I'm moving...

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For anyone reading my blog, please note that as of today I will no longer be using Blogger. I've moved on to bigger and better things... Mainly... WordPress. Please click here to be redirected to my blog's new home!

Per usual...

... a lot has happened since my last blog entry, and here I thought I would post more frequently living in Japan and all. I guess not. Well, enough about my short-comings, let's talk about all the fun I've been having, like my most recent adventure where I stripped down to my birthday suit and hopped into a public Onsen!!

Mike had a three day weekend, so we decided to travel to the Izu Peninsula to scout some climbing areas and check out the local scene. Friday morning, we found ourselves awake and out the door at silly'o'clock in hopes of beating most of the usual weekday traffic. We were able to get down to Joyama (a climbing area on the Peninsula) around 10am without getting ourselves too lost. As we readied our climbing gear an older Japanese man approached us, using the very little English he knew, he asked if we were climbing the rock face towering above us. We nodded our heads and he gave us a big smile and nodded back. Looking back on that moment I imagine that his thoughts probably went something like this; "These two morons are climbing in THIS heat?!? Good luck you stupid Americans!" OK... maybe those weren't his EXACT thoughts, but I'm sure they were close. Anyway, the approach to the climbs wasn't bad at all, but the heat was KILLER (and KILLER as in, "it will kill you", not "cool"). All I know is that I was pretty much drenched in sweat upon arriving at the base of the climbs. Mike did what Mike does best and compared the illustrations in our Japanese guidebook to the wall to see what climbs would be doable whilst I, on the other hand, meandered around in my own little world, snapping pictures and taking videos of the wildlife. We were able to get in two, one-pitch climbs before surrendering to the heat and happily making our way down to the river. After cooling down and rinsing off in the river, we set off to check out the beaches!

The narrow mountain passes eventually lead us to a beautiful, rocky coastline. We found a volcanic sand beach nestled nicely in a cove where we enjoyed the crystal clear blue water and grabbed a bite to eat.

Once the sun began to set we decided it was time to find the Ryokan (Inn) where we would be spending the night. We drove up the winding coast through many a small fishing village until arriving at our destination. We had booked this Ryokan room online the night before and according to the website there was a shower in the room. You may be thinking to yourself, "Why wouldn't there be a shower in the room?" Well, most Ryokan rooms do not have showers and many even have shared bathrooms. "WHAT?!?!", you say... Yeah, my thoughts EXACTLY! There I was, all excited that we found a room with a shower. We checked into our room and I ran to the bathroom only to discover there was NO shower!! Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal, I'd just go a night without showering, but on this particular day, I'm most certain I sweat more than I ever have in my LIFE and I felt repulsive!! Here's where it get's interesting... Mike, being your average dude and having experienced this before, strips down, puts on his Yukata (robe provided by the Ryokan), heads down to the Onsen (hot mineral spring bath) and on his way out, casually tells me to do the same. As he's doing his thing, chillaxing down at the Onsen, I'm in the room, freaking out, searching my phone for tips on how to properly use an Onsen. You see, Onsens, like many other Japanese traditions, have certain rules one must follow to ensure proper etiquette. I have a hard enough time trying to order a meal from a picture menu, never mind trying to explain to an angry Japanese woman that I didn't know I was supposed to shower before I entered the Onsen.

Here's the method:

1) Strip down and put on your Yukata (assuming you're staying at a Ryokan)

2) Upon entering the Onsen, disrobe, place your belongings in a locker or basket and proceed to the showers

3) Grab a stool and bucket, if one isn't already there, using the shower head or faucet rinse off the stool, take a seat and clean yourself, you dirty, dirty person (Is that too many apostrophes in one sentence? Yeah, probably. Do I care? No.) ;-)

4) If you have long hair, put it up

5) Carefully submerge yourself in the super hot bath water (do NOT put your head under the water) and enjoy

6) Once you've made a prune out of yourself, rinse off (or don't), dry yourself and get dressed (if you're a chic, they usually have hairdryers and such so that you can puurrrty yourself up and whatnot)

Now, you may be thinking to yourself, "What's the big deal? Those rules don't sound overly complicated?", and you know what, I totally agree with you. Looking back on it now, it's not a big deal at all, but at the time, I was tweaking out!

I digress... There I was in our room, in my Yukata, laying on the Tatami floor trying to psych myself into doing this when Mike walks back into the room... He ask me what I'm still doing there and I reply, "I'm scared!" He laughs and tells me that I'm being ridiculous. This banter goes back and forth for a few minutes until I finally got up the courage to get naked!

