Tokyo Tour with the Family

On the Saturday after Thanksgiving we did a MWR tour from the base that was a Tokyo Highlights tour. It was the BEST way to see all the sights we wanted to see in 1 day... probably why they call it a "highlights" tour! First stop was the Meiji Shrine in the Harajuku area of Tokyo. This is one of my favorite shrines so I didn't mind going again... I think this was my 5th time here! It's just as beautiful every time. I like the torii gates the best. These are made from Cypress and are truly magnificent! Marge and I were catching up on some long overdue quality time! We got to watch parts of 2 wedding processions at this shrine as we walked around and explored!

As you can see both were very different looking brides/grooms. It is all very serious too. It was silent as they walked through the shrine. On top of the wedding processions, there were lots of people dressed in kimono which is always so beautiful and the little kiddos in their brightly colored kimonos throwing up the peace signs for pictures is just too much! Now, back to wedding traditions in Japan... these are obviously traditional Shinto ceremonies at a shrine, but more weddings are becoming more popular in the Japanese culture as well. All brides wear all white to "declare their maiden status to the gods." Makes sense, right? The next thing you might notice in these 2 pictures is that the 2 brides have very different headgear on (Thanks Mom for the pictures). The one on the right is just the simple white hood, the one on the left (known as tsunokakushi) serves to hide the brides "horns of jealousy." This one also symbolizes that the brides intention to be a gentle and obedient wife... It's pretty but I'm not digging the "obedience" claus attached to it! There are a ton more wedding traditions here but that's for another day.

Our next stop was Tokyo Tower where we went to the top to see the views and then enjoyed lunch off the beaten path to a noodle place Damian and I had been one time before. It's one of the places where you order from a vending machine and put the money in. Then you bring the ticket to the chef and in about 5 minutes they call you (no idea what they say, but usually I just wait for them to look at me) and then you go pick up your tray! Easy! Marge and I got oishii udon noodles with tofu skins in a miso base! Perfect for a cool day in Tokyo.

The next stop was Asakusa which is a giant shrine in northern Tokyo and lots of little markets. As you can see in the background of this picture, the new Tokyo SkyTree which we have yet to go up in, but is now the tallest structure in Japan. It's pretty neat looking and you can see it from all over Tokyo now! Asakusa was extremely crowded, maybe because it was a Saturday, or maybe because it's Japan and it is always crowded everywhere. They were also promoting on this day that Tokyo is a "candidate city" for the 2020 Olympic Games. They were having all sorts of activities in this area which probably brought more people out! It was a long day and a lot of walking around, but it was a great "highlight" of Tokyo!

Japanese Word of the Day:
Gunshu (goon-shoe): Crowd

Family Time in Yokohama, Japan

As you can clearly see it was a BEAUTIFUL day in Yokohama with awesome visibility... It didn't stop these tourists in the picture from painting the town red!!! The day after Thanksgiving we headed up to Yokohama for the afternoon to do some more sightseeing. We walked along the river and went over to the ferris wheel and giant mall. They already had Christmas decorations up everywhere and everything looked really nice! AND of course we saw the Yokohama manhole cover with it's iconic bridge in the design! Our plan was to go to the "Cup of Noodle" museum wince it was such an icky day out but they had already sold out of tickets for the day... I guess other people had the same idea as we did.

Next stop... tallest ferris wheel in the world. We debated going up in it or not, and even though Damian and I had already done this we went up for the 15 minute ride around! It was a little bit chilly, but it was still fun! It even started to clear up a little so we could see a little more of Yokohama... a birds eye view! After our ride we headed to Queen's Square mall for dinner and to see the big singing Christmas Tree. Damian and I went last year, but it was different this year so it was pretty cool. As usual there was a big crowd for the show. Dinner was oishii as usual, we went to a place we had been to since we knew they had vegetarian options. I got vegetable tempura and cold soba noodles- you can't tell in the picture but I got "double decker" noodles... which I swore was too much to eat and then gobbled it all down without a second thought!

Japanese Word of the Day:
Daijobu (die-jo-boo): Alright, OK, lots of meanings... can't go wrong by saying this!

