Trip coming to a close...

Well as I sit here writing it is hard to believe that 5 and a half weeks have already passed. My bag is as packed as it can be. As it is right now I don't have to ship anything home... I still have one pair of pants to squeeze in and after tonight I will know for sure if some of my gifts will be following me in the mail.



Where did the time go? Looking at my calendar which counted down the days for me it seems like it was just yesterday when I touched down to work. But with a few trips under my belt and some good time in at work Like my past trips, I miss family and friends the most. Last weekend I was kind of burned out from traveling so I stayed in the local area, enjoyed a talking to my fiancé' for a long while, and a coffee down at Starbucks.



Work has slowed down as well. Training is finished and things are all smoothly running along.



Thanks to everyone for the payers and support. Looking forward to being stateside soon!

Weekend Trips!

Truth be told my trips were not only on the weekend. I took advantage of the holiday on Thursday to go with a few guys from work up to Kamakura. I had been there a few times, but they never had and wanted a pseudo tour guide, so I played that role.

The trip up to Kamakura was a blast. Fun times wandering around some of the temples and shrines I have already seen. But the revisiting is always very refreshing. Kind of another look, with details I didn't notice the first or maybe second times previously. One major change we made to my normal trip was a walk down to the beach. I didn't realize how close it actually was and the walk through the sad was very enjoyable while the waves were crashing around us.

This Saturday one of the guys from Thursday and I went up to Yokohama to a garden I had never visited before. It was a little out of the way and required a fairly good walk but like so many places here it was worth the walk. The garden contains lots of older relocated buildings dating as far back as the 1400's. We had lunch there in the garden and then took the train back into Yokohama near the Landmark Tower area. I alway love that spot and my coworker and I wandered around browsing and looking at all the interesting things in stores until dinner time. I have been having so much Japanese food recently I was craving anything different and as a result, for dinner we ended up in the Hardrock Cafe. I ended up actually with a BBQ pulled pork sandwich. After dinner we made our way home.

I am not as tired as I might have been if I had ended up on some of the other offered trips I had this weekend but I really enjoyed the time. I was very happy about the fact that I was able to find a few Christmas gifts for people and can now check a few off my list. I posted some photos online, hope everyone enjoys them.

New Office

Today at work I got to enjoy a much anticipated day, office relocation day. Since I began working over here there has been this air of possibility that my desk would move again. When I first started working over here I knew that my desk was temporary and it seemed like almost everyday someone was asking when my desk would free up or if I was supposed to be there. Kind of the bummer of the limited number of spaces here. So for the last few weeks one fo the rooms has been in the remodeling phase and after the final inspection yesterday we got the all clear to move our stuff.

Now  I am happy to have a place that I can set my stuff down and claim as my own. As of now there are no new moves in the future. The space is nicely located around other people I frequently work with making the job a little easier too.

So though not the biggest work achievement of the day, but probably one of the most enjoyable one. I ended up finishing it up with an afterwork coffee at Starbucks and a very nice sunset.

Long Awaited Post

It has been a little over a week since I have posted anything online and though I could go through the longer explanation I will share the shorter less painfully reminding one; work has been busy.

Well at least the first part of this week was super busy, now followed by a nice, relaxing end to the week. I did get to go out and enjoy some Okonomiyaki with a coworker and one of the supervisors of the shop whom I work with. 

The dinner was rather fun and it was another reminder of why I love this country so much. 

Saturday was another adventure. I spent the major part of the day going up to Tokyo with one of the guys from the shop to wander a round and see some of all that is up there. The most of the time we spend wandering around the side streets of the major stops. Going to places like the Adidas store, Starbucks, and a few other major name brand kind of places. They guy who I was with is really into soccer and so it became kind of a game to see how many different sports stores we could find in Tokyo. I was looking for the Apple store, but was unsuccessful. I think I will need to get some better directions and see if I can find it another time. 

The day kind of wore me out and so by the time we made the hour or so train ride home I was ready for bed. Dinner was light and quick.

Thank you to everyone for the love and support. I will hopefully be a little more up to date this week with postings. Assuming that work doesn't get the better of me.

Windy Rainy Weekend Indoors

This last week has been fairly full at work. People coming in for some new work, audit people leaving, training going on, etc. But the end of the week surprise is the reason I am indoors today, a typhoon. So Thursday we had a good idea it was coming close to the coast here, the whole base started geting ready for its arrival. I started getting ready too. Went to the grocery to get some food that would last over the weekend and didn't need to be cooked to eat just incase power went out. I left work after only a few hours of overtime worked Friday just to make sure I wasn't caught in any heavy rain or anything like that.

Today as a precaution I am remaining close to home and mostly indoors. As of 05:00 this morning all we had was some gusting wind and rain. The shops across from my hotel are staying buttoned up but I can hear some of the city still moving around. From the online tracking the main part of the storm has not hit yet and will probably only be up to tropical storm strength by then. But by tomorrow morning most of it will have passed.

It is kind of nice to have a reason though to keep indoors and enjoy the peace and quiet. No work distractions, no sight seeing to rush off to, just the comfort of a room, some tea and a good book. I have just finished reading The Lost World and have a few that I am debating on reading...

For those who will check this before the storm passes you can follow along: http://www.jma.go.jp/en/typh/101424d.html

Liquid Pancake?

So, today marks the end of my first work week here in Yokosuka. I am glad it was a short week. Only having three days helped me in adjusting to the new time zone and working over here. Work is always a little different here than when I am home. Not totally sure why, but I know that when I come over I have this feeling like I need to work more trying to finish up everything before I come home.

But today is done. I utilized the MWR gym today for the first time. Very easy process and lots of open equipment. So after about 40 minutes of bike riding, and getting cleaned up I made my way home. On my way home I stopped by one of the vending machines for a treat I had my eye on for a little while. You all can watch below.