I slowly walk into the room leading to the Onsen, as if something was going to jump out and bite me. "SWEET!", I think to myself as I look around and find an empty room. I take off my Yukata and place it, along with my towel, in a basket and proceed to tip-toe in a I'm-super-creeped-out-right-now fashion, to the Onsen room where the bath and showers were. I can only imagine that if any Japanese person could see me, they would be laughing hysterically, as I was visibly paranoid. I grabbed my stool and started the process. I sat in the bath for about 10 minutes, half relaxed and half freaking out over the possibility of someone else entering the Onsen before I was able to get dressed. As luck would have it not one soul stepped foot into the Onsen while I was there. Oh happy days!!

In conclusion... Did a Japanese woman get to see me naked? No. Did I freak out over nothing. Yes. Was I proud of myself? Heck YEAH! Would I do it again (even if there were other ladies present)? Yes, absolutely! Soaking in that bath is just delightful and totally worth all the anxiety in the world!

Moving on... The next morning we headed to the opposite coast to check out the sea cliff climbs. It was FAR too hot out to climb, so we just explored around the cliffs. There's a nice walkway that meanders through the woods, right along the coastline. It was absolutely breathtaking! It reminded us of Acadia National Park in Maine. After walking down the path to a little village and getting some ice cream, we returned to the car and drove further North to another small village where we got on a tour boat to check out the coastline from the water. It was a fun ride in the somewhat-rough seas!

It was a fabulous weekend and we will most definitely be returning to the Izu Peninsula for more adventures! And now for the video (WARNING: I AM a nerd, so you may find this corny and/or nerdy):

Yokohama

Yokohama, a set on Flickr.

A New Englander in Nippon

Tia and I boarded a flight in Boston bound for Tokyo on Thursday, March 1st at 7:50am (Thomba was in the belly of the plane, poor kitty). We had a two and a half hour flight to Chicago, where Tia and I took advantage of our 2 hour layover by stretching our legs and having a bite to eat. Below is a photo of Tia sipping on her water at O'Hare.



Back onto the plane we went and twelve and a half hours, a few naps, a couple meals, conversations, and snacks later we found ourselves at Narita International Airport at 4:00pm on Friday, March 2. Yeah... we basically spent a "day" flying, although, it wasn't as bad as I expected it to be, especially considering the fact that I wasn't in Business Class like my beloved husband had been!! Ha ha ha! ;-) I did, however, bump myself up to Economy "Plus" (the "Plus" means a WHOLE five more inches of leg room... Wow...), the HUGE PLUS, though, was actually not having anyone sit in between myself and the women in the aisle seat! It certainly made tending to Tia a bite easier. I digress, after collecting Thomba and the rest of my luggage (all five bags plus two cats), passing through the Animal Quarantine area and Customs, with the help of a very patient Japanese man who didn't speak a lick of English, I found myself in the much missed embrace of my best friend, my husband! :-) Another friend of our's from Fort Rucker had flown in on the same day as me, so he was there as well as his sponsor. The four of us waited about two hours to board the bus bound for Camp Zama and after about two and a half hours on the bus, Mike, Tia, Thomba and I were all back together, under the same roof again. From door to door, the entire trip took well over 24 hours... YIKES! Again though, it really wasn't as bad as it sounds. :-) Below are a few pictures of Tia and Thomba settling nicely into their new home.





I pretty much passed out that night and the next morning Mike and I picked up Rusty (our friend from Fort Rucker) and walked around the Camp Zama Bazaar and then hopped on the train to Machida where we walked around a three story electronics store and ate at one of Mike's favorite restaurants. It was a small, cozy, "American" restaurant. The menus were partially in English and a couple of the people who worked there spoke broken English, they also played American Blues music! It was a nice reprieve after that long trip to a completely foreign land. I was pretty dead by the end of dinner, so we headed back home and I, once again, passed out. I spent Sunday lazing around while Mike studied, as Monday marked his first flight since being in Japan (he did very well). :-) Below is a photo that Mike snapped while flying around Tokyo.



This past weekend really started Thursday evening with a Hail and Farewell event held for all the incoming and outgoing pilots and crew chiefs at Camp Zama. It was nice to finally get to meet some of the folks that I've heard so much about. Afterward we joined about ten other pilots and crew chiefs at an "English" pub in Machida. It was a fun night filled with laughs and some yummy Lychee Tea alcoholic beverages! :-D As the night wore on I found myself EXTREMELY tired and passed out, yet again, once we arrived home... For me, the jet lag certainly took some time to get over. Friday evening, Mike, Rusty and I took the train to Ebina where we walked through an AWESOME grocery store... Well, I thought everything was awesome except for the seafood section seen below...



I appropriately entitled this shot, "Nasty Seafood". Ha ha ha! I bought some curious instant coffee packs. I just HAD to try them, I mean look how cute they look sitting in your cup!..



