Our first Train ride (Nicki's 1st Blog)

OK everyone, this is my very first blog. Also a brief....well, not so brief summary of our first train ride. As this is my first entry, you might notice some differences. Please note the number one difference, the grammar. You'll have to push through my bad grammar.

At any rate, this week Mike and I have been taking the "Indoc" class or if you are fluent in Navy Talk this means our "Indoctrination Class" The class is about a week long and it gives a very brief introduction into our new lives in Japan. In this class, they teach us how to get around the base, Japanese culture, religion, manners, and transportation.

Today was our fourth day in class and our big field trip. We were able to choose 1 of 4 destinations in the Yokosuka and Tokyo area. Mike and I choose to go to Kamakura. It is a Shrine honoring the beginning of the Shogun Era. [Editor's Note: Kamakura is actually a city, once the capital of Japan for about 150 years. The city is one of Japan's most densely populated areas of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. The shrine that we visited is the Hachimangu Shrine, and Nicki describes it below.] The Shogun Era was established in the 12th century. During that time, it was the end of the emperor rule and the beginning of a military government. Kamakura was the center of the nation and attracted leading religious figures and scholars as well. This shrine was dedicated to the G-d of War and luckily, it was only a 20 minute train ride (without any transfers) from Base.

At this point one might inquire, 'why not go somewhere in Tokyo?' well my friends, the train stations are extremely complicated [as you can see from the picture of the simple train sign]. The main station in Tokyo has 26 platforms. Nothing is in English. In fact, the Japanese get lost or turned around sometimes with the trains and they know the language! Not only would we have to take many transfers to get there but we would need to know which way to exit out of the station to get to our destination. To add to the confusion, all of the trains in Japan are privately owned by companies not by the government. So, there are different names of trains or "brands". Needless to say, once you can get the basics down on Japanese public transportation, you will have smooth sailing. The buses & trains are almost always on time you can literally set your watch to them.

After a 2 hour class on base about where the closest train station was, what Yokosuka in Kanji (Japanese) looks like, a map of the train stops from Yokosuka to Tokyo in English, and a couple of very helpful handouts. The Map of the Subway network was color coated. There were 13 colors on the map!

OK, enough. We made it to the Train Station with a group of our classmates. We figured there was safety in numbers. We bought the ticket pretty easily. Thankfully, there is a button you can push for English. The total ticket cost for Mike and I to go together was 420 Yen or about $4.20. We found the platform fairly easily and were able to get to the shrine without a snag. Once we were off the train we had to walk through a street filled with shops handing out free food and drink samples. Once we were in view on the Shrine, we could smell the candied Apple and, believe it or not, candied grape vendors. For 300 yen per apple, ($3.00) and 100 yen ($1.00) per grape, how could we go wrong?! The candied apples were very much like American candied apples. We could get a small one (about 1 inch in diameter) for the above price. The grapes were fantastic! The grapes themselves were almost as big as the apples. They weren't coated with the same red candy but rather a grape flavored candy much like a grape jolly rancher. I probably could have had ten of those things they were so good.

Kamakura, the shrine was beautiful. [The entrance to Hachimangu Shrine begins with the Torii Gate and the bridge, the other picture is of Nicki and me within the shrine's grounds]. On a weekday with no holidays it wasn't to crowded. There were a lot of school children and we got a lot of looks. Some of the children would shout "Amareecun"and giggle, probably thinking how lost we looked. Sometimes we were greeted by them as we entered the Temple "Ohayo Gozaimasu" (Good Morning). Japanese adults are a lot slyer with their looks. As it is very bad manners to look someone in the eye, you will very rarely catch them looking. You usually can "feel" it more than anything else. At the end of our tour of the shrine, our group split up because Mike and I were dead set on getting some authentic Japanese food. (I'll let Mike elaborate on that experience) after our very nervous encounter at a very Japanese restaurant, we started our return to the Kamakura station for our ride back to base. Now, something we were warned about on our way back. Sometimes at the first stop on the way home, Zushi Station, the train would take a break or would go to the garage to get cleaned. We would then have to get off this train and transfer to another train. Well, guess what, we got turned around. Not too bad though. In fact, as soon as we got onto the new train we realized we were going the wrong way. After a 5-10 minute detour, we caught a train back the other way a found our way to the right transfer the second time around.

After today, Mike was not feeling that well, so Josh and I had a night out on the the town or on base, that is, while Mike stayed in the room and rested. We went to McDonalds for Dinner and picked up a couple things at the NEX. The very cool thing about McDonalds happy meals is that we receive Sanrio toys. For those of you in Nor-Cal you'll probably know Sanrio. However, most people more commonly know it as "Hello Kitty". Only, there is much more than just Hello Kitty, there are many more characters for girls as well as boys. I think that I will keep mine. Its a fake Hello Kitty Lipstick. When you turn it, some stickers come out as well as a pen tip to write with. Undeniably cute! OK, I think that I've written enough tonight and I'm sure my readers have struggled enough through my bad grammer. So, Sayounara (Good Bye) or KonBanwa (Good Night) .