Movin' In

It has been a while and we apologize. It has been for good reason, we have moved into our house! Because of this we have been without internet for the last several days and have resorted to scouring the base for wireless hotspots to which we can connect; it really is a pain. When we do find a place that says they have internet there seems to be no where to park. It is sort of the same at the NEX, when we need something very particular, like a lint roller or a kitty litter scooper, they are completely out. Seriously, they had lint roller refills, but no rollers, they had kitty litter pans, but no scooper; it was like every person on base needed just the scoop on the same day and by the time we got to the NEX they has sold out. It's like trying to get Streisand concert tickets.

The house is great and the pets are so happy to be out of their prison, the kennel lady really was great though. We have been taking our time setting up since we need to get shelves, hangers etc... For the interest of those reading, it is actually written in our lease that we are not permitted to wear shoes in the house. Once we get fully up and running we will be back with pictures and lots of updates about our trip to Fuji, until then you can all rest knowing that you have a place to stay if ever you decide to come to Nihon!

Allez Cuisine!

We've had a really eventful week. Monday we bought a car! It is a '98 Nissan Cube. It's a little car with a lot of cargo room. It kind of looks a little like a Scion.We're just starting to get used to the driving rules over here. We've only ventured off base a couple of times so far. We can't officially register the car until we sign our lease and have the local police verify that we have a parking space. Until then we have temporary plates. We went to the Yokosuka City Hall today to renew our temp plates. That was an interesting experience. We encountered a huge government office which issued certificates for all areas of life in Japan from taxes to health insurance. The Japanese love bureaucracy-we filled out a paper at one counter, took a number at a second counter and then were directed to a third counter. However, this was not at all as annoying as it sounds. It was all pretty efficient and much more pleasant than going to the DMV in the states.
Wednesday was my birthday (thank you all for the messages that were posted here or emailed to me privately!) Dave managed to find a little french restaurant (my favorite)here called "Belle Neige". There is quite a bit of ethnic food available here,but this was without a doubt the best french meal I have ever had.
Dave had made reservations for a Prix Fixe menu, but we didn't realize that it was seven courses! We felt just like we were in an episode of Iron Chef, especially when the Japanese Chef brought us out dishes like "Salmon Salad-Lemon Flavor" (it was French Sushi!)and "Foie Gras Creme Brulee"(amazing!). It was wonderful.
We've been having a bit of computer trouble, but we'll post more pictures soon.

Tokyo

We got our drivers' licenses. The only things we can read on them are our names and the expiration dates.(you can take your guesses as to which of us received the higher score).
The highlight of the week; however, was the trip we took to Tokyo on Saturday. There is no way to describe the enormity of the city. Simply saying "Tokyo is the largest city in the world" is not enough. One can view Chicago in it's entirety and without straining from their seat on a plane; or drive the New Jersey Turnpike and catch the breadth of New York. Neither is possible with Tokyo. This city goes on in every direction as far as one can see, from all boroughs. Throughout our visit the city's borders remained unable to be seen, the undulating pattern the skyscrapers made did not taper off as with most skylines; it was unending.

We started our visit at the Meiji Shrine, the sacred ground used in the Shinto religion, the most common in Japan. Incidentally the belt the sumo grand champion wears is adorned with Shinto symbols. The shrine was built to honor Emperor Meiji. He "modernized" Japan by ending the samurai, and the military or "Shogunate" rule over the country. Meiji Shrine has the largest torii gate in Japan. It was strange being on the grounds of the shrine and unaware that Tokyo was all around. We caught the procession of a wedding and how different from an American Christian wedding it was. The people were dressed in traditional Japanese clothing. The bride was wearing a large scarf around her head to symbolize the "covering the horns of jealously", since once a woman is married she needs to turn a blind eye to her husband's wandering.

Tokyo Tower was next and was where we caught the immense size of Tokyo. The tower itself is taller than the Eiffel Tower and looks pretty much the same, just painted orange and white. There was even a crepe stand at the foot, which I am sure is the same in France. The observatory allows visitors to see Tokyo in panorama and on one side you can even see Mt. Fuji floating on the mist over the city!

