Kids 1st Train Ride

We ventured off base today! Walked 20 minutes to the train station (stopped at the park on the way), took the train less than 5 minutes to the closest mall! An amazing sight to see, and I look forward to going back a ton! We stopped and had lunch at the mall at Outback Steakhouse!! A little piece of home!! Mike ordered a long awaited steak and Abby chose ribs! Then we walked back home from the train station after. 

We also got Abby her very own train pass! In Japan kids under 6 are free, and 6 and older are half price! 

Field Trip Day

Today was our mandatory weeklong base Japanese course field trip day! 

They dropped us off at a train station, and we had to plan a trip and get home all on our own! It was a fun way to explore!! We did a LOT of walking and learned a LOT about the trains. 

What the train station maps look like to identify which line to get on--luckily most are in English

Required pay phone call back to base in case we ever had to use one for emergency

We stopped at a local mall and the bottom level is a nice grocery store with many departments. This was a nearly $90 fruit basket!! Fruit is expensive here. 

Our train to our destination ran along the ocean!!

Visited the Great Buddha!! He is over 700 years old. Got to walk inside him too

Inside layers of the Buddha 

After seeing the Buddha we stopped at a Chinese restaurant for lunch. We had no idea how formal it was. 7-course lunch that was delicious with a private room and a great view 

Course 1-- pork with pumpkin appetizer and cucumbers. 

Hasedera Temple

Wishing wall--for $3-$5 you buy a wood plaque and write a blessing or wish upon it and hang it on the wall

Torri gate leading to a cave where many Buddha shrines are located for candles to be burned--a portion of it was so low we had to duck and walk

What the local small train stations look like in this beach town. Crossing arms down for the train to pass

Official Japanese Drivers!!

Woohoo!!!! We are licensed drivers as of the end of this week! PHEW that crazy test is behind us. After a one-hour lesson from a not so English-speaking Japanese native.....we passed our Japanese drivers test! 

Here are some of the crazy signs we had to learn to interpret. 

Japanese 7-11

We made our first visit to the on-base Japanese 7-11 tonight on our walk home from dinner! Half the size of your US 7-11, but more variety! Everything from toothbrushes to dried fish with heads on!

There are a LOT of Japanese officials and workers on the base, so this store services their quick food needs. But we are authorized to shop there as well. It actually is known to have the best Yen exchange rate on base. 

For dinner tonight we ate at the convention center on base which was hosting a Mongolian BBQ night. You fill your bowl, weigh it before you add sauces, and if you guess your cost within 5 cents you get it FREE!!! I guessed Maddy's and got hers FREE!! Sadly hers was the cheapest bowl....but it is something! The Japanese worker who weighs the bowls even gives you two tries and tells you higher or lower! Too funny!! The center hosts dinners twice a week and then is a hub for big events and changes of command! 

Mike bought the following items to try....

Some kind of chow-mein in a bun??

And a slice of cooked bacon in a roll?

The sights we will see

Walked out of the base gym to spy snow-capped Mt Fuji in the distance!

If you call it a kitchen!

Just to give you a glimpse inside this space they call a kitchen--it challenges my cooking skills and we will definitely appreciate a full service kitchen in 3 weeks! 

Sink, burners (one is covered by the dish dry rack....low on space), microwave and mini fridge 

Opposite counter has drawers and storage!! Thank goodness housekeeping comes daily, or else that trash can would be overflowing for sure!! It doesn't hurt that they bring towels and make the beds either!! 

Friendship Festival

Today the Navy Base hosted an annual Friendship Festival--it opens its main gate to any/all Japanese local foot traffic! They anticipate thousands of guests for the day! It was one American family for every 20 Japanese families on base for the festivities. 

The Japanese were lined up for all the Hamburger stands, and we were lined up for the Japanese fare! 

Live band playing on stage all day!

Maddy chose a hamburger and Abby chose BBQ Pork on a stick

My favorite of the day--fried potato!! Highly recommend it! Better than fries!!

Also tasty--fried octopus balls

The flight line was also open to guests and each plane had reps on display and selling patches and videos on discs. We were stopped and asked for our photo by a Japanese couple. It's odd but everyone says you get used to it. 

Abby got to try on the helmet Mike wears when he flies

Maddy insisted on sitting in the helicopter

And our first hotel room cooked meal. I need to put my meal planning cap on.....with no oven or BBQ it makes it tough so I need to get creative with some one pot stovetop meals 

Bedtime Adjustments

This time change is a mixed blessing and curse! It's rough on all of us at some point in the day....yet unlike our normal bedtime struggles with them they pass out instantly like this each night with no encouragement!!

First time off base!!

Tonight (after our second full day here) we made our first trek out the front gate of the base for dinner. This is the inside of the main gate looking in. 

There are beverage vending machines every 20 feet on and off base. No chance to complain about thirst!!

We went to our first Sushi Go-Round tonight!! Ten minute walk from the base. You choose each item you want and a few seconds before it arrives on the belt your machine announces it so you can grab it. 

Tempura squid and cooked octopus!!

This white handle is an instant hot water dispenser! You push your cup against the black knob and water comes out to make tea! 

We made a quick stop at the 100 Yen store--equiv to the Dollar Store in the USA!!

Abby is back in school!!

Abby had a wonderful first day of school in Japan! The kids in her class were all very welcoming and eager to share many details with her! 

Even better her school is a 2 minute walk from where our new house will be! 

The school is 100% military kids! 

The main playground at the school. Today the base hosted a deployment fair for the kids! Deployment season is upon us!!