TCCOR 1: Typhoon Roke

TCCOR 1: TROPICAL CYCLONE CONDITIONS OF READINESS: LEVEL 1 means destructive winds of 57 mph (50 kt, 93 km/h) or greater are anticipated within 12 hours and Yokosuka Naval Base issued a TCCOR 1 effective around 1400 this afternoon. Tropical Cyclones are also known as typhoons, hurricanes, tropical storms, cyclonic storms, cyclones, and tropical depressions depending on their location and strength. Earlier this morning we were at a TCCOR 3 here on base and we were to be prepared for high winds and heavy rain but nothing was being shut down or closed. By 1400, many employees on base were sent home and all activities for the afternoon/evening were cancelled. The commissary and exchange were closed and people were advised to stay in. I had to drive home around 1600 and the car was blowing all over the place, the roads were basically flooding, and there were branches hitting my windshield the whole way home! Here in Yokosuka we are right on the water and the wind really comes in here and whips around. TCCOR 1 can be compared to a Category 2 hurricane for those of you on the East coast that are familiar with this kind of weather. On a brighter note... my car is getting a very thorough wash right now!



I am sitting in my living room right now listening to the wind blow and howl outside. All my plants are knocked over and I'm just leaving them there... no point in continuing to pick them up every time they blow over! Hopefully the worst of this storm is over by tomorrow afternoon so I can go out of this apartment and be a part of the world.

Yesterday I spent running around the base to get stuff turned in for my security clearance for the hospital. I had to get fingerprinted at security, then print out and sign a bunch of papers consenting for them to do the background check, then I had to wait until the security guys lunch break was over before I could go hand in all my paperwork! At least it is all turned in... only a few more hoops to jump through to complete Red Cross Volunteer training for the hospital. Since I am getting so good at jumping through hoops between the military and the Red Cross, I'm thinking of running away and joining the circus!

Today I had Nurse Orientation at the hospital which is part of the training I need to be a Red Cross Volunteer... 8 hours of how to be a nurse... which confuses me because I could have sworn I went to Nursing school... twice!!! It didn't help that they grouped us together with the corpsman (like a medic in the Navy; basically acts as an LPN) for some of the training so it was extremely basic and I spent 8 hours of my day completely in la la land. There were 3 nurses in orientation with me and all day they took notes... like pages and pages of notes... I leaned back and drank my coffee... I honestly have NO idea what the heck they were writing all day! Still no jobs for civilians here on base but I am realizing that if a job opens up I may be pretty high on the list because of my qualifications and experience. I met a nurse today who was helping with the nurse training and also works in the ER and she asked if I was Lieutenant Storz's wife, I told her yes and she said she heard I was an experienced ER nurse and if she heard of any openings she would be sure to call the GW and let Damian know! I'll take it...

I got an email from Damian today and since they just left a few days ago they haven't gone all that far so they are also feeling the effects of this typhoon... except they are in the open sea... Damian said they are having enormous swells and everyone is getting motion/sea sick. He described it as being on a long roller coaster ride that won't stop... I can't even imagine! it doesn't help that he has to deal with all of the people who are sick since he is in Medical and he is feeling sick himself... I think he finally took something today to help... poor guy!

It really sucks here without him... our apartment is quiet and empty and doesn't feel like home since our stuff isn't here yet (it's probably in the middle of this storm and I can see our crates of belongings going overboard as we speak)... This deployment is definitely different than earlier in the summer where I was at home with family and friends and busy all the time... it's pretty lonely being on the other side of the world and always a day ahead... not much time to skype and chat with everyone. I'm still working on finding my niche here... the mommies kind of stick together and their kids keep them busy so that's about 95% of the population here. Sometimes, when I am out shopping I feel like I have stepped into the twilight zone like I'm the odd man out because I'm the ONLY one without a stroller... it's bizarre!

Japanese word of the day:
Ame: Rain

Where the sidewalk ends...

Where to begin... Let's start on Friday... Damian went to work on the ship all day and I spent a good chunk of my day filling out a 43 page security clearance to be a volunteer.... grrrrrrrrrrrr! Friday was our 6 month wedding anniversary... can't believe it! We spent a quiet night at home with a nice homemade dinner and some Sam Adams Octoberfest... yum!