So it is a very interesting taste, but strangely very enjoyable. The cans are a little too heavy to ship or cary home for the youth group. But it opens up my ideas of what to bring back. Not sure of my weekend plans but I will make sure to keep everyone up to date through the blog as I can.

Safe, Sound, Fed and Ready For Bed

I have made it to my hotel in one piece. I have to first give a big thanks to Bill McDonald, one of the top people at work here in Yokosuka. He had a car pre-arranged picking him up, and he offered me a ride down, rather than taking the bus or the train. Both of which would normally take me two to three hours. Instead the free car ride down took only and hour and a half. I surprised the hotel staff walking in so early and have now made it in safe and sound. My bags are unpacked (mostly) and I have a belly full of Japanese curry. Thank you Coco's.

Here is a quick video of my housing arrangements for the next few weeks. Probably the nicest place I have stayed in so far, and the biggest.

Outward Bound Again!

So, here I sit again in Seatac International Airport. Outward bound for Japan. It is crazy how quickly this trip came up and how it really didn't sink in until I am now sitting in the cafe area of the airport updating a blog that I don't touch unless I am overseas.

This trip shouldn't be too long. 5 and a half weeks. I am happy that I will be home before Thanksgiving. Literally it will be the day before the holiday. It is nice that these trips are getting easier with each one I take. Maybe now I should start learning some Japanese. Might help on the other side of the plane ride.

Not sure what else to share right now. Thanks to everyone's prayers and best wishes. I will be sure to keep you all up to date as the trip progresses.

Homeward Bound

Yep, just like the Simon & Garfunkel song, I am here waiting for the time I leave for the bus which will take me to the airport. My love lies there waiting at home. Thinking back over this trip I am still amazed at how quickly everything went. The last day of work was kind of a normal day with only minor things to take care of, last kind of loose end paperwork and a few good byes. I think the one thing I am going to miss the most is the people here, the Japanese operators who are so gracious and hospitable. I think I have a lot to learn from them in being a host. Oh, and I will miss the curry too. Thank you to everyone for the love and support this time. I am sure the flight is going to go quickly. See everyone stateside.

Last Weekend in Japan

This last weekend marked my last one that I was going to be spending in Japan. Funny how it goes, it also was the weekend that some of the more important shipyard people came to visit also. My division (Nuclear Facilities) head came, along with many of the other facility related people. Saturday involved some informal tours followed by lunch out at the Chili's on base. About half of the group I know fairly well and was able to spend the time talking about more than just work. After the day was finished I rested up for Sunday, the big trip to Tokyo...

I am glad that I got the rest because it ended up being a very full day. Starting out meeting them at one of the local hotels around 0745, we made the treck up to the train station where they picked up rail cards. After hopping on an express train up to Tokyo, we stood and chatted during the hour or so train ride it takes from Yokosuka to get up to Tokyo. I was not leading this little adventure and it was nice to just tag along with some others especially when going to a big city like Tokyo. The first stop was the New Sano Hotel. Sounds strange as a tourist location, but the hotel is probably one of the nicest I have ever seen. Lots of restaurants and cafe's and shops all packed in this very luxurious building. It is almost kind of hidden on the street. The area is not too busy and I had never been to that part of Tokyo. What makes that hotel so special is that the prices are very very low (like $90 a night) and it is only allowed to US government employees. Another perk of the job I have discovered. I am still waiting for someone to tell me that I get to stop paying taxes because I am a government employee but that hasn't happened yet.

After the hotel we made our way to Shibuya crossing, and the up one of the little side streets. We grabbed lunch and after that the main tour was headed to a brewery and then home. I wasn't so interesting the brewery so I went on my own path to Akihabara, the electronics district. My two goals was this huge 9 floor shopping centre full of electronics. The place is bigger than most malls I have been into in the states and has whole floors dedicated to one type of electronics. So one floor is computers only, then video cameras, then audio, and so on. I needed a new camera case and thought that I couldn't get a better selection of options. Also one of the floors is full of toys and I was still on the hunt for some gifts. After wandering around there and grabbing a quick donut from Donut Planet, I wandered into the vendor section near the shopping centre where the local street vendors hock cheap electronic stuff, but I knew hidden in there was this little trinket place which sells cool key chains and other figurines. I have a collection set from my last trip to Japan of Nintendo's Super Mario Galaxies on my desk at work and I was missing one out of the set. I guessed if anywhere close to me in Japan would have the missing figure it would be this store. Sure enough hidden in a corner was the last one of this little set. Happy and feeling successful I made the trip back down. Knowing I wanted to change trains in Yokohama, I took the opportunity to get out of the station and wander.

By the time I was home I was very tired and thankful that the day was done. You can see my Tokyo photos and added Yokohama photos on the links. Friday I fly home, and after this trip and being gone for so long I am happy to be flying soon.

Time Coming to a Close

Well it seems like it is almost that time again to be preparing to head home. I went to the pack and wrap today and sent out some of the things I didn't want to carry home. Priority shipping didn't cost too much and with them packaging it the total price under $20 is not anything I would complain about. This weekend should be kind of busy with some important shipyard people coming in. Their arrival means a lot of meetings this next week and a lot of people at work are kind of tense because of their arrival. As for me I am just trying to stay focused on what work I am supposed to be doing. Besides the tours and extra meetings I am trying to keep it from distracting me.

For tonight though, the weather is kind of hot and muggy so I am keeping cool and relaxing in my room. I went by the NEX today after the pack and wrap and picked up some chocolate milk and a kung fu movie. I thought that would be a nice treat for tonight.

Oh and as for the random cola, no Japanese are not confused on their colors, the cola is black, it is just an 'all natural' cola, a.k.a. 'green'.

