable bags. If you don't bring a bag, you are charged 100Y a piece, which is over $1 a bag!!
There are similar stores throughout Okinawa, like Makeman and San A. Makeman actually has pets for sale (like bunnies and small dogs) and San A is less Americanized with a smaller crowd. It's fun to see everything different in each store and soak up all the culture, as well as catch funny "lost in translation" signs and advertisements. (Tequira Sunrise, Holdon to the railing, Tank you., Tool Egit.) Why shop at the commissary or exchange when we've got all these cool places to explore!?
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