On Saturday we went up to Yokohama, a city about 30 minutes away by train and the capital of our prefecture (Kanagawa which is the state we live in). It is a massive city with almost 3.6 million people, the second largest in Japan, after Tokyo. It is a major port and lies right in Tokyo Bay. We took the train to an area called "Minato Mirai 21" which means "Port of the Future" and the 21 stands for the 21st century! It is mostly shopping, entertainment, and museums, and all right on the water!

As soon as we got off the train we walked into a large crowd (shocker I know... a large crowd in Japan), anyway, it just so happened Cup of Noodles was having its 40th anniversary celebration and they had taken over this area with tents, free samples, and games. From there we walked over to Landmark Tower which is the tallest building in Japan. On the bottom 5 floors is a giant mall with many American stores including H&M, Tiffany's, GAP, Talbots, and many other smaller shops, and even a Pokemon store which seemed to be extremely popular! Outside of the Pokemon store there were about 100 people sitting silently playing on their Nintendo DS! On many of the upper floors of Landmark Tower they have an upscale Hotel. There is an observation deck on the 69th floor and how could we miss it! It is the highest observatory in Japan and to get there you take the fastest elevator in the country. 69 floors in less than 40 seconds... whoa vertigo! Once you get to the top you have a 360 degree view... it was pretty overcast so we couldn't see Mt. Fuji, but it was still pretty amazing!

One of the things you could see from the observatory or "Sky Garden" was Yokohama stadium, home of the Yokohama Baystars professional baseball team!

I want to take a moment to discuss our delicious lunch we had at the mall in Landmark Tower. We went to a traditional Japanese restaurant because the tempura they had in the window looked so good! We each got the lunch special for 1200 yen (roughly $15). It came with all the green tea you can drink (as usual), miso soup, a small salad, pickled vegetables, a BIG bowl of white rice, and a variety of tempura including some shrimp, some other fish, and vegetables (I traded the shrimp with Damian for veggies). *note: I did take one small bite of one of the tempura that had a tail on it... I didn't care for it very much as it tasted very FISHY and Damian ate the rest... everything else was all very oishii! One thing I am still getting used to is how to eat... I know you are all probably laughing at this, but there are many things that are different here... besides just using chopsticks. (I am trying to blend in the best I can, and other than the blue eyes, freckles, and snow white skin I think I am doing pretty good!) One thing is they hold their tea cup with 2 hands... that is hard to get used to. Also, when having soup, you also use 2 hands to hold it right up to your mouth... no spoons here.. slurp slurp! Most meals are served with a bowl of white rice, traditionally you hold the bowl of rice in your non-dominant hand while you have chopsticks in your other hand and alternate eating, tempura and then rice. I try to eat that way, but I'm not used to actually holding half of my meal and eating with the other hand... I feel like I am literally shoveling food in! oink oink!


Next stop was the Cosmo Clock 21 ferris wheel which was built in 1989 and is the tallest ferris wheel in the world! It is also the world's biggest clock, as there are 60 passenger cars and it takes 15 minutes to do one full rotation. Each passenger car fits 8 people and thankfully is air conditioned! It is 330 ft high at the peak! It didn't rock too much, but when Damian came over to sit next to me so we could take a self-photo, it did rock a little and we were were sort of frozen so it would stop rocking! It was a gorgeous view from up there of the water and the city!

Next stop... Chinatown!!! The Yokohama Chinatown is the largest Chinatown in Asia... There are 10 different gates to enter into this Chinatown and the streets were filled with people. We checked out a lot of the little shops and street vendors. We ate at a Chinese restaurant and then Damian and I stopped at one of the street vendors on the way out to get some snacks. Damian got a dumpling looking thing filled with beef and I got a sweet sesame ball filled with bean paste... OISHII! We got home Saturday night and were pretty tired from such a busy day... it was a lot of walking around and we were on our feet most of the day!