Stopping to Smell the Roses

Today is Sunday, and usually my day that I use to relax and catch up from last week and get ready for the week to come. The weather is nice and warm, not too humid and after talking with a couple in church about local flowers I decided to grab a lunch to go and enjoy the rose park down a couple blocks from my hotel room.

The park wasn't too crowded, but I also wasn't the only one with the idea to have lunch in the park. It was filled with painters, photographers, couples young and old, some kids, and people like myself just enjoying the landscape. It is nice that most of the boxed lunch places give you everything you need, chopsticks, sauce, toothpick, etc. But most areas lack public garbage, so I had to do it hiking style, pack it in and pack it out. After I was done eating I took some time to take a few pictures. Nice roses, though I am catching them on the end of their cycle it looks like.

On my way back from lunch I stopped into a patch store I noticed a few weeks ago. Mostly military patches but they had a few state ones there too. No Washington, but I was able to grab an Idaho State flag patch. Yay for Idaho. Who would have thought I could have found an Idaho flag in Yokosuka Japan?

Long Time Post

Sorry for the long time between posts. I will try to make this as informative as possible without making it a running novel....

Work has been going well. Nothing really major to add about it. With Dave gone and most people out of the office things are fairly quiet around my area. Most days are spent on paperwork and in meetings. I like these types of seasons mostly because I can get a lot of work done with only minor distractions. I am into routine for most days and even the ladies at the place where I buy lunch have gotten used to seeing me around. 

Last weekend was a three day weekend with the Monday holiday. The nice thing about most US holidays is that they don't overlay on many Japanese holidays. So when US government workers like myself have time of we get to roam around with fewer crowds than the weekend trips. So with that in mind I decided to spend most of the time locally on Saturday and Sunday with a trip back up to Yokohama on Monday. Around town was mostly groceries and other little errands. Having saved up a little bit of energy for my Monday off I made it to the train station just after rush hour was finishing up. To this day I haven't been on a train so tight that I needed to be pushed on, and wasn't planning on making a vacation day my first.

It was around 10 am when I made it up to the area where I had planned to go in Yokohama. The mission was the the Mitsubishi Industrial Museum. It was in a newer area where I had never been before, but I was not too worried. So camera ready and kind of geared up for a day at the museum I made it to the front doors.... to find that that the place is closed only on Mondays! Yep my whole big trip busted by their normal schedule. I guess in the future I am going to have to check online next time I want to make a trip like that. I was not totally lost. I did take some time to wander around that area. Found a birthday gift for my nephew in July and enjoyed the nice weather while reading a book at one of the coffee shops in the area. I added a few photos of my wanderings to this gallery.

Through the week my normal routine is into work usually between 6 am and 6:30 am, days filled with mostly phone meetings/updates, paperwork and some scheduling for work to be done. I am home some time around 4 pm and recently have been enjoying cooking in my room. I actually have been finding that I save a lot more money cooking in my room and it lets me relax after the work day in the comfy chair in my room.  Wednesday I get to go to a men's group, kind of like a Bible Study but recently there has been a lot of talk about sharing our faith and some practical skills for doing so. Really encouraging times. 

So that kind of catches up to this weekend. I will do my best to give another update soon. Thanks to everyone for the warm support.

Weekend Adventures

Friday was Dave's last day, well at least he was there in the morning for a few hours before catching the bus on base up to the airport. It has almost become a joke that when ever someone leaves or is out of the office all the problems come up and work on Friday wasn't full of problems but it did have its full share of meetings, questions, which lead to more questions and a lot of running around. When the day was over I had to admit I was very ready to do nothing this weekend. But I did make a run by the grocery store, to attempt cooking in my hotel room for the first time. Shopping here is always way fun. There are so many rondom things I have just never seen before in the store and if it wasn't for the people looking at me funny there would be more photos of food up on my blog. But I had a recipe from off the web in mind and so with some improvising I ended up roughly with the ingredients and a whole bunch of snacks that I didn't need also. 

Cooking is always relaxing for me. Not sure why it is for me, but I am glad to have the capability here. The dish tasted something close to food I have here, but I wouldn't call it Japanese cooking yet. I did start a collection of Japanese food, both that I cook and also those that I find out and around town. You can see the photos here. 

Having such a full work day I wasn't very energized to get going early on Saturday. So after talking with my wonderful fiance and father I took the train up to Yokohama. It is the bigger city north of here and thought that with the day as nice as it was and looking at a week of rain ahead of me I didn't want to waste the whole day inside. 

Yokohama was booming with people. I was attempting to get to Queen's Plaza where Landmark Tower is located. I had forgotten that there was one extra train I needed to take so after much wandering around in the main Yokohama train station (which is bigger than most malls in the US, filled with stores like Louis Viton and Gucci, yeah in train station?) I did find my way to subway and ended up where I had planned. I didn't mind the wandering and with limited maps it was kind of a safe little challenge to me in getting around all alone. I wandered through the area for maybe 3 or 4 hours, some of the photos are uploaded here, some very similar to ones of the past. 

With all my long and filled days, Sunday was nice to just relax. The church service here in Yokosuka was great, and after service I grabbed a meal at a bento place. Essentially it is like a fast food restaurant that fixes common Japanese meals to go. I picked up a menu too because I pass the place going home from church every Sunday and for about 300 to 700 yen the prices are really good. Maybe a nice little Sunday tradition to pick up lunch from there. The evening was relaxing, more cooking up what I had bought at the store before it goes bad and reading while I listened to the rain fall outside my hotel room.

One Full Night

And actually I am not talking about my schedule but rather my stomach. After work today Dave, two of my other coworkers and myself went to this all you can eat restaurant. For about $25 bucks, you had 90 minuets to eat as much as possible. The fun part is that the place had a combination of different Japanese meals and some you got to cook on the little grill in the middle of the table. Needless to say we worked out a system and always had something grilling and something entering out mouths. There was little talking but I do have to say that I got my money's worth from the experience.

