Costco Bound

A Costco trip was needed to replenish our dried mango and syrup supplies this weekend. I decided it would be a good opportunity to snap a few shots of what we see driving locally. I didn't take our camera into the store, but frankly, it looks pretty much like any Costco you would walk into back home. They of course have products here and there specific to Japan, but for the most part, it's all Kirkland and all very much like a store in the states.

As you drive up you can clearly see that Costco is hard to miss, just like back home. 

They even have the muffins.

To park, you have to use their 4 leveled parking garage. The other funny thing is that Costco is situated next to a large outlet mall (very "Western/American" as well). There is ground parking and 2 large parking garages but you cannot park there if you are going for Costco, and that's just how it is. Nobody parks in the wrong place. Period. And all parking is paid by the customer unless you get your ticket validated at the appropriate store.

 A typical fast food restaurant. This is a ramen house. There's always pictures of the food served.

 It ain't Daryl's storage but it gets the job done. I wonder the cost to store your stuff though. This one is situated on a little corner. 

So, when driving in Japan, one MUST be ALWAYS vigilant because bicycles are everywhere. On side walks, off side walks, with traffic, against traffic . . . they are everywhere and hitting a cyclist with your car is not only dangerous but considered a very big deal legally. The car will ALWAYS be at fault, it's extremely black and white. Same goes for motorcycles, although they tend to stay on the road with the direction of traffic, but otherwise move similar to a bicycle along side and in the middle of rows cars.

 Another big difference is of course the road system. Buildings came first, streets came after. These are pretty wide streets. Most side streets are barely wide enough for one car.

The good, the bad and the ugly . . . graffiti is everywhere.

 A large road. Notice the Denny's restaurant to the right.

The menu  of course if nothing like the states for those who are curious.

 A more traditional style home that has land is growing crops.

More modern houses. I plan to get a better picture but this one will do for quick comparison. In Misawa there was a larger presence of single story homes featuring western floor plans. Here, where it is blatantly  apparent that space is much more limited, there seems to be no such thing. All housing is multi-level, and most have no yard space. Maybe a small parking space and room for flower pots. Balcony's are used to dry clothes and hang futons out in the sunshine. As you move to the cities edge the houses still are multi-level but do seem to have larger yards.

Bi Bim Bop

For our anniversary, Walter had an awesome idea: Dol sot. They are the stone bowls needed to cook a favorite dinner of ours in, bibimbop. Look it up and you'll find great recipes and tips. It's tasty, and even good for you as it's basically rice and vegetables, meat if you wish to add it. Anyways, these bowls can be pricey to purchase, especially you are paying shipping and handling because of their weight. On a tip from a friend, who also volunteered to go with us, we decided to visit the kitchen district down in Asakusa and found exactly what we wanted. A trek mind you but worth it. We've since made this meal three times. Walter took pictures of our dinner tonight, which made me laugh, and figured it would be fun to post on here. 

The preparation.

The setting.

The Ryan Kristof pickled-pig-feet-chili sauce.

(KEY ingredient)

Ready to eat but it doesn't look quite right yet . . .

Perfect. Now it looks right. Yum.

You were wondering just how hot is that bowl?

Yeah . . . so far it's probably a good thing Gabe and Genna don't totally dig it.

