Moving Up in the World!

We have made a few major decisions since we got to Japan!

First, we bought a car!  It is a Toyota Vitz and hopefully it will get the job done for three years.  (Please note Tim's Sewanee hat in the front of the car. YSR!).

Our second big decision:  We have found a house in Yamato outside the east gate of the base!  Move in date is Friday, Feb. 10th.  Although we will miss the central heating in our hotel room, we are looking forward to getting settled!  The house is about a 10-15min drive to work for Tim and is located less than 10 minutes from a major train station.  It is the perfect location!

I have only a few, poor photos.  But we will post more once we have moved in!

Japanese bath and shower located downstairs.

Kitchen

Small Office Space

Upstairs Tatami Room (there is also a tatami room downstairs)

The only room with wallpaper

Upstairs Hallway

Closet in Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom

Guest Bedroom

View of our neighbors homes and garden

Map of the house

We will be sure to keep you posted on moving day!

May I be Your Plus One?

As a lady of leisure, I have more free time than not.  Thus, it did not take me long to pounce on Tyler Donati's AOB/ICR field trip and to invite myself to join him.  Luckily for me, he is a nice Southern gent and he politely said yes.  So exactly a week after The Prechter field trip to Asakusa, I again packed my camera and ventured out on my second field trip.  This time, I was at the whim of Tyler and his AOB/ICR companion David.    

Our first stop was the observatory a top a Tokyo Government building in Shinjuku with a panoramic view of Tokyo.

Mt. Fuji (on a somewhat hazy day)

In the distance you can see the Tokyo Sky Tree that we attempted to visit last last week.

 This may possibly be my favor street thus far in Tokyo.  I can only imagine that this is what all Tokyo streets looked like 100 years ago.  

I wasn't the only one with a camera.

From the observatory, we headed to Shibuya crossing, one of the busiest crosswalks in the world.  Keep in mind that this was taken at 3:00pm on a Thursday.  Imagine the streets on a Friday or Saturday night!

As hungry tourists, we decided to try Okonomiyaki, a traditional pancake-like dish packed with all sorts of ingredients.  I chose pork for my main ingredient.  When the dish first arrived, it was a bowl stuffed with raw pork, lettuce, onions and an egg.  The waiter, realizing we had no clue what to do, began the process for us.  First, he chopped up the egg and began to stir the all the ingredients together.  Once it was properly mixed, he poured oil onto the grill and plopped the ingredients down.  Next step, cover the raw pancake with a lid and wait for 4 minutes.  Once the hour glass runs out, you flipped your pancake and cooked the next side for 4 minutes.  It was quite the process.  

David with our cooking okonomiyaki.

Flip!

It was a tasty experimental lunch!

We ended the field trip in Yokohama where Tim came to meet us for dinner.  The pictures below were taken at sunset from the Landmark Tower in Yokohama.

Mt. Fuji

Looking towards Tokyo

Queen's Square, Yokohama

There is a lot to explore in Japan and we have only just begun our adventures!

AOB/ICR Field trip to Asakusa

Well... we know what you are thinking.  We are total slackers worthy of bitter reprimands.  As I write, I am suddenly overwhelmed with the need to pause for question: just who I am writing for this time?  Is anyone still out there?  Hello?! Hello?!  HELLOOOO?!  Has our absence been far too great to deserve any loyal readers?  I suppose I will blog in wonderment, hopeful of joyful feedback indicative of the return of readers that have not given up on us quite yet...

We have been relatively busy.  Tim has flown on several occasions (affording him views of the 

moon-kissed countryside and ostentatious, brilliantly-lit skyscrapers that only aviators are privy to).  When he is not flying, Tim is working at the squadron, learning its inner workings or standing watch.  As for me, I have taken over 3 conversational English classes of older men and women eager to speak English.  I am quickly finding lunch dates and wine companions in the wives and have enjoyed getting to know all of the kind, sympathetic members of Tim's squadron.  But more on those aspects of life later.  Since it has been so long since we have blogged, I thought I would bombard you with pictures of our recents adventures.  We have begun to learn our way around multiple areas of Tokyo as well as Yokohama.  There sure is a lot to see!

As a new member of NAF Atsugi, we were forced to take a week long 

Area Orientation Brief /Intercultural Relations Class.  On Thursday during the class, we were taught how to use the train system (which Tim and I had mastered long before our lesson) and set free with the minimal instruction: venture out and return in time for class Friday morning.  Tim and I had a fulfilling day.  

Our adventure is revealed below:

The first stop on our Trip was Asakusa where we wanted to see the 5 story pagoda and the historic temple Sensoji (founded in the 6th century).  To get to Asakusa, we took the train closest to base to the Hamarikyu Garden.  There, we boarded a boat for a relaxing river cruise up to Asakusa.

Views of Tokyo from the boat:

 Note Tim and I both had to duck to walk through the boat

As we approached our stop, we had a great view of the Tokyo Sky Tree set to open in 2012.

The Sensoji temple was incredibly packed.  As we walked to the entrance, we found a crowd of Japanese taking pictures.  I nuzzled my way through and was pleased to find a newly married bride and groom.  The bride politely indulged me, smiling while I took her picture.

Below are pictures of the Sensoji temple

Above, Tim stands in front of the Kaminari-Mon (Thunder Gate) with statues of the god of thunder, Raijin, and the god of the Storm, Fuujin. This is the most famous landmark in Asakusa.  

This long street is called Nakamise Dori.  Here street vendors entice eager tourists desperate to buy anything Japanese, be it meaningful or cheap.  

Entering the temple, there is a massive cauldron of burning incense.  This incense, said to be the breath of gods, is supposed to have curative powers.  Above, Tim wafts the heady smoke, surrounding himself in incense.  

Pictures inside the temple

 Tim blindly chooses his fortune from the station beside him: "Best Fortune."  Pleased, he tied it to the rod hoping it will eventually come true.  (Note our friend drew "worst fortune."  Tim was a lucky man).

As we left the temple, we ran into our friends Kyle and Patrick who were also on their AOB/ICR field trip.  From the temple, we chose to get a closer view of the Tokyo Sky Tree.  

We found these pink bunnies working hard to hold up the street railings on our walk to the Sky Tree.  Why I found these so entertaining is beyond me.  

Having completed an adventurous trip in Northern Tokyo, we had one more destination before our day was complete.  From Asakusa, we took the train to Narita Airport to pick up our friend Tyler Donati who was arriving in Japan for the first time.

Patrick, Tim, Kyle, Tyler

Having just walked off a flight from LA to Tokyo, Tyler was in good spirits.  We gave him no time to reflect on his trip or fully digest just what his arrival in Japan meant: a delightful year of travel, reuniting with friends, a potentially dreadful amount of time on the carrier, a year away from family, friends, and supportive, beautiful girlfriend... Instead, we herded our group onto the train and headed to Yokohama for dinner.  By the end of the night, we were all exhausted.  What a successful, ambitious field trip!

Click Here to See a MAP of our Trip