Yet Another Homecoming & Thanksgiving 2012

FOURTH homecoming in less than 2 years.... yeah we've got this down now! This one was extra special since Debbie and Steve were here too! The ship pulled in a few days before Thanksgiving in the morning. Luckily I have a great lookout (Thanks Lois) who texted me when she saw the ship coming so Debbie, Steve, and myself were able to drive to the other side of base and watch it pull into the base from a few different points. Then we drove over to watch the long process of it coming pier side and the sailors actually getting off... It was about 2 hours, but that was nothing! It was a long awaited homecoming and a beautiful day on top of it! Damian came home to a house full since Debbie and Steve were our first visitors to arrive.

The next day was the day before Thanksgiving so I spent the morning doing a little prep work and then we headed over to Mikasa Park which is just a short walk from the base. AT Mikasa Park we toured Mikasa Battleship that is now a museum there. Damian and I hadn't done this before so it was pretty neat, it was a lot bigger than we thought it was and it took us a few hours to tour the whole thing. It was kind of neat because from the top of the ship you have a gorgeous panoramic view of the base and the bay! Again, another beautiful fall day in Japan! We didn't even need jackets- please note this for a few days from this where we are all bundled up and in rain gear!!! This was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and that night my Mom arrived from her BIG Asia adventure. Before she got to Japan she had been in Taiwan, China, and Korea... and traveling for quite a few weeks! Now, all of our visitors had arrived. The first night we took them to our favorite sushi-go-round for dinner which is always a fun time and super oishii too! On our walk back to base we stopped to take lots of pictures of the manhole covers... who knew they were so pretty- good thing Debbie was on the lookout! After looking into this further, each prefecture (like a state) has different designs on their manhole covers... many of them in bright colors and beautiful images of Japan! On the 3 block walk back to base I think we spotted about 10 different ones! (Perhaps with a few pictures I will have another blog just for this topic).

The next day was Thanksgiving and we had a house full and the world felt right. It was a nice day and we spent relaxing at home and I was cooking up a storm in the kitchen. This was my first FULL Thanksgiving dinner on my own... no pressure with my Mom AND Mother-in-law here... haha! It all went off without a hitch- for a vegetarian I cook a mean turkey! We had all the essentials... mashed potatoes, stuffin' muffins, squash risotto, green bean casserole... and for dessert homemade pumpkin pie (crust too), apple crisp, and whipped cream I whipped myself by hand!!!! YUMMMMM! We had a nice day, very relaxing and lots of family time- something Damian and I both needed! All in all a great success!

Japanese Word of the Day:
Kazoku (kah-zo-koo): Family

Mikoshi Parade Fun

A little tiny kid-size Mikoshi... so cute!

Mikoshi are literally translated as a divine palanquin (wheel-less vehicle)... they are believed to be a vehicle to transport deity from the main shrine to other shrines or locations for festivals! They sort of resemble a miniture shrine with a roof, pillars, and walls, and have VERY ornate design! They are truly beautiful and all so unique. Mikoshi are all different shapes and sizes from small ones children can carry to very large ones that take over 50 people to lift. The Mikoshi Parade in Yokosuka was on October 21st and started out in town and then moved onto base... it lasted for hours and hours. We watched all of it from on base and it took about 2 hours for the entire parade to go through! It was a hot day to boot and by the time the mikoshi's made it to us some of the people were drenched in sweat and looked defeated!

There are many different ways to "shoulder" a mikoshi and I'm not even going to get into it because it's complicated, however, I will tell you that each way has a different chant and a different pattern for moving/swaying the mikoshi around... some go up and down, some side to side... Some of them even get wild and wave it all around... this was thought to "entertain the gods." The people who carry the Mikoshi are usually all dressed the same or in the same color... then there are a few people in costumes... I'm not sure of the significance, but it sure is entertaining! A lot of people wear garments that do not cover their goods... if you know what I mean... This guy had jingle bells hanging off his thong... Thanks Lois for the pictures!!!!

One of the many Mikoshi in the parade!