Two Good Finds

Well, as my family back home knows I have been on the hunt for some interesting, fun, family friendly places, especially before our little guy gets here and travel becomes a tad more complex. We hit two home runs in the last two weeks with the Tama Zoo and Enoshima Aquarium. I need help figuring out a better way to post photos since they describe our trips to both locations in better detail than anything I could write. I am getting better but I know it ain't great. So without further adieu:
One thing Walter and I keep laughing about is how traffic can take such a huge chunk of time on any trip. One might recommend just taking the train here and there . . . but even on the train, with a 4 year old, a 2 year old, and big 'ol pregnant lady, just hopping on the train to go "here and there" isn't exactly easier. So for now, we load into our rusty green monster (that seems to have developed its own new unpleasant scent), and head out. The Tama Zoo for example is I believe 11 kilometers from our house. With the red lights (not censored here), takes on average fifty minutes of driving. That's basically an hour from point A to point B. A train ride from our nearest station is a fifty minute ride, plus you would need to tack on time getting to the train station. OK, so, we drove to and from the zoo but our effort was worth it. Tama Zoo is very large, hilly, and has an awesome butterfly garden. It feels like you are walking through a beautiful English garden, filled with vibrant colors and swimming with butterflies of all shapes, colors and sizes. The kids could get nose to nose, watching the busy little creatures drink nectar from any flower of their choosing. Otherwise, while it was a very nice zoo, it reminded me a bit of Japan and Tokyo in particular. There were a lot of animals in each enclosure, much like there a lot of people living a small square foot of space where we live. With that, I put the observation out of my mind and enjoyed the day. In addition to the butterfly garden, another highlight was the lion den. A bus ride will take you through their living space. Fifteen lions (male and female) were probably living in that area. The bus also had meat hanging on small hooks on the sides of the bus to entice a willing participant to come right up to the glass window. The kids of course thought this was totally cool. Regretfully, we didn't have a camera with us to capture a shot of them "touching" the lions face as she gingerly took the meat of its hook with her tongue. Oh, and one last funny picture is of Gabe eating french fries. The food tends to be hit or miss with the kids. French fries tend to be a safe bet that bridges American and Japanese cuisine. However, one thing Gabe and usually Genna loves with fries is ketchup. Fortunately, I had brought some packets with me (saved from a previous outing), and they came in more than handy. Since there was no place however to put the ketchup, Walter came to the rescue by squirting the ketchup directly onto the fry. The end result was happy kiddos and a cute picture.


                 Yum. Ketchup. And no, I did not even bother attempting to ask for some from the cashier.

Gabe has caught onto the peace sign.

At the butterfly garden.

Here we are heading out, you can see we are coming down a decent hill and if you look into the horizon, you can see homes and buildings and such (the city beyond).

Enoshima was another fantastic find. The GPS said 49 kilometers. It was a three hour car ride; THREE hours ONE WAY. And it wasn't even crazy traffic. It wasn't even a weekend! This was our  4th of July trip, which is of course not a holiday of any sort in Japan, so it was a great way to spend a free day off. All I could keep thinking was IMAGINE coming here on a weekend or Japanese holiday. The crowds were plenty, not crazy thick or anything, but I can only imagine how crowded it can become! The aquarium was actually very nice, with a fantastic dolphin show. I have the cutest video of Genna. Her excitement literally coudln't be contained, and Walter and I loved it. Sometimes, I have determined, it's good to hear kids being loud, especially when they are just so amazed by what their eyes are seeing. 

We ended up taking a lunch break to eat at an Italian restaurant on the beach. Walter and I had a whole conversation about that in the car ride back home. Suffice it to say, we have made some interesting observations comparing our time in Misawa to our time here closer to Tokyo (supposedly a more desirable location . . . hmmmmmm). When our meals arrived, I had to take a picture of our spaghetti bolognese with a fried egg on top. I had to steal a quick photo because while the spaghetti looked appealing to Gabe, the egg did not, and Walter quickly removed it from the plate. Too funny.

After lunch, we finished up at the aquarium and then moved onto the beach. The water was very warm, and the kids had a blast. Gabe even got his shorts all wet so you know he was having a great time! Below are some areal shots. Our car was parked out on Enoshima Island, which can be seen from the right below here. 

           Here we are playing on the beach. We are playing where you see waves in the picture above.

A closer photo of the long bridge on the peninsula taken to reach the island (where we were parked).

Walter standing just as we come off the long bridge (seen above). You can see the Tori Gate and then behind that, not seen, at the top of the hill is a shrine.

 The last part of the adventure was paying our parking fee. Apparently it is important to always have 1000 yen bills because the 5000 yen bills are not accepted. Something Walter apparently knew and forgot to mention in the last couple of purchases on the way to the car! That's tip one. Tip two is that when you want to get home, eating in the car is the way to go, and McDonalds fortunately is highly prevalent here in southern Japan to help accomplish this task. I think we passed one about every 10 kilometers (how I wish they were Starbucks instead!) I ate at McDonalds once in Misawa, and again on this trip. Tip number three is that there isn't always an English menu available, so be ready to play some form of sherades and smile a lot while ordering. We got home with time to spare by an hour. So we did a quick bath, some chill time, and then a short bike ride out to see the fire works show on base. Hope you all had a great 4th of July celebration too!

