Flea Market or Bust

Inside of the Cable Car
Izac and I on the Train
Comfortable train seats (NOT like the DC Metro OH and you can eat or drink on the train and not get arrested)
This was our map. You may not be able to tell but the thing is in Japanese.



So today Izac and I decided to go to a Flea Market in Hiroshima. It is called the Niji Hiroba Flea market. I believe it means Rainbow Plaza or Rainbow Square. Anyways Izac decided sometime this week he wanted to go so he asked me to go to ITT (Information Tours and Travels ) and get information on how to get from the base to this flea market. The wonderful lady not only got me the train schedule in English with all the stops ready but she also gave us a map that had our route set up for us. I found out that to get to where we wanted to go we had to take a local train and then take a street car. The ITT lady also gave me the cost for each form of transportation so I could go to Izac and say we need this much yen to go one way etc.

This morning we had a late start because yours truly had to call her old job and iron out some pay issues late the previous night. We left our home and went to the Crossroads. It is kinda the foot court of the base (some call it Fatroads). This is the area that local Taxis are available.

Before we left Izac suggested we look for a book that might have phrases because although I had suggested we right some phrases down (found on the Internet) neither of us was completely sure how to correctly pronounce them. We were successful in finding a book that gave the phonetic pronunciation of words/phrases (very helpful with a speech pathologist who can read phonetics). We then proceeded to the Taxi and then to the local train station.

Once there we stared at a bank of 4 ticket machines, and a booth with a man it it. I understood enough to know that the man was selling Shinkansen tickets (bullet train)and that was not what we needed. We watched 3 or 4 people purchase tickets and then with trepidation we stepped up to a machine. After staring we looked to the right and saw this 8.5 X 11 piece of paper describing how difficult it was for Americans/English speakers to buy tickets. Thankfully Izac spotted a machine that had some English on it. We also had our handy dandy map that had the symbols that represent Hiroshima so we knew witch button to push for that city. Yours truly figured out how to get it to do tickets for 2 people at the same time while Izac figured out how to do round trip tickets. The question that you might be asking yourself is How many Americans does it take to buy train tickets to Hiroshima? The answer is 2.

We figured out how to put our raffle ticket size train ticket into the machine that punched it. (Mind you this was after we compared the symbols and arrows to make sure that we had the correct ticket for this particular portion of the ride). We then stared at more boards that thankfully were electronic and flashed from Japanese to English. This allowed us to figure out that we had to go from track 1 where we were to track 4.

All of this was in some pretty cold windy conditions so when we arrived at our train I was happy. We sat down in some very comfortable seats and settled in for our ride. It was a fairly straight forward ride and we arrived in Hiroshima with no trouble. Once there we followed a wave of humanity up one flight of stairs and then down another and out into the city.

From the exit of the train station Izac and I saw the street car we needed to take so we fastwalked over to it and hopped on. I was a little worried because we got in at the door that said exit but other people were doing so as well. Often in America you pay as you get on to transportation. We were not sure when to put in our yen but again decided to observe the locals. It turns out you pay as you leave.

We took our 30 min cable car ride and got off at the stop that was at the flea market. Now keep in mind this market is supposed to have about 150 vendors. When we arrived there were about 8. The add for the market claims that there are antiques, clothes, crafts, etc. It was just junk. We got there and I said "It looks like a yard sale". SO Niji Hiroba Flea Market is a bust.

We left the market and got back on the cable car. The weather was getting pretty ugly so we decided to head back to Iwakuni. BUT before we got back on the train we needed to find the facilities. Izac has a knack for finding bathrooms so I just follow him.

Once we got back to the train station we got coffee out of a vending machine and warmed our hands at the same time. It was pretty good coffee. We boarded a train and headed back to Iwakuni.

Once we arrived we got off the train and decided to go find something to eat. On our way we stopped at a store alot like our drug stores in America (i found my Aosept solution). We had no luck finding something to eat as a number of the restaurants close between lunch and dinner (at that point it was 2) so we decided to head back to a bakery that we had seen. On our way I saw the 100 yen store that I had been to previously. I enthusiastically dragged Izac into the store where we proceeded to buy numerous items (see a later posting). After that we went to the bakery and bought some fresh baked goods.

At this point it was 4:00 and we were both tired. We hailed a cab and went back to base. All in all a good day. Next week we have another flea market in a different part of Hiroshima to try to find. Stay tuned to find out if we are successful.