Sunday was a busy little day or running errands, doing laundry, and getting Damian all packed and ready to deploy. We made LOTS of phone calls on Sunday morning so he could chat with family/friends before shipping out again. We had dinner with one of Damian's friends that he had worked with in San Diego at a Colombian restaurant right outside the base last night. It was great meeting his friend, wife, and daughter and they live right down the street from us here on base. Damian had to be on the ship last night because the ship was leaving this morning (Monday). They will be underway for a few months somewhere in the Pacific, but I am hoping to be able to meet Damian at some of the port calls since I don't have a job or anything keeping me here in Japan right now. It was hard to say good-bye... again, especially because he had only been back 3 weeks, but I am very thankful for those amazing 3 weeks with my husband as we were very busy and had lots of time to spend together!

Japanese phrase of the day:
Wakarimasen: I don't understand :(

Brilliant!

Not much new to report friends, but I did want to mention a few things that I have been truly impressed with that the Japanese do... they really are smarter than us!

One thing that really blows my mind because it is SO genius is the stickers required by the Japanese government to put on your car. The one I have attached here is the one I am REQUIRED to display on both the front and the back on my vehicle for 1 year because I am a new driver! This is good because then people understand why I have no idea which way to turn or why when I am trying to turn my wipers go on (I am getting better at this by the way). This is also a way to let other drivers to be cautious around me because I am still learning. On base pretty much everyone has a sticker on their car so you don't really stand out, but when you are off base, people may give you a little more room and look out for you because of it. There is also a sticker required for the 70+ population to have on their cars and also a pretty blue flower one for those who are handicapped. There is also one for the hearing impaired so that instead of honking your horn, you know to use your lights to get their attention.... sooooooooo super smart! Also, because the speed limits are so slow.... even off base, there is a very low rate of accidents. Here in Yokosuka most of the accidents (mostly fender benders) are caused by the Americans who live here! One really crazy thing they do here is if you get into an accident with a taxi or a bus and take them out of service... you are responsible for paying for any fares they may have lost for as long as they are out of service.... Bascially the last thing you want to do is get in an accident with a taxi!!!

Another BIG deal here is recycling... like super intense recycling! We live on base so it either goes in the "combustible" or "non-combustible." This was hard for me at first because I wasn't 100% clear on what to burn and what not to burn... but most of our trash goes to the combustible except for cans/bottles. Off base is a different story... They have trash pick-up 5 days a week and each day is for something else... very specific... paper, plastic, metal, food waste, etc. Very often they will actually look through your trash bag to make sure you have separated properly and if they are not happy with they way you have they will bring your trash to your door and leave it there with a "notice" on it. If this happens more than a few times they will refuse to pick up your trash!

Right now we are still in a state of energy conservation post earthquake/tsunami/nuclear power plant meltdown. These orders come from the government so we have to abide by this on base as well. In most buildings they have all but 1 elevator working and they have kept the air conditioners from running too cool as well. Supposedly by September 30th, the energy ban will be over and we can go back to normal usage.

I am still constantly impressed by the politeness of the Japanese people, they stop to ask if you need help if you look lost and they say "thank you" so much! When we leave a restaurant I swear we thank them back and forth about 4 times! I love it!

The other night we went out for Thai food, it was really good! Damian has been busy at work getting ready for an upcoming deployment and I have been busy with orientation for the hospital. Yesterday afternoon the medical department of the USS George Washington had a picnic by the water here on base. It was nice because everyone got to just chill out and get out of work early and it was pretty fun! We stopped at the post office on the way home and ALL my boxes arrived... yeah for more clothes and my hairdryer!!! Our household goods finally shipped from the US port the other day so at least our stuff is on its way! I'm hoping it gets here in the next few weeks... it will feel more like home then. Last night we had a 6.2 earthquake... the epicenter was just off the coast... the apartment shook for awhile... mostly because being on the 8th floor it sways a bit after the actual earthquake... I'm still not used to this!

Japanese phrase of the day:
Ogenki desuka: How are you?

The streak is over...