May

I've been told I'm not the best blogger, I won't deny it. Truth is we haven't been up to all that much until recently. Last week we took the kids to meet Mickey Mouse for the first time at Tokyo Disneyland. Walter and I are both from California and have family who even lives in Anaheim, but our kids first trip to the land where magic and make believe can't be beat, was in Tokyo, Japan. Too funny! They had a great time and so did we. The icing on the cake of course was meeting Mickey. Genna even gave him a kiss. For those who might wonder if there's a big difference, I'd have to say there really isn't too much. We picked the right time to go and this was absolutely key. The crowds were small, lines were short, and we were able to see pretty much everything we wanted to. Gabe even got to ride Thunder Mountain, one of my favorites! When I think about it, food options were probably the most significant difference. The sit down restaurants all have set menu choices and were priced around twenty five dollars per adult, and fifteen dollars a child Gabe's age. The less expensive restaurants, while Walter and I would have enjoyed them, did not appeal to Gabe and Genna yet, or one and not the other. The favorite option seemed to be french fries. Not even the Mickey Mouse shaped pizza won our kids over. Truly though, one doesn't visit Disneyland for food alone, and a great time was had by all! 

In other news, we took a trip down to the Asakusa area today with friends, who helped Walter and I purchase dol sot bowls in this kitchen district. After that, we had lunch, Starbucks, at the Skytree mall, an adventure in itself. Our friend told us parking is really tight, only spaces for one hundred cars, so we were lucky being able to park there. We had lunch at Starbucks because honestly, it looked to be an hour wait for every restaurant there. There were plenty of people but we all agreed nothing compared to what a sunny day would have looked like. Thus, we were quite thankful for the rain and a smaller sea of people to maneuver through. It was pretty amazing to look up at this tower, have to stretch your neck all the way back, and realize you weren't even able to see halfway up the structure. It reminded me of hiking Mt. Fuji; everyone kept thinking the top was in sight but it actually never was until you were basically there. 

Everything else is going well. We've got a little mover on the way for sure, I think Grayson is just excited to get here and play with Gabe and Genna. Otherwise, can't promise when I'll update again. I'm just not cut out for daily blogging I guess. Love to everyone!

Go Viking

One thing we have been looking forward to is finding one of our favorite types of restaurants in Misawa - a Viking restaurant. Well, we found one. The term "viking" refers to "all you can eat" here in Japan. They are typically buffet style but some with a little twist. For all we know, they are all like this now. Anyhow, we didn't know really what to expect except that on the windows, their pictures said "order and self." Well, both are true. Only problem we quickly discovered is that the ordering is all done on a touch pad screen at your table - and not in English. With a little help from one of the managers (we think) who explained the way the restaurant worked in English to us, we figured out enough to certainly get our fill. Especially of the dessert items. Oh, and the neat part is, which was slightly stressful with kids (and hot) is that you cook your meat and veggies on a little grill in the center of your table. This is what we thought the "self" part referred to, but it wasn't. I think the the "self" referred to the buffet and the "order" referred to the touch pad screen. This was the only disappointing part. I remember a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. This restaurant lacked that, plus you had to order them from the kitchen. Which, if there more available we wouldn't know, due to the language barrier. We might go back or we might try another one elsewhere, but either way, Gabe said he had a fun time. Who wouldn't when mom and dad let you eat ice cream and a doughnut in one sitting!

