This post is going to have a different theme to it. In light of recent events and taking in my current situation it is just something I should get off my chest.
Nothing bad, just had a deep thought moment with myself walking to the gym. You'd think I'd be all jacked before the gym right? It's weird the times things like this fill up your brain.
No control.
There are so many things in our lives that we have no control over. Absolutely no control. Yet, we still find ways to blame ourselves or those around us for seemingly bad fortune. Why? We could sit around all day and dissect the past on all the would'a, should'a, could'a type of questions but what's the point?
Do you have a time machine? Then stop worrying about it. But if you do have a time machine, I highly recommend not going back and changing the past because of the possible and unknown effects it could have on your future. Moral of the story, let the past be the past. Can we learn from it? Definitely. However, drop the whole game of wishing you could change it.
I know that in America, we slowly learn this value. The value of looking to the future but not repeating mistakes of the past. The value of not letting road blocks stop you from leading your life.
Athletics has been patient with me in teaching me the art of never letting an error ruin the entire tournament. Mistake, or unforeseeable events are not what defines you or the moment you are living in. How you handle the next play is what sets the tone for the remainder of the game. And sometimes, no matter how much you battle back, you still lose. So do we sit around wishing we could go back and change things? No. We go to practice the next day, work on our weaknesses and come back stronger in our next performance.
In Japan, the culture itself does not believe in living in the past. They do not sit around and self pitty their life's work. They pick themselves up and move on. They change their future. When the tsunami hit in 2011, they never wasted any time to help one another and get over the tragedy. While they may still feel hurt, they are not defeated.
Right now, there are a few things that are 100% out of my control. Actually, my whole life there have been things I could not have had control of. That's ok. I'm starting to learn that isn't what's important.
I have a very sick family member at the moment. I'm sure there are other in the family that are cursing themselves for it. Even the individual that is ill. I hope that if any of them read this, it will help them find peace in what is going on. We can make all the right choices about our health and we can be perfect physically from day one or make a change later in life, and sometimes...just sometimes...our time will come regardless. I may eat fairly clean 85% of the time, and workout 6 days a week, but that doesn't mean something won't happen to me.
Everyone feels terribly for things like this, but what is most important is your outlook to the future. Can't always control what happens to your body but you can control what happens in your mind and in your actions. Laugh. Smile. Remenisce. Smell a rose. Sit in the sun. Watch a football game. Do what makes you happy and never look back.
I could write forever on what we can't control. You guys have had plenty of your own experiences.
Just remember what you can control. You can control how you treat people, how you think, how you feel. It can't all be done alone. Know to ask for help or surround yourself with people or events that will help you feel good.
Being in Japan, there is so much I can't control. I can't control where we live, I can't control if someone understands me, I can't control situations where Jordan is and isn't home, I can't control if anyone out here likes me.
But I can control how my new home looks, I can control my knowledge of the Japanese language by learning it, I can control what I do with Jordan when he is home and what I fill my time with when he is gone, I can also control my communication with him, and I can also control my effort to make friends. I won't be friends with every single person I meet, but I will make friends.
With all this being said, do not fear the situations you cannot control. Embrace them and use it as a challenge to see more than what the situation has seemed to have handed you. You'll find more value in that than you will in self pitty. Sadness is a sickness. Happiness is a medicine. We can't always be happy 100% of the time. That is ok. Cry and let it out. But please and try and fill most of your time with happiness. With things you can control. You will feel a whole lot better. ;)
Friday, August 30, 2013
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Field Trip!
Day 3 of class: Sasebo Field Trip!
We hopped on the bus at 8:30am and our Japanese teacher/guide took us around Sasebo and Hario!
The lady at the very front is Eriko. She is awesome! So funny! Directly in front of me is my new friend Sue. She's awesome. To bad we wont be living on the same base. :( Oh well, if we get the house I think we are going to get, I'll be inviting them over often!
For the tour, our first stop was a nearby shrine. I can't remember for the life of me the name of the shrine but it was beautiful. You can find shrines all over Japan dedicated to spirits and contacting them for good wishes. They come in all sizes but you enter each one through a Torii gate. The gate represents the entrance to the spirit world.
A Torii Gate has to pillars and two deals going across. We are about to enter the other side....
As we were going through this, our Sensei was teaching us stuff but I was so busy taking pictures I completely forgot what she said. Whoops! I'll get a book later. haha. I'm pretty sure she was just going into depth about the shrine, its meaning, its purpose, and stuff like that.
Ahead is the main shrine. To our left is a fountain. That is where you cleanse yourself to be able to talk with the spirits at the shrine and make a wish. Here's Jordan cleansing himself...
Once we cleansed ourselves, we headed to the main shrine where our Sensei showed us how to speak with and ask the spirits for help and good wishes.
So this is the shrine. When you wish to speak with the spirits, you first toss 5 yen into the box. It is a peace offering. (or a way to help fund the shrine. You decided. lol) You can see it on the right of the Sensei in the bottom right picture. Second, to wake the spirits up, you must ring the bell, on either side of the shrine, four times. The rope you see in the bottom right picture connects to the bell. Then you bow twice, silently make your request, then clap twice. Cool huh?
For 500 Yen, you can write your wish on a board and hang it up next to the shrine. If your wish is granted within one year, you can come back and take your board. If not, pay up buttercup for a new wish or the same one. Haha. You can write it in any language you want. I found this particular one hilarious!
At the shrine you can do more than just make requests from the spirits. Shrines are also used to celebrate certain things. One common celebration is of your children at ages 3, 5, and 7. It is common for young kids to have a rough go at life and many do not make it pass 7 years of age. So at these ages, there is a celebration and blessing held at the shrine. Traditional Japanese marriages also happen here. The ceremony only last 10 minutes but preparation can take up to 2 hours. Did you know that as a gift for the bride and groom you only give money? Yeah. No less than 10,000 Yen ($100). If you are just a friend, its like 30,000 Yen. ($300). I may have that backwards but you get the gist.
After the shrine, we drove to a dock that has fancy boats that will take you for a cruise around the 99 islands. The islands are just off the coast of Kyushu. There are actually over 200 of these little islands. I forget why they choose 99 though. On September 19, it is day 99. If you look at the date...9.19...you see 99. So of course, the Japanese have found a reason to party!!! A festival will be held that day to celebrate. I kinda wanna go!
Didn't take many pictures there. Moving on. Next, we went to a place called Huis Ton Bosch. I may have spelled that wrong. But its a theme park themed as a Dutch town. Weird huh? What is cool though is that there is a big section of the park that is absolutely free and a separate part that requires a fee. We of course visited the free section. Some new friends and I took some pics of course!