I was sitting on the sidewalk watching the parade go by, minding my business, clapping and singing along (I was making up my own words since I couldn't figure it out) and one of the guys pulls me out to help carry the Mikoshi... At first I protested since I have ZERO muscles and really shouldn't be lifting but I figured when else will I ever get to do this??? The picture reminds me of that old Sesame Street bit "One of these things is not like the other... one of these things just doesn't belong... la la la." I stand out a little.. and that thing was heavy as all heck and I barely had it on my shoulder. I look ridiculous in my workout gear too, but it was pretty neat. After I finished and went back to my spot in the shade, the man who pulled me out gave me this really cool linen cloth that I am going to frame since it has the date and "Yokosuka Mikoshi Parade" on it!!! BONUS!!!!

Thanks again Lois for getting my picture! I can now cross this off my bucket list... I'm a little sad Damian has to miss all this fun stuff because I know he would really like it, but maybe we can go to another Mikoshi parade somewhere else before we leave Japan!

Japanese Word of the Day:
Shiri (she-ree): Butt

Oktoberfest 2012: Yokohama, Japan

whoop whoop!!!

I know what you are all thinking... Oktoberfest in Japan???  Well, think again... it was a blast! The Japanese know how to do it up! We went on the last day of the festival which had already been going on for a few weeks. Yokohama is about a 30 minute train ride from the base and I went with a group of friends... some beer drinkers... most not! We got there before they even opened the gates and we were wrapped in a very long line... once they opened the gate it was a mad dash to get a seat in the tent near where the band would be... by the time we got in we found a table outside and were quite content. There were sooooooo many beers... how to chose.... hmmm.... the coolest glass... brilliant!!!!! We went to a booth that had these cool looking glasses shaped like a boot with Japanese writing on them... but when we actually go them they only had English- mostly because it was the last day and they ran out... I drank the beer and returned the glass and got money back and I was off to find a cooler glass for a souvenir... the one in my hand is the one I ended up getting... it has the Yokohama ferris wheel on it and says Yokohama Brewery... that's pretty cool! The non-beer drinkers with me also wanted glasses and many of them got glasses filled with beer and then I drank it... this made for a very entertaining afternoon.. to say the least!

Me, Laura, and Lois

The food at any Oktoberfest anywhere in the world is not really catered towards us vegetarians... I knew this going in... I had a big breakfast!!! They did have soft pretzels which were my only option for food. It was the usual German food you would find at any beer festival... lots of sausages and other meats in that shape... don't ask me specifics... I have no clue! It was kind of funny to watch people eating sausages and bratwurst with chopsticks! It's the little things I find entertaining.

My new friends!!!

The band playing was great and the Japanese people really loved it and were getting into it. I wandered inside the tent so I could get closer to the tent and join in the fun! I found a table with an open seat and sat down... I was surrounded by Japanese people and when the band sang.. we sang along... in German... "eins, zwei, drei" and then after that we all clinked glasses and drank... When my friends came in to look for me, this is where they found me... so much fun!!!! The train ride home was fun as we (mostly just me) danced and sang with anyone who would humor me!

I heard they have another Oktoberfest in May up in Yokohama and I am hoping to be able to enjoy this with Damian!

Japanese Word of the Day: (I think I may have used this one before, but it's an important word)
Biru (beer-eww) *say it quickly: Beer

***Arigato gozaimus to Lois for taking pictures!!!! :) Even all these silly ones!!!!

Port Call: Guam, USA

A few weeks ago I met the Damian in Guam on a 4 day port call. Guam is a US territory so technically I was back in the US for a few days! It is about a 3 hour flight from Japan and only 1 hour time difference so it was definitely an easy port call to go to. It was so hot and humid there- and extremely close to the equator! It is a pretty small island, but when a ship that big pulls in, it becomes really crowded with sailors!!! Guam is a very popular spot for the Japanese to vacation so everything was first in Japanese and then in English... sort of felt like Japan so it wasn't really a big adjustment! We stayed at a hotel a little bit of the main strip to have some quiet, and we had a nice ocean view as you can see from the picture! It was overcast and cloudy most of the days we were there but we still got A LOT of sun... maybe even too much. This was not a big adventurous vacation like most of our trips since it was barely 2 weeks after my surgery and I still was recovering and taking it pretty easy. Damian also needed a little R&R as he has been working like crazy on the ship the past few months!

