Fun with Food at 290 Yen Restaurant

One of my coworkers introduced me to this fabulous restaurant called 290 Yen. Most everything here is that price, which with the exchange now is about $3.78 in US dollars. It is pretty traditional, so we have to take off our shoes before entering and we sit on the floor at the table. It has good food and it a favorite of Gaijin (foreigners) and Japanese alike.

Here I am holding the device used to order the food and drinks. You have to use the interactive screen to choose what you want to eat. Fortunately, they have an English menu included. Even then, some things are left up to interpretation.

This is a favorite drink to get here...a Mikan Chu Hi. The mikan is similar to a clementine orange. Chu hi drinks are usually derived from shochu, which is an alcohol usually made from rice. All of the flavors are delicious here, but very potent!

When you order alcohol on the screen, this will pop up making sure that you are of age and not driving since there is zero tolerance for drinking and driving here. It's amazing to me that the Japanese are truthful when ordering. Can you imagine this system in the US?!

Some delicious sashimi (uncooked fish) with some not so delicious wasabi.

Another crowd pleaser is the pizza. Different from the American version with mayonaise, pesto, and very thin crust. Delicious!

My personal favorite, Edamame (soybeans). Yum!

Another one of my favorites...Tofu. It is delicious with the sauce, onion, and pepper. It comes cold, and the texture is interesting, but it's still fabulous!

The staple of any good drinking menu is Yakitori.

Everyone who comes to visit always gets a kick out of the toilet shoes. Since you have to leave yours at the door, these are provided for you as you use the facilities. I love that the Japanese think of everything!

Beach Bum

One of the first things that I looked forward to doing upon my return to Japan was heading to the beach to hang out. Thankfully, my good friend had the same idea, so we packed up the car and headed to Kamakura Beach. Beach season here is different from the US. In the summer, the beach months are officially July and August. During these months, the Japanese open beach shacks to offer food, drinks, and dancing all along the beach. These shacks start going up in May and will be taken down again in September. Thankfully, we went during the week. Otherwise, we might not have had a spot to set out our towels. Many people from Tokyo come down on the weekends, so the beach is packed with good weather.

A view of the beach shacks from our spot on our towels.

It looks pretty busy, but compared to weekends, this is dead.

I love that the beach goers have such a great time playing soccer, volleyball, or just about any other game on the beach. We even watched these teenaged boys making sand balls. They were so excited, and seriously spent at least an hour working to make them perfect. I preferred to lay in the sun for awhile and then cool off by walking out to the water. My next purchase will be a tube so I can float around enjoying the sun from the water.

There are constant reminders that this isn't America. The most obvious being this couple who came to the beach and were there standing at water's edge for at least 2 hours. He has on tons of clothing, but she had even more including a sun umbrella. They didn't get in the water or lay on the sand. They just stood there enjoying the sounds of the sea.

Here I am soaking up the sun!

Sensational Seattle and Beyond!

On what I hoped was my final destination before returning to Japan, I stopped in Seattle to visit some friends that I had made while they were stationed in Yokosuka. At this point, I decided that travel on the first leg of my trip home is best, and travel on the back end while trying to return is just crazy! I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the McGathey's and really appreciated that they opened their home to me. I had a blast just doing the day to day things with some of my favorite kiddos, Sophia and Aydan. Since they live about an hour and a half from Seattle, we didn't spend much time there, but we did make it into Seattle for a day.

Our first stop off the Bremerton ferry was the Crab Pot. The food was fantastic! We ordered a crab boil, which was mussels, oysters, crab, shrimp, and potatoes all cooked together. The waiter laid down a plastic sheet on the table and just dumped it all in front of us. We stuffed ourselves with all the delicious food...to be honest I have had dreams about eating here again!

Here's my "boyfriend" Aydan showing off his crab leg.

Here's the sign outside the restaurant. This place has been featured on Man vs. Food. I highly recommend it!

We took the whole crew to Safeco Field to enjoy a baseball game. Mariners vs. Rays.

We ate lunch at Silver City Brewery and I couldn't resist a sampling of their local brews. I didn't think that I would like the dark ones much, but the Fat Scotch Ale all the way to the right was by far the most delicious!

The food to accompany my beer. It was one of the most scrumptious pizzas that I have ever tasted in my life! And, as you can see in the background...I was well on my way to becoming a beer connoisseur.

After waiting and waiting to get out of Seattle on the Patriot Express to Japan, I found out that all military flights were delayed due to a typhoon heading toward Okinawa. So, I continued my visit with my friends. Thankfully, they were fabulous hosts and if they minded me extending my stay, they didn't mention it to me. Finally, on August 9th, I was able to hop on the first flight to Japan. Even though my adventures in travel were far from over, I was elated to be chosen for the flight. I did hold my breath until boarding was final, and then I settled down for my flight. Fourteen hours later I was home in Japan. I arrived in Yokota and had to wait another 6 hours for the shuttle from Yokosuka. I hopped the shuttle for another 3 hour ride and finally made it to base. My friend Mollye was a lifesaver as she agreed to pick me up and take me home. I think that my crazy line of travels helped to combat jet lag. Thankfully, when I returned home I fell right asleep and have been on a normal schedule ever since. Thank you to everyone who helped me to return home safe and sound!