What kind of food it has I don't know....do the Japanese know this doesn't make sense? Hahaha
We ended up eating at a place next to it. I have no idea what it was called but it had everything it served on display in a huge window. All the food was plastic of course but looked VERY real. We had to actually take a picture of what we wanted to let the staff know because the menus were all in Japanese with no pictures. Hahaha.
As we sat down, our Sensei talked to our waitress. We aren't 100% sure what she told her but we assumed it was along the lines of, "They don't speak Japanese. They are learning. Don't speak English to them." Haha. The waitress freaking laughed so we were all in trouble. We did our best though with the Japanese we learned.
We held up our phones, pointed and said, "Kore, koudasai" Probably spelled wrong but it means, "I would like to buy this please." Then we said, "Domo" when she jotted down the order. That means, "Thanks". To order more water we said, "Mizu, koudasai" which is, "Water, please."
Sue was the first to get her meal. She hasn't mastered the art of chop sticks but she got pretty good towards the end. She was afraid to try some of the food so I lived through her and made her try stuff. I kept pointing at her food and saying, "Try that!"
Alright, so she has a lot going on here and we had no idea what was what. For example, there is a cup that is sitting directly in front of her but behind the noodles that look like worms. Then there is a saucer with shit in kitty corner from the worm noodles. We could not figure out what food dips into what!!! 3/4 of the way into the meal we found out the fried food should be dipped in the saucer and the noodles should be dipped in the cup. Hahaha. The waitress had a good laugh!
What I had is on the top. Fairly standard, nothing crazy. I had tea and a soup plus all this! Below that is a pic of our check. Total bill for lunch? $11.30. For two of us.
Really, depending on where you go, you can get a lot of food...GOOD food even....for very cheap. People say its pricey here but Jordan and I haven't experienced it. The cost of living though is very high. As far as utilities and rent go. But really, everything else isn't any different than Seattle.
Things to keep in mind when eating Japanese food. Chopsticks are never to be stuck in your food standing up. It symbolizes death and the sticks represent incense used at funerals. Don't leave your sticks in your food! Don't talk with your chopsticks in your hands either!! Very rude. If you aren't eating, set them down next to your food.
Like to share? Don't grab food directly off of someone else's plate. That is dirty. If you would like to share, place your food on a separate plate and hand it to the other person.
Now this might seem bizarre to you and it will go against EVERYTHING your mother ever taught you...SLURP!!! Yes, SLURP! The Japanese understand that eating noddles is tough with chop sticks. So grab what you can and slurp it up! Keep the bowl close to your mouth is ok too! It isn't always easy to eat with chopsticks!
Still not fluent with chopsticks? You should get these...
3 Way Chopsticks!! Getting frustrated with them? Flip them around and you have a fork and spoon! Hahaha.
Now...this is a Where's Waldo kind of picture. Can you spot the hat that doesn't fit in with the rest?
I'm not going to tell you what it is...but when I saw it I just about DIED!!!
And that's it! That's really all we did but it was awesome. So much fun. I spoke Japanese. Ate some Japanese food. Saw some crazy things. Visited a shrine....want to know what I have in store for the weekend?
There is a typhoon headed this way!! It may actually HIT Sasebo and I heard that that hasn't happened in decades. I mean, the area itself has two declared typhoon seasons and we usually just get the residual effects of them...but not one that actually HITS the city. We will see if it actually does or not. If it does, I'll film it outside my window!
Have a great day guys!
Sayonara!!!
We hopped on the bus at 8:30am and our Japanese teacher/guide took us around Sasebo and Hario!
The lady at the very front is Eriko. She is awesome! So funny! Directly in front of me is my new friend Sue. She's awesome. To bad we wont be living on the same base. :( Oh well, if we get the house I think we are going to get, I'll be inviting them over often!
For the tour, our first stop was a nearby shrine. I can't remember for the life of me the name of the shrine but it was beautiful. You can find shrines all over Japan dedicated to spirits and contacting them for good wishes. They come in all sizes but you enter each one through a Torii gate. The gate represents the entrance to the spirit world.
A Torii Gate has to pillars and two deals going across. We are about to enter the other side....
As we were going through this, our Sensei was teaching us stuff but I was so busy taking pictures I completely forgot what she said. Whoops! I'll get a book later. haha. I'm pretty sure she was just going into depth about the shrine, its meaning, its purpose, and stuff like that.
Ahead is the main shrine. To our left is a fountain. That is where you cleanse yourself to be able to talk with the spirits at the shrine and make a wish. Here's Jordan cleansing himself...
Once we cleansed ourselves, we headed to the main shrine where our Sensei showed us how to speak with and ask the spirits for help and good wishes.
So this is the shrine. When you wish to speak with the spirits, you first toss 5 yen into the box. It is a peace offering. (or a way to help fund the shrine. You decided. lol) You can see it on the right of the Sensei in the bottom right picture. Second, to wake the spirits up, you must ring the bell, on either side of the shrine, four times. The rope you see in the bottom right picture connects to the bell. Then you bow twice, silently make your request, then clap twice. Cool huh?
For 500 Yen, you can write your wish on a board and hang it up next to the shrine. If your wish is granted within one year, you can come back and take your board. If not, pay up buttercup for a new wish or the same one. Haha. You can write it in any language you want. I found this particular one hilarious!
At the shrine you can do more than just make requests from the spirits. Shrines are also used to celebrate certain things. One common celebration is of your children at ages 3, 5, and 7. It is common for young kids to have a rough go at life and many do not make it pass 7 years of age. So at these ages, there is a celebration and blessing held at the shrine. Traditional Japanese marriages also happen here. The ceremony only last 10 minutes but preparation can take up to 2 hours. Did you know that as a gift for the bride and groom you only give money? Yeah. No less than 10,000 Yen ($100). If you are just a friend, its like 30,000 Yen. ($300). I may have that backwards but you get the gist.
After the shrine, we drove to a dock that has fancy boats that will take you for a cruise around the 99 islands. The islands are just off the coast of Kyushu. There are actually over 200 of these little islands. I forget why they choose 99 though. On September 19, it is day 99. If you look at the date...9.19...you see 99. So of course, the Japanese have found a reason to party!!! A festival will be held that day to celebrate. I kinda wanna go!
Didn't take many pictures there. Moving on. Next, we went to a place called Huis Ton Bosch. I may have spelled that wrong. But its a theme park themed as a Dutch town. Weird huh? What is cool though is that there is a big section of the park that is absolutely free and a separate part that requires a fee. We of course visited the free section. Some new friends and I took some pics of course!