Our last stop was Asakusa. According to, well, common knowledge, this area is supposed to be "real Japan". Less tainted by the modernization of the rest of the city, the streets are narrower, the people friendlier and a little slower paced. Asakusa holds the oldest temple in Japan. Like a Shinto Shrine, temples are used by Buddhists. around the temple were hundreds of vendors selling everything from clothing and souvenirs, to grilled octopus on a stick. It kind of reminded me of the story in John when Jesus expelled the money changers from the temple, but again, this was not America or Christian. We could have spent the entire day just there. We came close to buying Finchy a doggie kimono, but couldn't justify spending $80 on it. The Japanese LOVE their pets. The interesting point about Asakusa was finding out that the charming streets and vendors were actually all organized and run by one organization, the Japanese mob. Apparently the vendors are even told who will sell what from one week to the next. Next week, Jennifer's birthday and Mt. Fuji!

BTW, the photo slideshow has been updated with lots of new stuff.

Militant Entertainment

I love the Navy. Honestly I do. I am not a sailor , I am not a recruiter, but I can honestly say as a spouse (or as the politically incorrect "dependant" that the Navy terms me) it is a great life. Strange, but great and exciting.

The exciting part is obvious. I get to tag along while Dave does his job all over the world, seeing things and living places I never could have imagined. The weird part is being part of the sub-culture of the military. I am relatively new to all of this, but it has not been so evident as it has been here in Yokosuka.

The base is its own little community, and when you are on base, it really feels like small town America. I run into the same people everyday and am starting to recognize the faces and routines of even the people who I do not know. While we are very eager to finally get into our own place off base, it is comforting knowing that this little speck of America exists in the Far East.

There are some things that I am not sure if I find comforting, or just weird. The other night Dave and I went to the base movie theatre to see "Marley and Me" (please, if you have an aging pet, do not do this to yourself-a totally cheesy movie, but I was racked with sobs throughout the last 30 minutes) and before the movie they asked us to stand for the national anthem. Okay, whatever, kind of strange, but I consider myself patriotic, no big deal. The weird part was that instead of just projecting a picture of a flag on the screen, they showed a recruiting video for the Navy along to the Star Spangled Banner.

Then there is TV. TV sucks here. I know, I am in Japan, I should be out experiencing Japanese life and culture, and we are trying, believe me. But there are still the times when you just want to come home, flop down and flip on The Office or something. Not here. Overseas there is only the AFN (armed forces network) channels which pretty much just show last seasons prime time shows and even shows that have been canceled. We get the History channel, Animal Planet, Lifetime and TLC, but they do not seem to have the same programming as the states.

The worst (and best) part of AFN TV here are the commercials. AFN does not sell regular commercial time, instead they air military produced PSA's during the commerical breaks. They are priceless. I have linked to a couple here. The first is my favorite, but I love the second one, because the spy looks just like my cat,Seamus.

Yes We Can

We passed our written driving tests!

But we still have the road test to complete on Thursday morning. Neither one of us are ready to drive at all. The instructor of our driving class put the fear of God in us about driving in Japan. Not only are we driving on the "other" side of the road (I don't care what anyone says, I still think it's the wrong side) but there are so many more bikes, scooters and motorcyles than in the states. Accidents here are almost always the fault of the automobile driver.

One interesting thing here is that if you are in an accident and have injured the other party, a "gommen" visit is required. Gommen nasai means "I am sorry" in Japanese. It is customary to call on the person in the hospital whom you've injured with a small gift. (there is even specific etiquette as to the type of gift which is appropriate) When the police are conducting their investigation, they call on the injured party to find out if you have conducted your Gommen call. Then they ask them what they think an appropriate punishment would be. Word is, they usually take into serious consideration the suggestions of the injured person. Wonder how that would work out in the U.S.???

We also have settled on a house! We should be able to move in around Inauguration Day. It is in a town called Oppama-rhymes with Obama coincidetnally. We'll post pictures as soon as we move in. Can't wait to get out of the hotel and get Seamus and Finchy out of Pet Prison.

Samurai-i-am

This weekend we decided to take the plunge. Unsure of what to do for dinner Saturday and still unsure about venturing into a very formal Japanese restaurant, more out of fear of making some social faux-pas than of the food, we had a Japanese free-for-all. In the basement of our new favorite department store (More's City), there was a grocery and gourmet shop. It had everything from the new Beaujolais to Thai hot sauces. This was not what we were looking for; we went for the good stuff, the Japanese everyday, "I need to grab dinner" food. The seafood section of grocery stores alone feature more than some American seafood markets found next to a seaport. Roe was sold by weight, there were tongs tethered to plastic bins full of every kind small fish (whole) imaginable, much like choosing a bagel in self-serve bakery. We went to the prepared foods and ended up taking home with us a panorama of unidentifiable goodies. The only thing we knew we were purchasing was the sushi, which was amazing. Not a hint of fishy smell or flavor, it melted with the rice. There were intestines on a stick that tasted like bacon, and these fried seafood and mayonnaise balls. The fried vegetables, the one thing we were sure we would like, were horrible. We now feel ready to try a real ryootee.

