homesick.

This is the sort of thing that tugs at my heart when I know I can't go home anytime soon...

The cutest nephew ever... I just have to settle for loving him from a million miles away...

trash.

The Japanese trash system is like recycling on steroids.... it is ridiculous! I have three, yes three, different trashcans in my kitchen, so I can properly dispose of my garbage. I also have a fourth additional small bag under my sink and that does not include paper recycling.... I never thought it was possible for so much effort to be required in order to throw away a single piece of garbage. Burnables, non-burnables, PET recyclables, mixed paper, combustibles.... all has to be sorted just right or they return your trash to your doorstep with a nasty gram... Japanese may be nice about a lot things, messing around with trash is not one of them.

I now cut cardboard up with a box-cutter (only after properly removing ALL tape from the box) and bundle it up with twine. (See picture above.) This was the work of HOURS of my life that I will never get back... I realize Japan is an island with way too many people living on top of each other, so they are required to be trash-efficient. But, geeze, this is a lot of work! I had better be saving some serious trees with all the effort I exert every time I want to throw something away!

familiar.

Some things are the same no matter what country you are in... not quite sure if that's good or bad...

best valentine ever.

Six-year-olds make the best valentines ever. FACT. My amazing friend's first grade class has been emailing me since I came to Japan. They ask me about Japan and the Navy... lots of funny questions, but really sweet! It is truly amazing to see the world through kids' eyes... I can only imagine what they say in the classroom everyday! This week, which has been quite hectic and not particularly fun,  I received the greatest package ever!

Catherine's entire class made me valentine's day cards... I will keep these forever. My guys thought I was going to start crying on them when I opened the package and realized what was inside...which I almost did...only pulling it together because I had an audience.

 This is without a fact the greatest valentine I have ever gotten...and completely made my week!

sea times.

We have been out a bunch over the past couple weeks. It is incredible how quickly you can fall into a routine... and as overwhelmed as I am at times, it is pretty amazing the difference between where I am now and where I was two months ago. I went from Auburn with no idea of what I was doing, to driving a ship around Tokyo Bay.... talk about a change of pace! 

Being out on the water was an amazing sight at night. There are more stars than I knew existed and the only sound around is the water crashing into our sides.... completely peaceful. It gives me more of an appreciation for where I am and the unique opportunities ahead of me.

I need to take more pictures, but here is one as we were pulling out of Yokosuka a couple weeks ago. I took this picture from the ship; you can see a snowcapped Mt Fugi in the background. Very few days is it clear enough that you can see the mountain... it was a pretty impressive sight to see!

move in.

C-O-N-S-I-D-E-R-A-T-E.  I no longer believe that Americans know what this word even means.... or it's possible that I have just been so overwhelmed by the hospitality of the Japanese, I have forgotten that anyone was ever nice to me at home. They are the nicest people I have ever encountered... even nicer than people from Auburn on gameday... and that's saying something! Seriously, the only rude people here are the Americans that live here... this is a fact that is equally fascinating and disappointing to me. America would be an entirely place if we could pick up just a third of the politeness of the Japanese. A prime example of this was my move-in experience....

These are a few pics from the day... this is all the furniture I have thus far because I had already picked it out at a mom & pop resale furniture store that my sweet housing agent took me to a couple weeks ago. The white cabinets are in my kitchen, the Japanese style dining table will move into my tatami room. This sweet older Japanese couple saved these two pieces for me because I liked them but didn't have my apartment when I first saw them. They then delivered for free, didn't make me pay until they arrived at my apartment, and brought me a gift (see above hand painted platter) just for buying from them.... now tell me which of those events would have occurred in America?? That's right, none.

In addition to this example of extreme customer service, my movers willingly rescheduled for me at the last minute due to a work conflict AFTER they had arrived at my door in my absence..... I was mortified and so apologetic and they acted glad to move their day around for me. AND, they do this all wanting NO tip... it's incredible. My evil Japanese version of Charter Cable even came in super accommodating and brought their own towels to ensure that they didn't scratch my wooden floors while installing everything, set my google up in English for me, and left me extra cord in case I decide to rearrange my living room at some point.

