Travel Day

Back in America. Everything went smoothly.

October 23rd

October 22nd

After the last day of work this trip it was Yakitori time. Had several different kinds. Of course you must have bacon wrapped asparagus. I added in Wasabi flavored chicken breast, which literally was wasabi rubbed on chicken. Then I moved to Mushroom and Cheese wrapped in bacon. Next up was Tomato wrapped in Bacon. And then the grand finale Egg Plant wrapped in Bacon. All very good.

After dinner we headed to get some treats and then it was time to pack.

October 22nd

October 21st

As a thank you to everyone involved with helping over here get work done, the engineers and I put together a get together after work. It was really great to see Americans and Japanese interacting regardless of level or position. One more work day and then another long flight.

October 21st

Tuesday October 20th

Got dinner at Taco Bell on base and then stayed in and caught up on TV shows. Lazy Day, but I did find a drink worthy of a Soft Drink Challenge

October 20th

Monday October 19th

After work I headed up to Yokohama for some dinner and shopping. I had Okonomiyaki without fish. Which is hard to do since the majority of it comes with a ton in and on top. They will top various dishes with fish flakes that seem to dance on a hot dish. It is really just the heat rising and causing the flakes to move.

October 19th

Sunday October 18th

There was a big event going on in town today. There was a Mikoshii parade from the Yokosuka Chuo station into base. I lined up and spent around three hours taking pictures of the event. I have paired the selection way down. It was interesting to see and the sound of the Tyco drums was pretty cool as they marched down the street.

A coworker put on a BBQ on bass. Several of the Japanese coworkers brought there families. Fun was had by all. Lots of Wii Boxing was played.

October 18th

Hakone Trip October 17th

Got an early start this morning. Arrived at the JR Yokosuka Station at 620. We caught the 638 train to Ofuna. Not too many people on the train at this time in the morning. Most people looked like they were actually heading home instead of heading to work.

We switched trains at Ofuna and headed for Odawara. This was about a 40 minute ride, with almost no one on the train. A lot of traffic was going the other way into Tokyo, but going away was very light. At Odawara it was time to switch again. This time to the Odakyu Hakone Tozan. We purchased a "Free" Pass to get around Hakone for the day. In variation from the name it is actually 3900 Yen for the pass.

From Odawara we headed to Hakone Yumoto station, we stayed in the same area but headed for a different car. The next train was very intere3sting it was much shorter than any train I have been on. This was to allow for its use on switchbacks. It is only one track, so as one train goes to a stop it waits until the train in the opposite direction is at that stop and then proceeds on. It took 40 minutes to get from Hakone Yumoto to Gora.

At Gora we walked around and head to Gora Park. It is a very nice park with a lot of plants, trees, and a fountain. I also purchased my puzzle box from the gift store there. Hakone is known for puzzle boxes, it is a 10 move box. Next up it was Cablecar time. The Cablecar was up a pretty steep incline in 6 stops it gained about 220 meters of elevation. Ears popped twice. The car itself was interesting as it was in steps so as the car went up everybody was on a level platform.

We arrived at Sounzan and switched to the Ropeway. When the car took off I thought we had been launched up the mountain, it was a pretty good trip up to the first stop. Incredible views of the Owakudani steam vent area. At Owakundani we hiked up the hillside and got some nice shots out into the valley. We also tried the famous black egg. It is an egg boiled in the hot-springs, but because of the high sulfur content it colors the eggs black. It tastes just like any other hard boiled egg, but it is the thing to do at that stop. Next we headed down to Togendai at the head of Lake Ashi.

At this point besides the black egg our stomachs wanted to be filled so we wandered around town looking for a place to eat. We settled on the place where the owner came out and said English menus after looking around town. Great choice had an awesome Katsu Curry dish. And the view was great out into the lake. After lunch we headed to the Sightseeing Cruise "Pirate" ship. It took around 20 minutes to get from Togendai to Hakone Machi. Got some nice pictures of the lake. The downside to going today was it was cloudy so there was no chance at all to see Fuji-San. Oh well perhaps next trip.

