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.

Contractor Cookout

During my stay at the Navy Lodge, it became boring to sit in my room all the time, so I wandered about and made friends...imagine that. These gentlemen have been here for months as contractors for the government. They aren't allowed to get houses or cars, but they make the best of their time here. Once a week they have a cookout in the "courtyard" of the hotel. The furnishings are makeshift chairs and tables held together by zip ties, but their meals are fit for royalty. I was fortunate enough to be invited and I had a great time socializing and listening to the live music (thanks Zane). These men are super fun and know how to have a great time given the circumstances. It was sad to move out of the lodge knowing that I wouldn't be able to walk outside and hang out anymore.

I just had to include this fantastic picture of a bike I was walking past in Yokota. I was sent to training in Yokota, which is the outside edge of Tokyo and an Air Base. We went outside the gates to this marvelous Italian restaurant and on the way back I see this bike. Now, the Japanese are known for their bicycles...they are everywhere! This one is a spin on a classic, take a good look...yep, that's a steering wheel in place of the handle bars. Hilarious!

Kamakura Round #2

I convinced some friends that it was essential for them to get out and navigate the train system because it's so easy and awesome. We headed to Kamakura, which is fairly close and a super cute town. Since it was Sunday (Bakery Day) I had to get my fix. Below is a little fishy poof filled with chocolate. They are delicious and can be filled with so many different things such as vanilla pudding, peanut butter, bean paste, green tea pudding, or curry. The people that make these use a mold and once they're done, flip them out with a chopstick at about a thousand miles an hour. It's magic!

Here's Stacey enjoying her brunch...notice that her sashimi came on a bed of twigs...different.

Here is my brunch. In the summer, they tend to serve noodles cold, which I am having a hard time getting used to, because frankly it's not appetizing. I also had some soup, chicken stuff, cold bean curd, pickled veggies, udon noodles, and gelatinous eggs. Needless to say, the menu had no pictures (which I have grown to rely upon) nor English. The meal was not the best one I've ever had, but I'll just chalk it up to being part of the experience.

Nippon Night at Club Alliance

Some friends and I went to Nippon Night at our local Club Alliance. We enjoyed a great night with traditional Japanese cuisine and entertainment. It was exciting to see how the young children enjoy their history enough to continue the traditional of dancing, singing, sword fighting, and drumming.

Suicide Prevention Race

In an effort to keep in shape while living in a hotel (and eating out entirely too much), I have been following the race maps on base. There was a race advertised on base for Suicide Awareness and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try something new. Plus, I recently found out that a classmate of mine had committed suicide after serving overseas in the war. I was hoping to support the military in their mission to create support and awareness once soldiers return home. With that weighing on my shoulders, I did my first 3K or first race ever. I was extremely nervous and felt out of place at first, but then random strangers kept encouraging everyone. Despite being out of the habit of running, I finished in 23 minutes. I am looking forward to participating in many more races here and definitely looking to improve my time.

Yokosuka Mikoshi Parade

Many times throughout the summer, the Japanese have Mikoshi parades. The Mikoshi are portable Shinto shrines that are elaborately decorated and carried through the streets of its followers. The Japanese usually carry the shrine on their shoulders while chanting and clapping. There were some that were rolled along with musicians playing the entire time. Overall, the people carried the shrines over 2 miles. They tend to be very heavy and require many people to help. This was the first time I appreciated the self confidence of the men in Japan...many of the traditional outfits were short robes with a type of bikini underwear...and believe me, we saw some colorful undies! This was an awesome experience, because the base opens up and participates. There were thousands of people, mostly Japanese who were in the parade and lining the streets. It was funny, because there were vendors set up with food and drinks along the end of the route. The Japanese were super excited to buy numerous pizzas and boxes of Dunkin Donuts each. In fact, they brought special carrying cases to lug their purchases home. This was honestly the loudest and most fun parade that I have ever been to. I am going to try to upload a video so you can experience it too.

This one had musicians playing the drums and the Japanese flute.

This is a more traditional shrine.

I just thought this was funny...traditionally dressed people eating from our McDonalds. And the guy was just pushing the girls along.

This was an interesting one, because all the carriers were women for this shrine.