Now I am home and thinking that sleep really is the only viable option for what to do... and it is only 19:30! The time was very fun, and with Dave's last day being tomorrow, I was also glad to spend the last evening with him before his Friday flight. More updates to come as the weeks progress.

First Weekend Travels

I didn't waste any time getting out this second trip back. Dave (my coworker) and I decided that we were going to make the trip out to Hakone. It is this volcanic area which some cool trees, lakes and black eggs. The morning started at a decent hour. Meeting up at 0800 at the JR train station here in Yokosuka. Then our first train change was in Odawara, and we thought it would be a good idea to jump out of the station and check out the local castle. The place was very impressive. It was reconstructed recently and the whole interior is a museum dedicated to the era when the castle was predominant. Tons to see there.

After the short detour, we continued onto the Hakone area. Our first major stop was an outdoor air museum in tribute to Pablo Picasso. Many artists came together to create sculptures inspired by his work. Warning some of the people in the photos are atomically correct.

The rest of the trip was a combination of cable cars, sky gondolas and fake pirate boats. I put up a selection of a few photos from the trip. Some notes, the top of the trip was the sulfurous area where they boil eggs in sulfur water which turns them black on the outside. I skipped this strange food. Seeing them was enough for me. I figured that if the whole area smelled like someone passed gas I didn't need to eat an egg that would remind me of that too. But if you ever needed to fat in public this was the place. After about 10 min at the top you couldn't tell if someone had or not. The hike up and around there was really fun. Kind of weird to think though that they put a tourist attraction on top of an active volcano spewing out toxic gasses...

To end the trip I wanted to see the Hakone guard station. It was drawing late in the day and right outside he gard station most of the shops had closed up but I was able to go into the area where they made Japanese puzzle boxes. The wood worker was very impressive and I was shocked to find a puzzle box that takes 320+ moves to open. I didn't ask how much those were but I did buy another puzzle box from him.

Sunday I took it easy after all the traveling. Nice to enjoy a day to read and stare out over the balcony of my hotel room.

New Abode

Welcome back to Japan! The flight went great and it was nice to not have the new to the area feeling. Actually I felt rather comfortable getting around from the base to my new hotel location, then picking up dinner and groceries. It almost seemed routine. I am of course doing more walking. My hotel is located closer to the base but father from the train stations here in town. I up loaded some photos of my new room. Much nicer place. It has almost 3 times the space, a bigger fridge, microwave and stove top along with all the furnishings needed also. I think I am going to have to experiment more with cooking while I am over here, now to find recipes that I can get the same ingredients here.

Getting back into the work groove was not that tough either. I don't seem to have much of any kind of problem with jet lag and have been able to function pretty well in the office. Many people are surprised at how quickly I came back and it is nice to see some familiar faces.

Today my coworker Dave and I are going to Hakone which should be a fun trip and I will make sure to fill everyone in on the details.

Lots of love to everyone back home. - Nikku

Here We Go Again!

My time in the states has been too short. Actually it has been under 4 weeks that I have actually been back and already I am headed out again.

My flight leaves today at 1329 out of Seatac Airport and it is another straight flight right into Japan. A quick train or bus ride down and I will be returning to what is becoming a second home. So far it looks like this is going to be another simple trip. I am in a different hotel, so new pictures of it will come. I will also try and organise my new photos online so everyone can have them separate from the last trip.

I have a three day weekend in this trip and don't know yet what I am going to do with the extra day off. I have been thinking of some different places. Maybe norther Japan, or going to the south, or even spend the weekend in the town just outside of Tokyo that is filled with ninjas....

Thanks to everyone for following along, I am looking forward to this trip and I will keep everyone posted as the days go.

Homeward Bound

Well, my time here is coming to an end. I have a way over stuffed suit case, and only a few things left around the room. My flight leaves at 1630 tomorrow, but I have to catch the bus some time around 1130 from the base up to the airport.

I am so glad that I shipped as much as I did home. I think next time I am going to have to watch it a little better how much I actually pack or maybe bring another bag... I am right at capacity and even have extra in my little travel backpack I bought while over here. The day should be fairly relaxing. A nice ride up to the airport, then check in and ditch my big bag. The flight, and then all followed by the goal of trying to stay awake for two days straight, fighting the jet lag.

For my last night out I got to enjoy some Thai food from this little shop I frequented. The place is really good. Great flavors but it doesn't leave you stuffed with food. Actually it is just right. I am looking forward to being home. I did find out though that I am coming back soon. Actually it sounds like in 4 weeks until the middle of June. I think that when that trip is over, I will have spent more time in Japan than I have spent in the USA.

Well, homeward bound. Thank you all for the love and support and following along. I am sure as new trips arrive and details unfold I will be sure to post them online.

A Day at the Zoo

Today was a great day. Lots of nice weather to enjoy and some fun surprises along the way. Two of my coworkers, Dave and Nao, and myself went up to Tokyo to visit the Ueno Zoo. It is the oldest zoo in Tokyo. Sadly, there is no giant panda here, but plenty of red pandas to see. These ones were pretty active and seemed to almost put on a show, or were just really enjoying the bamboo they were eating. Of course there were lions, gorillas, and elephants, the kinds of animals you would expect to see in the zoo. But they also had some fun ones like pigmy hippos and a Galapagos tortoise. I have all the photos up online showing the zoo and a few cherry blossom photos I snuck in.

After the zoo we wandered around an open air market area in Tokyo looking for lunch. We ended up at this sushi place. It wasn't sushi like the rolls you might be thinking of. This was more a bowl of rice with the raw stuff on top of it. I had a bowl with crab (the real stuff not fake), salmon and ground tuna. Nao informed me that the ground tuna had tuna stomach ground into it. If you are wondering yes I ate the whole bowl, raw fish, crab, tuna stomach and all. It was really really good. And as of almost 8 hours later I am not exhibiting any sickness from the raw meat. I have to figure out how they properly prepare the fish and other raw meat to make sure it is all okay to eat and not get sick from it. This might cut down on my cooking time at home....

