California... so far

Well, I'd have to say that I have been having a fun time. For some reason, I feel as though there just isn't enough time to do everything. Josh has been having the time of his life with Grammi feeding him chocolate, cola and chips the whole time. Although Josh really only sticks to 3 basic things: PB& J, Chicken & fries and Fishies & Rice. I mean "fishies" as in sashimi. He won't touch the cooked stuff, so I find him to be an expensive date Stateside.

Despite the fact that I am able to do lots of shopping and eating at my favorite places, I am missing my home in Japan. As the saying goes there is no place like home. No matter where it is. I'm reminded every morning as I sink my buns down on an ice cold unheated toilet seat and I am continually reminded through the day as I notice the road rage, eye contact, rude service, and a small hint of rage simmering beneath the surface of just about everyone. Of course politics & the war are on everyone's mind and I have heard endless lectures on either why overseas is so much better than the States or, why the States is so much better than overseas. Everyone seems to have an opinion. On the other hand, I've had to catch myself several times before I start my sentence with "In Japan...".

However, my 10 days are not done with yet and I have a lot of family and friends to see still. I went out to real Chinese food last night - YUM! Sorry, I have yet to find non-bland Chinese food in Japan and, no, I don't mean Americanized Chinese. I always grew up with good authentic Chinese food. My best friend's mother is from Taiwan and makes it fresh, so consequently she knows where to get it if she doesn't have time to make it. If you are ever in the Sacramento area, stop by a little hole-in-the-wall downtown called First Choice. It will be the best Chinese you've ever eaten! It was great to catch up with old friends gathered around a table with a family style meal rotating on a giant lazy susan. My family has been a riot, and because of divorces and remarriages, has grown over the years which usually means doubling up on trips to see every one. It also means double the fun. I have a ton of grandparents and Josh still has many many grandparents and great grandparents who are equally as eager to spread and share the love.

As I look over the calm Sacramento River, I'm reminded that there is no place like my original home either. The old railroad, the historic district downtown, and the once new redwood trees in my neighborhood from my childhood that have turned into looming giants over the years. Yes, there is no place like Sacramento...

Going, Going, Gone... but not without excitement

I just got home from dropping Nicki and Josh off at Narita Airport. I took the day off from work so that I could help carry luggage and squeeze dry the last few minutes of family time together before their big California adventure. If my calcs are correct, they're probably just hitting the airspace above the far tip of Alaska now. Not sure if our readers know, but the airlines tend to fly us to and from the States along a path that includes flying along southern Alaska... I don't know if it's because of the earth's curvature or if it's because they would rather fly near land instead of over the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Anyway, there was a bit of excitement before they left town. We got a somewhat surprise visit from yet another American... Vice President Dick Cheney (click on the image... he's looking right at my camera). I received an ALCON (govt speak for "all concerned") email on my work computer Tuesday morning indicating that Cheney would be speaking on the Kitty Hawk, the only forward-deployed carrier in the US Navy, homeported in Yokosuka. And civilian employees and their spouses were encouraged to attend. Encouraged??? I jumped at the chance for two reasons:

1. I've never been on an active aircraft carrier; and
2. I've never been on an aircraft carrier of any kind that the second most powerful man in the free world would be the speaking guest of honor.

I should add another reason:

3. The email said that bags, purses, backpacks and umbrellas were forbidden, but cameras were allowed!

After getting in touch with Nicki, we made plans to attend and set Josh up with all-day child care on base. We got to the Kitty Hawk's berth early but still had quite a line ahead of us waiting to board the ship. The Kitty Hawk is gigantic. It's amazing that something that large can float. Honestly, from far away these ships look big. When you're within 50 feet, they look gigantic.

Anyway, the VP spoke to us about the great job that our troops are doing to support the war efforts and to give the ceremonial pats on the back and the keep up the good works. Pretty cut and dry speech, but it was received well and although the troops present were basically required to attend, I think they appreciated Mr. Cheney's attendance. He is the first political figure of that stature to deliver a speech on the Kitty Hawk since 1963, when John F. Kennedy spoke to the troops shortly before his untimely death.

