Driving in Okinawa

I originally made this video and sent it home to show the family how I drive to and from work. I have edited it down a bit but it should still give you a good idea of how it is to drive around town. I sped the video up quite a bit so don't be too alarmed when I come up to a red light and it appears that I am going to rear end the car in front of me. As an aside, none of the roads I am driving on are one way roads, they really are that narrow. You just have to pull over and hug the weeds when a car comes towards you.

Well the quality took a bit of a hit when it was converted for the web, but you get the gist.

Sasebo Japan

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.

One Size Fits Most

The other day I was folding the unnamed little girl's laundry when a confused looking Adam picked up the teeniest tiniest piece of cloth possible and asked what it was. I said it was a mitten. He replied "Of course it's a mitten! Why didn't I know that? (slight pause) And why does she need a mitten?" I replied with the whole so she can't scratch herself textbook answer but I was really thinking about the times I swear she is scratching me from the inside (or how she made a shank out of the umbilical cord) and how I could get a pair of mittens on her hands right now! But since I can not do that I resorted to the next best thing. I put them on Adam's big toes along with some of her socks. And this is the result...

Flying Fish

Our neighbors just called us outside. Apparently a bird flying over our neighborhood dropped this fish on the concrete outside our house. It fell from about 20 feet high, bounced once then flopped its way to the grass, still alive. Of course, Batman had to get out there and assess the scene.

Bugs, Again.

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.

Good Day Sunshine

Sunset at Torii Station

This is the beach at Torii Station, an army base about 20 minutes from our house.

Eyeing My Prey

Coin Operated

These are a representative sample of the drink machines that are on every corner, in front of nearly every business, and even on random residential streets. Its hot here, and you never know when you might need a cold drink. In all seriousness these things are everywhere and they are always fully stocked. I have yet to see any one of them out of any drink. I have heard that the guys who stock these machines have one of the best and most secure jobs on the island.

They contain coffee drinks, Gatorade type drinks, sodas, water and all sorts of other things you would think twice about consuming.

Baby Be Us

Today we went to the one and only Babies R Us on the island. We have at least two Toys R Us stores, of which this is connected to one. Not the one that five minutes from our house though. Although the one that is near our house does have a small section of baby items. The one we went to today, in Naha, is really just a section of the Toys R Us. They share the same store, but you walk through a little doorway and your out of the Babies side into the Toys side. But they do have a lot more stuff than the Toys R Us by our house.More dino stuff. We didn't buy these but thought they were pretty funny. They say "How about the seed of power?" And how about that seed of power? The one below says, "He is hard to get along with." Well I bet anything that could eat you whole in one bite would be hard to get along with.

Above is a shawl for suckling. That pretty much describes a baby, she's already sucking a bunch of money out of our accounts. I'm just kidding its worth every sucking penny.
They really want you to start training your kids early on chopsticks. As you can see above and below there are a ton of teaching tools and starter chopsticks. This is extremely important, as I still fail at using chopsticks. I blame my parents really, for not starting me as soon as possible with them. Of course if you ask them, they will say in their day you had to chop down your own tree and whittle your own chopsticks, and we weren't rich enough to own an axe or whittling tool. Fancy training sticks didn't exist back then you see.

This one below even comes with easily choke-able pieces to practice your stick skills on. Because here, using chopsticks is life or death. You either learn or starve, or choke on little blue and yellow ducks trying to learn. Obviously training a small child how to eat (which for those in the back is the act of picking up something with sticks and putting them in your mouth) using small inedible objects perfect for blocking young windpipes is the only way learn. Apparently chicken nuggets don't exist here.

Our journey to this and many other fine baby proprietors was in search of strollers. We kept hearing that all the strollers here were much better than the ones available to us in the states. We also heard the Japanese were very into European brands. The caveat we were told, was that everything was very expensive. Well they were half right. The strollers were Ok, but nothing really blew us away. As you can see above they look like every other stroller you have ever seen. But they are anywhere from 300 to 700 dollars. Yup, those wheels aren't made of gold, and there are no down feathers in those seats. Not to mention none of these are travel systems, meaning none come with a car seat. Oh car seats, they sell those too, just a la cart.

Here is one those fancy car seats. Now in all honesty, these are better than the US ones we have seen. We took the above and below picture from the same place, the car seat actually swivels around. This way you don't have to yank the kid out from over the side of the seat, you can just turn the car seat so it faces out of the door. Pretty neat. Although not 500 dollars (or in this case fifty thousand yen) worth of neat.

This is another one of those fancy car seats. This one folds flat so the kid can fall asleep (because they don't do that every hour anyway). It must be for all those long road trips, you know, the ones you take when you live on an island that you can drive, tip to tip, in two hours......

Well after all that non spending we decided to come home and just put together all the stuff we already have. Above is the totally awesome crib I whittled out of one piece of solid oak. Below is the most fear inducing, seizure causing baby item I have seen to date. Christine said all the shapes and colors stimulate a babies brain. I said I am going to save this picture, and when our daughter grows up and starts shooting from a clock tower and people ask why, I will show them this picture and they sigh in understanding.
These are just a few of what I am sure will be many stuffed animals. The two poohs are different, one plays music the other sits in envy of the music playing one.

Below is our high tech high chair. Notice the orange button on the base (which houses about six wheels so it can slide wherever you want it or push in a parking brake and it stays put), that orange button is the hydraulic lift. Its somewhat like a barber chair, you can raise and lower it to suit the table you place the kid at. Due to the design there are no cracks, crevices or joints that food can get stuck in. If your so inclined you can wheel the thing outside and just hose it off. Its up to you if you want to take the kid out first.

Halloween Decorations

Christine has started putting up our halloween decorations. They aren't all up but we are getting there.


Yes the spider above is HUGE. The Jack Skellington head in front of the TV lights up.
This is my moms famous spider web. It even has two afro haired spiders. Available at Country Punchin'
Yes the shrine to the dino egg is growing almost as fast as my baby girl. She better like Dino's.
This is our faux (french for not real, or imaginary) fireplace. To the left and right we have our Gnome Be Gones, the anti lawn gnomes, they are up all year round.

This is the table that sits right behind our sofa. Christine put out the jars of candy for easy access while "resting" on the sofa. Making a baby is hard work and requires copious amounts of chocolate and sugar to do so. Those jack o' lanterns also light up.
This is a close up of the fabric, another gift from my mother. I really like how Christine used it, as it hides all the stuff I put on that table and get yelled at for putting on the table.

Baby Shower

Yesterday was Christine's baby shower (for the Stateside people). A good time was had by all and we appreciate everyone attending and the awesome gifts.

This is one of my three contributions to the shower decorations, it is a balloon weight.
I'm the lucky one who got to climb the ladder and hang everything up, amazingly enough it all stayed up throught
These are one of two favors from the shower. A bun in an oven! I thought it was hilarious. We have since copyrighted the design and idea and hope to retire in two months from the millions in profits we will reap.

My mom made these baby booties, also copyrighted and aiding in our early retirement!

This was my other contribution to the shower, a baby balloon, also a big hit.
And just a random shot of the backyard decor.

And that is where we live if anyone cant find it on a map, Naha is the major city/airport.