See the picture with the clear balls? Yeah, kids are in those playing on top of the water. Where the hell is this little adventure in America?!
Of course some Anime guy caught me in his powers. Haha.
Below that is a picture of something...I don't know what, but it was big. That's my friend Sue!!!
It's hard to see what it is, but there is a freaking Sbarro!!!! What?!
Below that is where we got a little snack. Different kinds of meats on sticks. (Let the jokes begin) haha
It was SOOO hot there. But very cool. I want to visit again!
Once we were done there, we headed to a big shopping store known as the EON. There might be an A at the front of that...not sure. Anyways, this place has EVERYTHING. Literally. Its like a mall kind of. This particular one had several levels. There's a huge ass grocery store, clothing stores, arcade, electronics and on and on! It's where we had lunch.
The first place we saw in the food court was this:
We ended up eating at a place next to it. I have no idea what it was called but it had everything it served on display in a huge window. All the food was plastic of course but looked VERY real. We had to actually take a picture of what we wanted to let the staff know because the menus were all in Japanese with no pictures. Hahaha.
As we sat down, our Sensei talked to our waitress. We aren't 100% sure what she told her but we assumed it was along the lines of, "They don't speak Japanese. They are learning. Don't speak English to them." Haha. The waitress freaking laughed so we were all in trouble. We did our best though with the Japanese we learned.
We held up our phones, pointed and said, "Kore, koudasai" Probably spelled wrong but it means, "I would like to buy this please." Then we said, "Domo" when she jotted down the order. That means, "Thanks". To order more water we said, "Mizu, koudasai" which is, "Water, please."
Sue was the first to get her meal. She hasn't mastered the art of chop sticks but she got pretty good towards the end. She was afraid to try some of the food so I lived through her and made her try stuff. I kept pointing at her food and saying, "Try that!"
Alright, so she has a lot going on here and we had no idea what was what. For example, there is a cup that is sitting directly in front of her but behind the noodles that look like worms. Then there is a saucer with shit in kitty corner from the worm noodles. We could not figure out what food dips into what!!! 3/4 of the way into the meal we found out the fried food should be dipped in the saucer and the noodles should be dipped in the cup. Hahaha. The waitress had a good laugh!
What I had is on the top. Fairly standard, nothing crazy. I had tea and a soup plus all this! Below that is a pic of our check. Total bill for lunch? $11.30. For two of us.
Really, depending on where you go, you can get a lot of food...GOOD food even....for very cheap. People say its pricey here but Jordan and I haven't experienced it. The cost of living though is very high. As far as utilities and rent go. But really, everything else isn't any different than Seattle.
Things to keep in mind when eating Japanese food. Chopsticks are never to be stuck in your food standing up. It symbolizes death and the sticks represent incense used at funerals. Don't leave your sticks in your food! Don't talk with your chopsticks in your hands either!! Very rude. If you aren't eating, set them down next to your food.
Like to share? Don't grab food directly off of someone else's plate. That is dirty. If you would like to share, place your food on a separate plate and hand it to the other person.
Now this might seem bizarre to you and it will go against EVERYTHING your mother ever taught you...SLURP!!! Yes, SLURP! The Japanese understand that eating noddles is tough with chop sticks. So grab what you can and slurp it up! Keep the bowl close to your mouth is ok too! It isn't always easy to eat with chopsticks!
Still not fluent with chopsticks? You should get these...
3 Way Chopsticks!! Getting frustrated with them? Flip them around and you have a fork and spoon! Hahaha.
Now...this is a Where's Waldo kind of picture. Can you spot the hat that doesn't fit in with the rest?
I'm not going to tell you what it is...but when I saw it I just about DIED!!!
And that's it! That's really all we did but it was awesome. So much fun. I spoke Japanese. Ate some Japanese food. Saw some crazy things. Visited a shrine....want to know what I have in store for the weekend?
There is a typhoon headed this way!! It may actually HIT Sasebo and I heard that that hasn't happened in decades. I mean, the area itself has two declared typhoon seasons and we usually just get the residual effects of them...but not one that actually HITS the city. We will see if it actually does or not. If it does, I'll film it outside my window!
Have a great day guys!
Sayonara!!!
Everything is Balanced
The Japanese culture is so harmonized. It is truly beautiful. I knew they were a very docile and honor driven culture but to hear tidbits of it from a Japanese native was pretty cool.
Wednesday, we had our Japanese cultural/language class. Let's see how much of it I remember. ;)
First of all, just to give you an idea of where I am at on a globe...
Top Left: The country of Japan. I'm going to assume you already know where it is.
Top Left: Country of Japan. Arrow points to Sasebo. Japan is made up of four islands (yes there are tons more but there are 4 main ones). We are on the southern most island, Kyushu.
Top Right: Island of Kyushu. You will see Fukuoka at the top of the island. It is the largest city on the island. Sasebo is 9th largest.
Bottom Left: Not sure why I have that as a picture, go with it. Still just Kyushu.
Bottom Right: The red dot at the top is the Navy base. The arrow pointing to the other dot is where Jordan and I will be living called Hario. It is Hario Island or in Japanese: Hariogima. Gima means island. I don't know if I'm spelling it right but there ya go!
Ok now back to what I was saying about the culture.
The Japanese believe in a blend of religions. Shinto and Buddhism. They believe in balance. Respect for the spirits in nature. Respect for elders because without them we wouldn't be here! They believe in respect for the dead and helping them find their way to heaven or whatever. They also believe in parties! There are festivals for EVERYTHING! I'm not kidding. Seriously, everything.
For the most part, the Japanese people keep to themselves. They don't invite themselves into things, pry, go out of their way to talk to you. However, they are very friendly if you talk to them. They are more than pleased to help you and are very interested in speaking and working with you. Especially if you try and speak Japanese! They get SO happy!
Anyways, they keep to themselves. However, in times of crises, like the tsunami, they come together. They know every one needs help and they do their best to offer their services. This is a very crowded country. They have learned to work together well. So there is a sense of community every where. Balance.
If you get chopsticks at a restaurant, you want to break them evenly for good luck! Balance. If not its only bad luck until your next meal. Haha. Always asking the spirits for anything that will help their crops, family, or wealth. Karma is a big deal. You don't want to die with bad karma. Good luck in your next life, haha.
Recycling. They value the Earth so much. It's a country wide effort to recycle everything! Speaking of recycling..I have a great story about why they pee in holes here. When they first started cultivating for rice and what not, they would do their business in the crops and use it to fertilize their fields.....yeah. Let that sink in.