Because we were civilian, we got thrown to one side, but it ended up being terrific seating. In fact, most of the enlisted guys ended up having to stand the entire time, while just a handful of people were allowed to sit on the bleachers, including us. And sitting just a few seats away were the US Ambassador to Japan, several generals and admirals, and all kinds of important high-ranking officials of the US Military (and Japanese Self-Defense Forces) in the Eastern World.

I joked with Nicki that she should ask Cheney for a lift to the States, so she didn't have to worry about waiting in the lines at Immigrations and Customs and whatnot. Hopefully, when they land in a few hours, it'll be smooth sailing.

Pictures from the event are up on our Gallery, dated February 22, 2007. Although I took over 100 pictures, I weeded all but 17 because, really, who wants to look at 100+ pictures in a row of the same person speaking? Enjoy.

California Dreamin'

It seems as though my previous post wafted with the odor of reminiscence. However, there was an underlying theme there. Soon, I will be off to Sacramento to spend some much needed time with family and friends. I am very excited, but equally nervous. I hear so many different opinions and tidbits of advice in regards to my first visit "back home".

Our readers may have got an inkling that I might be a bit of a list-aholic. I absolutely need lists in my everyday life. Every Sunday, I sit down and make a list categorized by every day of the next week. Listing the errands that need to be run, the dinner menu, and the chores that need to get done. I also write down my grocery list at the same time. Then go through and make sure that my weekly list lines up with all of my appointments in my day planner. Don't ask the logic of having a day planner along with this list... it works for me gosh darn it! If I didn't have this list, I would be paying for childcare I didn't use, and would be in a vegetative state on the couch because, well, the list wouldn't be telling me what needs to get done!



Now that everyone is fully convinced of my nutjob status, I'll continue with my stateside visit story. When it comes to this epic visit back "home", I have a list about a mile long of restaurants I want to eat at and places I want to go. For readers unfamiliar with California... Sacramento is the capital city, located in northern California. Technically it's pretty much smack dab in the middle of the state but by most it's considered northern California. When I was growing up, 5 minutes outside of downtown turned into cow town. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on one's view, the city has grown tremendously since my childhood (and no folks... my childhood wasn't that long ago no matter what my 16 year old brother might say.) Although there isn't a ton to do in Sacramento, the city is right in the middle of some really cool stuff. It's located about an hour and a half drive away from San Fransisco, an hour away from Napa Valley and an hour and a half away from Lake Tahoe. Drive a little further and you'll hit Reno. Even though most of my time will be visiting family, I'm hoping to spend some much needed time visiting these cities as well (except maybe Reno).

Along with touristy sightseeing, I'm planning on doing some major damage at the local malls! Mike is probably shaking in his boots about how many miles we are going to get on our charge card. Japan has some majorly cute clothes, but unfortunately my America-jin body just doesn't fit right in them. Yes, I am bigger than the average Japanese women, but I'm also just plain curvier. Oh yes, and the restaurants... oh have mercy! I am in some need of some serious Mexican food first and foremost. Then maybe a big fat juicy hamburger from In 'n' Out.

Some of my friends have given me advice not to get my expectations up too high but right now I feel as though I'm a kid on my birthday... the day of my birthday party right before all my friends come over.

There is of course that sense of nervousness as well. That twinge of anxiety before taking a long flight. Mine seems to be heightened by the stress of taking a 10 hour flight by myself with a 3 year old, who lately has had this bad habit of repeating himself about 10 times before he moves on to something new to talk about. He is so hilarious lately though. We are trying to teach him knock knock jokes. Here's a few:

Me: Knock Knock
Josh: Who's there?
Me: Banana
Josh: Banana who?
Me: Knock Knock
Josh: Who's there?
Me: Banana
Josh: (giggle) Banana who?
Me: Knock Knock
Josh: Who's there!?
Me: Orange
Josh: Orange who?
Me: Orange you glad I didn't say banana?!
Josh: (Laughing hysterically) You did say banana! (Technically he's right.)

