...: 2018

The trains in Japan are really cool. They are efficient, reliable, affordable, and elegant. If you do a google search on Japan train maps, you may be astounded at how far reaching the trains are. There are train lines that will take you from one city to the next, train lines that will take you from one local stop to the next, the Shinkansen (bullet train) that will speed you from one side of Japan to the other, and everything in between. They run constantly, and they run on time, always. There was a train that recently left the station 30 seconds early and therefore issued a formal apology to it's passengers, notably to the passengers that missed the train on account of those THIRTY SECONDS. Considering how many commuters use the trains (in the Tokyo area alone, it's approximately 20 million people per day), they are astonishingly quiet and clean. The train itself is quiet, and the passengers on the trains are quiet; no loud talking, no loud laughing, just silent meditation or napping from one stop to the next. It's remarkable, and I love using the trains here.

A few weeks ago I went on the train for two outings, one alone for a spontaneous adventure, and one to meet my Japanese ladies to whom I teach conversational English. The spontaneous outing was on a Monday. It was a breezy, warm, blustery day that promised rain. I rolled the dice that the rain would hold off, and hopped on the train bound for the southern end of the Muira peninsula to view the tail end of plum tree blossoms. Three or so stops from Yokosuka, I got off, and was only a few blocks from a beautiful sandy beach. I walked along the water, hoping the rain would stay away for just a little while longer so I could dig my toes in the sand for a few minutes.

I happened across a 7-11. The 7-11's here are great. They look the same on the outside as an American 7-11, same colors and logo. On the inside lies the difference. Here they are full of fresh food like baked goods, fried foods (on a stick, Minnesota fair style), fresh hot coffee, bottled hot coffee, a few fresh fruits and veggies, and lots of freshly made sandwiches like egg-salad sandwiches and fried chicken sandwiches. Many people stop into 7-11 for a lunch on-the-go. I have a favorite food that I get from 7-11, pretty much any time of day. It's a soft boiled egg that is cooked and packaged in Shoyu sauce (that's what they call soy sauce in Japan). The eggs are salty, flavorful, and absolutely delicious to the point of being addictive. I found my soft boiled egg to take home for lunch, and also bought a hot coffee with cream to sip as I walked.

I wandered around the area, stumbling on some cute little side streets, and a main area with trees just finishing their peak bloom. It started to rain, I got hungry, and so I returned to the train station to ride 20 minutes back to Yokosuka. It was a nice little outing.

The second adventure I had this week was with two ladies to whom I teach conversation English. Really, their English is great. We spend most of our time expanding on their vocabulary while gossiping about the latest news, or just getting to know one another. They are very sweet, traditional Japanese ladies. They've been studying English with various spouses from the American Navy base for at least a decade.

Usually we meet at the house of one of the students for two hours, but every now and then we take a field trip. The field trips are extremely educational for me. Our first field trip was to the bamboo garden of a local Buddhist temple. We sipped tea while watching the rain gently fall on the 50 foot high stalks of bamboo. It was wonderfully peaceful. The second field trip was just a couple of weeks ago. They took me to a "museum". It's actually the house of a collector. He opens his home once a year for one month so people can come in and view his collections. It's mostly dolls and figurines and some paintings. He also had several of what look like mobiles (like above a baby's crib), but exceptionally larger and filled with handmade stuffed figurines. All of it is exquisitely detailed, and all of it is antique. The house itself is an antique, built with several exposed 6x6 inch beams. Words don't do it justice. Pictures:

Next week is spring break for the school kids on base, and I am intending to take Silas and Jud, along with two friends, on a few outings. We will go wandering inYokohama, and another day go exploring in Tokyo. We may fit in a hike another day, as the Sakura (cherry trees) are blossoming! They are magical. A small taste of one tree (imagine a street lined with these beauties, as you walk through them like a tunnel):

When we moved here, I really intended to write on this blog regularly. I am out of the habit of it, life moves so fast, and I just didn't take the initiative to write for a really long time. Sincerest apologies to the family and friends who wanted to keep track of us while we are abroad! I'll try to be more consistent.

I have a two great stories to share.

First, Elvis. We miss her. It took a while to even think about getting another dog. Well, no, that's not true. As soon as Elvis died, I thought about getting another dog. But the idea of it was too painful. I didn't want another dog, I wanted my dog. Elvis had been part of our family for a decade, since before Jud was even in preschool. Now he's an eighth grader... Ten years of being together, and it was unpleasant to think about adopting another dog. I'm not going to lie, it was rough going for a while. I cried a couple times a day for at least a week, thinking about Elvis and missing her. Everyone who has loved and lost a pet knows this pain. Slowly, slowly, life moved on, the pain began to abate.

