I just got back from a trip to Sasebo, mainland Japan. I was only there for three days, but it felt much longer. Last week I went into our automated travel system to book my tickets. Due to it being a totally awesome system it failed and I was having issues getting my airline tickets booked. I ended up having to get paper tickets at the local travel office. Much hilarity ensued and by the time I finally got my tickets I was just happy to have them and in my haste, failed to review them before I left the travel office. My travel day comes around and Christine takes me to the airport. Now at the airport in Okinawa you walk up to the ticket counter, and must pass your luggage through a mini X-ray (but only if it is check in luggage, carry on you get to take with you and go through the full security later on), and a security/police type asks to see your ticket/reservation before you get to the check in counter. I handed him my ticket and he looked at my kinda funny. He said "uh your plane take off, yesterday". I looked at the ticket and sure enough it was for the day before. I asked if he would still let me go to the ticket counter and ask about getting it fixed, to which he conceded. Of course this was my fault, I should have noticed this earlier. But then I started thinking, maybe there was only one flight to Sasebo for the weekend and it was on Saturday not Sunday (there was after all, only one flight per day to Sasebo and who knows how funky the flight schedules are). I got up to the ticket counter and explained that there was an error in booking and I was supposed to be on the flight today, not yesterday. She said she would ask and be right back. Now in the states, this is where the story would take a turn for the horribly worse, and I would end up angry, lose the argument and have to pay for an entirely new flight. This is Japan however and customer service is #1. She comes back less than a minute later and said Ok you can fly today. No charges, no lecture, no snide comments just Ok. I even got one of the better seats on the flight near the front of the plane.
The flight was ok, rather bumpy due to a weather system around here but an hour and a half later I was in Sasebo. I got off the plane and immediately was hit by a cold front. No one told me it was about 30 degrees colder there. I knew mainland was colder and the further north you go the colder it got, but I didn't think Sasebo, on the southern island of Japan would be this cold. The visit was good but there wasn't much where I was. Also on mainland you are definitely in Japan Japan. Very little english is spoken there if at all. It made me realize just how little Japanese I have picked up since I arrived here.
I did my work and was ready to get back to Okinawa. The airport is actually in Nagasaki (yes that Nagasaki) about an hour and a half drive away from Sasebo. Now when I arrived a co-worker picked me up and since it was about 7pm on a Sunday there wasn't much traffic. The ride back though, I had to take a bus. I was dropped off at the bus station and told to take the bus to Nagasaki airport, specifically the airport bus because there are a few other busses that go to the city center of Nagasaki. I get in the bus station and there is just a huge machine with numbers on it, no descriptions of the stops just numbers. I asked for help and fortunately Nagasaki Airport was the only english the bus station person spoke. Then I sat and waited. The bus attendant stood at the front of the station and would announce as the busses would arrive where they were headed to. Of course everytime I heard Nagasaki I got up, stood in line and waited. Once I got to the front of the line the same person who helped me get my ticket would waive me off, indicating this isn't my bus. I did this about 8 times. The bus attendants actually had a shift change and I noticed the first one point at me and motion when the new one took over, hopefully telling him, as soon as the airport bus gets her get him on there so he will stop getting in line everytime I say Nagasaki.
Finally my bus arrives and everyone is very happy to see me get up, stand in line, and actually board a bus. I was warned before hand but the bus makes a lot of stops, and it will feel like your going to miss your flight but Nagasaki is a small airport and it will get there eventually and once there its a breeze getting to the plane. Well after about the tenth stop (the bus left at about 840am and my flight was at 1010am) I started to get nervous. I recognized a few places on the route and realized I was still closer to Sasebo than I was to Nagasaki. It didn't help that bus also had the push a button if you want to get off anytime, and not wait for the next scheduled stop. Tons of little old ladies were getting on the bus going a few blocks, and getting right off.
About 950 I started to get a little worried, but then I started to see signs for the airport. We arrived at the domestic terminal at a little after 10am. I walked straight to my counter as of course I was the only one in line. The same went for the security check. I walked straight to my gate (no time for shopping) and arrived just as everyone else was already boarding. As soon as I stepped on the plane they closed the door behind me and we were off.
Thats the travel story.
Now here are a few pictures of Sasebo. I didn't get out much due to work but this is some of what I saw.
This is Japanese Navy ship.
And this of course is the best convenience store in the world. Unfortunately I wasn't able to go inside but I am sure it is just as great here as it is in the states. I wish I could have gone in as I am sure the Icee flavors are just as odd as the soda flavors in Japan. Its too bad we don't have these in Okinawa.
This is one of the few pictures we were able to get with her eyes open, well not mid cry anyway.
This is posted up the street from our house. A warning to all would be vandals, IT IS WATCHING IT!
Japanese fish and chips, pink thing is deep fried ginger, like a Japanese pork rind.
This is what Christine ordered, desert for lunch.
This is how the baby sleeps after she eats. You can tell she's practicing for being bored later in life.
This was before the baby was born, I'll wait at least two more weeks before popping wheelies with the actual baby.
The baby resolves to never let her feet get as big or as dirty as dads.
This will most likely end up as her passport photo.
Zoe in her new Christmas dress.
Actual baby, not to scale.
Come on, its the only thing I can do with her hair so far. Besides with a name like Zoe she is bound to go through a punk rocker stage. Might as well get it over with now.
Aaahhhhh!!!
Look at the size of that big toe! 
That look says, I will have my revenge on you for dressing me for your amusement!
We also saw this self parking place on the way to the castle. You pull in and the little metal plate flips up preventing you from leaving. You have to pay at the a machine near the entrance and the plate should flip down, optimal word being should.
In case you couldn't find the giant open door five feet to the right of this sign.
These were the faucets in the bathroom inside the castle. I'm filing this away for ideas for my castle/home.
We didn't see a sign for the unusual route, but were not allowed to go any other way as there were many "helpers" pointing us in the right direction.
Tommy Lee Jones is so enthusiastic about Boss coffee that he is almost going to smile about it. But then he remembered he messed up that one arm man case and got sad.
This is one of the many turtles living in the pond we passed on the way to the castle. He was in this position when we walked to the castle, and was in the same position on the walk back. Christine thought he was a decoy used to lure the other turtles out of the water but he moved his head when we got up close to take his picture.
This is Japanese Navy ship.
And this of course is the best convenience store in the world. Unfortunately I wasn't able to go inside but I am sure it is just as great here as it is in the states. I wish I could have gone in as I am sure the Icee flavors are just as odd as the soda flavors in Japan. Its too bad we don't have these in Okinawa.
The fly I found in our backyard a few weeks ago, it sat still for the entire shoot. On 2nd thought it might have been dead, but I can't be sure. The spider below I found outside underneath our A/C unit one night. Not the biggest we have seen since we have been here but still pretty large.