Another:

Me: Knock Knock
Josh: Who's there?
Me: Boo
Josh: Boo who?
Me: It's just a joke, you don't have to cry about it!

Now, this one is by Josh:

Josh: Knock knock
Me: Who's there?
Josh: Banana
Me: Banana who?
Josh: It's just a joke, you don't have to cry about it!

Needless to say, he needs a little more rehearsal time before he makes an appearance on The Late show. However, he definitely makes us laugh no matter how the joke comes out. I'm going to have to think of a few more knock knock jokes so I'm not banana'ed out by the time we land in San Fran! Wish me luck!

The Choshi Project

Most of you already know that Japan is called The Land of the Rising Sun, since the island nation is in close proximity to the International Date Line and therefore experiences each new sunrise before the vast majority of the civilized world. But you may not know which city in Honshu (main island) Japan gets the honor of receiving the very first sunlight in mainland Japan. The answer...

Choshi.

I recently took part in what is affectionately referred to as The Choshi Project. Choshi used to be a thriving fishing town, but in recent decades has slowly become more dilapidated and less frequented by tourists. Long story short, my friend and coworker SushiJeff has a friend named Pete, who's currently employed to help the City of Choshi revitalize its tourist industry. In particular, Pete was tasked with trying to see how "foreigner friendly" the city is for potential gaijin tourists. Pete recruited volunteers to visit Choshi with him, provided that we report back with our views of the Choshi hospitality and appeal... hence, The Choshi Project.

On January 28, The Choshi Project was underway. I rose with the sun and caught an early train to Kanazawa Bunko station to meet Jeff and Pete. From there, we went up to Tokyo to meet our fourth travel companion, Josh. In Tokyo, we hopped on a bus and started on our journey 2.5 hours east to Choshi. The trip felt short, because we barely left downtown Tokyo before I slipped back into a blissful sleep for an hour or so.

We arrived in Choshi around 10:00am and had a full day ahead of us. The bus dropped us just a block or two from the downtown Choshi Train Station. Along the way, we immediately noticed the effect of the previous few decades. Business vacancy signs were up on quite a few commercial buildings and boarded windows lined the streets. The city looked clean and colorful, but the empty buildings were difficult to miss on the way to the train station.

Once there, we immediately visited the Tourist Information Window at the station. The two attendants were reluctant (unable?) to speak more than a few words in English, so after a few minutes of trying, Pete began speaking in Japanese. And his Japanese is dang near perfect. But even when he asked what tourist sites were recommended, the information booth attendants were hesitant to give us their opinions. We were hoping that the tourist info booth would be able to steer us towards some highlights, because many of the attractions were spread out and we only had a few hours to see what we could see.

Choshi maintains a beautiful and historic electric railway line between Choshi and Tokawa, but to access it, one must walk through the modern railway station to a distant train platform. If Pete (or someone else knowledgeable of Japanese) hadn't been with us, we would likely have been hesitant to enter the station without first purchasing a ticket and may never have known about the old electric line. The Choshi Electric Railway was beautiful and the ride was definitely one of the more memorable train rides I've experienced here. I could really feel the connection between the train car and the tracks below. Many of the cars still have original wood flooring and siding, too. On the train route, we could tell it was a fairly small town, because people were constantly waving at others... as though everyone knew everyone else in the town. And the four Westerners standing near the front of the train turned quite a few heads, too. Children seemed almost mesmerized with us and adults were very friendly and smiled a lot.

We stopped at Inuboh Station, near the end of the line, to hike towards the Filipino - Japanese Friendship Monument and the spectacular view atop the hill on which it's perched. On our way to the monument, we found a spectacular temple, but for the life of me I can't remember the name of the place. It wasn't on any of our maps and was completely unmentioned by the tourist information booth attendants, despite it being one of the most beautiful temples I've seen here in Japan (no joke). I took some pictures of the place that don't do it any justice, especially since much of the beauty of the place could be found indoors in typical "no pictures please" areas. But this temple was more than worth the entire trip to Choshi. I would definitely recommend that the town add this temple as a key attraction for foreigners.