For how crowded this area is, it doesn't feel stuffy. I feel close to other people in a good way. I know I can ask any Japanese person a question and get a polite response. I'm sure there are a-hole Japanese people but really, they are few and far between.
So this post is very scattered and not well thought out...my bad! Kind of word vomit happening here. But I love their culture, beliefs, stewardship, respect, and honor that they encourage. Very cool. America could learn a thing or two.
Also, before I go, one thing that REALLY separates them from Americans...they believe in blending in. Not making a scene. Not standing out. It has to do with balance and harmony I think. Being one as a community. Working together. Where as in America, we are all about getting away from the norm. Be a shining star, be different, get noticed. Here? If you make a scene, good or bad? You get out casted as a hooligan and trouble maker. Even when you are of age to get a job, you dress exactly like they do at the place you want to be hired at. You want your employer to know you will do exactly like they do, do what they say, and won't go off the tracks. Very different than home.
Alright, sorry again for such a SCATTER brained blog! My next one will have LOTS of pictures! We went on a field trip Thursday and saw a couple sites, spoke some Japanese and saw some very interesting things.
Sayonara!
Wednesday, we had our Japanese cultural/language class. Let's see how much of it I remember. ;)
First of all, just to give you an idea of where I am at on a globe...
Top Left: The country of Japan. I'm going to assume you already know where it is.
Top Left: Country of Japan. Arrow points to Sasebo. Japan is made up of four islands (yes there are tons more but there are 4 main ones). We are on the southern most island, Kyushu.
Top Right: Island of Kyushu. You will see Fukuoka at the top of the island. It is the largest city on the island. Sasebo is 9th largest.
Bottom Left: Not sure why I have that as a picture, go with it. Still just Kyushu.
Bottom Right: The red dot at the top is the Navy base. The arrow pointing to the other dot is where Jordan and I will be living called Hario. It is Hario Island or in Japanese: Hariogima. Gima means island. I don't know if I'm spelling it right but there ya go!
Ok now back to what I was saying about the culture.
The Japanese believe in a blend of religions. Shinto and Buddhism. They believe in balance. Respect for the spirits in nature. Respect for elders because without them we wouldn't be here! They believe in respect for the dead and helping them find their way to heaven or whatever. They also believe in parties! There are festivals for EVERYTHING! I'm not kidding. Seriously, everything.
For the most part, the Japanese people keep to themselves. They don't invite themselves into things, pry, go out of their way to talk to you. However, they are very friendly if you talk to them. They are more than pleased to help you and are very interested in speaking and working with you. Especially if you try and speak Japanese! They get SO happy!
Anyways, they keep to themselves. However, in times of crises, like the tsunami, they come together. They know every one needs help and they do their best to offer their services. This is a very crowded country. They have learned to work together well. So there is a sense of community every where. Balance.
If you get chopsticks at a restaurant, you want to break them evenly for good luck! Balance. If not its only bad luck until your next meal. Haha. Always asking the spirits for anything that will help their crops, family, or wealth. Karma is a big deal. You don't want to die with bad karma. Good luck in your next life, haha.
Recycling. They value the Earth so much. It's a country wide effort to recycle everything! Speaking of recycling..I have a great story about why they pee in holes here. When they first started cultivating for rice and what not, they would do their business in the crops and use it to fertilize their fields.....yeah. Let that sink in.
For how crowded this area is, it doesn't feel stuffy. I feel close to other people in a good way. I know I can ask any Japanese person a question and get a polite response. I'm sure there are a-hole Japanese people but really, they are few and far between.
So this post is very scattered and not well thought out...my bad! Kind of word vomit happening here. But I love their culture, beliefs, stewardship, respect, and honor that they encourage. Very cool. America could learn a thing or two.
Also, before I go, one thing that REALLY separates them from Americans...they believe in blending in. Not making a scene. Not standing out. It has to do with balance and harmony I think. Being one as a community. Working together. Where as in America, we are all about getting away from the norm. Be a shining star, be different, get noticed. Here? If you make a scene, good or bad? You get out casted as a hooligan and trouble maker. Even when you are of age to get a job, you dress exactly like they do at the place you want to be hired at. You want your employer to know you will do exactly like they do, do what they say, and won't go off the tracks. Very different than home.
Alright, sorry again for such a SCATTER brained blog! My next one will have LOTS of pictures! We went on a field trip Thursday and saw a couple sites, spoke some Japanese and saw some very interesting things.
Sayonara!
Origins of Sasebo
I've been lacking on the blogs and SO MUCH has happened the last three days!
All week we have been attending classes to get us acquainted with the Navy Base and the Japanese culture.
Tuesday was the worst....seriously...minus a 5 minute history brief on the Navy Base so let me fill ya in!
First of all, Sasebo city is only 111 years old. I'm pretty sure Everett is older than this town!! This place began as a fisherman's town. Then one day the Emperor decided he needed space for his Imperial Navy and some guy found Sasebo. So Japan's Imperial Navy set up shop right here in Sasebo!
There are a few rows of brick buildings that have been here nearly as long as the town itself. The rest was either built or rebuilt by the United States when we came and occupied it in World War II. Now, even though we came to occupy this port, we still share with the Japanese and there are thousands of Sasebo natives that work on base. There wouldn't be a Sasebo if it wasn't for the Navy. I don't mean just the United States either.
Next to the Navy is the SSK. I'm not sure exactly what those letters stand for but its basically a ship yard to fix...well...ships duh!!! That is entirely ran by the Japanese. It is their space. However, we bought a slip from them to use to fix our ships. It's the only agreement like it in the world.
Most Japanese are very happy we are here. We give them jobs and we also blow all our money in town which of course they love! ;) There are still groups of people who will protest against the base, but I heard its all peaceful anyways.
I'm going to assume you may be wondering how the law works here. Well, if we get in trouble on base and with other Americans, the law and its consequences are carried out by the military. If we get in trouble in town? Japan has full jurisdiction. Moral of the story? Don't get in trouble!!!! They are much much stricter on their consequences here. Best to just be nice, follow the rules, and get home!
A few years ago, there were some Marines in Okinawa that raped a Japanese girl. Because of this, all bases in Japan are on curfew. I think its 9pm. So we have to be on base or in our homes by then. I heard it's getting lifted soon though.
Well, that's all I know about Sasebo for now!!
Sayonara!
All week we have been attending classes to get us acquainted with the Navy Base and the Japanese culture.
Tuesday was the worst....seriously...minus a 5 minute history brief on the Navy Base so let me fill ya in!
