Springtime is HERE!!

Hundreds of Japanese were relaxing and enjoying a picnic in Shinjuku-goyen National Park

In Japan, the cherry blossom symbolizes the nature of life and are widely used in Japanese culture and art.  The cherry blossom is also depicted on a 100 yen coin (equal to our dollar bill).  "Sakura" viewing, the Japanese translation for cherry blossom, dates back to hundreds of years ago when the custom was originally limited to the elite of the Imperial court but eventually spread to the common people as well.  Today, many festivals and celebrations are held during cherry blossom season and people enjoy picnics while sitting under sakura trees.

Shinjuku-goyen with Tokyo Tower in the background

Carrie and I went up to Tokyo to check out the cherry blossoms there.  We went to the Imperial Palace where they still weren't in full bloom and then onto Shinjuku-goyen National Park.  It's rated among the top places for viewing around Tokyo.  I would definitely have to agree!  There were hundreds of people enjoying picnics and walking around the park on this beautiful spring day!  You can't help but smile when you're walking down a path completely surrounded by flowers and cherry blossoms.  Spring is definitely here and I could not be more excited.  I'm just going to let the pictures speak for themselves since that's what you really want to see anyways!

This is one of my favorite pics!

Lots of women were dressed up in their spring kimonos.

What a perfect day to spend walking around Tokyo! 

It was like a canopy of cherry blossoms!

WOW!  I couldn't believe how full the trees were!

Traditional Japanese tea house with cherry blossoms.

I found my new favorite burger place in Tokyo...
Freshness Burger!!

Cherry blossoms in Kamakura

Leah, Carrie, Kelli, Christina and I at the Great Budda

Christina, Leah and I at the main shrine

Yesterday was the first time I was able to get away from Yokosuka in a while.  Some of the other nurses and I went to Kamakura to check out the cherry blossoms.  Although they were only at about 50% bloom they were still very pretty and worth the trip!  We went to the main shrine and the Great Buddha, both of which I visited when I first moved here, and we also checked out the Hase Kannon Temple.  It's nice to see the sights in  different seasons.

The long walk through the torri gates to
the main shrine.  Even though they weren't
at full bloom, it was still pretty!

Local vendors wearing "Don't Give Up, Japan" shirts.

Many local Japanese street vendors are all working together to support their country during this time of disaster.  Part of the proceeds went towards a fund for the people of Sendai and the other surrounding towns that were devastated during the earthquake and tsunami.  I thought it was pretty cool to see them all wearing "Don't give up Japan" t-shirts.

Hase Kannon Temple

All the statues representing loss of children and
miscarriages.

The legend behind the Hase Kannon Temple is actually pretty interesting that I just learned about.  Kannon is the Japanese goddess for mercy.  As legend has it, in 721 a pious monk discovered a large camphor tree in the mountain forests near the village of Hase in the Nara region (close to Osaka a few hours south-west from Yokosuka).  He realized the trunk of the tree was so large that it provided enough material for carving two statues of the eleven-headed Kannon.  The statue he carved from the lower part of the trunk was enshrined in Hasedera Temple near Nara.  The statue from the upper half (actually the larger one) was thrown into the sea near Osaka with a prayer that it would reappear to save the people.  Fifteen years later, it washed ashore at Nagai Beach on the Miura Peninsula not too far from Kamakura, sending out rays of light as it did.  The statue was then brought to Kamakura and a temple was constructed to honor it.  Today, people come from all over to honor their lost children from miscarriages by placing miniature statues at the temple to be watched over by Kannon.

Cherry blossoms next to the koi pond at the main shrine

Cleansing station at the Great Buddha.

Cherry blossoms at the Great Buddha

View from the top of Hase Kannon Temple.  The land in the
distance is Miura Peninsula.

Cherry blossoms in a park walking from the train station in Yokosuka

One of the many delicious sushi-go-rounds!!  SO GOOD!

Running around Yokosuka...

Lighthouse at the top of the cliffs in Uraga

Even though I haven't been able to travel anywhere the past few weeks, I've still been keeping busy.  I've been checking out some new runs around Yokosuka with some friends.  The lighthouse pictures are from a park in Uraga (a few train stops past mine to the south).  Taura Plum blossom park (3 train stops north of yoko) is also another beautiful run up on a hill looking over Yokosuka and the harbor.  I was lucky to catch Taura's plum blossoms just starting to bloom.  Plum blossoms usually bloom a few weeks earlier than the cherry blossoms.

Uraga park...  Awesome trails looking over the water!

Kim Gerber and I on a run at Taura

Seeing this at the top was worth the 10 mile run and hundreds of stairs!

Taking a break while looking out over Yokosuka

This wasn't even all of them!  But, they sure were
 a butt-kicker in the middle of the run.

I got to catch a cool sunset on the way back from Taura.

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