After lunch we all went back to our respective residences to rest. Around 6pm we met back up again and went to this Korean BBQ place. Really neat restaurant, I wish we had one like it back in the states. You order a 'set' which is rice, salad, soup of your choice and then a platter of mixed seasoned raw meat. No it wasn't a whole day of raw food. The reason the meat comes raw is that you have a little BBQ in the center of your table to cook your own meat on to your liking. The meat is sliced really thin so it takes only a small time to cook and afterwards you dip it in some sauces and then eat it over rice. Really good and for the 1500 yen it was way worth it.

Now I am back in my room and ready for bed. Strange to think this is my last weekend here. I did have a taste of home today. I was informed of a Krispy Kreme in the Yokohama train station so when I had to switch trains today I stopped in and grabbed two. One for my mid day snack and another for tomorrow morning. Assuming that it will last that long tempting me with its sugary goodness....

Little Updates

It has been a little while since I have posted anything of length on my blog. I had finished a video update but for some reason I can no long upload videos... So until I can figure out that I will fill everyone in the old fashion way. The weeks seem to go quicker and quicker. I cannot believe that by this time I next week I will be stateside again. 

Last weekend it was peak cherry blossom season. I had gotten an invitation from some coworkers to go up under the cherry trees and enjoy lunch there. The day was just perfect and I want to plant cherry trees back home, even if they only bloom like that for a couple of weeks. Here are a few photos of the time. A note that though there are a lot of people at this location, it actually was really sparse. There are many areas where there area so many people you almost cannot walk under the trees. 

Things here have been nice and relatively quiet  This whole last week at work I was in training and on Wednesday the guy coming over to relieve me of my work arrived. Though I was really surprised to find out that I made employee of the week out of my entire department for my efforts over here. The hard work is looking like it is paying off. 

Well today I have a trip up to Tokyo planned. My coworker who is coming to relieve me of my duties and myself are going to the Ueno (pronounced way-no) park and zoo. Sad part is that they have no great pandas. The last one died in 2008. But I should still be a fun time. I guess I am going to have to go down to San Diego for great pandas. 

Early Morning News

This is early morning for me (though for most reading it will be almost lunch time on Monday). Today I have a big tour and wanted to let everyone know. There is an Admiral coming through our facility for a visit, but it is not him on the tour I am so worried about. Rather it is the captain of the shipyard back at Puget and the Head of NEPD (the department I work for, who is also the head of the shipyard). So these are my two bosses all the way up the ladder. Any higher and I start talking about government officials who are elected into positions kind of bosses. So this morning will be exciting. I know the system well enough, I just hope I can answer all of their questions and sound logical.

And on a side note, I thought it was funny that last night I was in Japan, eating at a Chinese restaurant, that was playing French music... Just to say that America is not the only place that gets those types of things a little backwards. More to come later. I am working on another video update for everyone and the results of those green tea kit kats...

Middle Of The Week

I was thinking about my blog today while I was at work, and yes I was focused mostly on my work, but it was a slower moment and so I began to realize that most of my posting happens on the weekend for some reason and thought I should update tonight for some of my mid week action.

Yesterday I got to go to an all men's Bible Study from the church I went to on Sunday. It meets in the food court across the street from my hotel so it is super convenient. It is a good mix of ages and really it isn't so much of a study as rather a time of relationship building and sharing life from what God is speaking to us and moving around us. A great time to connect and I wish I had found out about it sooner because it is a nice break to the monotony of the work week. 

Today is my Thursday random restaurant night. There is a group from work who goes to a new restaurant in the area every Thursday just to try out new places. It is really fun and tonight we went to a Mexican place. Yep Mexican in Japan... It actually was really good. Not as big of helpings as you would get in the states but I really like the meal. Some of the food had a different kind of flavor to it... I have tasted its undertones in other food before... so I will call it the flavor of Japan. It seems to be in a lot of things. 

Thursday is also laundry day! This is a bachelor's dream. Every Monday and Thursday I send in a bag of dirty close and then the following Monday or Thursday I get them back, clean folded and put in a little plastic bag. So if I turn in clothes on Monday, I have them back Thursday all done up just like the photo. It is awesome! 

I got to thinking about it and right now I, have breakfast made for me every day, fresh towels for my shower every morning, someone else makes my bed for me, does my laundry, I have a 15 min walk to work along a harbor, and I get to eat out all the time. I have to say that I have no reason to complain about Japan. My only wish is that I could have erin here to share it with me.

Relaxation Day

So after weeks of busy and yesterday's excursion around Kamakura and related area I thought that I would take things a little slower today.  I slept in (which is still 6:30 for me but hey that is 2 hours of extra sleep!). After showering I wandered up to have the breakfast buffet the hotel puts out. Last night the wind and rain was so hard it woke me up twice but by the time I made it upstairs to the 19th floor for breakfast it was almost clear skies. The view up there was great for a lazy breakfast. I only wish it was acceptable to wear my PJs to breakfast too...

After wards I got back to my room and had plenty of time before church so I uploaded some more photos which failed to upload last night then headed off for the train. The stop for the church is only two places down on the local rail and so it doesn't take more than 20 min total with both the train ride and walking to get to the building where the church is. So being the overly cautious person I am, I arrived way early and ended up across the street int he McDonald's for a coffee and read until it wasn't too early.

The church is on the 3rd and 4th floors of an office building. Honestly you almost miss it when walking by. I am glad they had photos of the building up online to help in spotting it. The congregation is smaller than Harbor Life back home and you can tell it is a mission planted church. The pastor leads worship, his two teenage children help by singing and playing bass, while one of the local teens plays drums. The church is bi-lingual (both English and Japanese). So during worship we would switch back and forth. During the message the pastor's wife translates for him.