Furry Friend

This is the cat with no name right now:

As you know from my earlier post we had to leave Joey behind. I did not last long without a furry friend. We have adopted a cat. He came to us with the name Rascal but that does not suit him. Maybe you can help us come up with some names for him. He is a young boy(about a year and a half), he likes to snuggle with us but then also sprints from one end of the apartment to the other in no time. I am posting a video of him playing. as well as some pics.

Driving...Oh yea!

Test your knowledge what do these signs say?


So today I had my first experience driving here in Japan. It was only on base but is scares the BLEEP out of me. It is ALL wrong. Any of you who know my learning process for driving in the states ("I'm going to fast!!" as I drive 15 mph on a side road in VA Beach, no freeways the first 2 years I drove etc) should be able to guess how I am about driving here. Izac assures me I will be fine in a week and a half (as he is doing). I don't quite believe him. Currently I chant to myself "Left Side, Left Side, Left side" and then EVERY TIME I turn on the turn signal (or what I think is the turn signal) I turn on the windshield wipers. Lets not forget that every time I go to the car to get into it I go to the wrong side of the car. All in all I'm doing OK. I have not hit anything (or anyone) and on base the speed limit goes no faster than 40 KPH (about 24.8 miles/hour). I have decided not to drive off base until I am a little more comfortable.

Getting Settled

Here is the outside view of our building and its name.

Here is a view from one of the three bedrooms.

Here is another view. The bridge is how we get from the main part of the base to our tower.

Sorry for the long delay in posting. We have moved from the temporary housing into what will be our home for the next few years. We were told by our housing inspector/manger that this building is slated for renovations in 2 years but she could not tell us if we were going to be moved out all once or if the renovations would occur one floor at a time. So it is up in the air exactly how long we will be here but for 2 years at least.

We were hoping that it would take the 3-5 months wait for housing so that we could possibly bring Joey (our Sheltie) from the states here. This did not happen. Our FIRST day they said we have 3 possible choices of on base housing. We were going to say no thank you we will wait for a townhouse (the only housing that allows dogs) but the housing office said that if we chose this route we would have to move out of the temporary housing and start looking for housing off base (kinda hard to do when Izac did not have a liberty card and neither of us had drivers licenses or a car). So we made the hard decision to leave Joey with my parents (although he seems to be REALLY happy) and take the housing offered.

That day we saw the 3 possible choices. All three were in the same mid rise building (not a high rise for any of you who lived in Atsugi or other bases with the buildings that went up to 9 floors). It is the Sakura building. The first apartment we looked at was on the 2nd floor overlooking the base. It was ok but smelled like cat pee. The second we looked at was on the 3rd floor. It was on the other side of the building overlooking off base and the lotus fields. To me it was darker than the first one. The final choice was on the 6th floor (top) overlooking the base again. I liked this one the best. It had the newest appliances and a fantastic view. SO we went back to housing and told them we would take it. They set us up to move in on Tuesday December the 8th.

Now that we have moved in I have had a week to find all the things wrong with it (I REFUSE to have them charge us for any "damage" that is here already). Izac tends to leave this up to me as I am a bit more picky about what I term damage.

We have been provided with loaner furniture and that is nice. We have a bed (queen size), two night stands, two dressers, a funny sized mirror (not full size but not small either) a dining table and 4 chairs, a "couch" and an "easy" chair. We also were able to checkout a bin that had basic cooking stuff (4 plates, knives, spoons, forks, bowls, and cups, a pitcher, a coffee maker w/out filters, a pot, a pan and a sauce pan, a bottle opener, measuring cups and spoons, etc), an ironing board and iron, and two lamps. The couch was a joke so Izac and I went out this past weekend and bought a couch. Its really a sectional and its masculine (it is slated for the man cave when we return to the states). Next on the to acquire list is a coffee table and side tables to go with it. These are the items that did not survive the move from the apartment to storage 7 months ago.

We are both eagerly awating the household goods shipment slated to arrive in 3 weeks and 6 days (not that Im counting). So for now we settle in and enjoy the space.

Whew We made it...

Throughout our time traveling to Iwakuni I wrote down my thoughts. I would like to share them now.

As you may or may not know...Izac and I have completed our travel to Iwakuni, Japan. We were driven by my mom to the airport. It was really hard to say goodbye. We were met at the curb by a sky cap. Normally I do not mess with them but I am glad we did. He took us to the front of the line and got us checked.