As most of you know I have not eaten meat/fish in about 21 years... well, that's done! Damian and I went out on Sunday night for sushi at a cute little sushi-go-round place and they didn't have much to offer for vegetarians except the standard cucumber roll and tofu/rice wrap (inari). When in Rome (or Japan)... I first had a small bite of Damian's tuna... I couldn't taste it that much and decided it wasn't that bad. Next I had a piece of a tuna roll which was pretty good. I had to stop there as I didn't want to get sick from eating meat for the first time. Maybe next time I will try something different and a little more.... we'll see. We had a great dinner, there was definitely a higher ratio of Japanese in this restaurant so I know that made Damian happy!

We had a nice walk home that night and stopped at many little shops/convenience stores along the way to get some snacks. One of the MANY snacks/drinks we got was this manju (and yes I totally took a picture of the wrapper). It was so oishii (remember, this means "delicious")!!! It was sweet, fresh, and the whipped cream in the middle was so yummy! Damian and I shared it when we got home from dinner. We also picked up a bunch of other snacks at the store. The 7-11 actually has some really yummy food, wrapped and fresh! Damian got some of those triangle rice wraps for lunch on Monday and we also picked up some canned Chuhai for Damian... not me!!!

Damian: 2 Chuhai: 0... Damian has had 2 of these canned Chuhai now in the past few days and says he has felt fine... BUT he also hasn't been out drinking all night when having it! The canned stuff is really sweet... probably didn't help that he got the grapefruit flavor though! Maybe I will try one of these again someday but I am still recovering and cannot see myslef having another hangover like that anytime soon! The scary thing about these drinks is that they look just like a fruity soda (as you can see in the picture) and are sold right in the same cooler as regular soft drinks...

Today is Tuesday evening here and Damian and I have both had a busy couple of days! I started "Command Orientation" for the U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka so I can be a Red Cross Volunteer there... there is a lot of hoops to jump through to get in as a volunteer and my security clearance alone could take weeks (maybe months) to get done. Not only do I need all my college transcripts, copies of my diplomas, verification of my nursing licenses, fingerprints, references from every state I have ever lived/worked in, and a thorough background check, but I have to attend almost 3 full weeks of orientation classes... I'm on day 2 now... There are still no jobs here as the government is apparently out of money and doesn't want to pay civilian hires to work here (even though they are severely short-staffed!)

Damian had a long day of work yesterday as they have been busy with inspections of the medical department on the ship and today he had firefighter training where he has learned a new appreciation of what firefighters go through everyday. He had to put all the gear on (and let me just say it was brutally HOT today) and got to actually put out fires. He came home and was soaked in sweat and had already changed his clothes twice!!!!

Tonight we are headed off base to try a Thai restaurant in town that we heard good things about!

Japanese word of the day:
Kampai: Cheers

Chuhai: 1 Beth: 0

*Chuhai: an alcoholic drink originating in Japan made from shochu (Japanese alcohol), carbonated water, and a flavoring. Chuhai is typically around 9% alcohol and has an extremely high sugar content. You can also buy Chuhai in a can...

So, Damian and I headed out with one of his friends from work on Friday night. We went to his buddies place for dinner and some drinks, then out to an area of bars called "The Honch" near the gate of the base. For my Boston friends it reminded me of Faneuil Hall with all the bars on top of each other and for my San Diego people it is like PB on steroids... especially with a high ratio of younger guys lurking around every corner! It was definitely an experience! Throughout the entire night I never once felt like I was in Japan, which I was somewhat disappointed in because I really wanted to see how the Japanese play and go to a real authentic bar. I quickly learned that this will not happen while I am anywhere near this base. I can't remember if I mentioned this before or not, but there are close to 26,000 people stationed here on this base which means they all need a place to go out... it makes sense to have all those American-ish bars right across the street from the base... just not my thing!

One thing that really surprised me was the amount of "Shore Patrol" or military police out and about on the streets surrounding these bars and also in the bars themselves. There have a been some very unfortunate incidents involving US sailors and Japanese nationals in the past few years including a murder and some assaults so the presence of the shore patrol help to keep the sailors (especially the really young ones) in check!