We pretty much hung out by the pool at the hotel and took lots of naps during this vacation. We did venture into the busy part of Guam and went to an aquarium. At night it turns into a lounge with drinks and tables right next to the tanks where you can watch the fish, sharks, and stingrays swim around you! It was actually pretty cool and a relaxing and fun time. We spent about 3 and a half days together and then I headed back to Japan and Damian back to the ship... a few more months of deployment left and I won't be making it to any other ports before the ship pulls back in...  That's all for now.

Tokyo Disney Sea

Before getting on the monorail

Again, I apologize for the delay in the blog, but this whole "working" thing really gets in the way of my creative flow! So a few weeks ago when Damian was still home I took my first day off from work (I finally accrued enough time to do this) and Damian had the day off as well and we headed to the happiest place on earth!!! In Tokyo there is a Disneyland and also Disney Sea... it was hard to decide which one to go to, but we decided on Disney Sea as it is something different than any other Disney experience we have ever had.... we will definitely have to hit up Disneyland Tokyo before we leave Japan next year! Everyone says Disney Sea is more for adults, but I think they only say that because you can drink there! I think either one would be just as fun for adults! We started off early on our day off and it took us almost 2 hours on 3 different trains to get there... Disneyland and Disney Sea are right next to each other and you take a monorail to get around to the different parks and resort areas!

Mickey Windows

Too cute!

The monorail was pretty cool with lots of Disney details!!!! You had the Mickey shaped windows to look at towards the Magic Kingdom and then you had the Mickey handles for when standing on the train! Too cute! I really did appreciate so many of these small details that made our day! Even though it was during the week I think we expected to see a lot of other "foreigners" at Disney this day, but it was mostly Japanese people! It was funny because some stuff was in English and then other stuff was in Japanese- and it would always catch us off guard to hear Mickey's voice saying something in Japanese! One thing that was really funny was in the Aladdin area we saw Princess Jasmine and Aladdin walking around and talking to people- they were American and it was funny to hear them speak English to all these little Japanese kids! Oh the little things...

Can you find Damian & Beth??? hahaha

Indiana Jones

Disney Sea had a lot of the same rides as Disney and California Adventure have. We did the Tower of Terror when we first got there... mostly because I wanted to do this one before we ate anything! We also rode Indiana Jones, some Storm Chasers weather ride, and Toy Story Mania (our personal favorite). We waited in line for the Toy Story Mania for almost 2 hours... it was like that for so many of the rides! The day we went was about 100 degrees and waiting in line was mostly inside or in the shade which was some nice relief from the heat. We also rode 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Center of the Earth (roller coaster) which we thought might be a little more scary and longer... oh well! We spent ALL day there and weren't able to go on EVERY ride mostly because of wait times and we were exhausted! The heat and humidity really take it all out of you... especially when you're almost 30!

Strawberry Popcorn

Little Green Men

One of the most unique things was some of the snack choices at Disney Sea... Everyone told us about the popcorn! They have a bunch of different flavored popcorn and it is a BIG hit! They have Apple Cinnamon, Strawberry, Curry, and Pepper. We tried the Strawberry and the Curry and liked both! It was hot so ice cream was obviously in order... Damian had a frozen mango (yummmm) and I had a Tiramisu ice cream sandwich (oishii)!!!!  At the end of the night we saw everyone with these little green men and we just HAD to try them. They were these delightful little gooey treats with different flavored pudding in each one. They were chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry and they were so amazing! I wish I could send you all a care package with little green men in it!

Dam-O and Mickey

We had such a wonderful day at Disney. This is a picture of Damian in the "Cape Cod" area of Disney Sea- I cannot make this up. They had New England Style buildings, a lighthouse, a tall ship, and everything said "Welcome to Cape Cod Village." They had a little area that sold hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, and soda! This was the funniest part of my day... it almost felt like the Cape- except I was completely surrounded by Japanese people! We are definitely planning another day trip to Disneyland before we leave here but maybe during the week on a rainy day when it will be less crowded! The one thing we did buy at Disney Sea was ornaments for our Chrismakuh Tree 2012! We got a little Minnie & Mickey dressed in Kimono! It is perfect for our second holiday season in Japan!