From Hakone Machi we walked and got some ice cream, I went with Banana. Which happens to be delicous in any language. After that pit stop we headed to the Hakone Checkpoint. A very interesting place. When the transistion of power happened and Edo (Tokyo) became the seat of power for the empreror over Kyoto they built this checkpoint. Its main purpose was to keep weapons and women from going south to Kyoto. History is pretty crazy sometimes. The next stop was the Cedar Avenue, which I got some good shots of. Most of the trees in the avenue are over 360 years old. Duanting to think about someone planting something that long ago and it still being here today. In America we would have chopped it down long ago for firewood. After getting a few shots of the waterborn Tori it was time for the last different mode of transit, bus. It took 30 minutes to get from Moto Hakone to Yumoto station. We hopped back on the train to Odawara.

It was now time to check out my first Japanese castle. It took around 10 minutes to walk from Odawara Station to the castle grounds. Around 7 minutes into transit my camera got to wear my hat because it started dumping. The rain lasted the entire time we were in Odawara. On the castle grounds they have some form of monkey in a cage. We headed inside around 20 minutes before closing. They had shut the ticket counter down so we got in for free. They had a lot of artifacts invloving the castle inside. It was 4 stories tall, at the top you could get out and see around. On a clear day the view is fantastic. On a rainy day, it just looks like it perhaps might be awesome on a clear day.

We headed back to Odawara to catch the train back to Ofuna, we caught the express so it took less time. It may have been the sulfur fumes from the black egg stop but we all took a little nap on the train ride. At Ofuna we transfered to the JR Yokosuka line, which insteresitngly enough started service 120 years ago on June 16th. We got on the 2nd car of this train and headed back to Yokosuka. Now the thing about this train on this route is the first 4 cars do not go past Zushi, which is 4 stops from Yokosuka. Right when we got to Zushi I remembered so we rushed back 3 cars and got in. We when got back into Yokosuka We decided it was a fine evening for some Curry and Nan. And when one wants Curry and Nan in Yokosuka one would be foolish to eat any other place than Nirvanan on Blue Street. Delicous as always.

That about raps it up. In conclusion Hakone gets two thumbs up and would be a great place to spend a weekend. It is full of hot-springs and great places to hike and with the Free Pass you can get around for 2 days on 3900 Yen pretty good for all that you can see. Just try to schedule it for a clear weekend and it would make an excellent trip.

October 17th

Friday October 16th

Took it easy tonight preparing for the Hakone Trip. Start at 550 at the hotel and hopefully will be back around 7 PM. Should be a blast. The question is can I get to 700 pictures in one day. I will aim to find out.

October 16th

Thursday October 15th

Ate dinner at Pepper Lunch tonight, but the magic is truly gone. Without the risk of getting E Coli it just isn't fun any more. Waited around the hotel for another coworker to show up. We then went out to the Yakitori stand for another quick bit. Plans for Hakone are almost set up.

October 15th

October 14th

Another day without rain. October is really an awesome month to be in Japan. With the obvious caveat of no Typhoons rolling through the weather is hard to beat. Tried out a new Ramin place tonight on a suggestion from a Japanese coworker, very good. Although I did learn an important lesson, if you ask for extra seaweed in Japan they are going to give it to you. See the pictures for the explanation.

October 14th

Tuesday October 13th

Back at work after the long weekend. Had Thia for dinner, got some nice shots with the point and shoot camera. The sunset lit up the Yokosuka Skyline nicely.

October 13th

Monday October 12th

To celebrate Columbus day I made up another little trip. This time we started back at Landmark. Walked around for a couple of hours and got some awesome shots of the tower from every angle I could get it. The lighting was very unique clear skies and the tower seemed to glow silver.

Next it was a quick trip through China Town, didn't do any shopping but walked through the whole of it. I found a train station I didn't know existed and used that to get back to Yokohama station. From there we went to Yodabashi and Tokyu Hands. I got a really nice camera strap. The included one is decent for limited use, but when you have the camera around your neck for more than 5 hours, you need something more substantial.