In the course of the night Damian's friend suggested I try one of these Chuhai's as it is one of those things you have to do at least once... I felt pretty good, a little tipsy but in a good place to make a decision to try one of these drinks. The one I got was a grape flavor... tasted just like Kool-Aid... wicked sweet and went down like water! I felt fine, we went to a few more bars and saw the sights (and by sights I mean drunks) and then walked back to the base to get a taxi home.

When I woke up on Saturday AM I felt pretty good, I made us breakfast and coffee and was thinking, “Wow, I feel pretty good for a late night out drinking…” Well, it was too good to be true, about 3 hours after I woke up the hangover hit me and it hit hard! I spent the rest of our Saturday on the couch watching Law & Order SVU on Hulu and drinking water in between my naps. Lesson learned!

I finally felt better this morning!!! Today has been pretty productive; we ran a million errands, which is much easier now that we have a car to get around on base! We got some groceries and a bunch of stuff for Damian’s upcoming deployment so now that’s done! Tonight we are having date night and going out for sushi…. Going to a sushi-go-round place everyone tells us is really “oishii.”

Japanese word of the day:
Oishii: delicious

It's another HOT one!

You know it's a HOT one when CFAY (Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka) issues the black flag on Facebook! I've already had to change my clothes 2 times today because after both of my walks I looked like a drowned rat... not the best look for me! Although with all of this excessive sweating, my hair is wet (from the sweat on my face) and stays somewhat tame instead of my usual humidity frizz helmet!!!

Our dehumidifier is working it's ass off today trying to keep up. We have it right in the middle of our hallway so it can attack the humidity at all angles and we empty it 2-3 times a day (1 gallon of water each time)... there are little lights on the side that tell us if there is low, moderate, or high humidity in the air, and most days it stays RED for high humidity! We also keep the bathroom and kitchen fans on at all times to help keep it dry in here.

Of course on the hottest day I had to go to the complete opposite side of the base to take my driving test. They took 3 of us out at a time and of course while walking to the car, the driving instructor handed me the keys... I definitely did NOT want to go first! I was more nervous for this test than I was for my original license test (cough cough) 13 years ago... yikes! It was so incredibly strange to get in on the right side of the car and to adjust my mirrors the opposite way. It was a Toyota Prius which was so nice to drive (now I know why you love yours so much Debbie)! The person who goes first on the test drives the most.... grrrrrrrrrr.... and it was VERY difficult to keep it under the speed limit. I had to drive through the longest school zone ever... 20 kph... which is about 12 mph... I don't think I have ever driven so slow in my entire life! Then he had me back it into a spot (which I haven't done since Driver's Ed a million years ago), and all the cars here beep when you back up and every store you go to everyone backs into the spots... looks like I need to practice that one. I got a 96 on my test... probably because I put the windshield wipers on instead of my left blinker one time! I laughed, but my instructor did not find it funny... HAHAHA

Damian and I have a car, but we have to get it all registered in our name now that one of us has a license! First we have to make sure it starts as it hasn't been run in about 4 months!!! That is a project for this afternoon! It's a Nissan... not sure exactly what kind though. Most cars on base are Toyota, Nissan, or Mitsubishi! There is an occasional oddball BMW, but not very often. It was nice to be behind the wheel again, I kind of missed driving the past few weeks! I guess it is a good thing the speed limit is so low because it gives me plenty of time to remember which side of the road I am supposed to be on and how to turn my blinker on! Another adventure!

Yesterdays adventure was the Japanese supermarket... I don't even know if I can explain this experience enough so you can really get the picture. There is not enough Xanax in this world to keep me calm in crowds like this! It was a Thursday afternoon and you would of thought it was the day before Thanksgiving if you saw crowds like this in the U.S. Apparently, most of the Japanese shop everyday and get just a few things... that's not really how I roll... I like shopping once, maybe twice a week and I get everything I need to cook! I couldn't turn around without bumping into someone in this place... and the craziest thing was... it was dead quiet! The Japanese are very quiet, polite people... they don't say a word... and then there's me who talks ALL the time... usually about nothing! Anyway, the produce section was awesome... although there are still a lot of fruits/veggies that I don't know exactly what they are. The rest of the store is nice, but I can't read Kanji and have no idea what I am buying. I did buy some Inari (rice wrapped in sweet tofu) and some rice triangle things with some sort of fish inside (those were for Damian to figure out). So, we get into line and they ring you up so quickly and put everything back into your basket and hand you the bags... you move down the assembly line and bag your own groceries! Truly an adventure.