Not too much else going on, Damian is back out to sea- I don't think he was even in port long enough to get his sea legs ;) hehehe! Anyway, work is busy and continues to make the days fly by! I can't believe I have been here for over a year and mostly I can't believe I haven't seen most of my friends/family in over a year... this is a first! Hopefully I will have some more stuff to blog about in the next few months! Thanks for reading and mostly thank you for your patience!

Japanese Word of the Day:
Jettokosuta (jett-o-koast-a): Roller Coaster

Conquering Fuji-San!!!

Summit of Mt. Fuji right after sunrise

"One who has never climbed Mt. Fuji is a fool! But, the person who climbs it more than once is a bigger fool." -Japanese proverb 


Well... fools we are not because we're NOT going to do that again... well, Damian said he would, but I think I'm all set- he can be a fool all he wants! First I would like to apologize to all of our faithful readers for being patient the past few months while the blogging has been slow (or non-existent), I will try to be better about keeping up! This blog is going to be a long one and should help fill that Beth & Damian void I know you are all having!

At the 8th Station

Well, let's start with a few Fuji facts!!! Mt. Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan and located on the main island of Honshu, about a 2.5 hour drive from where we live in Yokosuka. The summit is 3,776 meters high (or 12, 389 feet). Mount Fuji is a (dormant???) volcano and last erupted in 1707-1708. Geologists say Fuji is approximately 600,000 years old and people have been climbing it for over 1000 years! The first person to climb it was an anonymous monk in 663; the entire mountain is thought to be sacred and often worshipped! Women were not allowed to climb until 1858, and foreigners were not allowed to climb it until after that! Now, people of all cultures and all ages climb this mountain each year! The official climbing season in July & August, mostly because the weather permits you to get to the top and most of the snow is melted! It is estimated that about 300,000 people climb Mt. Fuji each year! More Fuji facts to follow, but let's get to our adventure...

All our bags are packed... we're ready to go!

Damian and I both worked a full day on Friday, and after work we rented a van and headed up towards Fuji with some friends. We rented the van for a few reasons: first, we weren't sure our 1996 Nissan Presea would make it up to the mountain, and second, if you rent a car on base, they pay for all your tolls on the way up there... which costs approximately $130 for both ways. It is about a 2.5 hour drive up to the 5th station which is where we started our hike. The picture to the right shows all of the stuff we brought with us... included in our packs was rain gear, flashlights, extra socks, hats, gloves, scarves, snacks, LOTS of water, Excedrin (for altitude related headaches), Immodium (for altitude related upset stomachs), chaptick, sunscreen, purell (LOTS), hand warmers, extra batteries, headlamps, lots of Yen, and of course bandaids for blisters (which we didn't get)! The temperature at the 5th station was a little cool, but the top was about 40 degrees and windy- I was happy I had lots of layers on!

Here comes the sun.... doo doo doo doo... here comes the sun!

We started our hike around 9:30pm from the 5th station which is located at 2,305 meters and you can already feel the altitude at this station! Before we began our long climb, we bought Fuji climbing sticks so we could collect stamps along the way! There was a full moon the night before so the moon was pretty big the night we climbed and helped to light the way. We also both had headlamps which we were very thankful for as the trail has many different terrains and you really have to watch your footing! At the first few stops we were both working up a pretty good sweat and when we stopped, got chilled right away! The altitude we were at was obvious almost immediately. I am glad we prophylactically took the Excedrin to prevent headaches, but the nausea was not so fun as we climbed higher. Damian did pretty well, but I was struggling for awhile with the altitude sickness- the nausea and shortness of breath was definitely not my favorite feeling in the world! Damian didn't tell me while we were on the mountain, but on the way home he admitted that he didn't think I was going to make it a few times... I guess he didn't realize how determined I was to climb to the TOP! It was probably the most physically demanding thing I've ever done, but my mind was set and no matter how rotten I felt, I was going to keep on climbing!

One of many stamps along the way.