The next place was brand new to me, Enoshima. It is past Kamakura on the train. One you get out of the train you have to walk around a mile to get to the island itself. The island has a lot of shrines dedicated to a Dragon who fell in love with a woman, lots of really cool dragon statues around the island. There is two options, you can pay 310 Yen to ride an escalator near the top, or you can walk it yourself. I decided it was well worth the money. For some reason there were a lot of cats on the island. They were all extremely friendly, so obvious signs of rabbies. The one thing that was freaky was the amount of spiders. And they were big ones, I got a good shot of one. Got up to the top and went up lighthouse and got some great pictures. You could see Landmark tower in the distance. On the far side of the island are caves, but when I got down to the other side, I found that it was closed because of damage. I think it may have been from the Typhoon as this area had some extremely high winds. It was 352 stairs back to the top, and then a bunch down.

Had TGI Fridays for dinner. One of my coworkers had given me 1000 Yen off coupon. So in all it worked out to be a decent price for the meal. Now time to recharge for another 4 day work week.

October 12th

October 12th Part 2

Sunday October 11th

What to do after a day replete with walking, start out with a 2 hours walk around town. I made it twice as far as I had ever walked and ended up finding a few new things. A bunch of art that has fallen into disrepair. It included a staircase perspective piece, and a big faucet. I also found another fishing pier with a few neat pieces of art.

After the walk I met up with some coworkers for brunch at the officers club, they do put on quite a spread. Then it was over to my buddy Bryans house, I rode the train he rode his bike. He met a branch going about 20 miles an hour so he took a pretty good tumble, broke his helmet and got some road rash. After making sure he didn't have a concussion I headed back to base for Church. I ate dinner at Taco Bell then headed back to my room to catch up on Psych, very good episode.

October 11th

Super Tokyo Tour 2009

The Super Tokyo Tour 2009 was completed in 14 hours. It involved 8 stops, 18 different trains, and 3600 Yen in fares. I still have a ton of energy but the two other guys that went up were tuckered out at the end. So lets break it all down.

The first stop was to watch around Tokyo Tower area. It took around an hour and a half to get up there. Took some really good pictures, saw another one of the crazy big spiders. This one was enjoying breakfast, a nice big fly. When we got on the other side of the tower I noticed that the moon was right behind the tower. Really nice shots. In the same area there is a tree which was planted by George H. W. Bush. We walked around from the other side and got a few more shots. Then it was on to Akihabara.

First up was to go to the Yodabashi. After enjoying a delicious "Black Out" doughnut it was time to look for a camera bag. I ended up getting a LowePro Nova 160 AW. Fits all my gear and has a rain cover. Stopped by Burger King and wandered around the area for around an hour, and then it was on to the next destination, Asakusa.

After overshooting the entrance and backtracking we finally arrived at the Asakusa Temple/Shrine. This area is unique in Japan because it has both a Shinto Shrine and a Buddhist Temple. One of the early emperors did this in an attempt to unify Japan. Still to this day most Japanese follow Buddhism and Shintoism. Took some nice pictures of a bronze statue of a famous Kabuki actor. I have always missed this statue because it was behind where buses drop people off. The next stop was Shinjuku.

The main purpose of the stop at Shinjuku was to ascend the first building of the day. This was the Metropolitan Government Offices South Tower. The building is compressed of a main portion and then two towers. The South Tower has a more pictureqs view of Tokyo. Another benefit it is free. After taking photos up at the top we went down to Shinjuku park. At this point it was around one thirty, so everyone was getting hungry. So we headed off to Roppongi.

Once we arrived in Roppongi we headed over to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch. After the grub we headed over to Roppongi Hills and Tokyo City View. The trip to the top of this building cost 1500 Yen, for an extra 300 Yen you can go out on the top of the building. I decided that for me 52 stories was enough. The view from this building is the best you can get in Tokyo. You can see the Shinjuku area, Tokyo Tower, and on a clear day Fuji. These days don't happen too much, if you can get up right after a Typhoon rolls through the sky will never be clearer. Then it was back on the trains headed to Shibuya.