I started looking at dogs online, puppies here in Japan. They are expensive! To the tune of over $3500 for a Boston Terrier puppy! I wasn't even completely sure I wanted another dog. No way was I going to pay that kind of money. So I continued waiting, and Silas started up a pet business. He had dogs in the house, was walking dogs, feeding dogs, being a companion. The more dogs that were coming in the house, the more I was reminded of how nice it is having a dog around. I looked online again, this time towards a rescue in Okinawa. Okinawa has a large population of stray dogs that the government tries very hard to control. There is a group of American spouses of Marines stationed in Okinawa that rescue dogs from the shelter, find foster homes for them on the Island, and eventually find permanent homes for them.

Enter in Max. His picture caught our eye because of his brindle fur and his alert and kind eyes. I messaged the rescue organization, who put me in touch with the foster family to answer any and all of my questions. Max is about 1-2 years old, playful, happy, and smart. The foster family messaged me videos of Max playing with his toys around the house. Honest to God, he threw the ball for himself. He would hold the ball in his mouth, shake his head, let the ball fly out of his mouth, then go chase it down. Very amusing!

We talked about it as a family for weeks and decided the time was right to adopt a dog. The day after Christmas Ryan and I picked up Max from the airport in Tokyo, and began a new adventure: training a semi-domesticated pup. I have no idea what his life was like before the foster family. I don't know if he lived in someone's backyard, or in the house, or was a stray living in a ditch. He was not vaccinated, and did not have a microchip, so it's likely he was not very well cared for. He was also very, very skinny. (He's gained 6 lbs since we got him, now is healthy at 35 lbs.)

He LOVES the dog park, running free with other pups in an enormous fenced in field. I carry treats in my pocket and give him one every time I call his name. He REALLY likes me when I crinkle that baggie of treats in my pocket. He did not like leash walking when we first introduced it. We tried three harnesses and two collars before settling on one that seems to work well. It's a work in progress. He feels he must check under every parked car in case a cat is hiding there. He made himself comfortable on the couch immediately. Max is Jud's little snuggle buddy. He thinks eating food out of a bowl twice a day is divine, and he learned right away that it's NOT a great idea to snatch a half-eaten cheeseburger out of someone's hand at the dinner table. Getting his claws clipped is the worst thing that has happened to him since arriving here, but he did survive and still likes me.The fur around his face and ears is like a mane, and it's very soft. We love our Max so much.

At the airport, having just met our new best buddy.

First day together, on a walk.

It's nice to have a soft bed!

Did somebody say, "dog park?"

Second story: Japan is full of traditions. Everywhere in the world is full of traditions, and Japan has traditions that are exceptionally old and exceptionally odd. Don't get me wrong, I love the traditions. They are fascinating. We were invited to participate in a local tradition recently.

New Years Day is the biggest holiday in Japan, far more celebrated than any other holiday. The days before and days after are holidays, businesses close, people spend time with family, and many traditions are followed. (One of my favorite traditions surrounding the New Year is to thoroughly clean your house. It's spring cleaning, but in December. The point is to start out the new year fresh and clean. I love that.)

So the tradition we were invited to join is a small community affair. There are many former fishing villages near us, one of which is named Zushi. Every year on January 2, the fisherman of Zushi toss oranges, candy, and trinkets at the local folks, all of whom gather down at the beach to catch their goodies. We drove to the home of a lady that I teach English to, and she and her husband walked us down 163 steps to the beach road, across the street, and onto the beach. A few town dignitaries said a few words in Japanese, welcoming the residents and guests to the celebration. The speaking wrapped up, and the people around us started to get excited. Many held up little plastic bags or even what looked like small fishing nets above their heads.

Oranges began whizzing overhead. The speakers were reaching into crates at their feet, and tossing oranges the size of my fist at the local community! They flew through the air in a rainbow arc and were either caught by someone or hit the ground. It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. Well, no one got seriously hurt, that I am aware of, but people certainly took a few oranges to the head. At one point, Ryan reached out and caught an orange that was about the hit the head of our host, who was turned talking to Silas. Silas watched it all happen, started to laugh, and did not stop laughing until we left. It was like living an episode of American's Funniest Home Videos, but without any of the crotch shots or serious injuries. Just semi-soft oranges being lobbed into an expectant crowd.

The tradition was born from the fishermen, after having a bountiful year, wanted to give back to their neighbors. Oranges are the local fruit, and so they bought oranges from the local farmers, and then dispersed them to the community. Putting my own spin on it, perhaps there was room for just a little bit of hostility when lobbing the oranges at neighbors they dislike, but still it's a generous and brilliant tradition.

Japan is a culture that prizes usefulness and efficiency. They do not like waste, to include oranges left rolling around on the ground. At one point, Ryan nearly tripped over an old lady crawling around on gathering up the oranges that hit the ground. Children were climbing under boats (on their trailers) to fetch any candy or prizes that rolled under there. It was wonderfully entertaining and enjoyable. I am so glad that we had the opportunity to participate in this event!

The oranges begin to fly...