Finally, the best act of the entire day was the fact that my saint of a housing agent, Saito, brought me lunch and spent all day with me translating and helping me unpack. (In fact, she may now think I am an alcoholic now due to the number of wine glasses and shot glasses she helped me unpack.) I would never have been able to communicate with everyone who came to set things up without her... she has been such a blessing to have around... she even signed an email to me: Love, Mom Saito. Someone clearly was looking out for me when they helped me stumble upon her number a few weeks ago...

eating pt 2.

I hate, no loathe, celery. I hate it with a passion and don't even think it deserves to be counted as a food. Even with that much hatred toward celery, I think it may be taking a back seat to a new disgusting a food...  white squid. I love sushi... and really love it here, but this was the worst thing I have ever eaten. I probably committed some inexcusable offense by spitting it out into a napkin, but it was that bad. This was like trying to chew through a white rubber... AWFUL.

white squid... yuck.

Meet the offender... I will continue my love of sushi but will NOT be repeating this horrible excuse of an edible food.

The rest of conveyor belt sushi was quite a success...

you just grab whatever pieces you want to try.

baby squid... actually yum.

baby shrimp... weird that they're looking at you.

salmon roe... like eating giant pop rocks.

family.

Family comes in all forms. The norms: parents, grandparents, & siblings... then there are the ones where you least expect to find them: friends, mentors, and even new acquaintances...

I count this as one of my greatest blessings in life... even/especially on the other side of the planet, I know that I am not alone. I know that I am supported & loved. That is a feeling that is truly priceless. I have the best family, amazing friends & mentors in TX and from Auburn, and now have great people who have taken me under their wing in Japan...

I miss the people from home that I love so much, but I am loving this adventure and know that they are never really far away...

love day.

The women of Japan take this Hallmark holiday as an opportunity to tell the men in their lives how great they are... women give men gifts on Valentine's Day, not the other way around. Excuse me?? What is wrong with this country? Good thing there are no significant Japanese men in my life...

This is how that idea makes me feel towards cupid and company...

cable.

Today was a great day because I got the keys to MY VERY OWN Japanese apartment... not so good today was the outflux of cash. Being a grownup is EXPENSIVE. Yikes! (Thanks to the parentals for covering this in the past... I am missing those days about now.)

One of the many tasks accomplished today was setting up my internet and cable service.... I discovered the Japanese version of Charter Cable. For those that have not lived in or near Auburn and dealt with company, let me enlighten you: they are the devil of cable companies. They charge too much just because they can, and their customer service leaves much to be desired. Their foreign, non-English speaking employees are anything but helpful or polite in most cases.

Now, enter Japanese (with NO English speaking employees) cable company.... just another over-priced bundle of cable, internet, and phone service. (Cable service of which half will be in Japanese, and a phone I will never use.) Though I am quite sure my facial expression directed towards the list of ridiculous charges expressed my disdain despite the language barrier, I grudgingly signed the dotted line agreeing to the service. 

Life lesson here: No matter what country you  are in, you will pay too much to be spoiled by things like cable and cell phones. fact.

failure.

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."

                           -Sir Winston Churchill

So much to learn. So little time. There is so much for me to learn in this job I was in no way ready for... the learning curve is even larger than I imagined. Last week was slightly overwhelming trying to just keep up with everything going on while we were underway. I have messed up and gotten things wrong as well as just plain not known things I felt like I should. I realize I am not the first person to ever come in clueless, but I hate not feeling like I am prepared. I suppose the distinguishing factor will be how I recover from my falls... that's the fun of the challenge in doing something new, right?? 

It's just like the bruises I keep getting... no matter how many times I bang my knees, I'll still keep climbing up those ladders...

street music.

Just another Japanese night on Blue Street....

driving.

I am at times challenged driving in the states.... on the right side of the road, with roomy lanes, and with English street signs.

Now, switch to the left, narrow the lanes, and take away the English.... how good of a driver do you think I am going to be?

Nevertheless, the Navy is giving me a Japanese driver's license today... look out Japan!

eating.

I have made a new-found commitment to my running regime... not because I enjoy running, but because all we do here is eat. There is something new to try around every corner! Here are some of my favorite food pics so far!

ramen... so much better than ours that comes in a plastic pouch!

cooking the ramen... they cook the noodles with giant chopsticks!