First of all, Sasebo city is only 111 years old. I'm pretty sure Everett is older than this town!! This place began as a fisherman's town. Then one day the Emperor decided he needed space for his Imperial Navy and some guy found Sasebo. So Japan's Imperial Navy set up shop right here in Sasebo!
There are a few rows of brick buildings that have been here nearly as long as the town itself. The rest was either built or rebuilt by the United States when we came and occupied it in World War II. Now, even though we came to occupy this port, we still share with the Japanese and there are thousands of Sasebo natives that work on base. There wouldn't be a Sasebo if it wasn't for the Navy. I don't mean just the United States either.
Next to the Navy is the SSK. I'm not sure exactly what those letters stand for but its basically a ship yard to fix...well...ships duh!!! That is entirely ran by the Japanese. It is their space. However, we bought a slip from them to use to fix our ships. It's the only agreement like it in the world.
Most Japanese are very happy we are here. We give them jobs and we also blow all our money in town which of course they love! ;) There are still groups of people who will protest against the base, but I heard its all peaceful anyways.
I'm going to assume you may be wondering how the law works here. Well, if we get in trouble on base and with other Americans, the law and its consequences are carried out by the military. If we get in trouble in town? Japan has full jurisdiction. Moral of the story? Don't get in trouble!!!! They are much much stricter on their consequences here. Best to just be nice, follow the rules, and get home!
A few years ago, there were some Marines in Okinawa that raped a Japanese girl. Because of this, all bases in Japan are on curfew. I think its 9pm. So we have to be on base or in our homes by then. I heard it's getting lifted soon though.
Well, that's all I know about Sasebo for now!!
Sayonara!
Sunday, August 25, 2013
FOOD!!!
This will be one of many posts about food.
Unfortunately I didn't document my first food experience in Sasebo but I can tell you a little about it.
We went to a place in the Ginza. Which is the longest mall in Japan. It isn't your typical mall though. It's outdoor, but covered. They have shops of every kind there. Honestly, anything you could possibly want or need is at the Ginza!
So our new friend, Faye, took us to this one place that is Japan's Denny's Diner equivalent. They had a little of everything.
When we got to this place, we had to sign in to a sheet. We didn't tell a server how many was in our party, we wrote it down on the sheet. When the host was ready, he went to the sheet, called out the next name and showed them to their seat.
We get to our seat, the waitress gives us water and menus and then departs to help other tables. Now, I'm not sure how it is in a traditional Japanese restaurant, but in most other places there is a button you press when you are ready to order and when you are done with your meal. I thought that was pretty cool. It probably is much more convenient for the server!
Luckily, on this particular excursion, we had English menus. We get ready, hit the button, and order. Now...we don't speak a lick of Japanese yet so we did a lot of pointing and nodding. Haha. When we conveyed what we wanted, the waitress went over the whole order with us so she could be extra sure. I thought that was cool. It's typical too I guess.
I got a beef and rice bowl and Jordan had beef and veggies. It was delicious! But really it wasn't any different than what I could get in America. It also wasn't super traditional but it was still good!
By the way, their soda and juices do not taste the same as America's. They don't add a lot to their drinks. You know how when you drink soda or juice and you have that syrupy after texture? Not here. That was cool.
On to experience number two which I DID document!
Before Jordan and I got here, we tried sushi a couple times. And we fell in love. We even tried traditional sushi where it is just the raw fish and rice. Still good. Why? I don't know. So when our friend, Faye took us to a super popular sushi place I was so freaking excited!!!
First of all, this place was farther into the town of Sasebo. There was less and less English to be seen or heard.
When we walked in, to my right was a sink that guests could wash their hands in before and after their meal. Now you don't see that in America. We didn't have to sign a sheet to indicate our party number and the host was able to seat us right away.
To give you an idea of what it looked like, there were only booths and a sushi conveyor belt that went around the whole restaurant in between the booths. The conveyor belt thing isn't new to me, there are places in Seattle with those. However, in Seattle they are just in one area, here it was the whole restaraunt!!!
We sat down and to my left was the conveyor belt. Just above that was a touch screen that we set to English and from there we could make our order. We also had the option of just grabbing what came by as long as it wasn't set on a certain plate. Those plates specified the table it belonged to.
The dispenser in the middle is hot water for green tea and the tea is in the brown container. Chop sticks of course are on the other side. There were no utensils but they were available if asked for. Good think I knew how to use chopsticks because I have no idea how to ask for a damn fork!
Here are a couple pictures of what I tried:
This right here is a tuna roll. I've never had seaweed before so that was interesting. Very, very chewy. If it was smaller it would have been better. Now, straight up tuna and rice? Fucking awesome.
See the red bowl with a blue sticker? That's what our food was served on if we ordered it. That way we knew it was ours.
If you know me at all, you know I can eat. I can eat for DAYS! Blame athletics for that. However, I had to cut my excursion short here. Faye and Jordan were done and I felt rude to keep eating. Next time I go there though....watch out!
I honestly believe, deep down in my belly, I could eat that many plates just by myself!!! Haha, but that was all three of us.
Ok now here's what I know about Japanese customs when it comes to eating. Not that I see a lot of people in general do this, but you know how we typically talk with our hands and with anything we are holding? When it comes to food, never talk and make hand gestures with cutlery or chopsticks in your hands. Disrespectful. Also never keep your chopsticks or cutlery stuck in your food. That is typically associated with death.
I also heard it us rude to leave your chopsticks on your plate when you are not eating, but I'm not sure.
There are also specific types of meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Although you can find all sorts of different types of food here. There's an Italian place right up the street. It makes me laugh, I really need to try it out. I hear it's good though!
Did you know that Sasebo, Japan is where the burger was first introduced? In 1950 some dude in the Navy showed the Japanese the American burger and they loved it. Sasebo is country renowned for their burgers and its where it all started for them. I don't know how they taste to my standards (I'm a burger snob) but I can't wait to try one. I hear they are outrages!!!! There are like 12 differently locations dedicated to burgers. All with weird names and mascots.
So that's all for now!! I'll be sure to document all my foodie adventures. I really want to go to a real traditional Japanese place. That would be awesome.
Unfortunately I didn't document my first food experience in Sasebo but I can tell you a little about it.
We went to a place in the Ginza. Which is the longest mall in Japan. It isn't your typical mall though. It's outdoor, but covered. They have shops of every kind there. Honestly, anything you could possibly want or need is at the Ginza!
So our new friend, Faye, took us to this one place that is Japan's Denny's Diner equivalent. They had a little of everything.