Happy Easter

Well, we had quite a week leading up to Easter Sunday, and the big day itself took us on a driving adventure all its own. After a week of potty training, Friday a friend took us to a really cool park, named the Robinson Cruso Park. It is a kid sized obstacle course that goes up and down a big hill. It's a workout on its own, but equally a lot of fun. Especially the bamboo slide that even I went on. It was the smoothest slide I have ever been on. Gabe also started riding his big bike. This totally made Walter's day. He practiced all week long so he was ready for his debut bike ride around the flight line Saturday morning. It was a tough ride, as the head wind was blowing strong and relentless, but he did great. Walter strapped the kids' bikes to the back of the kid seat with a bungee cord, so once Gabe was tired he just hopped on the back of Walter's bike and enjoyed the ride home. Genna officially potty trained. Thanks to a friend we acquired a pretty pink princess toilet and she loves it. Thankfully she will go on a big toilet if we are away from home, but it if we are home, only her princess toilet will do. Regardless, the girl is good to go and we are so proud of her! So fun. Saturday turned out to be the big bike riding morning. We went to an "egg grab" - an Easter egg hunt, but you know how fast kids can be at grabbing "hidden" eggs - on the other side of base. Once home we found they base had opened the street next to us to the local community so people could see the cherry blossom trees in full bloom. The fire station had a fire truck out and bounce house, so Walter took the kids out there, and of course they loved it. Sunday proved to be the real adventure. We had a GPS mis-hap and ended up and hour and a half away from our desired location, literally facing an open field, in the middle of no where. We had absolutely no idea where we were. Thankfully a friend picked up her phone and gave us her coordinates, and we ended up making it to our location, and had a great afternoon. The kids favorite part I do believe were the little animals they got to hold. The drive home was a quick 45 minutes as opposed to the THREE HOUR drive that morning! HA! That's one notable difference! We definitely felt like in Misawa, up north, we could drive places and eventually we'd figure out where we were. Here, there are so many buildings and little streets, and it all looks the same - it is so confusing! You know how in the states when you go from city to city, no matter the size, there seems to be a less dense space between the two places? Here that is not the case. Because the houses and factories and apartments and businesses and restaurants . . . etc. . . . are so intermixed, it all looks the same and there are no "breaks" or less dense space. Plus, the Japanese written language is so different, reading is not an option, especially from the drivers seat! A perfect recipe for getting easily lost - and the perfect excuse for a "car picnic." We now call edemame "magic beans" - thank you Puss-n-Boots! That said, we really did have a fun weekend and the weather on Sunday couldn't have been more perfect.

Well, sayonara folks.

Hope everyone is enjoying their Easter!

Some Family Fun Time

Well, so far some of our favorite things to do honestly are just normal family stuff. The plum blossoms are starting to bloom, my neighbor's tree has pretty white blossoms all over it now. The cherry blossoms on base haven't bloomed yet but off base you can spot a smattering of trees with delicate pink and yellow blossoms here and there. The yellow blossom trees are really pretty because the trunks are kind of twisty and look as if they've been rubbed with an antique finish. We spent all last weekend working on our box gardens. We have zucchini, peppers, basil, tomatoes and strawberries. Our neighbors came over to help and the kids of course had a lot of fun playing in the dirt. Yesterday we tried out "Costco in Japan." What an odd experience to be someplace so familiar but not anywhere near home. It is literally exactly like Costco in the states. A few extra food items you wouldn't find stateside, but everything else is the same. They even had maple syrup, in large containers! I guess an interesting twist on the norm would be their ready to cook meals. For example, Costco pizza, Japanese style, with shrimp and corn on top. Also, they had really yummy looking options like bulgogi, the Korean style beef that is delicious. And of course, in true Costco efficiency, despite the crowd, the lines moved fast and quick. One thing that always gets me is how cashiers accept and count cash here. Their movements are exactly the same whether you are at a convenient store, a grocery store, a mall, or a crowded place like Costco. They snap the bills you hand them before placing each one in the register drawer. They snap the bills between their fingers as they count each one back to you, and display the money in their hand so it's clear that the amount is exact and correct. Your items, be it food or material items of any nature, are never tossed or slid or thunked down in your bag, but handled with, what feels like extreme care and concern. We are certainly living in the land of manners . . . except when you need a seat on a crowded train, hee hee. We finished off yesterday with our "Slumber Party Saturday." We were trying to find something fun we could do weekly that could become a family tradition, and I think by accident it kind of found us. We fold out our little futon and turn on a movie, make popcorn or some fun dessert, and have a slumber party. Last night the end result was two sleeping kiddos who made it through half the movie. Their picture says it all. So today, the sun is out and , and I think Walter is going to take us to a lake he found yesterday morning on his run. Hope everyone is having a nice weekend too. Love you all!

Shiofune Kannonji

A trip to Shiofune Kannonji Temple with the Straus family. Gabe was at preschool, his last day until April 9th, as the Japanese school year ends this time of year. They have a two week spring vacation and then return to school. This temple is beautiful, I think from the photos I've seen it will be really something once the azaleas are blooming. The sunny weather, though very windy, was welcome. I'm pretty sure my favorite picture is my pigtail girl. It was so windy she wanted her hood on outside, thus hiding the piggies. But once we got back in the car, the hood came off, and i got my picture. I amuse myself with just how cute I think they are. And she likes them now too, so no more tears. For now, right? Hee hee.

