By the way, I face the sunrise!

You have a lot of options, but one thing you want to check is that you choose herbs and vegetables that fairly tolerant, as many plants have a very low tolerance for high amounts of salt in soil. I have included a link to a few tips for growing vegetables by the sea. You will find a list of salt tolerant veggies in the article as well as some recommendations for enriching your soil with organic matter. I think you will find some useful info here.

Unfortunately, the article I included talks mostly about raised gardens that probably won't fit on your balcony. So I would recommend incorporating some of those soil tips into a vertical garden for your balcony. You can find tips for saving space with a vertical garden here: http://renters.apartments.com/space-saving-tips-for-balcony-and-patio-gardens

Here is a link that might be useful: Seaside Vegetable Garden

I'm having a lot of luck with garlic! I took an old clove that had a long green shoot from the fridge and stuck it in potting soil. In just over a week it's 6 inches tall with 6 leaves.