At each of the stops on the way to the top you could get your climbing stick stamped- they do it with a hot iron heated over a fire- it was pretty neat! We ended up each getting 25 stamps in total (at around 300 Yen ($4) a pop)! They are all different and even though we don't know what most of them say- we think it is pretty cool! They look good in our house too! At the top we got a stamp that says "Sunrise Top of Mt Fuji 2012" which is pretty awesome! We also bought an extra flag to tie on our climbing sticks that says the height and "Summit of Mt Fuji" in kanji. Our climbing sticks are the BEST souvenir we could have ever gotten on this adventure. You can even see on each of ours where we held it from the sweat and oils from our skin... mine has blood, sweat, and even a few tears on it- Damian's just has sweat! haha I will get to the blood and tears later in the blog... At each of the stops you could also use the restroom (for a 200 Yen donation) and get food, drinks, supplies, and cans of oxygen... the higher you got, the more expensive it all got! We bought a few things along the way... I bought a banana (for almost $2) and Damian bought some Fuji pins that he put into our sticks when we got home- he's so smart!!! We both had enough water at least to get to the top in our camelbacks, but I ran out on the climb down and had to "borrow" some of Damian's! Even drinking almost 3 liters of water, I still felt dehydrated! Fuji fact: You burn around 7000 calories climbing Mt. Fuji! whoop whoop!

Sunrise over Japan!

Once we got to the 8th station we had been hiking for close to 5 hours... with just very short breaks along the way! Many people start their climb in the afternoon and stop at the 8th station and stay in one of the "hotels" for the night and then start the rest of the climb before sunrise. After seeing the accommodations, I was happy we decided to power through and climb it in one shot!  It  was pretty cold up there and at each stop we were adding more layers, hats, and gloves! It was worse when we stopped so we tried to keep moving up the mountain. Some parts were incredibly steep and you literally had to hang on to the rocks as you climbed at very steep angles! Damian was much better with this than me, but I had a little "Japanxiety" along the way as there were a lot of other people climbing and I felt like I was being rushed and I was getting nervous about climbing up the rocks fast enough... I couldn't believe some of these much older people and even kids who were climbing- that certainly helped motivate me (and discourage too- since I was sucking wind)!!! Once we could actually see the summit it was slow going- because of all the people. It was getting close to sunrise and everyone wanted to get to the top to see the spectacular sunrise in the land of the rising sun! It took a long time to actually reach the summit and we stopped to watch the sun come up and then finished our climb. From the 5th station to the summit (10th station) it took about 8.5 hours. We got up to the summit right around 5:15 am- and it was chilly up there!!!!

Summit of Mt. Fuji: 12, 389 feet!!!!

The top was pretty crowded when we first got there and we were surprised at how much was up there! There were a bunch of huts selling souvenirs, food and all sorts of stuff. You could hike around the crater (which takes an hour and we didn't do) or go to the Post Office (highest in Japan) to get a postmark from! We did walk over to the crater to check it out... it was nothing more than a giant hole with some snow. We got our sunrise stamps and paid 600 Yen to go to the restroom! Using a squatty potty after climbing a mountain adds insult to injury... my legs were shaking the whole time while I squatted- it was pretty gross... as a squatty potty on the top of a mountain would be! We spent about an hour or so up there taking in all the beauty the view had to offer. We went into one of the huts and got some oishii (yummy) miso soup with noodles- it was perfect and warmed us up! The Japanese guy who brought our soup saw our Red Sox hats and asked about Boston... he then apologized for Daisuke Matsuzaka and said he wished the Red Sox would have gotten a better Japanese baseball player... absolutely priceless!

Getting ready to start the climb down.

We started the decent around 6:30am, and it went A LOT faster than climbing up... BUT it was also a lot harder! Coming down puts a lot of pressure on your toes and ankles and you really have to be careful- as I learned many times as I fell! Even using the walking stick, the rocks under your feet were constantly moving and it was hard- never mind we had both been awake for well over 24 hours with NO sleep! This is where the blood and tears came in... I fell a few times (maybe more than a few), but I caught myself with my hands on the sharp rocks... except for one last fall close to the bottom where I landed right on my butt... ouch!!!! Not only am I sore today, but I can also feel where I fell that last time yesterday! I told Damian that all of my battle wounds shows just how hard of a fight I put up while climbing! The way down was really hot as well- the sun was out as you can see and it felt really strong- especially being at such a high altitude! After a few minutes we both took off some layers! As we climbed down, you sort of had to slide your feet- which made A LOT of dust flying through the air from everyone... as you can see below, we both look like chimney sweeps after the climb down! haha

Yup... we really are that dirty!!!!

