We flew separately to Japan. Travis landed before I did, but I got to fly into Tokyo. The flight was 12.5 hours, and my butt died somewhere along the way. It was a big plane. I was row 47, and in each row was 9 seats. I was near the window, but in the middle seat. The guy to my right had halitosis really bad, and someone kept farting. :/ They gave us two meals, and brought us a few snacks. They also gave us ice cream, and lots of drinks. I felt out of place, as most of the people were Japanese, and I cannot speak the language yet. The people were nice though. We had tiny televisions in the back of each seat, and we were given head phones and a remote. They had movies playing in 8 different languages. There was kung fu panda, fast & furious 5, pirates of the carribean, and a few other Japanese movies..along with a movie about aliens, and the USAF hiding it from the public. It all felt a bit stereotypical...but at least i was entertained when I wasn't sleeping.
I landed into Tokyo around 2 pm, and had to go through immigration and customs, which was pretty easy. I felt bad coming into Japan not knowing any of the language, but i'm trying to learn. One of the guys from Travis' shop came to pick me up, and we just happen to be trying to page eachother at the customer service desk at the same time. We took the shuttle back to base, and it was about a 2 hour ride. It was great being able to see all of Tokyo though. The roads are extremely small here, and the size of a one-way in the states, is the size of their normal roads..and motorcyclists weave in and out of the traffic in the tiny space between vehicles. I was scared we would hit someone with the big bus..but we didn't. It's amazing how much green there is in Tokyo, but randomly there's bouts of green in parks, and small farms. I can't express how beautiful it is here..but I can say that I love it so far, and I'm excited for everything to come.
We went to the mall on Saturday, and it's really big. About 3 stories of shopping, another two stories of parking. We seen some "my neighbor totoro" stuff, and I was really excited. I guess there's a stall in the mall that has a really big statue or stuffed animal of totoro outside the doors. We also went to the Japanese Walmart---Seiyu, which is also a few stories tall. There was a man lying in the fetal position next to his bike crying...between the different parts of the store. Our sponsors took us to CoCo's, a Japanese Curry place, it was very good.. I'm a wimp, and got the regular spice level. Travis ordered a level 5. I assumed the servings would be small, but I could not finish my plate.
Yesterday I went out with my friend Vale, and her husband Jorge and their daughter Julietta, they took me to this ramen house. It was very good as well, but again the serving size is so big, I didn't even finish half. Next time Travis will have to come with me, so we can split it. Travis went out to a music shop off base with a guy he went to tech school with.
Travis started his "first" day today. He has to go to appointments, and a lot of inprocessing stuff..so I'm just going to clean today, and maybe go for a walk. Hopefully we'll find out about some housing today or tomorrow.
We're really enjoying it here so far. I can't wait to share more of the things we see with everyone. I can't wait for my mom to come out here so I can show her how beautiful it is.
here is prepackaged mint chocolate chip ice cream cone.
this is melon fanta. It is delicious. You can buy it at the 7-eleven off base and Travis can get it at the dining facility on base.
The view from the commissary/bx parking lot. On a clear day we'll be able to see Mt. Fuji over those mountains. Right outside the fence is the city of Fussa.
Here is a spider that was chilling outside the temporary housing. I'm just happy he wasn't in the house or in my bed. Apparently they're not poisonous, but they're pretty big and gross..which is enough for me.
Travis' first yen, that he found on the ground. I found 10 yen on the floor of the bus.
I'll post more later, as soon as I find the other memory card.
Natasha
I landed into Tokyo around 2 pm, and had to go through immigration and customs, which was pretty easy. I felt bad coming into Japan not knowing any of the language, but i'm trying to learn. One of the guys from Travis' shop came to pick me up, and we just happen to be trying to page eachother at the customer service desk at the same time. We took the shuttle back to base, and it was about a 2 hour ride. It was great being able to see all of Tokyo though. The roads are extremely small here, and the size of a one-way in the states, is the size of their normal roads..and motorcyclists weave in and out of the traffic in the tiny space between vehicles. I was scared we would hit someone with the big bus..but we didn't. It's amazing how much green there is in Tokyo, but randomly there's bouts of green in parks, and small farms. I can't express how beautiful it is here..but I can say that I love it so far, and I'm excited for everything to come.
We went to the mall on Saturday, and it's really big. About 3 stories of shopping, another two stories of parking. We seen some "my neighbor totoro" stuff, and I was really excited. I guess there's a stall in the mall that has a really big statue or stuffed animal of totoro outside the doors. We also went to the Japanese Walmart---Seiyu, which is also a few stories tall. There was a man lying in the fetal position next to his bike crying...between the different parts of the store. Our sponsors took us to CoCo's, a Japanese Curry place, it was very good.. I'm a wimp, and got the regular spice level. Travis ordered a level 5. I assumed the servings would be small, but I could not finish my plate.
Yesterday I went out with my friend Vale, and her husband Jorge and their daughter Julietta, they took me to this ramen house. It was very good as well, but again the serving size is so big, I didn't even finish half. Next time Travis will have to come with me, so we can split it. Travis went out to a music shop off base with a guy he went to tech school with.
Travis started his "first" day today. He has to go to appointments, and a lot of inprocessing stuff..so I'm just going to clean today, and maybe go for a walk. Hopefully we'll find out about some housing today or tomorrow.
We're really enjoying it here so far. I can't wait to share more of the things we see with everyone. I can't wait for my mom to come out here so I can show her how beautiful it is.
I'll post more later, as soon as I find the other memory card.
Natasha
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