This is one of the worlds most famous Mass Crossing Areas. We sat and chilled at Starbucks for about a half hour. This Starbucks is always one of the top 5 in the world for business each year. Got some good shots of the mass crossing in action. There are even more people if you go later at night. At this point we had our fill of Tokyo, so where better to go than Kawasaki.

There is a train from Shinagawa directly to Kawasaki that takes 8 minutes and cost 290 Yen, a pretty good deal. We headed over to California Pizza Kitchen for a Califronian Club Pizza, Chicken, Bacon, Lettuce, Tamato, and Avacado. As we walked into the mall where the CPK is there was a J-POP band performing. The pizza was good the music was not. After dinner it was time for the final stop on the trip, Yokohama Minato Mirai.

Spent around 2 hours around Landmark Tower. Got shots up from the dry dock to the building, then went up into it for some night photos. A tripod would have been awesome. I did me best to set the shutter speed very low and let the magic happen. This only works so well when the camera is in motion during the shot. You can see those pictures in the second album. New camera took 570 pictures without losing one bar on the battery, very good. It did lead to the discovery that picasa only lets you upload 500 pictures per album. I am assuming that most people will never know that limit.

Enjoy the pictures from the Super Trip.

October 10

October 10th

October 10th Part 3

Friday 9th

Tomorrows trip is all planned, should be a blast. 3600 yen in total fares for the trains and 180 minutes on trains 8 stops in one day.

I did receive my travel certificate from United today, so I get $300 off my next flight. The downside is it is only for travel within the US. Although I can think of a couple of tropical places I would like to visit again, and that would make it easier to get that trip in line.

October 9th

Typhoon Day

In anticipation of Typhoon Melor work was canceled today. Over night and during the morning it was extremely windy with periods of rain. Around noon it cleared up to blue sky. When typhoons come through it knocks all of the pollution out of the sky. Very clear. I decided to take advantage of this, by heading up to Kamakura.
I remembered that they had opened a Starbucks Concept store last year. So that was the first stop, really neat layout for the store. Then it was to the beach. The wind was blowing hard enough that it was creating a fine mist, so in about three minutes I was covered in a fine layer of salt. Ate dinner at a Thia restaurant, went with a level two for spiciness, good call anything more it would have brought me to tears.

October 8

October 8th

Wednesday October 7th

Typhoon Condition 1 was called today so the big wind and rain event is now 12 hours away. Should be fun. In anticipation of the big rain, I went to the Yokohama Marina Mall to buy a rain jacket. So far it has handled the rain decently.

Had dinner on base at Taco Bell before they lock the gates. Now it is just time to wait.

October 7th

Typhoon Prep

I am now stocked up for the oncoming Typhoon. The level for Typhoons is in 4 sections. Level 4 means it is 72 hours away, 3 48, 2 24, and 1 it is present. Today it was raised to level 3, so it looks like it will arrive sometime Thursday.

Went out to dinner at Nirvana again. I am spreading the word about the Chicken Spinach Curry and cheese Nan combo. Very good.

October 6th

Monday October 5th

Working a full day after the travel day can be pretty brutal. Your brain at one point will just want to turn off. It knows that it should be asleep, it is just the light keeping your body awake. After work I attempted to go on base and get supplies for the oncoming Typhoon, I forgot the piece of paper that allows me to shop in my room. So it turned out to be a nice walk.

Ate at a Chinese restaurant in More's City. They had a UFO dumping plate. Interesting arrangement of delicious familiarity. I also had something made out of hot lava apparently. It had one pepper next to it on the menu, it still burns. I would hate to think what a three pepper item would do. Probably melt your face.

Looks like it will drop around 3 inches of rain tomorrow then around 20 between Wednesday and Thursday. That is life in the path of a Typhoon.

October 4th

Travel Day Attempt One and Two

Flights to Japan generally include one takeoff and one landing, not so fast for this trip. The plan was to fly Friday. Everything was going according to the plan, check-in, security, boarding. During takeoff the right engines generator failed. Not really a problem for flying, but as the 777 requires a lot of power during flight the APU would lower the fuel to the point where we wouldn't quite make the journey across the Pacific. So we turned around and landed. As we stepped off the plane they handed a sheet of paper with information about hotel and what number to call to get a new reservation. I called the number and was offered two options. I could fly to DC, then Singapore, then Osaka, and finally Narita; or I could fly the next day. I chose the option with one flight. I also decided to sleep in my own bed.