Lovely San Francisco

As many of you know, I ended my Space-A travels in San Francisco. That worked out quite well, because on my route back home, I stopped back there to visit two Pi Phi friends from college. I absolutely LOVE the atmosphere of the city. It's eclectic and fun, and we had a blast touring around for the week!

One of our first stops was the De Young Museum in the Golden Gate Park. All of the exhibits were brought over from the Picasso Museum in Europe while they remodel. This is the first time that they have been in the US and it will be the only time. All of the pieces were a part of Picasso's personal collection. I was surprised at the variety of styles of the artwork. Unfortunately, photos were not allowed inside the exhibit, so I can't share the exquisite pieces with you.

An attempt at my creative photography in a different section of the De Young Museum. Can you see me?

This is a common "teacher" look. I am practicing it for when school starts back up. Obviously, he won...but I might return for a rematch!

This was taken from a tower at the De Young Museum. What a gorgeous view of San Francisco in the background!

Me and the Painted Ladies at Alamo Square.

Finally, I got to see the famous California Redwoods at John Muir National Park. This is at the entrance.

Wow! Look at how humungous this tree is compared to my arm span!

Sheila had never ridden the cable cars, so we waited in line for almost 2 hours in the freezing cold for our experience. It is always a great time, but I definitely didn't plan for cold weather this summer. It was a huge shock to come from 90 degree Illinois to 55 degree California!

We took a tour of the Japanese Tea Gardens in Golden Gate Park...it was like an appetizer for my return to Japan.

After Sheila left, Sarah and I decided to take a trip down Highway 1 to Santa Cruz. We saw this lighthouse from the road and decided to take a short detour. This is Pigeon Point Light House, a State Historic Site.

The scenery was spectacular!

We finally arrived at Santa Cruz and walked along the Boardwalk. It was definitely a lot like an experience at the Illinois State Fair, which was good since I was disappointed to miss it this year. We walked along the boardwalk and down the pier to get the full experience. This is California's oldest surviving amusement park, founded in 1907.

My view from the Skyride...just like the fair! These boys were really excited to get in my picture...what cuties!

Sarah and I getting ready for our ride on the Giant Dipper. It's the 5th oldest roller coaster in the United States. It was quite a fun ride!

Here I am leaving the Boardwalk. I was sad to leave, but ready. It had been a really long day already, and we had to drive all the way back to San Francisco.

Here I am on my final day in California with the Bay Bridge in the distance. We made some time to shop at the markets near Pier 39 where I frantically searched for more unique jewelry made from flatware. Success! It was from here that I caught my flight north to Seattle...the adventure continues.

Summer Baseball Series

This summer, I was bound and determined to make it to some baseball games. One of the most difficult things about being in Japan is missing out on live sports. I can't go to games and very rarely can I catch any on TV either. Thanks to my good friend, Mel, I had the chance to go to a White Sox game on July 4th. Unfortunately, Mel couldn't come, but my friends Kristin and Robyn could. We had a great time at the game and the White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 5 to 4. It was the first time I had seen an ending like this too. The Royals pitcher took his foot off the mound and defaulted the runners to advance, which caused the Sox to win. Awesome!

Here's the field as seen from our seats...Great view as long as you didn't look directly down. Wow, I had never sat this high before!

Here's the city as we walked down the ramp after the game. Everything was lit up and you could see fireworks all along the horizon since it was a July 4th game. Beautiful!

Here we are standing in front of a gorgeous backdrop...Chicago!

Here's the view of the people leaving the stadium...it was packed!

While visiting some great friends near Seattle, I also had the chance to go to a Mariners game. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity and had a blast there too!

This is the entrance to Safeco Field.

Here I am, super pumped to see another baseball game!

Unfortunately, the Mariners didn't win. My friends were pretty excited about that though, because they are Rays fans.

Those of you who know me well, understand my crazy picture ideas. Here I am right in the middle of a glove outside the gate.

Upon my return to Japan, I still had baseball fever. I just can't get enough...the crowd, the smells, the talent, the cheers, the beer...I love it all! At the last minute, my friends and I decided to take a chance, brave the rain, and head to Yokohama for a Baystars game.

This is Rocio and I exiting the train station nearest the stadium.

Even though it rained on and off throughout the game, the crowd never lost its enthusiasm. They just put on their ponchos and cheered away. I have never experienced anything like a Japanese baseball game. Drums, horns, thunder sticks, cheering, but no jeering. Amazing!

Here's the Asahi Beer Gal! I LOVE her outfit!

Here we are getting ready to leave the game. It just kept going and going and unfortunately we all had to attend the first day of school bright and early the next day.

Me and the field.

Some enthusiastic fans...boy, she was well dressed. You rarely see classy female baseball fans like this in the US.

The menagerie of mascots and cheerleaders keeping the crowd pumped up...they didn't have to try too hard. This was one of the most spirited crowds I have ever experienced!

Here's the scoreboard...the Baystars ended up losing. Their season hasn't been great this year, which bodes well for me getting tickets easily. The season here goes well into October, so I can't wait to experience many more games in the future!

Try out the links below to videos on Youtube...make sure you email me if they don't work. They are short, 15-45 seconds each and don't quite capture the atmosphere of the game, but give a glimpse of the fun.

http://youtu.be/O_qO1cNetrY

http://youtu.be/PT1nuTPoyeA

http://youtu.be/u9eijm530V4

http://youtu.be/qKnCLHIgKA0