When we got to this place, we had to sign in to a sheet. We didn't tell a server how many was in our party, we wrote it down on the sheet. When the host was ready, he went to the sheet, called out the next name and showed them to their seat.
We get to our seat, the waitress gives us water and menus and then departs to help other tables. Now, I'm not sure how it is in a traditional Japanese restaurant, but in most other places there is a button you press when you are ready to order and when you are done with your meal. I thought that was pretty cool. It probably is much more convenient for the server!
Luckily, on this particular excursion, we had English menus. We get ready, hit the button, and order. Now...we don't speak a lick of Japanese yet so we did a lot of pointing and nodding. Haha. When we conveyed what we wanted, the waitress went over the whole order with us so she could be extra sure. I thought that was cool. It's typical too I guess.
I got a beef and rice bowl and Jordan had beef and veggies. It was delicious! But really it wasn't any different than what I could get in America. It also wasn't super traditional but it was still good!
By the way, their soda and juices do not taste the same as America's. They don't add a lot to their drinks. You know how when you drink soda or juice and you have that syrupy after texture? Not here. That was cool.
On to experience number two which I DID document!
Before Jordan and I got here, we tried sushi a couple times. And we fell in love. We even tried traditional sushi where it is just the raw fish and rice. Still good. Why? I don't know. So when our friend, Faye took us to a super popular sushi place I was so freaking excited!!!
First of all, this place was farther into the town of Sasebo. There was less and less English to be seen or heard.
When we walked in, to my right was a sink that guests could wash their hands in before and after their meal. Now you don't see that in America. We didn't have to sign a sheet to indicate our party number and the host was able to seat us right away.
To give you an idea of what it looked like, there were only booths and a sushi conveyor belt that went around the whole restaurant in between the booths. The conveyor belt thing isn't new to me, there are places in Seattle with those. However, in Seattle they are just in one area, here it was the whole restaraunt!!!
We sat down and to my left was the conveyor belt. Just above that was a touch screen that we set to English and from there we could make our order. We also had the option of just grabbing what came by as long as it wasn't set on a certain plate. Those plates specified the table it belonged to.
The dispenser in the middle is hot water for green tea and the tea is in the brown container. Chop sticks of course are on the other side. There were no utensils but they were available if asked for. Good think I knew how to use chopsticks because I have no idea how to ask for a damn fork!
Here are a couple pictures of what I tried:
The picture above is cooked, eel...yes, eel and it was SOOOOO good! I have no idea what the white shit is on top. It tasted weird, or maybe it was the texture, but the whole thing was super tasty!
This right here is a tuna roll. I've never had seaweed before so that was interesting. Very, very chewy. If it was smaller it would have been better. Now, straight up tuna and rice? Fucking awesome.
See the red bowl with a blue sticker? That's what our food was served on if we ordered it. That way we knew it was ours.
If you know me at all, you know I can eat. I can eat for DAYS! Blame athletics for that. However, I had to cut my excursion short here. Faye and Jordan were done and I felt rude to keep eating. Next time I go there though....watch out!
I honestly believe, deep down in my belly, I could eat that many plates just by myself!!! Haha, but that was all three of us.
Ok now here's what I know about Japanese customs when it comes to eating. Not that I see a lot of people in general do this, but you know how we typically talk with our hands and with anything we are holding? When it comes to food, never talk and make hand gestures with cutlery or chopsticks in your hands. Disrespectful. Also never keep your chopsticks or cutlery stuck in your food. That is typically associated with death.
I also heard it us rude to leave your chopsticks on your plate when you are not eating, but I'm not sure.
There are also specific types of meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Although you can find all sorts of different types of food here. There's an Italian place right up the street. It makes me laugh, I really need to try it out. I hear it's good though!
Did you know that Sasebo, Japan is where the burger was first introduced? In 1950 some dude in the Navy showed the Japanese the American burger and they loved it. Sasebo is country renowned for their burgers and its where it all started for them. I don't know how they taste to my standards (I'm a burger snob) but I can't wait to try one. I hear they are outrages!!!! There are like 12 differently locations dedicated to burgers. All with weird names and mascots.
So that's all for now!! I'll be sure to document all my foodie adventures. I really want to go to a real traditional Japanese place. That would be awesome.
A Typical Stroll Through Base
The good ol' Navy Lodge...basically just a hotel. But on a Navy base...duh!
Anyways, I got a few requests on a post about where we are living and what not. It's been a week so I figured I would write this now before we move off base!!
Well let's start form the outside and work our way in!
The door you see just to the right of the playground is the one Jordan and I always use. We are on the second floor. Here's what our digs look like on the inside!
Top Left: Hallway as you walk in
Top Right: If you look left as you walk in, this is our little kitchenette. Not much, but it does the job and they supply us with all kitchen stuff.
Bottom: Bathroom obviously. For those of you surprised to see a toilet, remember, I'm on an American base, haha.
And the rest of the room. Not to shabby!
Wanna look out the window?
So that is our little "home" for the time being.
Today, once the rain stopped, I figured I only had so much time to run to the Commissary (grocery store) and NEX (Target) to get some things. They are closed Monday and Tuesdays I think. Damn budget cuts! Anyways, on my little walk I took a few pics.
Let's go!!
Five steps out of the lodge I saw this...
A crab! I was within 3 feet of this little guy and he stood up and snapped his pinchers. Dude was all, "Hey, I don't know you, you don't know me, but back the fuck up! I'm keeping my eye on you...I'm serious!"
Almost positive he fell off the curb because I took a pic of outside the lodge and next thing I knew he was on the street, hahaha. Jokes on you crab!!!
I turned around, walked back down the street (and laughed at the crab on my way, what a clown!) and I had to take a picture of this:
Notice anything unusual? So there's that to get used to. Haha. Actually, the rules of the road and the signs are more or less universal. Minus language, clearly. That sign there is in Kanji, not Japanese.
Yesterday or two days ago, as Jordan and I were walking to dinner, we came across something interesting. Took a couple looks but let's play: Can you spot the difference?!
"You had ONE job to do!!!" - Boss
Something else that is a bit different out here are the cars. They look like micro machines. Seriously! You can spot the cars that have been imported. They really stick out. Also, there are a lot of cars here that don't exist in America. The big car manufacturers don't send us all the models they come up with, so you'll see some crazy names for cars out here. But that was not weird to me, I already knew that. What was weird was this one particular car. What is wrong with the make and model of this vehicle?
Toyota Cavalier? I'm almost positive Chevy makes that....who stole who's name here? lol
At about this point, I crossed the street and stopped to take a picture of the docks. I don't think this is the only dock but its the one we are right next to.