So Saturday was attempt number two. Before I left I noticed that I could use a shorter line to check in at the airport, so I used that line. Both that and the security line I had no one in front of me. So I was checked in and through security in 5 minutes. Not bad at all. Did all the normal airport stuff and then got on the plane. And it was completely full. Once we got in the air and the generator did not fail, the pilot told us that there would be areas of turbulence during the flight, it was the most turbulence I have ever been in. It was not bad but it was 90% of the time in the air.

Once landed, I headed for Immigration and Customs, and what a line. 4 flights had arrived at around the same time, it took 40 minutes to get through immigration, but I was one of the first off the Seattle plane so I got through customs quickly, my bag was waiting for me. Then it was time to check into the 1730 bus. It was about an hour before we headed out to the parking lot to load. Everybody was loaded and we were about ready to leave when I noticed one of my coworkers running towards the bus. She was returning from vacation in the Grand Canyon. Her boyfriend is someone in a different organization that I work with. So I got a ride to the hotel. I had called my other coworker Dave to tell the hotel I would be a day late, and they had everything lined up. Checked in and got settled. Then I met up with Dave and we headed for some late grub at Pepper Lunch. The e-coli scare has had an effect on the way that they deliver the meat. It now is cooked to the point where it is just about right. At least it is back open.

Got back to the hotel around 2100 and headed for bed. I woke up not at the usual 230-300 (Jet Lag) but by sirens going off. There were sirens, chanting and drums. All very exciting and I have absolutely no clue what was going on, but it has been quiet since then, also no earth quake so maybe it was a celebration.

Pictures

October 3rd

I apologize for the order, it is not chronological, still getting used to having two cameras.

Travel Day July 2nd

Got to visit the Red Carpet Lounge at the airport. Very nice, internet and a shower. The flight was delayed twice. We were on the runway ready to take off and a guy in business class started complaining about his seat. After trying several things, they eventually kicked him and his traveling companion off the plane. They removed their luggage and then we were back on the runway. A plane lost a tire, so we were standing by for around half an hour. After the all clear was given we took off.

The food was great and the flight went by fast.

Pictures

Thursday July 2nd

Wednesday July 1st

Today was Tie Dye day at work. We had a small group that put on shirts. It is a tradition back at the mother ship, it is the first time it has been done away from Bremerton.

Had a bbq for lunch today, we had a mix of Japanese and Americans who work together. About 50 in all showed up. It was good fun.

After work I met up with some coworkers. We went to Burger King. Then we headed to a Japanese restaurant and tried many different things. Good times.

Pictures

Wednesday July 1st

JSDC July 09 - 1

Tuesday June 30th

Went to a coworkers house for dinner. Brand me neighborhood, as we were having dinner, he received his first gift. It is traditional for people as they move in to give gifts to their neighbors. It is supposed to make up for any inconvenience that you have caused them.

Pictures

Tuesday June 30th

JSDC June 09 - 28

Monday June 29th

Had dinner at Taco Bell and then enjoyed Star Trek for the fifth time. Still awesome.


Pictures

Monday June 29th

JSDC June 09 - 27

Sunday June 28th

Started out the morning with breakfast at the hotel and then headed on base for a while. Did a little shopping and got lunch at Taco Bell.

New Hope Yokohama was having their 5th Anniversary celebration today. I met up with Paul to check it out. We had gone to the 4th Anniversary last year. It was a really big production with Hula dancers etc. The sermon was good and a few people made decisions. All in all pretty cool.

Paul had told me about this store that was near where the church met. So we looked for it, we walked for about an hour, did a loop and then realized that we had passed it within 5 minutes of starting to walk. Oh well, just a typical Japan adventure.

Had dinner at Nirvana, the chicken spinach curry was great.