Fast forward to last night, I made a yummy stir-fry with carrots, snap peas, eggplant, zucchini, and broccoli marinated in a sesame/soy dressing on top of white rice! So yummy... the eggplant was out of this world!!!! Damian had the rice triangles and one had tuna in the middle and the other was a mystery but he liked them both and was really excited it wasn't a strictly vegetarian dinner like he's used to when I cook!

We're headed out tonight to experience a little Japanese night-life... I'm sure I will have some good stories/pictures to report back!

Japanese phrase of the day:
Chotto matte kudasai: One moment please

Actually, it's Banzai...

For all of you who remember (and for those that don't there is a video below) the part in the classic 1984 movie "The Karate Kid" when Mr. Miyagi gets drunk and yells "Banzai".... he's not yelling "Bonsai", like the baby trees you trim, he is yelling "Banzai" which is a traditional Japanese phrase meaning "ten thousand years" and can also be translated to mean "long life." So Mr. Miyagi is doing a cheers to a long life!!! This is your pop culture fun fact of the day!


Back to reality... as I mentioned in my previous post, I was going to head to Human Resources to scout out a job. I haven't worked for 6 months now and I'm going a little bit stir crazy and am eager to either start my Nurse Practitioner career or to at least continue working as a Nurse while I'm here. Those student loans aren't going to pay themselves.... gulp! So, I called HR on base yesterday and they have absolutely nothing... well, they have lots of openings at the hospital but I am unfortunately overqualified for all of them. The contract organization that works with the hospital also has no openings here in Yokosuka, and the Department of Defense school system here is not looking for any school nurses. I spoke with the HR representative for the hospital and she said Nursing positions are very limited to people not in the service... BUT I'm not giving up quite yet!!!

The American Red Cross Yokosuka Chapter has volunteer opportunities throughout the hospital where I could use my skills and education and volunteer as a Nurse or Nurse Practitioner (hopefully). This gets me in the door and people will get to know me... this could mean a position may become available or open and being in the system already I would be an excellent candidate. I just have to be patient... "Patience young grasshopper." So, today I spent my morning at the American Red Cross Volunteer Orientation and I should be hearing from the hospital sometime next week so I can attend that orientation.

Tonight, Damian and I attended a "Hail and Farewell (and for anyone wondering this is not in reference to the 1936 film entitled Hail and Farewell)... I digress... It is a traditional military event to welcome the Officer newcomers to the command and honor the ones who are leaving. It is mandatory for the active duty to attend however there were not that many people there. Damian was hailed tonight which just means he got called up and was introduced (and so was his beautiful wife) and they said where he came from and what he likes to do in his free time. The BIG thing happening on base tonight was the changing of command of the 7th fleet... roads were closed and there was a huge ceremony on one of the ships for all the important people to attend.

That's all for today...

Japanese phrase of the day:
Shitsureishimasu: Excuse Me (Thanks Auntie Jo!)

Bonsai!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Labor Day... not a holiday here... well, kind of but only on base! Damian had the day off today and we certainly took advantage of it! He came back from the ship this morning from his 24 hour duty and we were on the go the rest of the day!

Of course I left my raincoat at home because there was such a slight chance of rain and a few minutes away from home on our walk it started pouring... nothing new. I can't win... I carry it around all the time and it doesn't rain... the one day I leave it, it rains! Damian and I did have 1 umbrella so that was somewhat helpful. First stop of the day... Dunkin' Donuts... yummy iced coffees while we waited out the rain a little. The rain died down and we began our long walk to the train station. Next stop.... The Great Buddha!