After the service their youth group was serving lunch for 500 yen up on the 4th floor so I stuck around and got to know some of the congregation. Most of the americans there are related to the shipyard in some way. A couple engineers, some office people and a few sailors. About a third of the church is in this group. The people are very nice, though I am not sure they knew what to do with me when I first walked in, or even what language to speak to me in because I started off by saying good morning in Japanese. I think then I was given instructions to feel free to sit wherever I wanted, guessing by the body language of the person helping me.

Overall I had a great time there. The service started at 10:30 and I didn't leave the building until 15:00 when all done with lunch and chatting with everyone. I got a few contacts and there is a men's Bible Study on Wednesday nights in the mall across the street from my hotel I am going to probably go to this week.

The rest of the day was very laid back. I finished organizing some photos and getting ready for the week. Went out for dinner to a place I thought was Japanese noodles only to find out after sitting down and looking at the menu I figured out it was Italian. Oops! Well either way the meal was great and after a quick run through the grocery store I was home with a couple needed things for the week and some green tea ice cream. Really strange flavor combo but good.

Now though it is off to bed, ready for another week. Strange to think that I have already been here for two weeks. I am sure before too long it will all be over and I will have to get used to things like driving, cooking and doing my own laundry. Though no promises on me making my bed...

Saturday Travels a.k.a. The sight seeing blitz

Yesterday was a big trip for me. With my supervisor now gone any traveling that I do, I do by myself. So I thought no reason to kick it all hidden in my hotel room and instead I planned myself a trip. Close to here (about a 25 min train ride) is the area of Kamakura. Back in the 1200 - 1300's it was the capital and thriving city center of Japan. Very rich in older culture and sights. I had been through briefly last weekend and on my check list of things I want to do, returning to here was a high priority. So using a map or two, some information about the different sight I planned out a weekend of wandering around this area. I think over the day I saw maybe 8 or 9 shrines/temples. So I won't take the time to hit everyone but rather some highlights.

The main reason I wanted to go back was because of two particular places. The first was the Zuisenji Temple on the far outside of town. This was so remote and out of the way I my thought is that it would be the best to just visit without many other people. Most of the sights closer to town attract both foreign travelers as well as local people on the weekends. So in trying to avoid a few crowds and wander through some old Japanese gardens in peace, I figured this was the spot. Turns out I was right. The walk was probably a good 20 min from anything close to resembling the main city. Tucked back in the hills was this small temple. Unlike many of the other ones I had seen it was not overly ornate or glamorous. Most temples or shrines have a small entrance fee (usually 200 to 500 yen, or 3 to 6 bucks) which gives you entrance and some kind of informational brochure to read. This was the only place that didn't have an english one and you could tell they don't get too frequented by out of town folks. Most of the people I saw where there to pay respects to their elders in the cemetery right next to the temple. But the place was wonderful. There had been only needed restoration on the buildings so everything actually looked and felt like it was from the period when it was first built. And the gardens were just wonderful, I wish I could see it in full bloom.

The second place I wanted to go was Hokokuji Temple. Not so much for the sake of the temple but rather the 2000 year old bamboo forest behind the temple. Yep, bamboo forest. I had been waiting to see some actually (strange as it is there isn't much real growing bamboo around unless you search hard for it). The forest actually isn't too big but it was really neat. The light plays tricks on you as the wind blows causing the bamboo to part then close up again, moving the shade around. In the back of the forest is a small tea shop which I had to have a drink of. To the best of my ability I can tell you that green tea ranked up with some of the best I have ever had.

There are tons of photos uploaded for Kamakura and I am sure you all will have some questions. Send me some and I can try to answer them. Also while I was out I made sure to see some of the "typical" tourist sights and so I did go see the giant bronze Buddha, I was not super impressed and there was tons of people, and the caves on Endosima Island, which were really cool. Legend says that one of the caves goes all the way to the ice caves under Fuji... I am not sure if I believe that, but it would be one long walk if they did.

Hope you all enjoy the photos. Today I am going to go to church. The service starts in a little bit so I better get ready.

Food experiences...

It has been a little while since my last full post and this might be a short one, but last night I had another interesting experience. There is so much different food here it is hard to not have something new on the menu but last night I had something I don't think you will ever see on the menu in the USA... raw horse. Yep ground up dipped in citric acid then placed over shredded cucumber, garlic, bean sprouts and a raw egg yolk poured around it.

I was eating out with a group from work who every Thursday night goes out to try new and different restaurants in town. I had wanted to start bridging out and with a group that always seems a little safer. So we ended up in this place that was much more traditional (take off your shoes kind of place) that actually I realized when going here that I actually had been to the restaurant before but missed the horse on the menu. There was six of us and so we ate family style sharing lots of dishes, everyone ordering something they thought sounded interesting and wanted to try. Some how it got to the horse and we ended up ordering a plate for our table.

The dish was small, maybe a cup of horse total and three cups of food overall. But when it did arrive there were two guys who really wanted to try it, leaving just about one helping left... so I tried it. Yep, I ate raw horse. And actually it tasted great. To that point it was the best thing we had on the table. I think the other three people were missing out, and by the time I had finished my serving I was kind of wanting a little more... though I wasn't up for ordering another whole platter of it for myself.

Now I can definitely say that I have eaten something here I don't think I will ever get the chance to over there in the states. Oh and don't worry about any food sicknesses, the cleanliness level in restaurants is very high and the way the horse is "prepared" the citric acid it is dipped in kills off anything on the exterior to the meet and so writing this blog post the next morning I still feel great and have no worries about getting sick.