I also began Kengekitai, samurai sword techniques for stage performance. Our sensei (teacher) is a stunt choreographer for Japanese samurai soap opera and a Judo master, I am sure I could take him. I am taking the class with Marshall Morton a very close friend's 17 year old son. Marshall told me he had heard about the class in school. I assumed I would be among a large group of teenage boys geared up for hack and slash; oh to the contrary. Marshall and I were the first Americans they had ever taught. The rest of the class was made up of two Japanese 21 year old guys and two Japanese women, one of whom was an interpreter since the instructor does not speak English. I felt out of place and like a huge load on the students who had obviously been doing this a while. I think this will prove to be a fantastic experience and will be sure to keep you all updated since the sensei is anticipating our performance in their April opening of the base to the Japanese public!

Japan 101

David and I have been going through our AOB (Area Orientation Brief) class this week. It is a five day class in which the military holds your hand through the introduction of all aspects of life on base and off. I know that we are very lucky to have this level of guidance moving to foreign country and there were some topics that were really interesting and helpful, such as Table Manners, and local Yokosuka history. Other topics were less so, like the Drug and Alcohol Awareness which was basically a less informative version of every D.A.R.E class I have had since elementary school.
The whole brief, useful and non-useful parts, is mandatory. For some reason that has made me revert to teenager-hood so I complain about having to go each day, and whether or not I am going to actually need the information provided in my day to day life. We're even considering skipping tomorrow-Field Trip Day. Couldn't get permission slips-our parents are too many thousands of miles away. No seriously, we have houses to visit with a rental agent. (but there really is a field trip)
The Japanese Driving Test is the culmination of the entire week. The whole week must be attended before you can take the test and receive your license. I guess the anticipation of getting my license is another reason that I feel a bit like a teenager. Since they drive on the other side of the road here, we are hoping that the car we use to take the test is not a manual!

Some Interesting Points from our Brief:
*You can be arrested for arguing with police, regardless of the situation
*Police here are so thorough, when a case finally goes to trial there is an over 99% conviction rate
*If it's not registered, the base police will confiscate your bike
*Umm, there was a tsunami here on Monday.( it was small)
*We need 3 days worth of water and MRE's (Meal Ready to Eat) in case of Tsunami's and Earthquakes
*If you live out in town and fire up your grill, the locals will call the fire department
*My childhood belief that all Asians know martial arts is apparently true: everyone here takes karate in P.E. from junior high on and all police are required to know two forms of martial arts
*If there doesn't seem to be room on the train during rush hour-don't worry-there are people hired to push you on!
*Despite what people say, the Japanese do have a sense of humor. Our speaker today, a Kendo sensei, did an impression of Mr. Miyagi...you know the line.

BTW new pics on the right

Ippan Sanga

Japanese New Year, an entire new approach as we know it. The place shuts down for about a week to usher in the new year. No business is will be open (aside from the usual, 7-11, Gas stations and all that) until 5 Jan.

We went to the Imperial Palace in Tokyo to see/hear Emperor Akihito's new year greeting (Ippan Sanga). Twice yearly the public is invited into the inner palace grounds. Once on the Emperor's birthday and once for this greeting. It was special and something amazing to see. It is a shame that many Americans cannot find the same level of patriotism in themselves regardless of how they feel about our nation's leader. Seeing over a million people from all over Japan and the waving of over a million white flags with red circles in the presence of their leader was awesome.

On the way to the palace we saw, for the first time, a glimpse of Mt. Fuji. It was like seeing a movie star in public, only better. After seeing it for real it was easy to understand why it has become such a national symbol of Japan. It stands alone watching over Yokohama and Tokyo, symmetrical, abstract, minimal and totally Japanese.

B.T.W, we have added a photo slide show (right side of screen), which we will be updating regularly. If you wish to take a look, just click on the thumbnail to enlarge, enjoy!