TSUNAMI.... burgers and beer!

Too soon????

delicious tsunami burger (American style) &
Tsunami beer from Hawaii

Yokosuka Tsunami Burger

Friends and family... please don't worry!  I'm fine out here, despite what you are hearing on CNN and other media!  Still no changes as of yet.  Hopefully they get the nuclear reactor under control very soon and the radiation doesn't increase.  It's been rainy and gross out for the past two days, so I feel even more like a prisoner in our own houses.  But, I was able to get out the other night with some friends to a restaurant out in town... ironically called Tsunami!  We enjoyed a delicious tsunami burger and tsunami beer!  (I swear we're not sick in the mind, we're just trying to lighten the stress at our "end of the world party"!)  :)

Yokosuka's turning into a Ghost-town...

The last ship left in our dock, the GW, finally pulled out today leaving our base an even more ghost-town than it already is right now.  The military assisted evacuation has finally been approved and is under way moving a lot of the dependents and families back to the states.  A lot of the places and services on base are either limited hours or shut down due to decreased manning.  All the active duty members are still here though since we still have a job to do.  We will only be evacuated if it becomes mandatory.  Who knows if that will happen with the way things keep changing every hour of every day.

We were told a few days ago already to pack a bag and be ready to go in the case of a mandatory evacuation.  So, since then, I've had my suitcase in the car and pretty much living out of a book bag.  It was a really weird feeling walking through my house and trying to decide what to pack since we don't know where we're going and how long we're going for if we do.

I've been staying on base lately with some friends for a few reasons... a) we have daily musters every morning, b) Japan continues to have little aftershocks and since I live on the 7th floor of a tower, I feel it much more, c) rolling blackouts continue to happen to save up enough energy to cool down the reactors, d) locals are saving energy out in town which makes it a lot darker out there than normal, e) and last but not least... i just don't want to be alone, so I stay with my Navy family!

But, on the bright side, they just distributed our 5 day supply of Potassium Iodide pills today!  Now, don't worry, we don't have to take them yet.  I think it's funny how people back on the west coast have already been getting these pills earlier in the week when they're about 10,000 miles farther away than we are over here in Japan!  That's Americans for ya...  

hmmm, is there something they're not telling
us by passing these out today???

8.9 Earthquake and Tsunamis devastate Japan!!

I was woken up yesterday at 1446 by an the worst earthquake I've ever felt.  I've been woken up before by them and most of the time it's no big deal and I go right back to sleep.  This one was a lot different.  It started off as a slow rumbling and and continued into a strong shaking.  I wasn't really sure what to do so I quickly got dressed and stood in my door frame and ran through different emergency scenarios in my head.  The shaking lasted for about 4 or 5 minutes or so.  When it stopped I tried calling my friends to see if they were ok but the phones were down.  Then I tried looking online, but my internet was down along with the power.  Then another one started up just about as strong as the first one.  I was getting super freaked out at this point cause I didn't know how close the epicenter was and I couldn't get ahold of anyone.  The local police started driving around making announcements over loudspeakers... except I couldn't understand them since they were all in Japanese!!  (I later learned they were tsunami warnings)  I wasn't sure if I should get out of my apartment or not, and if I did, I didn't know where to go.  I stayed in my place until about 5ish scared stiff from all the continuing aftershocks when a friend finally got through to me saying that a few girls were all hanging out at the hospital because they didn't know where to go either.  So of course I went there and camped out at the hospital for the night.  At least I was with other people and had news and internet to contact family!

What would you do if you got this text
message??  I guess they're trying to say,
hold on cause its gonna be rockin' soon!

Right now I'm sitting here with the random emergency earthquake texts on my phone.  It's a very unnerving loud beeping sound with a little stick-man saying EARTHQUAKE followed by a bunch of kanji that I can't understand.  So I turn on TV and try to translate the Japanese news channel to figure out where it was.  Sounds like a fun night, huh!  But, I did get some pictures of all the damage they're showing on TV.

I still can't get over all the devastating damage from the earthquake and tsunamis up north.  Yokosuka is about 250 or so miles south from Sendai, Japan where the epicenter is.  The US Navy has already deployed a few ships from here and the surrounding Pacific up north to help out with whatever they need.  I haven't heard of any medical personnel going up there yet, but I will definitely keep you posted.  Please keep all those affected by this disaster in your thoughts and prayers during the many days ahead of us.