We were back down to the 5th station around 10am and on our way home soon after. By the time we got back to base and settled at home we had been up for over 36 hours and we were both exhausted! We couldn't wait to shower and get ALL the Fuji dirt off... ugh!!!! We went to bed soon after getting home, but Damian had to go back to the ship last night for the next few days! I'm feeling pretty sore today but overall a good sense of accomplishment! As I said before, Damian said he would do it again, but I think climbing Fuji once in my lifetime was more than enough... on to the next adventure for me!

Japanese Word of the Day:
Yama: Mountain

Karaoke is for ME!!!

Japanese word of the day at the beginning of the blog: KARAOKE (I hope you all know how to say this) and it literally means "empty orchestra." This is extremely popular here in Japan and has been around since the 1960's!  Now, I have done karaoke a time or two or A LOT and I've even done "live-band karaoke" in Austin, TX, but the way it is done here is so much better! Let me tell you about my new favorite place... it's right off the base- totally walking distance and it this building where you get private karaoke rooms. There are many options depending how big your party is but there was only 5 of us so we had a pretty small room, and we also opted for the ALL you can drink option- 3500 Yen (approx $44).

So, we got our room # and took the elevator up, when you walk into the room there is couches and table and is really comfy! In the corner is a table with tambourines, books of songs, iPad looking things which lets you pick songs and then play them on the big TV and also microphones... OH and don't forget the drink list. There is a phone in the room and all you do is pick it up and order your drinks- they are delivered right to the room!!! We opted for Mango chu-hi's... after I swore I wasn't drinking chu-hi's that night too! They were really yummy though! It was a good time, we sang songs for hours, and I had no voice by the end of the night. I just really liked the idea of having your own private karaoke room for you and your friends. In the top picture is a few of my new coworkers at the hospital!

They had most of the songs you would maybe want to sing, but certainly not nearly enough 80's for me... I need more Hall & Oates and Pat Benatar if I am really going to rock out! All in all a very good time had by all, can't wait to take Damian here when he gets home! :)

San Antonio Trip

 It's been a busy few weeks and this rainy weekend has given me an opportunity to catch up on a few of my blogs to keep everyone updated on what's going on over on this side of the world. I recently traveled to San Antonio for my new job for a few days. I was literally only in San Antonio for about 4 days... It felt like I spent just as much time traveling as I actually did at the conference. The hospital sent me to an APIC conference which is a conference for Professionals involved in Infection Control and Prevention. I know a medical conference sounds pretty dull to most of you, but I really enjoyed this one and was very impressed as well. I did a lot of networking not only with Navy people but also with other people doing jobs similar to mine. It was really great and I took a lot from it. There were 4500+ people attending the conference... mostly nurses but other professionals involved in Infection Prevention as well.  There was an exhibit hall with lots of vendors as well which was a great opportunity for me to learn more about some of the products that my hospital uses since I am still new.

I also had some time to check out San Antonio and all it has to offer. My hotel was right downtown so I was just a few short blocks to the Alamo which was a lot smaller than I had imagined it. It was still pretty cool though! I sort of felt like I should have a raccoon hat like Davy Crockett when I was standing in front of this historic landmark, but at the same time that is really gross! :( The Riverwalk was also a few blocks away which had amazing Mexican food and drinks!!!! I had veggie quesadillas and margaritas every single night... I figured I won't see good Mexican food like that in Japan so I might as well get my fill! I met some really great people and we had dinner down on the Riverwalk each night, some of the vendors also had parties in the evening to attend so it was a very busy few days!

I was extremely jet-lagged after I got back- mostly because it was such a short trip. It took me almost a week to get back on a normal-ish schedule, and at least I had a weekend to recover before heading back to work.