We flew from National airport and I am really glad we did. It gave me an opportunity to see the Capital, the Washington Monument, and the Jefferson Monument as we flew away. I didn't cry but I did feel sad.

This journey has been interesting. Ive never left home/my family in a situation that felt so permanent. In the past all my travels have been temporary (no more than 3 months). I guess in a way this is a coming of age. I am on my own without my family to lean on.

As with this entire move nothing has gone without a hic up or bump. The send off was difficult because of the "Im moving and have to take everything" baggage (thank god for orders that allow bigger bags) and my bookmark being mistaken as a possible weapon (I almost had to leave a Micimoto pearl bookmark at the airport). Our first flight went fine. Our second flight was nice with the movie 500 days of Summer (surprisingly good movie). HOWEVER when we arrived in Seattle we learned that one of our bags decided to stay in Minneapolis (this of course was the bag with all of Izac's digital uniforms). We had to wait for the bag to arrive at the baggage claim in Seattle. Two flights later it made it on to our final flight with 30 mins to take off.

This 3rd flight was the Air Mobility Command (AMC) flight flown by North American. Ive never heard of North American Airline and I think I know why.

Observation of this Plane/Flight

• tiny seats
• short seat belts
• old plane
• REALLY old safety video (the cell phones on it were the size of cinder blocks)

Want to know how they adjusted the fluid level in the toilets? A bucket carried by hand filled with the funny smelling blue liquid. I do not even know what to say in response to this.

Here is the projected flight plan:

• Seattle To Alaska
• Alaska to Misawa
• Misawa to Yokota
• Yokota to Iwakuni

God help the ones going to Okinawa after us.

23:07 Japan Time 9:00 Virginia Time

At this point Izac and I have been traveling for 23 hours and we still have not left the country. We have had 2 hours of interrupted sleep. We landed in Alaska and were told to deplane for 2 hours for "refueling and cleaning" funny how when we got on the plane there was still trash. This flight to Japan is not restful... the lights are turned on and off with no real pattern, they feed us at odd times, and who knows why they feed us what they do (virginia time 5 am we got sandwiches). One positive of our stop in Alaska is that Izac got us those sleep masks. YAY. Next time I am in Alaska I would like to leave the airport.

Alaska to Misawa and On:

It was challenging to sleep on the flight. Izac and I did our best. It was cat naps. They decided to feed us a hot breakfast 2 hours in to the flight from Alaska (neither of us wanted to partake of it). Through the cat napping Izac and I probably got about 4-5 hours of sleep. When we arrived in Misawa we all had to deplane for 3 hours. Those of us going on went to a large holding room where we sat and waited to board the plane. Here they told us where to go for food and such and then they put on a movie (Hook). Once we got on the plane we flew to Yakota (with a few new people). Once we arrived in Yakota we were again separated: those who were finished flying and those who were going on to Iwakuni. Here they had a football game on and we again had to sit and wait (2 hours). Once we again got on the plane we were told that AMC wanted to stay on schedule so we could not leave early. We then flew for an hour and 15 mins. This was the end of the line for us. We deplaned and I got my first look at my new home. I was so tired it was hard to figure out how I felt. We went in to this TINY room where 3 Marines in uniform waited for us. Most of the other passengers were enlisted men and women fresh out of bootcamp and MOS school. The 3 marines were barking orders at us. They called our names out to confirm our arrival. Yet again our name was butchered and then they checked paperwork. My passport was stamped with two stamps. An arrival stamp and one that will allow me to travel in the country. It is supposed to be good for a year. It was good I looked at it. It had been filled out with an expiration date of the day I arrived. I had to get that stamp redone so that I can legally stay here. After that we were put on a bus and driven to where we picked up our keys to our temporary housing. It was there that we were met by our sponsor Major Taylor and another Capt in the office. Both men were really nice. They brought us to our room and promised to see us the next day. Once they left Izac and I settled down and went to sleep. We figured this out: From wake up in VA on Sat the 28th to falling asleep on Monday in Japan we were traveling for 48 hours.

In the end we got here safe and sound (along with ALL of our bags)

Ok...Lets give this a try.

In an attempt to find a way to update everyone and not loose my mind I decided to create a blog for us to communicate with everyone. We will see how this works and if it is a success then we will continue with it.