A Beautiful Sunny Sunday

You know, when the sunshine smiles down on me it really makes my day and I hope many others! Today was just that. it actually was not sunny when we woke up, but by 11:00 the sun was out in full force, and we were walking around an awesome park about ten minutes away with new friends. For those back home, think of Woodward Park but a bit larger, and I'm told with a water park, though we didn't see it today. We did see the Japanese Gardens and we played on the rainbow hammocks. Notice the shoes set on the ground, no shoes allowed on the hammocks. Loved that! Anyways, I have found my oasis in the middle of the desert; my heart is happy. This park makes you feel like you are out in the middle of nature . . . OK, the paved pathways and numerous bathrooms sure are handy but still, it's peaceful and green, NO buildings, NO cars, NO concrete. It's lovely. And hey, when you are a pregnant lady numerous bathrooms aren't such a bad thing. Two additional cool things worth noting in the later part of our day were: while taking a bike ride on base, as we crossed the flight line, we rode under 4 gigantic helicopters coming in for a landing. That was pretty cool, I must admit. The other awesome thing was . . . our hot dogs buns coming out bee-U-tiful! haven't tasted them yet . . . I know, crazy! But I already brushed my teeth, and toothpaste kills the flavor in everything. So tomorrow we'll warm them up in the oven and hopefully taste something delicious! It was a cooperative effort and so far, from the look of the final product and smell of our house, I think it was a success.

I hope everyone had (or has, for those back home) a lovely Sunday too.

Love to everyone!

Getting Ready for Preschool

So, I have Gabe all signed up for preschool and he is so excited! Today we went to Joyful Honda (that store with all the dogs I mentioned earlier), and bought some key supplies. One of which serves a rather serious purpose but I'm sure will strike a question when you see it. The question is (of course asked politely just for clarification), "The pillow will protect their heads from falling objects? " The answer, you get with a smile is, "We would of course prefer a helmet but there isn't space to store a helmet for each child." When you see the facilities, with everything put in its place and space used to the max, this line of reasoning makes perfect sense. There indeed wouldn't be space for helmets. So, we purchased our bo zai zu kin today for Gabe, and he loved it. (Bo Zai Zu Kin: translation - a soft pillow covering used for head protection during an earthquake) I figure it will add some protection, noise muffling, and of course, the hope that it will only be needed for practice drills; especially listening to people remissness about Tomodachi as the one year anniversary approaches of the devastating 9.0 earthquake last year. He also got his thermos with a strap so each student can carry their own easily on walks to parks, and his lunch case with a fork, spoon, and chopsticks. He'll get to experience Japanese cuisine three times a week and take his lunch (equally fun) two days a week. I am excited to hear what he thinks about the food and see if he develops a taste for it. I think he will, it will just take some time.

In other news, I put Genna's hair up in her first pony tail, much to her dismay. This is Aunt Lauri's new favorite picture of her. However she came around to it (as shown in picture number two) and was very pleased at the comments she received. She totally understood what people where saying when they complimented her hair. And for those who might think this is totally cruel I guess it might seem so, but her hair is so fly away long that I thought she might like it out of her face, which I think she did once she forgot about it being there. I only use soft bands so there's no hair pulling, and I only put up what I can get in one quick motion, trying very hard not to pull any little hairs. Walter still claims her hair is the source of her powers and let it just be wild! I agree . . . but . . . a mom has to try, right?

The rain has come to stay for a bit it seems. It hasn't stopped since yesterday. The good news is we should start seeing cherry blossoms and plum blossoms beginning to bloom as the we near the end of March. Accompanying this should be festivals in Fussa, right out the gates, which means we can walk to them. I am really excited about that. I remember the festivals fondly, especially when the blossoms are blooming. Plus, I should hopefully have my camera by then! Yeah!!! Looooong story . . . don't ask.

Ok . . . so there's my update for now. Next thing on my personal list is to visit an onsen. Friends have said I can take Genna and the doctors say its fine so I'm going to do that. I hope it's as nice as I remember . . . and that I will not have some funny story to share after going! :-)

Sayonara friends and family!

Miss you all!

Still February

Well, February 29th didn't disappointment the kids. March stayed away for another day and the snowman came to visit, reminding us winter ain't over yet. So, thinking of my good friend Kate who certainly wouldn't deny her kids a chance to play in the snow, even at 8 in the morning, we bundled up and headed out. Snoopy even joined in the snowball fight and took a few snowballs to the face.