Pictures

Sunday June 28th

JSDC June 09 - 26

Saturday June 27th

Had to head up to Tokyo one last time before I head back to the US. Got on the 902 limited express to Shinagawa. My buddy Bryan was already on the train as his house sits further out on the peninsula. Like the train schedule it worked out perfectly, both on the same car. The train conductor was being overly cautious in the corners. But a little extra time is worth the safety gained by it.

From Shinagawa we rode the Yamamote Line to Shimbashi. This is where I got to use a train I didn't even know existed. After a quick walk we hopped onto the train. We rode it out to Diaba station, where we got off. The entire area where this station is around is built on fill. It is a complete man made island. Pretty neat. The reason for the excursion up to this park was that they had built a 1:1 scale Gundam. After taking many pictures of it, we headed to the mall just north of the park. One quick stop to see a replica of the Statue of Liberty and then to Toys R Us. Pretty much exactly the same selection as back home, except everything has Kana and Kanji on it.

We had lunch at a Hawaii Burger joint. I had an excellent Turkey Avocado Sandwich on wheat bread. After walking around the mall, it was back to the park to take one last look at the craziness of the size of the statue of the Gundam.

From there we headed to Akihabara in search of AirSoft Guns. After going to Yodabashi and looking in every floor I found something very special. We came out a different exit than we had entered in. Out of the corner of my eye I caught a Doughnut Plant sign. I have been looking for one of these for about a year. I had a Black Out doughnut to celebrate the discovery. Best Doughnut I have ever had, hands down.

The search for Airsoft Continued by the station, we did find a place that had a really large selection of them. It is still strange to me that these BB guns have the same weight and feel as a real gun. In Japan they are not required to put the orange tips onto toy guns. The main reason is that they do not allow private ownership of actual firearms.

Decide to take the easy way back, go back to Shimbashi switch to Asakusa Toei line. This subway line turns into the line that goes directly back to Yokosuka. If you start out at Shimbashi you can sit down during the entire trip. Well worth the few extra minutes it takes to wait for the limited express train.

The rest of the day was made up by playing Little Big Planet (PS3) and then dinner at Denny's. It also marks the latest train I have ever caught. I caught the 5th to last train for the evening. Not too many folks ride this particular train.

Pictures

Saturday June 27th

JSDC June 09 - 25

Friday June 26th

Last Friday in Japan on this trip. Headed up to an outlet mall in Yokohama after work. The thing about shopping in Japan is you get a 10-15 percent markup on prices in the US. So even an outlet mall will be more expensive than they would be back home.

Had dinner at a restaurant at the mall. The waitress was the shortest person I have every dealt with. Sitting down I was looking down at her. Headed back to town. Got on the wrong train and ended up near where some additional Navy housing is. Got back to town after getting back to the correct line.

Burger King opened up tonight, there was a line outside the restaurant and many people were wearing the crowns. They also had one of the mayoral candidates giving a speech on the street tonight. Seems like wherever i got I cannot escape the madness of politics.

Pictures

Friday June 26th

JSDC June 09 - 24

Thursday June 25th

Decent weather today, dinner on base, Netflix. The winning combo.

Pictures

Thursday June 25th

JSDC June 09 - 23

Wednesday June 24th

The rain returned in a big way today. I took the shuttle from the hotel to work. I had to walk about 1/4 mile. By the time I got to the office, i was completely soaked. It doesn't feel much different than a Washington rain, but I think the drops are bigger.

Got a nice walk in after work. Spotted a base cat finally, it was cross eyed and looked as if it may have had rabies, so I stayed clear.

Ate dinner at the CPO club, it was Mongolian Night. I got a very good mix of meat and veggies.

Pictures

Wednesday June 24th

JSDC June 09 - 22

Tuesday June 23rd

For dinner the idea was Chili's. They happen to be closed today, which I did not find out until I got there, so it was changed to Italian Gardens. The whole trip took around an hour, but the food was good. No rain today, but clouds are gathering for tomorrow.

Pictures

Tuesday June 23rd

JSDC June 09 - 21

Monday June 22nd

Another day at work. The rainy season continues, got soaked on the way back from work. Microwave dinner tonight, just taking it easy.