See I can understand Kanji... 5.8 earthquake at 2303.
Where you ask... haven't figured that out yet, but I definitely
felt it!  That's what the internet's for.  Let's hope it doesn't
go out again!

The fires breaking out up north.  Note the little map in the
corner - that's showing all the tsunami warnings.  Luckily,
we're ok in Yokosuka.

Yes, that's 2 ships on top of a house!  Crazy!

And to think that Japan is leading in earthquake-proof
architecture... That's one strong quake!  (well technically
many many quakes now, but still)

Tsunami wiping out much of the north-eastern coast of Japan

Mt Fuji Sightseeing around Hakone

Mt Fuji from the top of Mt Kintoki (Hakone, Japan)

What better way to wake up than hike up a mountain to have an amazing view of Mt Fuji from the top?  Hmm... I can't think of any!

Fuji-Hakone Guest House... definitely recommend it
to anyone traveling in the area!  Very friendly
English speaking staff.

Amanda and I spent the night in Hakone at a little guest house.  We decided to do the traditional Japanese tatami room sleeping on futon mats on the floor.  Surprisingly it was very comfortable and quaint.  We had our own private outdoor and outdoor onsen.  It was perfect after a long work week!  Hakone brews their own "organic" beer, and of course Amanda and I found it!  We were just walking down the street when I noticed a beer bottle with Fuji printed on it sitting in a cooler.  And literally the cooler was on the side of the road just like every other vending machine!  And also, just like every other town in Japan, it had some sort of shrine and temple.

Traditional Japanese tatami room

Our own private little onsen (hot spring)

Mt Kintoki, Hakone

Summit time for our morning hike... no big deal!

The next morning we hiked up Mt Kintoki (1213m high).  It was a little harder than we were expecting with all the mud from the ice melting.  When we got to the top, we were greeted with a spectacular view of Mt Fuji and Lake Ashi.  There was just so much to take in up there, I wish we could have spent all day up there!  But there was still a lot to be seen in Hakone, so we had to make our way back down.  Too bad all the older Japanese guys were flying by us on the way down because apparently we weren't prepared for the steep, muddy trail.  Oh well, at least we didn't bite it!  Thank God!

A Japanese lady had us sign the book of everyone who
made it to the top of Mt Kintoki.  Kinda cool looking
at all the different languages in there!

Lake Ashi from Mt Kintoki

Owakudani

After the hike, we explored the rest of Hakone.  Think of a train, bus, cable car, gondola, and pirate ship... yes, we had it all!  We went from downtown Hakone to Gora to Owakudani, Lake Ashi and ended in Hakone-machi.  The gondola took us up to Owakudai, a volcanic area with sulfuric steam and warm rivers.  Our onsen the night before was filled from this volcano.  Next we boarded a pirate ship (don't ask me the meaning of the pirate ship in Japan, because I'm still trying to figure that out) and sailed across Lake Ashi passing by a very famous view of Mt Fuji and the Hakone-machi tori gate.

View of Mt Fuji from Owakudai with the sulfuric steam
coming from the ground.

Owakudani

Lake Ashi

I love this picture from Owakudani

One of the most famous views of Fuji and its lakes.

hanging out on the pirate ship on Lake Ashi 

Hakone shrine

Hakone shrine

trying out the Japanese pajamas they gave us at the hotel

Nagano's Matsumoto Castle & Snow Monkey Park

Kayla, Kristin, Tatum and I in front of the moat at Matsumoto Castle

The insanely steep stairs inside the castle.
I can't believe the samurais had to run up and
down these in armour without falling!

There is more to Nagano, Japan, than just skiing.  Nagano is also known for Matsumoto Castle, a 500 year old five-story castle.  This castle is very unique in its architecture.  It's one of the only castles in Japan with the main color being black while most of the castles are white.  The black color gave the castle its nickname "Karasujo" (Crow Castle) and the brooding color was designed to sow fear in the hearts of any approaching attackers.  Matsumoto Castle is built on flat ground and has a large moat as a means of defense.  The castle was not designed for permanent residency, purely for military purposes.  The insides of the castle were very different from what I was expecting, with vast, open wooden rooms.  The samurai mostly lived on the bottom floor where all their food and supplies were kept.  Visitors to the castle must take off their shoes as they climb up the steep wooden stairs.  I could not believe how steep these stairs were; I'm surprised I didn't slip and fall!