After exploring the grocery store we headed to this delectable restaurant where we had to take our shoes off at the door and store them in a locker that had a wooden key which you took with you to your table (so no one steals your shoes). ;-) A waiter then lead us over the hard wood floors to a small private room which had a short table and square pads on the floor. Surprisingly though, instead of having to sit cross-legged on the floor there was about a one and a half foot cutout under the table so that we could sit in more of a Western style (similar to sitting in a chair). It was so cool! We ordered a few things off the menu and shared the plates. My favorite was a pizza that was topped with what seemed to be the same filling as what you'd find in a Crab Rangoon! Oh my... It was delightful!! Below is a picture of Rusty and Mike at the restaurant.



Here's a curious landmark in Ebina, it's a Pagoda that once served as a Lighthouse. Due to earthquakes and such it now resides some 17 miles inland.



Saturday, Mike and I decided we'd head over to Yokosuka Naval Base. It's a mere 30 miles away, but took us nearly an hour and a half to get there and 12 BUCKS in tolls, one way! Hence why everyone takes the train around here. ;-) We heard the Commissary and NEX were amazing compared to Zama's, so we figured there's only one way to find out! The Commissary was... meh, but the NEX was AWESOME! We came home with a new Cuisinart K-Cup machine, a Bose SoundLink (which sounds AMAZING if any one is looking a nice travel Bluetooth speaker, I highly recommend it) and a few other miscellaneous things. So yeah, it was totally worth the tolls and time it took!

Sunday, we hopped on the train and headed up to Machida to catch the JR line to Yokohama! We got off near the center and walked out to the pier. Along the way we stopped in at some sort of arcade game-type place. Check out these HUGE Pringles you could win!..


I guess I forgot to put my hand or something in the picture for reference... Sorry... The cans were about one and a half feet tall, they were ridiculous!

Next we rode the HUGE ferris wheel at Cosmo World and the "Vanishing" roller coaster (I can't remember the last time I was on a roller coaster, it was RAD!). The Red Brick Warehouses that I had read about were next on our list. The buildings once served as warehouses when the area was a port, but have since been converted into a unique shopping experience! Anytime I hear "unique" and "shopping" together in the same sentence I know I HAVE to check it out! ;-) Besides being insanely crowded, which is par for the course in Japan, it was excellent! I wish money grew on trees because I'd have lots of new things!! :-D I mean, check out this next photo, I've never seen so many items jammed into such a small shop!



As evening fell upon us we headed over to Japan's largest Chinatown. It was WAY better than the Chinatown I'm used to seeing in Boston! There were so many food vendors and little shops, it was mind-blowing!




After shopping around, I did buy a new knit hat and some Thai Fisherman Pant (SUPER comfy!!), and trying these little round, pork-filled dumplings (YUMMY in my tummy!), we called it a night and headed back home. It was a great weekend, filled with all kinds of new experiences!

If my first week in Japan is any indication of what is in store for me, I am one SUPER STOKED chic, to say the least! Keep on checking back for updates! :-) Thanks for reading!

Hiking in January

While Mike's been exploring Japan I've been enjoying my time in the northeast, which, of course, involves hiking! Since Mike's been gone I've done three hikes in the New England area. First, JuJu, JoJo, D and I hiked Monadnock in New Hampshire. It was a beautiful day with blue-bird skies, perfect temps, icy terrain and strong wind gusts at the summit. Matter of fact, the winds were so strong that they blew little D over! It was a wonderful hike and a great time!

Later that week my JuJu and I decided to explore Mt. Alander out in Mt. Washington, MA. Yes, you heard me right, there is a Mt. Washington Massachusetts! We lucked out again with blue-bird skies and perfect temps! After our hike we visited Bash Bish Falls, also in Mt. Washington, MA. I had never been and my Mom had never been in the winter. It was a beautiful sight to be seen, cascading waters, running through a half-frozen falls into pristine, turquoise-colored water! The pictures really didn't do it justice as the sun was beginning to set. We finished off our lovely day with some yummy food at the Gypsy Joynt in Great Barrington, MA!

Yesterday, JuJu, the brosif and I headed up to Mt. Kearsage in the Sunapee region of NH! It was probably the most beautiful and interesting hike I've been on in a while. It had rained the day before and the temperatures had dropped below freezing that night, so all of the trees, bushes, benches, roads, and trails had been coated in ice. Everything around us was glistening in the sunshine! It was like being in some sort of fairytale! It was a short hike, but it took us twice as long to get to the summit on a count of me stopping every minute to take another picture! Needless to say, my hard drive is filling up fast with pictures of these beautiful hikes this past month!!