Finally we arrive at the front entrance of the base. This is where the Commissary, NEX and food court is.
I walked across the street, opposite of the gate and took a picture of the gym. That is the top picture. It has a pool, a few basketball courts, individual rooms for classes, cardio and weight room and maybe an aerobic room too.
The bottom picture is of the Outdoor Activities Building. This is where we can go to sign up for just about anything. We can rent kayaks, camping equipment, and sign up for trips like Mt. Aso and Mt. Fuji! Better believe I'll be taking advantage of that!
So that is about it! This base has everything you could want or need. They have two car insurance places, they have three restaurants, a few cafes, thrift shop, laundromat and nail and hair salon, two workout facilities, bowling ally, movie theater, schools, video rental place, gas station, car wash, a place to get your car worked on, and a plethora of other things. You could probably look it all up online.
What I also love about this place are the trips, events, and activities that they offer on and off of base. They are very accommodating to families also which is good.
I think we are going to have a great time here!
Starting tomorrow (as you read this I will actually be doing this) we have a meeting with the housing department on getting our own place. We should have one soon since one of the bases with housing is barely half full. So there is plenty of room. We will see though how long it actually takes us. The military is not very punctual.
Jordan actually just got an email from his boss on his ship that warned him of possibly getting flown out to the ship. My only goal is that we have a car before that happens. We don't know when or if it will happen so I'm prepared for him to leave at any moment.
The life of a military wife, eh?
All in all, this will be great. It'll have its ups and downs, but who has a life that doesn't?
Also, at the end of the week, we are taking a trip down to Nagasaki. That should be AWESOME!!! So pumped.
Sa-yo-na-ra!!!
Anyways, I got a few requests on a post about where we are living and what not. It's been a week so I figured I would write this now before we move off base!!
Well let's start form the outside and work our way in!
The door you see just to the right of the playground is the one Jordan and I always use. We are on the second floor. Here's what our digs look like on the inside!
Top Left: Hallway as you walk in
Top Right: If you look left as you walk in, this is our little kitchenette. Not much, but it does the job and they supply us with all kitchen stuff.
Bottom: Bathroom obviously. For those of you surprised to see a toilet, remember, I'm on an American base, haha.
And the rest of the room. Not to shabby!
Wanna look out the window?
So that is our little "home" for the time being.
Today, once the rain stopped, I figured I only had so much time to run to the Commissary (grocery store) and NEX (Target) to get some things. They are closed Monday and Tuesdays I think. Damn budget cuts! Anyways, on my little walk I took a few pics.
Let's go!!
Five steps out of the lodge I saw this...
A crab! I was within 3 feet of this little guy and he stood up and snapped his pinchers. Dude was all, "Hey, I don't know you, you don't know me, but back the fuck up! I'm keeping my eye on you...I'm serious!"
Almost positive he fell off the curb because I took a pic of outside the lodge and next thing I knew he was on the street, hahaha. Jokes on you crab!!!
I turned around, walked back down the street (and laughed at the crab on my way, what a clown!) and I had to take a picture of this:
Notice anything unusual? So there's that to get used to. Haha. Actually, the rules of the road and the signs are more or less universal. Minus language, clearly. That sign there is in Kanji, not Japanese.
Yesterday or two days ago, as Jordan and I were walking to dinner, we came across something interesting. Took a couple looks but let's play: Can you spot the difference?!
"You had ONE job to do!!!" - Boss
Something else that is a bit different out here are the cars. They look like micro machines. Seriously! You can spot the cars that have been imported. They really stick out. Also, there are a lot of cars here that don't exist in America. The big car manufacturers don't send us all the models they come up with, so you'll see some crazy names for cars out here. But that was not weird to me, I already knew that. What was weird was this one particular car. What is wrong with the make and model of this vehicle?
Toyota Cavalier? I'm almost positive Chevy makes that....who stole who's name here? lol
At about this point, I crossed the street and stopped to take a picture of the docks. I don't think this is the only dock but its the one we are right next to.
Finally we arrive at the front entrance of the base. This is where the Commissary, NEX and food court is.
Top Left: Food Court. They have a Subway, Anthony's Pizza, Popeye's, Baskin Robins, Dunkin' Donuts, and Taco Bell. This is also where we got our phones through a company called Soft Bank.
Top Right: A vending machine! They hold like EVERY kind of drink imaginable. Some even dispense hot drinks. Crazy right? There are also cigarette vending machines but no beer vending machines. They took those all out of Japan. :( I was really hoping for a vending machine beer. haha
Bottom: To the right is the NEX and to the left of that is the Commissary. To the left of that is the main gate. On my direct right is the road we walked up to get here.
The bottom picture is of the Outdoor Activities Building. This is where we can go to sign up for just about anything. We can rent kayaks, camping equipment, and sign up for trips like Mt. Aso and Mt. Fuji! Better believe I'll be taking advantage of that!
So that is about it! This base has everything you could want or need. They have two car insurance places, they have three restaurants, a few cafes, thrift shop, laundromat and nail and hair salon, two workout facilities, bowling ally, movie theater, schools, video rental place, gas station, car wash, a place to get your car worked on, and a plethora of other things. You could probably look it all up online.
What I also love about this place are the trips, events, and activities that they offer on and off of base. They are very accommodating to families also which is good.
I think we are going to have a great time here!
Starting tomorrow (as you read this I will actually be doing this) we have a meeting with the housing department on getting our own place. We should have one soon since one of the bases with housing is barely half full. So there is plenty of room. We will see though how long it actually takes us. The military is not very punctual.
Jordan actually just got an email from his boss on his ship that warned him of possibly getting flown out to the ship. My only goal is that we have a car before that happens. We don't know when or if it will happen so I'm prepared for him to leave at any moment.
The life of a military wife, eh?
All in all, this will be great. It'll have its ups and downs, but who has a life that doesn't?
Also, at the end of the week, we are taking a trip down to Nagasaki. That should be AWESOME!!! So pumped.
Sa-yo-na-ra!!!
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Japan: A New Beginning
I should probably break this up into two posts...but I am probably going to be pretty busy so I'll do what I can for now to hold ya over!
So I'm in Japan for those of you that don't know. If you didn't know that than you need to crawl out of your hole and sign into Facebook because I'm kind of a Facebook whore. Haha!
Alright, where to begin...I guess I'll start from the beginning.
We arrived at the airport 3 fetchin hours early because everyone said we needed to be. Turns out if you are flying out of your own country on a Monday morning that is not the case. So what did Jordan and I do? After breakfast we cancelled our phone plans, paid off the remainder of our bills and proceeded to the bar where Jordan and I had a few adult beverages.
