Household Days

Even on vacation there are days when you either don't venture out a lot or you really only venture out to do maintenance jobs. Monday and Tuesday were definitely those days (especially during the day time). The motel we are staying at does Tom's laundry twice a week at no additional charge. Some kind of benefit they have lined up with the Navy. Not so lucky for me though. We either had to pay to have it done through the motel (I didn't even want to ask what that would cost) or do it ourselves off site (because of cours they don't have a laundry mat at the hotel). Luckily, I have a friend on base that let me come use her washer and dryer. So I spent most of Monday, while Tom was at work, getting ready for it, waiting for the time that was available for Shari, and then doing the fun activity called laundry. Her family is a lot of fun though, so I have to admit I thoroughly enjoyed myself at her house listening to her kids and husband do normal family after-school activities. I was also able to watch NCIS online. For those of you that don't know (this was me about a week ago) any online viewing of TV shows and movies are impossible outside the United States. Something to do with licensing and such. The base is different though. Because of the special circumstances of Navy life, they are the exception to this rule for obvious reasons. It's a good think Tom and I brought our own movies with us!

That night (after the laundry was done) Tom and I wandered around Yokosuka and decided to try this little Chinese Restaurant. We decided to split a meal & an appetizer. It was one of those restaurants where you sit at the bar and can watch all the cooks behind the bar preparing everyone's meals. Here in Japan chopsticks are a must. It's a good think I knew the basics of using them from when I was little (thanks Dad) or I'd be lost. I've gotten a little better since we've been here. Tom has always liked using them, so he's a little better than me. There are also a fair amount of american restaurants around. I'd like to formally apologize to the poor people of Japan for introducing MacDonalds, Burger King, and many other fast food restaurants to their diets. This can not be a good thing. We ran across a KFC. Most of you know I previously worked with KFC, so I have an emotional attachment to this company. I had to take my picture next to the life size Colonel Sanders!

Yesterday the weather was horrible. This is not weather that would have phased me back home, because I can go anywhere I want to go in a car and run into any building I'm going to. It's a little different when you walk everywhere. I have to admit I hibernated in my motel room for most of the day. I would look outside and see little people scurrying around with their umbrellas whipping every which way and rain coming down like crazy. Call me nuts, but I didn't want to go out in that...brrrrr. So instead I stayed in an watched the entire show of V, that I have on DVD. This is the original 1984 show, not the current ABC version. It's old and little corny but I still love it!

Tom had to stay a little late at work, so when he finally got home we got all our warm clothes and rain coats on (we're to tough for umbrellas) and ventured into the cold weather. Tom had asked around a found out that at the Yokohama train station there is tons of stores and restaurants within the station and we wouldn't have to even leave. The question was how to get there. The train and bus lines here are a constant way of life. There are cars, but most people only use them on the weekends. The rest of the week they walk, ride bicycles, buses and trains to commute to and from their various destinations. Very cool! The problem we ran into was reading the train schedule. Try figuring out how to use a system you are not familiar with in a language you don't know. Luckily they did have the different cities listed in English so after much studying and consulting one with another we figured it out. The trains were an experience. The trip up to Yokohama wasn't too bad, but the trip back was like sardines in a tin can. Hilarious! It was actually fun, just because it was so different! The Yokohama train station was huge! We wandered around it for a while and had a delicious meal. It was our first real Japanese restaurant, with a menu in Japanese, and waiters that pretty much didn't speak any english. A lot of pointing and gesturing but we eventually figured out how to communicate well enough for them to know what we wanted. Overall an educational trip that was a lot of fun!