Veteran's Day Roadtrip

I have been very fortunate since I've been here that I have met some amazing people. My friend Diane offered to take three of us out and about on Veteran's Day. Since we had barely been out of Yokosuka, we jumped at the chance to get away. Our first stop was Odawara Castle. It was a beautiful place, surrounded by nature and nestled on top of a hill. Below was a watch tower that provided a vantage point to view the grounds and notify others in the event of an attack.

This stone was located outside the castle gates.

Here I am minimized by the enormous gates into the castle courtyard. The doors were massive, but the Japanese still managed to make them beautifully ornate.

Here is the actual castle, which now has a very interesting museum inside. We climbed all the way to the top floor to look out at the surrounding communities.

Here is my attempt at creative photography...I'm sure I drove the others nuts with my millions of pictures that day!

On the top floor, I noticed this sign pointing the way to our next destination.

One of the gates to the Shrine at Hakone. The picture doesn't show the enormity of this gate as at least two lanes of traffic, including tour buses, can drive underneath.

There were hundreds of paddle boats dotting the lake, but these two "love birds" caught my eye.

This is the famous gate to the shrine. If you look closely, you can see Mt. Fuji in the background. Of course it was crystal clear all day, until we started taking pictures. Oh well, I'm pretty sure I will have some more opportunities.

A beautiful view of the lake with Fuji playing peek-a-boo in the background.

Once we walked around and took many pictures on one side of the lake, we drove to the other where the actual Shrine is located.

Statues like this are always near the Shrine. This one represents the beginning...of life, of the alphabet, of time. Its mouth is open because when we enter this world, we make noise. Also, the first letter of the Japanese alphabet is "Ah", which is spoken with an open mouth. On the opposite side of this statue is another with a closed mouth symbolizing the end. I will try to remember to take a picture of it next time.

Many fortunes and wishes made by visitors to the Shrine. All are written on these pieces of wood and when the racks get full, they are burned providing an offering and hopefully making your wish turn in to your good fortune.

Here is the gate up close from the back side...Of course I didn't post my most artistic shots, someone might snag it and frame it...Patty! Just kidding, I didn't have space for all of them. When I visit this summer I will show you the thousands that I will have amassed.

On the other side of the road from the lake was a beautiful walking trail. It was there that I found my friend, the tree. Yes, I am a tree hugger! Just look at how huge it is!

Here is a shot from my little spot on the ground.

And there were tons of these trees...it just made me feel very small.

And here's to my road less traveled! Which makes me think that all of you need to experience one of my favorites in all it's glory! Enjoy!

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveller, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference

...Robert Frost

Diane, Stacey, and Becky...who were probably all thinking, "Goodness, would she just put that darn camera down!"

So, after the adventure at the Shrine, Diane informed us that we couldn't live without trying a black egg...and apparently neither could her son, since he wanted us to bring some back. :) So, onward we trekked to the side of a dormant volcano where hydrogen sulfide and sulfulous acid gas steam out of the ground. After a long and difficult hike side by side with elderly ladies, men on ventilators, trendy women in heels, and us who were huffing and puffing we finally made it to the shack on top of the mountain. It was here that we came face to face with the world famous black eggs — Kuro Tamago — with very special properties. They are regular chicken eggs cooked in the volcanic groundwater, which happens to be a murky gray color. After cooking the eggs in this boiling hot water, the eggshell turns very dark black color. According to local lore, eating just one of these eggs will add seven more years to ones life. I, of course, tempted fate and didn't eat one...I was still too darn full from lunch. But, I do still have a couple in my fridge that I hope are still edible, or at least not poisoned by the sulfur. Wish me luck...seven years to be exact!

Here are some of the vents in the volcano. It really stunk!

Another marvelous view from the top! This was the lake again, from a different spot.

After buying some eggs to take home, we decided that in order to fully enjoy the fall colors, we would take the rope-way across the mountain. It was absolutely gorgeous! Slightly terrifying, but definitely worth the experience!

There was plenty of room in our little cable car.

For those of you who have experienced the Sky Ride at the Illinois State Fair, it was a lot like that, but with windows and much higher up!

This was the only thing keeping me from plummeting to my death in the valley below. Can you believe it?!

This was my feeble attempt before getting on the rope-way to laugh off my nerves...I think I'll stick with teaching...I like the uniform better! Until next time...I love and miss you all!

Escoffier Dinner

On November 6th, I went with friends to Tokyo to the New Sanno Hotel to attend the Harvest Moon Escoffier Dinner. It was fun and fancy and the food was absolutely delicious! Each course came with its own wine pairing, which certainly improved the mood. My only complaint is now that I'm hooked, the dinners are booked until the end of this school year. Here we are all dressed up before going into the dining room.

And seated...

Our first course which was Lobster Terrine paired with tarragon mayonnaise. Accompanied by a Foie Gras mousse and diced port jelly. The Foie Gras was a bit too much like eating a forkful of butter, but everything else was great. We had an Italian Pinot Grigio with this appetizer.

I forgot to take a picture of the Pumpkin Bisque soup which was next on the menu...Below is the Fillet of Rouget served with a mustard champagne sauce and garnished with lobster risotto and broccoli flourettes. It was served with a Fume Blanc.

This is the breast of pheasant filled with lobster and morel mushrooms. It included grilled polenta (which isn't fantastic) and asparagus. The wine served with this course was a Meritage.