After strolling through the temple, we headed along towards the Filipino - Japanese Friendship Monument and view. The view is advertised as being "globular", meaning that from the top of the hill you can theoretically see that the earth is round when looking towards the horizon. Personally, I could see the rounding of the horizon, but it seemed to me more like an optical illusion because the structure we were standing on was round and not a quite perfect circle. Guess you'd have to judge for yourself, though. Regardless, the view was spectacular from every angle. We could see coastlines, residential areas, farmlands, you name it!

Shortly thereafter, we made our way towards the gem of Choshi... the coastline. An old lighthouse draws you in towards where the surf meets the turf in Choshi, the easternmost point in town. The lighthouse rests atop what seems to be an endless expanse of sharp rocky cliffs. We climbed the lighthouse after paying a small fee and took a few pictures from the top. After making our way back down, we hiked along the shoreline where a recent landslide appeared to have uprooted parts of the cliffs and reassigned the broken rocks into new positions on the beach below. Always the adventures, our group hiked through the rocky beachfront to take pictures of the unusual rock formations created by Mother Nature.

After hiking up the beach, we flagged down a taxi to take us to the fish market. Unfortunately, the market floor - where the huge tuna and other sea creatures are brought and auctioned off - was closed since it was a Sunday afternoon, but we strolled through the shopping area and then hit a nearby restaurant to grab some dinner. The tuna was, in a word, spectacular.

Worn out, we waited for a bus to take us back downtown Choshi so we could get on our returning bus to Tokyo. Much of the trip is a blur after catching that downtown bus... I remember sleeping a bit, waking, then sleeping more.

All in all, Choshi has the potential to be an attractive place to visit on a day-trip from Tokyo. It's nearby, inexpensive to get to, and has some unique characteristics that make it worth the trip. But the town has some work to do before inexperienced foreigners would feel comfortable traversing the city without a Japanese interpreter. Here's a few final comments/suggestions:

1. The best large area map we found was at the Filipino-Japanese Friendship Monument, in both Japanese, English, and maybe one or two other languages. Copy that map and put it at every major train station.

2. Put signs up in multiple languages indicating where at Choshi Station the electric line is located and that a ticket isn't needed to pass through the "modern" train platforms and ticket booths.

3. Advertise the temple near Inuboh Station. Put it on every tourist map printed by the town.

4. Print up some information in English (and other languages) to be kept at the Tourist Information Booth at Choshi Station and advise the employees to be prepared to recommend specific "highlights" and directions to them.

5. Maintain information about public transportation around town. Many attractions are far apart and walking just isn't an easy option.

And now, a word from The Choshi Project's sponsor, Pete:

Choshi city has put in place a navigation system, like a little guide book, that one can view over their cell phone by using their cell phone's camera that is also a QR code (like a bar code) reader. This takes one to a website made to be viewed by Japanese cell phones.

Now this system is not supposed to replace guidebooks or websites (smaller screen, etc), but meant to be a tool or supplement that one can use while trekking through the city, or when not near a computer to get information conveniently (discuss places to go, riding the train, a few facts on the landmark, etc.) The information is provided in English.

If you are in Japan and have a cell phone with a camera, use the bar code reader and tell
me what you think of the website.

Pete purposely did not include the actual web address for the site, because the site is not meant to be viewed on the web. It's best seen on a cell phone. I had the opportunity to visit the site using a loaner cell phone, because I'm the last man in Japan who still doesn't own one. It was easy to scan to the site and navigate. I would like to have seen a little more details about each of the sites. There was a section on Japanese etiquette that was helpful also. All of the key attractions were also listed on the site (except that beautiful temple). My one big recommendation would be to add directions from Choshi Station to each of the key sites and to explain answers to my comments above in some detail. The site definitely has a lot of potential when it is fully updated with all the tourist sites, especially since it provides a source of information in English, which is the one thing lacking at most of the attractions in Choshi. The English explanations will likely prove useful to tourists who learn about the site and the QR code - perhaps the information can be provided at the Tourist Information Center at Choshi Station. Anyway, the QR code (bar code box) is included as an image, so if you have a capable Japanese cell phone, beam your computer screen and let me know what you think. I'll be happy to forward your comments to Pete.