We had to take 2 trains to get there but we made it with great success. We went to a small town called Hase (pronounced Ha-say) to visit The Great Buddha! It is the second largest statue of Buddha in all of Japan... it is bronze but you wouldn't be able to tell these days. It was cast in 1252 and has certainly withstood the test of time, weather, and Mother Nature. There was a major earthquake in 1923 that destroyed the base of the Buddha but didn't harm the body and in the 1960's it was repaired and strengthened so that in the event of a major earthquake the body of the Buddha would move freely on it's base and not be destroyed! Pretty cool huh? The Buddha is 121 tons and approximately 44 feet high!!!

After leaving The Great Buddha it was time for some lunch.... we had a hard time finding a place because a lot of them were so called "american food" or Chinese food!!! All we wanted was some yummy authentic Japanese food... lucky for us we found a tiny little noodle place! Damian had Ramen with a raw-ish egg in it and I had Mori soba noodles which are cold noodles with some sweet sauce for dipping... yum!!! I LOVE noodles!



So, when I learned all about The Great Buddha I kept hearing how President Obama visited it last year on his trip to Japan and the big thing everyone remembers was him eating a green tea ice cream while in Hase. There are pictures with him in front of the Buddha and with Japanese nationals, but the most famous from this trip were of him eating this infamous ice cream cone! Once we got off the train to walk to the Buddha there were AT LEAST 15 places selling green tea ice cream cones... some even with a picture of our President eating one! Of course, Damian and I had to see what all the hype was about. Damian had a green tea and vanilla swirl and I had a green tea and sweet potato swirl... both delicious and not too sweet!



On our walk back to the train we stopped at a little bakery so Damian could get some Manju, one of his favorite Japanese sweets! Manju is made with flour, rice powder, and buckwheat and then filled with a red bean paste and sugar. They were very good! It sort of looks like a little mini pie, if that helps...

We headed back to the base and rest our weary legs for a little bit! Then off to see the last Harry Potter at the movie theater on base. Phenomenal!!!! The movie theater played the national anthem and showed a Navy video before the movie started... very different!

Long day and we are both exhausted... back to the grind for Damian tomorrow and I'm off to Human Resources in the AM to search for a job on base!

Japanese word of the day:
Wakarimasen: I don't understand

Ramen... real Ramen

In my head I'm thinking why is Damian jumping on the bed at 0530... then I open my eyes and realize it's just another earthquake. Nothing like waking up to a 4.7 earthquake on Sunday morning... so much for sleeping in! Everyone says that you get used to the house shaking, but I'm thinking I probably won't! Damian has duty on the ship all day and will be back tomorrow morning- the good news is that tomorrow is Labor Day so he has the day off and we can spend the day together!

Yesterday, Damian had to go to the ship for a few hours in the morning to work and then we went out exploring Yokosuka together! We headed down the street off the base and got new cell phones... VERY basic because we are really only going to call each other! The guy who helped us was super nice and his English was impeccable (thank goodness)! We got on some sort of Japanese family plan so we can talk to each other all we want and then only 60 minutes to share for the month... this shouldn't be a problem here! The one thing I will miss is texting... I already miss it! It will be weird to come home in a few years and text again!!!

We made a stop at the 100 Yen store!!!! Woooohooooo.... this is sort of like the dollar store but because the US dollar isn't worth much here it is actually like the $1.30 store... still a GREAT deal! Big purchases of the day were these little washcloth like towels that everyone carries around to wipe the sweat from their face/neck/chest... They are also good if using a public restroom and there is no where to dry your hands after washing them! Anyway... I never thought I would be one of those people who excessively sweat and had to wipe themselves down in public, but welcome to Japan, the humidity capital of the world! This was a pretty good 100 Yen store... they had a little bit of everything!