Here is the apple sorbet...and of course I forgot to take pictures of the main entree and the salad. Hey, take it easy I was about 8 glasses of wine into dinner at this point...you're lucky I remembered this much! I will tell you about them anyway. The entree was lobster stuffed filet of beef with madeira wine sauce and garnished with a wild rice croquette and creamed spinach. The salad was also phenomenal...grilled lobster atop baby greens lightly coated with shaved parmesan cheese. It had an apple vinaigrette with a fig baguette on the side. It was served with a Cabernet Sauvignon. Mmmmm!

And for the finale...Apple tart tatin with cinnamon ice cream and a calvados truffle tart. Topped off with a Champagne. Yep...it was delicious!

After rolling ourselves out of the dining room, we changed to go out on the town. We went to an area of Tokyo called Roppongi. It turned out to be a fabulous evening and a great night!

Handy Dandy Kim

There is very little storage space or usable counter space in my kitchen. So, after a trip to IKEA to buy an island, I decided to masterfully put together my new purchase by myself. Needless to say, it would have gone much more smoothly with help, but I am stubborn and built it myself. After an interesting (and at times, frustrating) evening, this is the finished product. I was pretty pleased with myself. So...

I cracked open a bottle of wine to celebrate. This is a bottle that my 6th grade team from Riverton bought me as a Goodbye gift. They reminded me that no matter what happens in life, I should remain calm, and just smile...I never could have guessed how right they would be. I am thankful each day for this wonderful experience!

10 Interesting Tidbits About Life in Japan

1. They drive on the left side of the road...and the mopeds drive on the left between you and the curb.

2. The ocean is more like Lake Michigan...unless you go to Okinawa (the Hawaii of Japan).

3. EVERYONE carries umbrellas...on rainy days, on sunny days, on cloudy days, on cold days, on humid days, and even on windy days when it's not unusual to see several blowing around unaccompanied.

4. Native Japanese speakers grunt frequently when conversing on the telephone.

5. All the mirrors in my house show a beautiful view of my chest down to my hips...I have to bend over to see my face.

6. We sort the trash meticulously into "burnable", "non-burnable", "plastic recyclable", "glass, cans, PET, and plastic bottles", and "recyclable paper and cardboard". And, each one has it's own trash day for pickup.

7. If you don't sort your trash correctly, they put a big orange sticker on it and leave it on your doorstep so you can fix the problem. (They can tell, because you have to use clear trash bags).

8. Sometimes when you're relaxing at home and think you hear an ice cream truck with familiar music it's just the local authorities prefacing a public service announcement. For example here's one heard recently: "Please be advised that a typhoon is expected to make landfall within 12 hours. This will bring large amounts of rain and damaging winds. Take caution. Pleasant, huh?

9. Everyday at 4pm there is another pleasant song broadcast throughout the land letting people know that the school children are on their way home.

10. Since the roads are very narrow and land for parking lots is at a premium many people pull over to the side of the road. With the numerous mopeds, motorcycles, delivery trucks, busses, etc. many people choose to zip past...it's kind of like playing chicken while you're driving.

Finally, things are coming together. I purchased my car on Friday and am just finishing up the required inspections and paperwork. It's quite an ordeal just to get one...but living off base pretty much requires one. I am super excited and am told that I am a fantastic driver! I decided to do everything Japanese style, so I went for a boxy, funky vehicle. It's called a Toyota bB. It's pretty much like a Scion with some slight differences. I am loving it!

Moving on Up!

Ta Da! Here I am getting ready to hand over more cash than I have ever held in my lifetime. It takes so much money just to move in and sign a lease off base that it about made me sick. Well, it did...in fact, I had a meltdown at the desk on the day of my lease signing. My first big emotion since being over here. I had been out of town for training for a couple of days and I was fighting people about my allowances and time off and lots of other important things. The yen rate dropped while I was out of town, so I was a couple hundred dollars short of the required amount and was going to have to reschedule the date of the signing. I was so stressed out about getting the money from my bank, turning it into yen at a good rate, getting to the signing on time, and getting to/from my house (since I haven't gotten a car yet), that I walked in to the housing office and started sobbing like a baby...tears and hiccups and everything else. I looked like a complete fool, but my agent was so kind and understanding that we went ahead with everything anyway. On a different note, I love my new house. I will living in it for at least two years, so I hope I still love it then. I live on the other side of the Muir peninsula from base, a little less than a block to the ocean. From my beach, you can see Mt. Fuji when it's super clear. I was honestly looking for a traditional Japanese home with Tatami mats and rice paper doors, but this came along after many other boring homes and I just knew that it was perfect. It has character and style and is in a quaint fishing neighborhood. The house doesn't have much of a yard, but none of them here do, but I have lots of outdoor space. There are two full bathrooms and one bedroom. The kitchen is a work in progress, because the Japanese don't have ovens, just small fish ovens smaller than a shoebox. I only have two burners for my stove, no dish washer, no drawers, no counter space. It's different. What I do have is a heated, electric, deodorizing, self cleaning, bidet style toilet that has all those features. Neato! I can't wait until all of you can visit and take it for a test drive.

Money...what money?!

This is the placard outside my home...right above the buzzer for me to let you in.

These are the stairs leading up to my door. They can be very dangerous.

Here is a view of the house from the ocean side.

Here is my entry way. No shoes allowed.

This is my living/dining room looking out to the lanai and ocean.

Here is another view of my living/dining room and the stairs leading to the bedroom.

This is my bedroom. Huge, but no closets...anywhere in the house.

This is my bathroom, upstairs.

This is a picture of one of the lanai's.

Oh, and the hidden gem...the rooftop terrace! Bam!

The view from the lanai of the ocean and the mountains on the other side of the water.