Pictures

Monday June 22nd

JSDC June 09 - 20

Sunday June 21st

Just another lazy Sunday. Met with coworkers for breakfast brunch at the Officers Club. The food was amazing, prime rib, ham, omlets, the whole works. Stopped by for a little liquid energy at Starbucks. Did the weeks shopping at the comisary. All the while dodging the rain. It dumped in sheets today. Got absouluty soaked in the ten minute walk from the base to the hotel.

After drying out, decided to go for a quick walk around town and then pick up lunch at Taco Bell. The funny thing, is that I see more umbrellas on sunny days here than on rainy days.

Church on base, subway for dinner then Netflix.

Pictures

Sunday June 21

JSDC June 09 - 19

Saturday June 20th

Went to three different cities in one day. Started with breakfast at the hotel. After getting a quick spot of coffee from Starbucks, it was onto the train. Timed it just right the limited express was just pulling up as we got to the platform. After the sixth stop we got off the train, but quickly realized that it was going to the place that we needed to be at. The line turns into a subway line once it reaches Shinagawa. We arrived at Asakusa station and went for a nice walk to the shops around the temple. One of my coworkers was looking for shoes for his family. Somehow I managed to remember exactly where the store was located, even after a year.

After we picked up the shoes it was back on the trains. At the station we had a volunteer help us to buy the right tickets. It just confirmed what I was planning, so at least that was good. We went from Asakusa and transferred to the Hibiya line at Ginza. Finally we arrived at Roppongi. After finding the store and buying a keychain it was time to find some grub for lunch. We decided to eat that California Pizza Kitchen. It was back onto the train, switch and the get off at Kawasaki.

Lunch was good, but we still had one stop left on our journey. So we hopped back on the train and went to Costco. It was a mad house, but interesting to visit. After picking up some cookies for the BBQ it was back to Yokosuka.

After a quick stop at the hotel it was onto the BBQ. The BBQ was a mix of Japanese and Americans who I work with. The spread was awesome. And it was great to meet the families of the people that I work with. Although I think I communicated best with the two year old. After eating more than my fill it was back to the hotel and more Netflix.

Pictures

Saturday June 20th

JSDC June 09 - 17



JSDC June 09 - 18

Friday June 19th

Another beautiful Friday in Japan. Got in an excellent walk after work. Walked from base to Homes and back to the hotel. The whole trip took around an hour and a half. Took in the action at the fishing pier. I did not witness any fish being caught but people were trying hard.

Had dinner at Taco Bell. Then went back to the hotel room and caught up on some Netflix.


Pictures

Friday June 19th

JSDC June 09 - 16

Thursday June 18th

The weather has continued to be very comfortable during the day. The rain has managed to stay away for the most part during the entire trip.

Dinner was Pepper Lunch.

Pictures

Thursday June 18th

JSDC June 09 - 15

Wednesday June 17th

Took a couple pictures of the street during the thunderstorm last night. From around 9 PM to midnight the whole sky was a light show. Didn't get the best rest, but got a great front row seat to thunder and lightning.

Went back to 12 Frogs for dinner. As always very good.

Pictures

Wednesday June 17th

JSDC June 09 - 14

Tuesday June 16th

Another Birthday in Japan.

Went to the Yakitori place for dinner. Had bacon wrapped asparagus, mushrooms, and chicken. It was extremely tasty.

Some coworkers took me out for lunch at Chilis. The Bacon Mushroom burger was very good.

Pictures

Tuesday June 16th

JSDC June 09 - 13

Monday June 15th

For dinner I went out to the Indian resturant again. This time I tried the Mutton Curry which was very good. The engineering manager went for regular curry and regular nan. When they brought out the nan it looked like a rabbit. Pretty creative.

Pictures

Monday June 15th

JSDC June 09 - 12

Sunday, June 14th 09

Another fine day of work. Went to dinner at Taco Bell and church on base.

Pictures

Sunday 14th

JSDC June 09 - 11

Saturday June 13th

Long day at work. Decided to go for the quick and easy dinner. Pepper Lunch.