I finally went to the doctor and got an all-is-well report with one little exception. This time my body decided to add in a little fun by creating it's very own antibody, "the big E," not to be confused with "the little e." So monthly blood tests will keep track of it and hopefully come September we will consider ourselves blessed with another non-eventful pregnancy! The ultra-sound was really exciting to watch. There is definitely a mov'in and groov'in little guy in there. Oh, and Gabe has informed us he would like a boy like him, hence the "him," "he," and "little guy," when referring to our dancing peanut.

We found an awesome kid play-place in the mall, Kid-o-kid. It is fantastic, a bit pricey, but for a special occasion completely worth it. The only way I got the kids to leave peacefully was finding treasures in the vending machine as we left . . . . thank you strawberry milk (for Gabe) and banana milk (for Genna). Last week our good friend Yuko volunteered her skills in the kitchen. She taught me how to make gyoza from scratch, with the added bonus of teaching me how to make miso soup. I made the soup for lunch the next day and for the first time it actually tasted right! I love it when that happens!

This Friday we are going to a shabu-shabu restaurant. I hope it tastes as good as I remember. I will be sure to be the annoying person with a camera and take lots of pictures! Warning to Walter . . . .

Hugs to everyone,

Megan

Maiden Voyage to Tokyo

So, our little family has been here less than a month. Walter and I had been discussing taking a trip into Tokyo, so when a friend mentioned a group from work was going to Shinjuku and Shibuya, so we decided to tag along, figuring the best way to re-familiarize ourselves was to use others' expertise rather than stress ourselves trying to figure out everything - all the while watching/entertaining the kids. When we used to walk around Tokyo and explore, the unknown was part of the fun. With two little people in toe, however, they tend to get a little bored and well, that's not exactly the fun part. Our decision proved a good one. The group (all with kids in similar age groups), had chosen a restaurant where you catch your own dinner, followed by a children's discovery center. The hour train trip into Tokyo went rather well. It was standing room only but thanks to conversation moved along pretty well. Then miles of underground sidewalk, people dodging, and trying to convince Genna that a piggy back ride is the they way to travel while we got our gang to the restaurant, which was in the Washington Hotel. Much to my pleasure, I remembered walking through this hotel frequently on our way back to the subway all those years ago. Otherwise, not too much felt familiar except names on the subway map. The English translator is extremely clear on the subways and trains now as well, even telling you which side of the train the doors open . . . and on a very crowded train, that is helpful information! Overall, the kids had a great time. Gabe and Genna had an awesome time, he talks about his fish all the time and how tasty it was. And yes - he ate his fish! That was most exciting to me! Genna had fun trying to get soy beans out of their pods, she tried the fish but passed it along, apparently not her thing. On a side note, she loves washing her hands and using the little hand dryers. She never passes up the chance to wash and dry her hands. Well, hope you enjoy the photos. I'm going to attempt uploading a video too so hopefully that works as well. Love you all!

Settling In & Stepping Out

Well, we have done a little more exploring off base. We found an Aeon shopping mall, same chain as what we had in Misawa just on a larger scale. It rivals an American Mall and includes U.S. stores like Eddie Bauer and GAP, plus it has a large grocery store. The kids enjoyed a Disney stand, you can see them sporting their Mickey and Minnie Mouse hats. Who needs Disneyland right? Ummm . . . no. I think a trip to Disneyland Tokyo is in our near future. We shall see. Gabe, following in daddy's footsteps, liked looking at the bikes. Walter is so excited for ours to arrive since biking is such a common method for getting around here. I have to admit, I am nervous about the traffic issues, as all we hear is how bikes explode out of no where! Seems like there's no more space for "more" bikes on the road, but I'm sure I'll see there indeed is. What else? Oh, we were again shocked by a trip to "Joyful Honda." It is a huge shopping center where dogs are apparently more than welcome to join in on the family shopping trip. The store is like a cross between IKEA, Super Walmart, and Home Depot. It also includes a pet store (hence all the dogs), and a meat market at the bottom level. Dogs are strolled around in carts, large wooden ones for Akitas and Dobermans, regular shopping carts (don't forget the pee pad) for the little guys. So, amidst the 80's music playing in the background, is the yapping of probably fifty percent of the store's customers' furry friends. The kids loved it. Especially the goat . . . yes, there was a goat in his very own pen at the pet store. Who would of expected that? Certainly not me! Monday Walter returned to work. It sounds like he is going to enjoy the job aspect of his assignment, I am thankful for that. It's always nice to like what you are doing everyday. Plus, he gets the biggest hugs from two of the cutest kids when he walks through the door. I know he likes that part best! The kids and I have been hanging out, playing in the front yard with various rocks and sticks, and inside the house with our little toy animals and play dough (shout out to Kate) . . . so glad that got to us. Oh, and I made my debut driving off base on Sunday. I do not remember being this nervous driving off base when we were here before, but this time I feel like I am going to drive into on coming traffic at any moment! I'm sure with time my nerves will subside, I just hope it's sooner than later!