Nagano is also known for their apple orchards.  We stopped at this lunch place with traditional Japanese food along with fresh squeezed apple juice and homemade ice cream.  Needless to say, I enjoyed lunch a little too much!

Many of the rest stops and restaurants in Japan have these vending machine looking things where you order your food.  Once you punch in what you want, you bring the tickets up to the counter where you get your food.  It takes out all the interaction between waiters and diners!  Oh well, guess there wouldn't be too much interaction anyways with the language barrier!

Next stop was the Snow Monkey Park.  We hiked about 1.5-2 miles up a trail to an onsen area in the mountains.  This onsen is taken over by about sixty or so wild monkeys minding their own business.  It's one of the only places where you can get up close and personal with wild monkeys.  I mean, at one point, I had a monkey run right over my foot!  This trip made me want my childhood dream of having a pet monkey, to come true even more.  There was even a part at the bottom of the park that you could get in an onsen with the snow monkeys.  I wasn't all about that since it was outside and it was one of the naked onsens.  It was open for all the people to see too!  There were a few Japanese guys in it when we were walking by.  Crazy!  The walk up there was beautiful with snow falling all around us!  It felt like I was in a snow globe.

Snow Monkey Park, Nagano, Japan

Beautiful walk on a snow covered trail!

Onsen at the bottom of the park.  Notice the Japanese on
the left and the snow monkeys on the right. 

How cool would it be to just chill in a hot spring all day!

The girls at the snow monkey park

I love this picture!  Check out the koi fish in the moat
surrounding the castle.

The inside of the castle... very bare and open..

Pringles, yes!  Maybe not the same flavors I'm used to though.

Japan loves their Kit-Kats!  Each region/prefecture has
their own flavor unique to that area.
Most of the flavors are limited editions and are somewhat hard to find.
They're mostly always available at rest stops.  I'm definitely
excited to try the apple and blueberry cheesecake!  I think
I'll pass on the chili power for now.

Sapporo Beer Factory (Part 2)

Sapporo Beer Garden and Museum

There was only two things on our must do list when we went up to Sapporo.  We already checked out all the snow and ice sculptures, so there was only one thing left to do... Sapporo Beer Factory!!  Japan is known for several beers, Sapporo being the best of course, then Asahi and Kirin.  If you know me at all, you know that i LOVE beer!  So, if I ever visit a city that has a brewery, of course I'm going to go to it!  And it's also a given that my partner in crime LOVES beer, so it wasn't even a question if we were going to go there.  :)

We found our spot in the Beer Garden tasting room, sampling some delicious beers!  My favorites were the Carmel Ale and Chocolate Stout.  I recommend both of these if you're looking for a specialty beer!  Amanda stuck to the Sapporo Classic draft beers.

After spending the afternoon with Tim and Kristin at the Beer Factory, Amanda and I made our way back downtown to check out some of the sculptures at night again before we had to head to the airport.  Of course, with our luck, our plane ended up being delayed a little over an hour and a half... meaning we would miss the last train back into Yokosuka by 15 minutes or so.  NO BUENO!!  We start brainstorming our options to get back to base in time to make it to work by 0645 the next morning.  If I wasn't working the next morning, we would have slept at the airport for a few hours and caught the first train back in the morning, but it didn't get there until 0633 and that was cutting it WAY to close.  The only other choice was to take a taxi back to base which would have been around 150-200 each!  Ahhh!  But of course, everything works out with us and we end up talking to the only other Americans on our flight which ended up being from Yokosuka also.  We caught a ride back to base with them, so everything worked out in the end.  That just means we can still take all these little random trips on our days off!!  Who's in for our next one?

There were so many beers to be tasted!  (Kristin, Tim, Amanda and I)

"I will take one of each please!!"

Delicious dark chocolate stout!  Where can I
find myself another please!!

They wanted to join in the snow festival frenzy too!

Japan LOVES their beer as you can tell!