Our first outing

We've been in Japan for roughly 72 hours now and it's been extremely exciting and just a little overwhelming! We spent Friday and Saturday getting settled in to the Navy Lodge and exploring the base. The first "experience" I had in Japan was actually in the airport bathroom at Yakota AFB a few minutes after landing. A little girl shout from the stall, "Mom I don't know what to do I can't read it!" and the Mom replies back, "It's just toilet paper, you know what to do!" (The toilet paper dispenser had Japanese characters on it...) I couldn't help but laugh! I didn't laugh for long though because as soon as we got off base I realized there are PLENTY of things I'm scratching my head about because I can't read them!


Once we got to the Navy base we settled in at the Navy lodge and had our first meal in Japan - Chili's!! I know, I know chips, salsa, ranch, and chicken tacos is NOT what I'd call an adventureous first meal, but we were starving after roughly 24 hours of traveling and only 2 small in flight meals. Dinner that night wasn't any more adventureous though - Sabarro's Pizza - but it's great to know we have a variety of American fast food places to choose from on base (Popeye's, Subway, McDonalds, Starbucks, Cinnibon). Also, we checked out the exchange and commissary and they pretty much have everything we're used to in a normal grocerery store or Wal-Mart in the states at normal prices. The only limitation is they might not have the specific brand we prefer.


The only noticable difference in the base here vs. bases in the states is cars drive on the opposite side of the road. Oh, and plumbing...the toilet handle flushes differently if you push down or pull up on it...the shower faucet is quite a contraption...and the sink faucets are the single knob style (not a seperate knob for hot and cold) the difference is that you push it down instead of pull it up to turn on the sink...I'm still having some issues with this!


So today we decided to venture off base and do some exploring in Yokosuka. I have to admit I was very nervous. My biggest fear was that we were going to get lost and not be able to find the base. You should understand though that the maps we have for Yokosuka are pretty rough - hand drawn maps - not your typical printed, detailed, drawn to scale map that you would buy in the states. Fortunately, all went well and it was a great day of exploring!


After much debate, we had our first true Japanese lunch at Toto Sushi in the Mikasa shopping center. We finally decided on this place because it was the conveyor belt style and we could pull plates off the conveyor belt ourselves. We weren't sure which restaurants had English or picture menus (nor did we know how to ask in Japanese) so this was a great choice. I got dizzy from the shot of wasabi that they sneak between the piece of fish and rice, but after the second piece I realized where it was coming from and discreetly got rid of it so I could actually taste what I was eating and it was very yummy - shrimp, ahi, and crab salad were our picks. Shane of course said I was a wimp, for taking the wasabi off, but it was VERY unexpected and strong!! They also brought out Miso soup when we sat down...after sipping on it for a while I noticed a sign in English that said the complimentary miso soup was made with ground fish bones and head! It tasted great though so I kept sipping - at least it wasn't dog!

to be continued...