A Japanese Field Trip

Another first in the books. We had Elin's first field trip today. The kids got to ride the bus to the local aquarium. The mom's were instructed to meet the kids there for a family outing.

They arrived in classic Kyubun style, lined up for a formal greeting with the headmistress. It really is quite hilarious watching 80 preschoolers attempting to stand in line for 10 minutes. Chaos indeed.

In true Japanese fashion we started with a mommy & kid class picture with a professional photographer.  Given I had to be IN the picture, I don't have any evidence of the event. But it was pretty memorable. Hopefully Elin at least looked at the camera. 

The aquarium has a typical assortment of sea life including dolphins, manta rays, turtles, and sting rays.  The last time we visited Elin was a tiny tot!

Declan came along for the fun. Superman clearly thinks he's ready to hang in the big leagues. 

At the end of the morning everyone lined up for a formal goodbye to their senseis (teachers) & the headmistress. As expected, a colorful chaotic blur of preschool mayhem followed as children attempted to meet up with their mothers. Tears, laughter, oopsies and meltdowns for everyone! 

Matane,

Caitlyn

Deer, Deer & More Deer!

After deployment Colin wanted nothing more than to get in the car and drive. So we decided to visit Iwakuni, Hiroshima and the island of Miyajima shortly before we went to Korea. Colin had a four day weekend so we were able to stretch out the trip a bit and enjoy our time up there. There is an air base in Iwakuni that provided a nice place for us to stay.

We checked out Miyajima on the first day. Colin visited this island several years ago during a deployment. All I remembered was the story of four guys (Colin being one of them) sitting around a map of the island when a deer walked up and ate the map. If it weren't for the pictures there is no way I would have believed them. So I was pretty excited to come and see these map eating deer. It didn't take long. Two minutes after we walked off the ferry a deer walked up to us and ate the baggage tag off Elin's stroller. I guess the legend is true!

Seriously kid, a pebble? We dine on paper products only thank you. 

The deer are pretty friendly. So friendly in fact, they walk right up to storefronts looking for friends...or food perhaps. 

So uh, are you gonna finish that? 

There were some beautiful views from the island. It's a very idyllic place, if it weren't necessary to get back to the hotel for a certain toddler's nap, I think I could have sat on the beach all day and enjoyed the absolutely perfect weather we had!

Miyajima is known for their handmade rice scoops.
Elin and I decided to pose in front of a Big Foot sized scoop. 

Of course no trip to a Japanese tourist spot is complete without a food story. We saw a stand selling steamed buns and remembering the amazing dim sum steamed buns we had in Hong Kong a few years back we just had to try them. We opted for the meat filled buns over the squid filled buns. No surprise there. They were pretty much bread heaven. Even Elin enjoyed them. It was filled with a saucy minced meat mixture with a slightly sweet flavor. If they weren't $5 a piece we would have had another! 

Not feeling completely full my pregnant self wanted to try this bread on a stick that I saw people snacking on. I'd say this was my first foodie mistake since we arrived. While I'm still not sure what it's called or what sea creature it might have come from, it definitely wasn't bread. I'd say it was more along the lines of gelatinous squid on a stick. 

To cleanse our palates we indulged in some ice cream. It even came with a rice scoop shaped waffle crisp! 

After nap time we drove over to the Kintai Bridge not far from our hotel in Iwakuni. The bridge was constructed entirely of wood and is open to pedestrians only. Elin had a blast going up and down the "humps" singing "Alice the Camel."

Father and daughter enjoyed some good bonding time. 

Elin schooled Colin on the art of skipping rock. 

Then it was time to go. Someone wasn't game. 

We also drove up to Hiroshima to check out the Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Museum. Very similar in nature to the Nagasaki Peace Park & Museum we found it very well done. They have done a great job of preserving this building at the hypocenter.

 

Overall it was a great trip. We decided Iwakuni is about the furthest we are willing to drive in Japan. The toll road was pretty nice but we still only maintained about a 45-50mph speed which can drag over 4 1/2 hours. Still the $150 in tolls beat the cost of train tickets and cabs, something we are always juggling in our new country! The toll roads here do have some really nice rest stops. We stopped at a diner under the toll road bridge that connects the islands of Honshu (main island) and Kyushu (our island). It was no Denny's however, we were impressed with what we were served for very little yen. Elin even enjoyed her kids meal!

Matane,

Caitlyn

WWII Radio Tower Visit

So I'm waiting for Elin to wake up from her nap and today is one of those days where I never know if it's going to be a 1 hour nap day or a 3 1/2 hour nap day. However we're approaching the 3 hour mark so I thought I'd sit down and write about yesterday's field trip to the Radio Towers here in Sasebo. I had an opportunity to go with some other spouses from the OSC to visit this historic site that is only ten minutes from our houses. These towers can been seen from all over the city and hold quite a bit of historical significance. They are responsible for sending the order "Niitakayama Nobore 1208" to the Japanese Imperial Navy to attack Pearl Harbor in 1941, bringing the United States into World War II. Along with similar towers in Tokyo and Taiwan, they were used throughout the war to broadcast information to the fleet.

Despite the towers' grave significance to Americans, it was a unique opportunity as it is not open to the public. Our tour guide explained they are in the process of adding the site to the National Registry so they can preserve its history.

There are three towers that surround a wireless telegraph station which would relay messages north, southwest and east...hence the three towers. We were allowed to visit the inside of Tower #1. Inside lies a crank that would be used to tighten the cable to the telegraph station to improve the clarity of the messages. 

Thanks to a photography class I recently took I learned how to use my camera to photograph the inside of a dark space. With no indoor lighting it is essentially pitch black inside. However tiny windows above us allowed in a bit of light that showed off the impressive structure of the tower. 

Here is the telegraph station. The station and towers were actually in use until 1997. If you look at the beam covered in vine below, you will see the support for the wire that was connected to Tower #1. Tower #3 stands behind the building. Given it was a cold, dreary day, combined with the overgrown brush and decaying buildings, it really brought a surreal feeling to the experience. 

We couldn't quite figure out what this little hole in the building was for but I did find it quite entertaining that it held empty sake bottles. For a rainy day perhaps? 

This reminded me of our time diving in Chuuk and all of the sake bottles that still remain in sunken ships on the ocean floor. I doubt they are from the 40's like the one below but I still found it to be funny. 

                                        

So anyway, it was a really neat experience to see something like this. I love studying history and having the opportunity to live in a country that was an enemy of ours just over 70 years ago really provides some fascinating experiences. I can't wait for the next one!

Matane,

Caitlyn