I didn't eat here, but it did crack me up to see.

they have idaho, texas, and big american burgers... cracks me up! haha

Japanese dollar menu

some other noodle combination available late night

the best dumplings ever!

train people.

For your people-watching entertainment....

They sleep a lot on the trains...

About to fall on me while sleeping...

Drunk on Japanese hunch-punch, Chu hi... Mister Chatty

Did I mention they sleep a lot? Guess it's those heated seats that do it...

squatting.

Here in Japan I have developed a fear of public restrooms. I hold my breath waiting for the response when I ask an establishment if they have a "toilet." I Japan they believe in exercising great leg strength when using the restroom (see hole above). A Japanese-style toilet consists of this cutout into the floor and that's it. This is terrifying... someone please explain to me how this is an adequate toilet?? I am mentally taking note of all local places with a "western toilet," so I know where I can use the restroom without becoming injured in the process.

buddha.

Meet The Great Buddha!

Buddha's sandals in case he decides to walk away

The Great Buddha is a bronze statue of Amida Buddha, which stands on the grounds of Kotokuin Temple. With a height of 13.35 meters, it is the second tallest bronze Buddha statue in Japan, surpassed only by the statue in Nara's Todaiji Temple. The statue was cast in 1252 and originally located inside a large temple hall. However, the temple buildings were destroyed multiple times by typhoons and a tidal wave in the 14th and 15th centuries. So, since 1495, the Buddha has been standing in the open air. 

Nearly everyone who talked to us about this statue mentioned that this is where President Obama visited when he was in Japan recently. He also enjoyed a green tea ice cream cone at the temple... they are all over in that area! I tried one... it was pretty tasty despite the fact that I was already cold from being out in the wind!

fortune.

During "Welcome to Japan School" we took a fieldtrip to Kamakura in the Kanagawa prefecture, which is about a twenty minute train ride from Yokosuka. This was a great opportunity to 1) learn to navigate the train system and 2) get out away from base and see some Japanese history in person. The trains were not so complicated if you pay attention (that will be my number one problem with them), and the shrine was pretty incredible to see in person.

tour guides

 Kamakura was chosen to be the capitol of Japan by Minamoto Yoritomo, the first shogun, in 1192. Over a century later, the capitol was moved to Kyoto (Tokyo). There is a very large shrine in Kamakura that Minamoto had built to honor the gods in prayers for a safe birth of his second child, his first son, who would later go on to become shogun.

Kamakura shrine

 The  day we visited was their bean-throwing holiday, so there were a lot of people there. They throw beans to signify throwing out the bad spirits and luck and to welcome in good fortune for the new year.

prayers/wishes to the gods

Even old shrines have tourist traps... I paid 100 Yen to get my fortune. There are god fortunes and bad fortunes... I paid for BAD fortune. So not cool Japan. Our tour guide quickly helped me tie up the fortune on one of these ropes, so that I could wish to the gods for a better fortune. Note to self: don't pay for fortunes... it's disappointing. I have decided I would just rather not know.

my favorite spectator

awesome candy-coated strawberries

entrance to shrine, guarded by dog statues

 The red gate is how you know that you are entering a Shinto shrine versus and Buddhist temple because sometimes the structures themselves look similar. The gate is guarded by a pair of stone dog statues.

Before entering the shrine, you must purify your body. You scoop up some water and rinse both hand, then put some of the water in your mouth and spit it out. Every single person does this prior to entering the shrine.

Other than paying for a bad fortune, the trip was a success. I didn't get lost, got to see some more of Japan, and got to wish for good fortune for the year to come...

window shopping.

Took a 3 hour walk wondering around Yokosuka today... didn't buy anything but saw a lot...

 

 Japanese crowds, McDonalds, and bridge into the train station.

 View from the main street outside base.

 Japanese versions of Home Depot, WalMart, and a sweet grocery store...

 Japanese Sunset along the seawall across the street from where I will be living... can see Monkey Island... funny name since there are no monkeys...

 Blue street after the sun has gone down... there are blue chips of asphalt in the pavement: hence "blue street".... and yes, cars on the left side of the road.

.

 This is the view of my soon-to-be apartment building from across the street. I will be in the 6th cream colored balcony up.

Next adventure out into town maybe I will brave to actually making a purchase...