Pictures

Saturday 13th

JSDC June 09 - 10

Friday June 12th

Went up to Kawaski with my buddy Bryan after work to try and find the California Pizza Kitchen. Getting there was extremely easy. The same train line that I always take and just one stop past Yokohama.

Kawaski is really impressive. The mall that the CPK is in is huge even by American Mall standards. We split a California Club pizza. Thin crust, chicken, bacon, and avecado. It was very good.

Came back watched some TV and then Bryan had to run. He flies tomorrow for his two weeks off this year. Good times.

Pictures

Friday June 12th

JSDC June 09 - 9

Thursday, June 11th

Was able to show another excellent resturant to a new person. We went to the Katsu place that serves a very good garlic and pork loin cutlet. The rain has returned at my request.

Pictures

Thursday 11th

JSDC JUNE 09 - 8

Wednesday, June 10th

The rainy season has not lived up to its name yet. But there are still three weeks left in my trip. I am sure that I will not be disappointed. I also left my rain suit at home, so for it not to have rained yet is a little strange.

Went through UniQlo and found another awesome shirt. it is for a health drink that I tried earlier this year. It has a D on the label. I cannot read any of the rest of it, but it is really awesome.

I did have once fun experience. I was standing waiting for the light to change and kept noticing that branches were falling on the street. I looked up to see a crow pulling the branches from the tree. So the picture that is hard to make out, is actually of the aforementioned crow at work.

Had Taco Bell for dinner. I know really stepping out of my boundaries. Two more days until weekend, sweet.

Pictures

Wenesday 10th

JSDC - June 09 - 7

Tuesday June 9th

It is starting to warm up. The sun still has only made an appearance Sunday, but the temps are rising. The humidity feels to be doing the exact same thing. Had dinner at the Green Leaf for the first time on this trip. Brought the engineering manager as he had never been. I tried to order a very good dish for him. It was supposed to be a sauce on rice. Instead it ended up being the sauce in a soup. I had the standard soup with soba noodles and a half serving of Gyoza. Weekdays really fly by.

Pictures

Tuesday 9th

JSDC June 09 - 6

Monday June 8th

Met up with a few coworkers 2 current and one former for dinner. We attempted to go to Pepper Lunch at first. Just like Saturday in Akihabara it was full. So we then changed course to go to the Tonkatsu place. Only to discover that it was not open. This little trip gave enough time for Pepper Lunch to clear out. It has become academic at this point for the food to turn out awesome. Apply the sauces and flipping the steak at the right time, truly become second nature.

I did find a really awesome drink for tomorrows challenge.

Monday 8th

JSDC June 09 - 5

Sunday, June 7th, 2009

Today I walked the most I have ever walked in Japan. After Breakfast I went for a walk around Yokosuka. It took about an hour, but I went by Homes, and the fishing pier. It was before 9 so nobody was really out except for the fishers.

I decided to go to Yokohama for some shopping and walking. I walked out past the World Porters mall to the mall that is made out of bricks. I then noticed that I was not that far away from the Marine Tower. So I kept walking and walking. I eventually ended up near the tower. Then I decided to head back to try to check the UniQlo out near the train station.

They had a better selection but I am still searching for the Arkinoid tee shirt. So I decided to get some lunch. Subway is a little different here. The wheat bread looks very similar to the white bread back home. And cheese is not included in the cost of the sandwich. Didn't really need cheese. It was very good.

I hopped back on the train to Yokohama station. I decided to check out the UniQlo by Tokyu Hands. Didn't have the shirt. I also ran out of battery life in my Camera, and missed a few good shots.

I went back to Yokosuka and got ready for church. I went to the Church on base this week. It was a great sermon on Romans 13. On the way back to the hotel I picked up some Taco Bell for dinner. Ended the night by watching the Sermons in the current series at New Hope Tokyo.

There is also a crazy cat that lives on the first floor of the hotel, it has a chunk missing out of one ear. Not a cat that I would want to mess with.

Sunday 7th

JSDC June 09 - 4