Today is my Friday. I have plans to wander around Kamakura all of Saturday so expect some more photos and a post or two about the trip. My supervisor who has been also my personal tour guide leaves today so this will be my first major trip venturing out on my own. Also, for Sunday I found out how to get to a local Church and I am going to try and make the morning service there.

Thanks to all for the warm wishes and support.

Japanese Auto Tour

Yesterday was another blast up in Tokyo. This time venturing off of where my rail/subway map covers we went to the Megaweb showroom. It is the main headquarters for Toyota/Lexus. Tons of people and lots happening. It was neat to sit in all the new cars (well the race cars were only for the kids) but we did get to see them and also look at the new concept cars they have out. The other neat thing about the area is the historic car museum. They had a couple American classics but my favorite was the old Porsche they had there... oh, if only I wouldn't have gotten in trouble for getting into it, I would have loved to known what it was like to sit in that car....

After that showroom and history area we wandered around the complex a little, took a ride on the really really tall ferris wheel, the hit the train back to Yokohama where the Nissan Global headquarters is. Similar story except you could sit in the nice race cars here. Oh and I didn't know this until today but they still make the Nissan Skyline... Just only for the Japanese and sadly you have to wait until the car is 25 years old to import it to the US easily... I think I know what I am going to pick up in 25 years from now. The car was a blast to sit in, really nice and actually more awkward to get in and out of than my Mini. 

Overall a nice guys day up looking at some cool cars. It was nice to have Brain there with John and myself. I am slowly getting to know some of the other shipyard workers stationed here. Enjoy the photos (mostly cars). I am going to add some of the non-car shots up when I get a chance to a Toyko folder.

Tokyo Time!

Yay for Tokyo! So today was the blitz tour of the city. Of course I didn't get to see everything but I did see some of the more major sites. Started off the morning with the train ride up there. Once out of the first stop we went over this bridge to look at a few buildings, one of which is this famous brewery. We didn't go in but I did take pictures of the weird sculpture on top... It has been called many different things but I will refer to it as the giant golden yam... 

So, after the quick stop we headed up this cool little alley filled with street vendors getting ready for the day. For such a big city it still doesn't really wake up until about 9:00 so walking through at 8:30ish most of the stands were still being set up. The main reason we went there was to visit this area outside of Asakusa was at this location a long time ago one of the Japanese Emperors tried to combine the two religions in the county (Shintoism and Buddhism) by putting a Buddhist temple and a Shinto shrine on the same piece of land. Culture and history aside this place was really cool and was my first touch of "old" Japan. Here are some photos of the giant yam and the shrine/temple.

After that trip we headed to the gardens near Ueno. Only the plum trees are in bloom so when the cherry trees start this is a place I am sure going to be returning to. This time the place was fairly desolate. 

After this we made the trip to the royal palace. Like Ueno things are still kind of dormant so only the evergreen trees are there but I did get some good photos of the palace exterior. They wouldn't let me in though :,( 

From there we caught the subway to Roppongi Hills which is one of the better high points in Tokyo. Nice area with some neat architecture, actually now that I mention it most of the buildings here are really neat. If they don't carry some unique design to the shape some are kept so clean that they reflect other buildings around them. Makes for some great sights and fun photos.

Roppongi left us a little hungry so my supervisor (who I have been doing most of my traveling with) and I went to the Hardrock Cafe in Tokyo. First time ever in a Hardrock and kind of funny it was in another country. One main reason we went was for the 15% off for showing our military IDs.

The last stop we made was Shibuya. It has been claimed as the busiest crosswalk in the world and I believe it. You have to see the photos. Once the cars stopped and the little crosswalk man turned to green it was like someone let class out of high school on a friday with the sun out. I mean there was hundreds of people crossing all at the same time in all directions. Then just like they appeared everyone cleared the area and the cars moved again. Of course though being the busiest intersection everything around there is busy too. Including the worlds busiest Starbucks! Yep, had to get a drink from there. The place was about the side of a shoe closet but man were they quick. I think in the five minuets I was there I must have made 20+ orders. I added in a few photos and also a shot of the guy in charge of making sure everyone got their drink. He wasn't a happy camper but I did get what I ordered in close to the fastest I ever have when ordering a fancy coffee. 

After our coffee we were both very spent. We took a few subways to get to the express train home. It took about 20 to 30 min to ride the express back and I think I fell asleep at least once. After a little rest we went out for probably the most traditional Japanese meal I have had while here. They even had me remove my shoes before entering the restaurant. Oh, and have I mentioned that the food here is absolutely amazing? Well tonight topped it all off again, as if I needed any reminder to the fact. 

So now with the day over I am off to bed. Lots of little things fit into today also, and as I remember them I am sure to share. Enjoy the photos, I added a few to my older galleries, including some new ones in the "Random" file. Including my first sight of graffiti, a sick looking packman bad guy. 

The Trips Continue

Today after a good day of work we got to travel up to Yokohama. It was nice to have the train ride and see what some of the other shipyard workers are doing everyday for a commute. Made me glad I have just a 10 min walk from the hotel to the gate.

Up in Yokohama I got to see Landmark Tower, which is currently the tallest building in Japan. It isn't super tall compared to some of the other large towers in the world but in a land that gets 400+ earthquakes a year, it kind of makes sense to not build things too tall. The trip was tons of fun. I think I am going to have to take a train up there a time or two in the future. The ride is super easy and there is lots to explore. I loaded on some photos of the trip, including many of the tower.

Also exciting part of dinner, tonights meal came with a nice heart shaped fried egg on it. I uploaded that one to the random folder too. Followed by some ice cream from Cold Stone (yep they have them over here too) and the sing to you if it is your first time, or if you tip them... kind of embarrassing but fun.

Video Update for the Youth

Many blessings on Tyson and Dirk as they lead while I am away.

Hoping all goes well.

As the days continue...

Today was another good experience day for me. Life here seems to go so fast. Next thing I know it is going to be time for me to leave. Stranger to think that I have actually only been working for three days now.