In other news, I recently received word that I'm leaving on March 1st for Japan!! I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am!! We have been assigned a townhouse in Sagamihara, in the Kanagawa prefecture. It is part of Camp Zama, but is about 3 kilometers, which is just under 2 miles, away from the Camp Zama. Mike is moving in there on the 1st of February. The building were built back in the 50's, so they are somewhat "dated", if you will. ;-) Mike said that there is a new housing development going up in Sagamihara that is supposed to be done by the fall of this year and we were told that we'd be moving into the new housing once it's completed. :-) I'll be relieved when that happens as I'm not sure that the building codes in the 50's are up to par with the those today when it comes to withstanding earthquakes, and seeing as Mike has already experienced two (very small) earthquakes, I'd feel much safer in a newer establishment! :-)

That's all for now, keep checking back for more updates from New England and beyond... :-)

Mike's Japanese Adventures!

As most of you know, Mike left for Japan on the 2nd of January. The kitties and I weren't able to join him on a count of the base not having any housing available for us all. Mike is currently residing in the Officer's Quarters at Camp Zama. Since Mike has left we've kept in touch via texting, emailing and my beloved FaceTime! Technology certainly makes having loved ones far, FAR away a lot easier than I expected it to be. The purpose of this blog post is to share with you all some of the things that Mike has come across in his travels.

Mike's first experience with a bidet was at the Narita Airport. He made sure to whip out his iPhone and snap a picture of the experience... NO!.. Not like that! I'm particularly fond of the english translations below!
After the 2.5 hour-long bus ride back to Camp Zama he settled into his hotel room for the evening. He awoke to a beautiful view, which included mountains! YAY for mountains!! Mike, being the brave individual he is, ventured out to the streets of Japan. Barely knowing how to use the transit system, he hopped on the train and headed... somewhere... He ended up at a park (I'm sure it's much nicer looking in the Spring and Summer months)... ... and grabbed a bit to eat...

... yes... those are noodles in his bun! Ha ha ha! Poor Mike. Later that week he checked out of the hotel and into his Officer's Quarters and he was kind enough to give us a tour...

He spent the next week in classes which introduced him to Japan's curious language and rich culture. During that week, he and his class went on a field trip to Odawara Castle...

... where he met some angry monkeys (luckily they were caged)...

Before heading back to base, he ordered his first meal in Japanese "Sumimasen, mountain vegetable with soba noodles o onegaishimasu.", the waitress applauded his efforts and handed him his meal.

As the days passed Mike became even more comfortable in his surroundings and decided to explore a nearby mountain that a new friend had told him about. Once again, he hopped on the train and headed to Mt. Oyama. He rode the train for a few stops and then stepped off to catch a bus... ... apparently he wasn't the only hiker heading to Oyama that day! He arrived at the base of Oyama and snapped some shots of the majestic Shinto Shrines. After walking up about 600 feet of stairs, he decided to take a break and snap another shot... Finally, he arrived at the top and snapped a quick shot of the view... His stomach growled so he sought out a bite to eat... Unable to read Japanese he opted for the only thing he knew how to purchase... ... and to tell you the truth, I haven't the slightest clue what this was that he ended up with, but I'm sure the soups that he was eyeballing would have made for a much better meal... Too bad we haven't developed the technology that would allow us to place a chip in our brain that would result in us being fluent in any language on the planet. Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?!?

A few days later Mike's sponsor, David, and his wife took Mike out to eat at a Japanese "pub-style" restaurant in Ebina. He snapped this shot as they walked from the train to the restaurant. He really enjoyed his meal and a neat grocery store that David and his wife had shown him. Matter of fact, he enjoyed it so much that he decided to return to that grocery store a few days later to further explore it's offerings. He was looking for a restroom when he came across an older, extreme friendly, gentleman. Despite Mike not understanding a single word out of this man's mouth, the fellow, growing more excited with each passing minute, continued to show Mike around the grocery store. They stopped at a meat counter where the man pointed out a beef patty to Mike and proceeded to purchase one for him. He and Mike then went out to a bench where Mike ate the beef patty and the man smiled as Mike enjoyed each bite.After spending about 15 minutes with Mike the man said goodbye and disappeared down the busy street. Mike enjoyed this beef patty so much so that he went back in for seconds. After consuming two beef patty's Mike decided he needed some quality kitten time and stopped into a pet shop where he came across this little darling... ... I'll never understand how he didn't bring that little beauty home!.. Oh WAIT! I know why!! Because he has these two little cuties who are just dying to see him again!!

I hope you've enjoyed Mike's Japanese Adventure! Keep checking back, as there's MUCH more to come!!