Next stop, one of the many thrift stores Japan has to offer... Damian got a new belt, and I got a t-shirt and scarf! We went into lots of other stores in the area as well just checking out what they have and to keep in mind that we don't have to buy everything on base! One thing we were specifically looking for were 3/4 pants for Damian... before you judge let me explain. There is a stigma here in Japan associated with tattoos. The Japanese Mafia (Yokuza) are heavily tattooed as a ritual and many Japanese associate tattoos with being affiliated with the Yokuza. Many water parks and hot springs go to the extreme of banning visitors with any tattoos that cannot be covered. So... as most of you know Damian is somewhat heavily tattooed and the ones on his legs show when he wears shorts. It is way to hot for him to wear jeans or long pants right now so we thought some 3/4 length pants may solve the problem temporarily. As we walked around yesterday, I noticed many Japanese staring at his legs!!! Also, in my intercultural class last week they told us if we are interested in going to some of the many hot springs Japan has to offer to come see them in the office and they will call first to see if they will let us in because it is possible we could get all the way there and be turned away because of tattoos. Very interesting and good to know!

We stopped at a Ramen place on the way home and had very yummy noodles and Sapporo beer... YUM! I was told by someone it was a good place to go, and it was, but Damian said there were too many Americans there and that next time he wants to go where there are more Japanese! I see his point, but I also like the menu being in English to some extent and me being able to ask the waiter to leave the pork out of mine! My Japanese is coming along, but it's a slow process. It was all very delicious and after dinner we headed back home for a quiet movie night... The Fighter.

All right, I'm off to entertain myself for the day... Thanks for reading!!! :)

Japanese word of the day:
Omizu: Water

Kamakura

So, this typhoon I wrote about a few days ago has turned to head more to the western part of Japan and hopefully away from us. Looks like it will be a rainy/windy labor day weekend here, but nothing like they were predicting a few days ago. I've been carrying around my umbrella and raincoat for 3 days waiting for this typhoon to start and of course a few minutes after I got home today (sunny and humid outside) it started to rain... go figure!

Yesterday I ventured out with our orientation class to take a quick bus tour of Yokosuka (the city where we live) and then we all took the train to Kamakura which is about 30 minutes by train away from the base. Kamakura was once a sleepy fishing village and became the capital of Japan during the 12th century and was the center of the military in Japan at that time. One of the largest shrines in Japan is located here... Hachimangu Shrine. It was very beautiful, I hope to go back in the spring when the cherry blossoms are blooming! The shrine was surrounded by lotus flower ponds as well. When the Japanese go to the shrine they first enter through the gates where it is believed that the outside of their body is cleansed. There are two lion statues at the gate... one with the mouth open (representing birth as when you are born you cry and your mouth is open) and one with it's mouth closed representing death (at peace with your mouth closed in an almost smirk). There is an area where you wash your hands, arms, and then rinse your mouth with the water and ladle provided (but I have a thing with germs so I passed). At the top of the shrine, you throw some yen in and clap twice then bow while you ask for your wish. It was very peaceful watching people go through this (no pictures allowed in shrine).



So after the shrine we had to take the train back to the base on our own... done and done! I have to admit I was pretty nervous about this, but after riding the train to Kamakura it seemed pretty easy to get back. A lot of things are in Kanji or other Japanese writing but there is also some in English! They made sure we could all read "Yokosuka" in Kanji before we left the base in the AM... check out how to remember it...

横 須 賀 (Yokosuka): skinny man/fat man, watching TV, while something cooks on a stove (get it?) I LOVE this!!!! haha

So I made it back on the train and it was still a 20 minute walk back to the main gate of the base, so I went and did a little produce shopping with the locals... so fun! I can't read anything and have no idea what most of the fruits or veggies are, but I loved shopping there. It is much cheaper than on base! (Avocados on base were $5/each and at the local stand they were a little more than $1). I bought peaches, avocados, edamame, tomatoes, and apples... everything tasted delicious! We had big salads for dinner last night and fresh edamame... yum!

Today was my last day of class for the orientation/intercultural training. Most of the day was driver's safety training (i.e. Driver's Ed in Japan). Most of it was learning all the signs they have (some in Kanji and some with just symbols). This afternoon we had our drivers test which I passed, but won't take the practical driving test until next Friday!

Damian and I are just hanging out right now waiting to see what the weather is going to do. We may head out on the town tonight if it doesn't look too bad!

Japanese word of the day:
Konbanwa: Good evening