Also, as a side note, my pictures from the trip are posted in our Gallery, dated 02/06/2007.
_______________

Update: Pete got back to me about the name of the beautiful temple I mentioned in this post... Manganji. Click on the name to view the Japanese website.

Basketball, Book Clubs, & Bake Sales

Mike is out to Karaoke tonight which gives me the opportunity for a little fluff piece for our readers!

Lately our family has been busy, busy, busy. This basketball season, Josh was able to start shooting some hoops with friends. Not really a basketball team (He's only 3 for goodness sake!), but a bunch of preschoolers that get together every Wednesday evening with Mom or Dad to learn the fundamentals. Their season has come to a closing and this coming next week, they will have a big party to celebrate. It has been really really cute to see all of the little kidlets being herded around the basketball courts these past couple of weeks.

Another little addition to our schedule is my involvement in a spouses club. Just recently, I volunteered for a fundraiser bake sale, so I've been busy baking about 80+ cookies. After my baking, I had to separate them all into little pastry type baggies. For those of you who are homemakers/SAHMs in Japan, you can attest to the oh-so-cute decorative packaging that is sold in stores. I'm assuming that many Japanese wives and mothers make baked goods and sweets to give as gifts because there is a large assortment of this stuff in just about any major store. They also have very "kawaii" decorative accessories for bento boxes. Seaweed hole punchers that make little stars and hearts, rice molds that create little Micky, Pooh bear, or Pikachu faces, etc.

Anyhow, back to the baking. I started at the 100 yen shop but couldn't find any see through baggies. So, I decided to go to D2. We've mentioned D2 in the past. D2 is sort of a mega discount home store. A cross between Home Depot and Walmart. They sell a large variety of lumber & other building materials. But also sell dogs & cats, kitchen supplies, office supplies, shoes, heaters, furniture, and much more! I've really come to love this place. I finally found a type of baggy that I needed in the (drum roll, please) hardware supply area. These bags are advertised as bags for screws & nails. However when it came to my cookies, they fit the bill. Plus, for 264 yen I got 100 of these bags. Despite my bargain, it took me about an hour to find them. I was determined to find them though and I knew that there had to be a type of bag I could use in this place. After all, Japan does tend to have a little bit of a baggy obsession!

After the baggy fiasco, I went upstairs to do some cleaning and found my journal of this past year. I was reading all of the entries about our first couple of weeks here in Japan. When I first arrived, I was pretty adamant about writing down everything that we were doing and everything that I was feeling. I had also started a list in the back cover of all of the things that I loved about Japan and all of the things that I missed about home. Many of the things that I missed in the beginning are things that I have learned to live without. Like insulation in homes, a hot water heater that is actually hot, being able to just pick up the phone and call a friend, and the garbage separation. However, the general theme in many of my early entries was an overwhelming feeling of loneliness. Which, I totally forgot about but looking back, in the beginning I was really lonely.

The timing of my finding this Journal couldn't have been more appropriate. Along with my spouses group, (and my mommy playgroup) I'm also involved in a book club. Right now, we are reading Digging to America. It's a fairly easy read and, in a lot of situations I could really relate to one of the Iranian characters in the book. When the author talks about the characters feelings about this new country "America" that she immigrated to, I could really understand some of her feelings although many being judgemental. The mixture of my Journal readings and Digging to America readings made come up with an idea to ask our blog readers:

If you are (were) a foreigner living in Japan, what are (were) some of the things you miss(ed) about your home?

If you are Japanese living in a foreign country, what are (were) some of the things you miss about your home?

If you were a foreigner who lived in Japan for a while, what are some of the things you miss about Japan?

Fill us in on some of your stories.