Our bartender told us how he was down graded on Yelp! by some woman who complained her drink was too strong...really? Come on lady you are at a bar! Getting on a plane! What do you need to be conscious for? So then he followed with this when I asked him for a Mt. Rainier Mai Tai, "Do you want it gooooooood? Or tasty?" Before I could even respond Jordan bellowed, "Gooooooooood."
Fast forward to our plane. In international business class. It. Was. Awesome.
So awesome in fact that I ripped open the package with slippers in them. They were nice and fluffy!
And then we proceeded to get ourselves a little concoction of goodness.
Next up was lunch! It was a 4 course meal for crying out loud!
Do you see this? A movie, while stretched out, legs up, a drink and salmon for lunch!
Then we got cut off from our drinks around dessert time so we passed out most of the flight. Haha
Finally we arrive at Narita airport. It was very confusing on where to go to get our connecting flight, but once we figured it out it was smooth sailing. Then I got this little number and was like, "Holy fuck, I'm not in Kansas anymore." Thank the Lord above math is the same in every country or else I never would have known what gate number to go to.
Once we found our gate, I had to find the potty. I knew what to expect when I saw...
My first question was," Which way do I face?" I think I faced the wrong way but it worked out, haha. Just want to thank CrossFit for the strength to do this and camping for not making this feel too weird. I don't poop in this thing do I?
Alright, fast forward through that flight minus the last 10 minutes. The sunset was incredible. I have never seen the sun so big and red. I took a ton of pics but I choose this one because of the islands. Seriously, the sun was so much bigger and brighter in person.
My favorite part about this place is that the airport's initials are FUK.
Moving on. After a 3 1/2 hour wait the Blue Bus picked us up. It's the military bus to take us to base!
We got into our hotel room and in bed by around 1:30am Aug 21. We traveled across so many time zone we jumped ahead two days! We did travel for 30 freaking hours. But because of all that traveling we were immediately adapted to their time. Although we get up at 6am and are ready to pass out by 8 but that's still pretty good for the first day.
That same morning at around 8am, we got a call from a woman named Faye who is the wife of one of Jordan's coworkers. She took us to a spot in town and her own apartment in town and was very very sweet. She wanted to make sure we felt welcome and had an ally in figuring out this place.
She took us to this kilometer long strip mall that everyone calls the Ginza. It has tons of shops and eateries and a couple grocery stores. We walked around, had lunch at an American Denny's diner equivalent , checked out the 100 Yen store which has EVERYTHING and then toured the base a bit.
This is the bridge that puts you right into the Ginza. It is just off of base.
That is what I have done so far! Today we are going to hangout for a bit, call Faye and see what else there is. Probably hit up the Commissary (military grocery store) and get some food for the room. We have no space really but I need some snacks!!!
Next week we will start our INDOC program where we learn about the culture, language, driving (yes, I need to have a Japanese driver's license), housing and all that stuff.
Once we get a car, I'll probably video the experience. Stay tuned.... ; - )
So I'm in Japan for those of you that don't know. If you didn't know that than you need to crawl out of your hole and sign into Facebook because I'm kind of a Facebook whore. Haha!
Alright, where to begin...I guess I'll start from the beginning.
We arrived at the airport 3 fetchin hours early because everyone said we needed to be. Turns out if you are flying out of your own country on a Monday morning that is not the case. So what did Jordan and I do? After breakfast we cancelled our phone plans, paid off the remainder of our bills and proceeded to the bar where Jordan and I had a few adult beverages.
Our bartender told us how he was down graded on Yelp! by some woman who complained her drink was too strong...really? Come on lady you are at a bar! Getting on a plane! What do you need to be conscious for? So then he followed with this when I asked him for a Mt. Rainier Mai Tai, "Do you want it gooooooood? Or tasty?" Before I could even respond Jordan bellowed, "Gooooooooood."
Fast forward to our plane. In international business class. It. Was. Awesome.
And then we proceeded to get ourselves a little concoction of goodness.
Next up was lunch! It was a 4 course meal for crying out loud!
Do you see this? A movie, while stretched out, legs up, a drink and salmon for lunch!
Then we got cut off from our drinks around dessert time so we passed out most of the flight. Haha
Finally we arrive at Narita airport. It was very confusing on where to go to get our connecting flight, but once we figured it out it was smooth sailing. Then I got this little number and was like, "Holy fuck, I'm not in Kansas anymore." Thank the Lord above math is the same in every country or else I never would have known what gate number to go to.
Once we found our gate, I had to find the potty. I knew what to expect when I saw...
My first question was," Which way do I face?" I think I faced the wrong way but it worked out, haha. Just want to thank CrossFit for the strength to do this and camping for not making this feel too weird. I don't poop in this thing do I?
Alright, fast forward through that flight minus the last 10 minutes. The sunset was incredible. I have never seen the sun so big and red. I took a ton of pics but I choose this one because of the islands. Seriously, the sun was so much bigger and brighter in person.
Ok, then we landed here...
Moving on. After a 3 1/2 hour wait the Blue Bus picked us up. It's the military bus to take us to base!
We got into our hotel room and in bed by around 1:30am Aug 21. We traveled across so many time zone we jumped ahead two days! We did travel for 30 freaking hours. But because of all that traveling we were immediately adapted to their time. Although we get up at 6am and are ready to pass out by 8 but that's still pretty good for the first day.
That same morning at around 8am, we got a call from a woman named Faye who is the wife of one of Jordan's coworkers. She took us to a spot in town and her own apartment in town and was very very sweet. She wanted to make sure we felt welcome and had an ally in figuring out this place.
She took us to this kilometer long strip mall that everyone calls the Ginza. It has tons of shops and eateries and a couple grocery stores. We walked around, had lunch at an American Denny's diner equivalent , checked out the 100 Yen store which has EVERYTHING and then toured the base a bit.
This is the bridge that puts you right into the Ginza. It is just off of base.
This is just a pic from inside. I thought it was pretty cool having both flags together. What is slightly deceiving about this mall, is that it has multiple stories. But you would never know it until you walked into some of the shops. It was pretty fun!
That is what I have done so far! Today we are going to hangout for a bit, call Faye and see what else there is. Probably hit up the Commissary (military grocery store) and get some food for the room. We have no space really but I need some snacks!!!
Next week we will start our INDOC program where we learn about the culture, language, driving (yes, I need to have a Japanese driver's license), housing and all that stuff.
Once we get a car, I'll probably video the experience. Stay tuned.... ; - )
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