After work today my supervisor took some time to wanter around Yokosuka, which is the town I am staying in. I finally got my rail pass, or my Suica. It is a nice card which has a micro chip in it that stores train fair on it. The nice thing about the Suica is that I don't have to purchase tickets every time I change trains. I can just scan the card. It doesn't save me any money just time really.

The rest of tonight we wanted up and around Blue Street here in town. I took some photos on the walk. The area was busy, well busy for me. I guess that area is almost always full with some people. But we went to this 100 Yen store (same thing as like a dollar store in the states). It was tons of fun though I could easily spent too much time (and money) in this particular one just due to the size. I also got to try these really tasty pancake creme filled things, I loaded those photos on too.

I am almost fully over the groggy effects of the jet lag and felt like today was finally one of the first days I was really sharp and on the ball with work. These earlier days getting in and following all that was going on has been a little tough but today was a success.

One last funny thing I found out about my hotel room was that my safe has a "foot light" but when it is turned on it looks like the safe has ground effects... kind of like some of the cars I have seen here...

Room and Life Overseas

This makes the end of day 2 for me. Sorry for no post on day one of work, after the work day and a trip after work and then all the walking and jet lag... well lets just say that I didn't have the energy for a blog entry. But tonight I am doing much better and I have the time before bed.

Here are a few shots of the room. Yes I am quite literally living out of my suitcase but it works out well.

I think the most exciting thing I found out about the room is that they have free laundry service. Like not just a free washer and drier that I can use but you put all your close into this little orange bag with your room number on it and then a few days later all of them come back to you clean and folded! I could get used to that. Even better is that it happens twice a week. So check out some room photos on smug mug and of course other random fun shots.

I am getting used to how the train system works. It is a lot like Europe in some ways, but I can't wait until I can pick up a travel card and just buzz through the rail system instead of buying tickets.

My boss and myself went by an outlet mall north of where I am staying. Part of my train traveling experiences getting used to being able to travel on my own.

On a similar note, the food has been very excellent and I still cannot fathom even the amount of restaurants and selection in this small area. Most places have pictures and some english on the menu so you have an idea of what you are ordering. So far that strategy has worked out well. But mostly I have been eating curry at different places. Strange to come to Japan and east a lot of indian food but it is really good.

More stories to share, but not all at this time. Probably very soon.

Arrival

It is late and I have been up for a little while so this will be short. I am in Japan, in Yokosuka, safe and sound in my hotel (pictures to come). The room is a little small but to be expected, and I have the internet. That is something I am very happy about.

Thanks for all the best wishes and prayers from everybody!

Mid Flight Thoughts...

6^th March 2010 20:18 (State Time)

So I can’t update my blog mid flight so I thought it wouldn’t hurt to still take a few notes to post later. The in flight meal was I guess something to be expected. Though I am happy with the constant supply of green tea and random plane snacks. I am very glad that I took the recommendation from my supervisor to have a bulkhead seat. Even though I am close to the center, I can still get out easy without bothering the others too much and I have more than enough legroom for my height.

The company on the plane has been nice. One guy didn’t talk the whole time, but my other neighbor did. He is napping now, so I thought a good time to write about him. Nice guy from Utah, does something in sales with other countries and imports. He and another guy are traveling on a business trip for like two weeks. Makes my trip over for 6 or so weeks seem like a permanent move.

Well the time is passing; I think this is all on my mind for now. I think they are going to feed us again in an hour.

More Packing... or Repacking...

Not sure if it is a good thing or a bad one but night before I am to leave I am repacking sections of my bag, changing some of what I am bringing and in the mix of it all I know I am going to forget something or need something else. But as I keep reminding myself that anything I forget now I can always get while I am over there.

So these are probably the final messages before I fly out. Thanks for all the best wishes and prayers, see you all on the other side.

Packed and Counting

I am down to only 2 days before my flight. Orders all printed and today I actually got the bag all finished up and for the most part final packed. Work boots hidden away, and other shoes all stored. Actually looking at my bag, almost a third of the space is devoted to footwear... I blame it all on the work boots.

Either way I was happy to find that my bag only weights 30 lbs! Crazy to think my life from this Saturday until the middle of April is only that little weight. I guess it means I have some spare room for gifts and trinkets to bring back too.

And the packing job doesn't look too bad either I might say. Gosh, only one day of work and then the flight... It still hasn't fully sunk in yet that I am actually leaving.

Counting The Days

Last night I began packing, or at least finalized my packing list and threw some socks on top of my duffle bag. Slow it is all coming together. I can't wait to get over there. But there is still a lot that needs to get done before I leave.

It is crazy to think that I am 10 days from flying out. 11 days from when I will set foot on Japanese soil. Every day at work brings reminders of how real this trip is. Today my supervisor was asking me where I wanted to eat when we arrived in the country. I thought it was kind of a funny question since I have never been there before but I do know there are a lot of options. He listed off a lot of my options and there is almost too many to choose from. But I think the first night we are going to get Japan's version of a kabob...

Changes

So speaking of how life seems to change and rearrange on ourselves... From a meeting today my trip has already been changed and extended from the one month planned to now 5 weeks. It isn't much of a change, but it is looking more certain that I will be over there for more time.

The Background

Life can be strange how it moves and changes you sometimes more than you change it. I think that is how this (and probably future trips) affected me. Life was just going along as I had planned and well stuff out of my own control changed and here I am leaving for Japan.

Thankfully it is my job that is sending me and not a totally random trip to foreign lands... though I wouldn't have minded that either. I found out a little more than a week ago that I am scheduled for my first month over at our facility in Japan and from the sounds of it this will be one of many trips to come.

So here the trip begins, some training, some Rosetta Stone, some pre-packing, and a lot of anticipation of what to expect...