Homecoming

The past two days have been very busy. We made got into our house and officially have a place to call home. Seems like we run here and there and while we don't go far, we get a fair bit accomplished. Most of it is gathering up stuff you need, like cleaning supplies, pet supplies, and household items you just need to have. One thing for sure is that moving sure can make the credit card get some exercise! Fortunately, Walter recognized some programs available and we were able to return some purchases, like linens and basic kitchen supplies. Thank you loan closet and linen closet. The kids were troopers as we dragged them here and there . . . thanks to our DVD player we probably squeezed a few more trips out of them than otherwise possible. We should have our first shipment of household items on Monday, and in the meantime, we've been able to start eating at home, sitting at a table, at the same time. What a nice concept!

The kids had a fun time playing in the snow, they still are enjoying it since it hasn't totally melted away. We notice they are slowly returning back to themselves a little each each day. Having Snoopy and Joey around make the house feel more like home too. The kids were ecstatic to have their pets back. Sory even allows herself be picked up by the kids if it means more physical attention. There's still so much to figure out. Picking up a phone and dialing isn't that simple on a base, gotta know the proper codes to dial this number or that. I have only made one voyage off base, I admit I am intimidated. People drive a lot faster here in tiny spaces! Perhaps tomorrow I'll try again . . . we'll see. Fortunately, Walter is totally at ease behind the wheel, so tomorrow we plan to go exploring. I'll close with this. The cold weather cleared the air and we have had some fantastic views of Mt. Fuji, or Fuji-san. I asked Walter just the other day, "So we have literally climbed up there and stood at the top of that?" The answer, being yes, made me feel like there are some exciting days in store for our little family here in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Hello Yokota, Ready or Not

Week One. Boy, what a change from Everett, Washington. I blinked and we are living a life not previously visited since 2004! Talk about culture shock. Perhaps more so than simply living in a different country, is the fact that we are back on a military base, living the military life style. Brown roofs and beige walls . . . and come to think of it, the grass (asleep for the winter) even matches this color scheme. Hmmm . . . .spring will be nice.
Since we landed and have managed to purchase a little van that seats eight (score!)AND is GREEN (double score!)! We purchased cell phones, and as of tomorrow, we'll be moving into our new home. Three good things about this are: 1) the house backs up to the locally famous street lined with cherry trees, 2) we can get our pets out of the kennel, and 3) it's on a corner which means more outside space. Then it's kind of a waiting game for our stuff to arrive. Genna's Big Mickey is highly anticipated!
We have managed a few trips off base. Gabe has used a Japanese style toilet (go Gabe!) and Genna has discovered the joy of the escalator. She. Loves. Them. Need more be said? Not only that, she insists she must do it by herself. SCARY. Need more be said? Plus, they are right at the entrance to the commissary! A perfect location for an independent two year old to pass by on a regular basis! I'm hoping her love affair with the escalators will ware off. LOL
Another fun fact, it does snow in Tokyo! I honestly couldn't remember and looking at the weather before we left the states, it looked pretty mild. Well, there is indeed snow on the ground this morning. I guess my research wasn't quite adequate. Thankfully, the previous owners of our van left their ice scrapper! Came in handy for Walter this morning!
I think the best part so far has been having good friends to welcome us in right from the start. Our friend's, Yuko and Mike, came to the airport to join our little welcoming committee. Seeing them made me feel like I had a little bit of home nearby. Their son is three and Genna has already deemed him, "My Kai." The three kids are pretty cute together.
Well . . . I guess that'll do it for a first post. Gotta start somewhere. I feel like there's so much I'm leaving out but I realize the point of these are to be brief. So for now, I'll sign off, but promise to have more pictures to share next time.

Oh, and one final note to share . . . the "Miller Family November Birthday Tradition" has been broken! #3 will make their debut this September!
Hugs to everyone! We surely do miss you all!