Sakura, Sakura!

Spring is beautiful anywhere, and Japan is no exception.  The Japanese are a bit nuts about the cherry blossom trees, or sakura, and you see folks carrying around cameras snapping pictures of them everywhere.  Because we have adopted the 'Do as the Japanese Do' motto, here are some pictures we took at a local park of us and the trees.

Beautiful, aren't they?  And the trees are nice too.

The girls are into giving each other kisses these days, which is really sweet.... until someone's had enough and decides to punch or bite or kick instead of kiss

These two are growing up so fast.  Ellis can repeat most any word you ask her to, and uses short sentences already.  She goes potty (though I wouldn't call her potty trained) and has roll-on-the-floor tantrums when life doesn't go her way.

And this kid starts kindergarten next week.  Last weekend I took the train to a Japanese department store and bought her school supplies.  She needed: inside shoes and a shoe bag, a plastic cup and cup bag, lunch bag, a bag to go over her seat cushion/disaster hood, a towel with a loop, a face mask (which she actually really likes to wear), and tissues.  I found everything -all with My Melody- her new favorite character.  

Someone may need a haircut soon

This looks like a camera trick, but it's just two tunnels side-by-side at the park

Hey Look!  More Cherry Blossoms!

One month in and we still really love Japan.  Which is good, because we have to stay here awhile :)

"New" Car

I finally picked up my car. I have been looking around and around for a cheap car to get me to and from work. I had a few a criteria of what I was looking for: (1) Air conditioning; (2) something really small; (3) Something you can't buy in the states; (4) something that is really ugly, and: (5) something good on gas. I hit a land mine with this one and it is especially ugly! I bought a 1998 Daihatsu Move. It is considered a "micro" car. It has 4-cyl's and TURBO Charged! I bought it from a creepy American guy who goes to the auctions here in Japan and buys cars, "fixes" them up and sells them mainly to service members. He has a Facebook page that I have been following for a while. He posts cars on there and I saw this one a few weeks ago and started to inquire. Up until now, I have been taking the blue La Festa every morning to work, working for 10 hours or so and stranding Shannon and the girls at home. I thought it was about time I buy myself a commuter. The guy had to fix it up and do some repairs to it before I could pick it up. I finally got her this weekend and she is beauty. I cleaned her up really good and she is ready to go tomorrow morning.

This is the Move fitting nicely into our only parking spot. I have to park it two blocks away at the owners' business parking lot. 

Pretty sweet!

Things are still going well and we are slowly expanding our radius of comfort. We both took the train yesterday solo. I took the train to base to pick up the car and Shannon took it to go shopping for LC's school supplies. We both made it back, too. Work has been really slow with all the DETs being out at sea. 3 of the 4 return this week so things should start picking up. Hopefully I can fly more. We haven't been able to fly these past weeks because the only helo we had back at the squadron (the 4 DETs too the other 8) was broken. 

They are telling me that I will be taking over a Detachment in July/Aug of this year. To explain a little what that means is something like this: I will be the Officer in Charge of a 2 helicopter, 6 total pilots, and ~20 maintainers on a ship that deploys. We deploy on Destroyers and Cruisers and we pack up our people and gear, load them all on a truck and take them to the ship. We onload everything on the ship, fly the helicopters on the ship and the ship becomes our home whenever they deploy. So I will turn over with the current OIC probably in July/Aug. The ironic piece to this all is that it is looking like ill be the DET OIC on the USS MCCAMPBELL. This ship was my sister, Sonya's, ship that she was stationed on from ~2000-2004. Sonya was on it when it was finishing up being built in Maine, road it around to get it commissioned in San Francisco (I was there for the commissioning) and then eventually be stationed in San Diego. So pretty neat. A few years ago it was moved to Japan to relieve one of the older ships out here.) But how coincidental is that?! Since all ships and squadrons out here are considered "forward deployed" there are no work-ups or training exercises before they deploy. They/We are always ready and whenever they leave port it is for a mission. So that is pretty cool that everything we do is operational out here and you don't have to do all those stupid exercises and war games and be evaluated. It is looking like I'll be deployed for a few months (Set-Nov) and then home for the holidays. Hopefully we can hit some good ports too. 

I took LC and E to the Sagamihara park this weekend that is about a 15 min bike ride away. We have an awesome bike trailer that Poppy and BB gave us. I get the strangest looks from the Japanese. I don't know if they haven't seen one before or they were laughing at me because it was a lot of work towing the girls up and down hills. The park was awesome though. It had tons of Cherry Blossom trees that are just starting to bloom. There were awesome fountains and playground equipment too. We will have to frequent that place as the weather continues to get nicer. 

Overall we have been pretty happy with our house. It is really close to a lot of things. 10 min walk to the train station, 5 min drive to the Army Base (Commissary), 15 min bike ride to that park, parks all around, grocery stores and a quiet neighborhood. This is the little side street we live on that never gets any traffic. So this will be our little lane like we had in Coronado where the girls can ride bikes and play on without having too much traffic interference. 

This was the Sagamihara Park. There is a petting zoo and other really cool things. There was even a giant tree house that kids were playing on. I know that thing would not be allowed in the US probably because it is "too dangerous". But this park is going to be so awesome in a few weeks when the Cherry Blossoms really start to bloom. The Japanese like to sit under the trees and spend the whole day there eating and relaxing. 

This is my cars Title. Like all Japanese paperwork it is hard to tell what it actually says.

All our bills and contracts that we sign are like this too. And to pay your utility bills you take them to a convenience store like a 7-11, Family Mart or Circle K and pay at the cash register. I thought that was a joke but that was how I paid our first round of bills and it is true. 

Before you can register or title your car, the police have to come by your house to make sure you have a spot big enough to park it in. So, the police came by did some measurements and were on their way. That same day, an "official" looking statement was placed in our mail box. So we just assumed that after the police was done measuring the spot they dropped off that statement. So the next morning I took that statement to the place to get the car registered. I handed them everything and then presented that statement that I thought indicated our parking spot was good to go. I handed it to her and she said, "Sir, this is your gas bill. Where is your parking slip?" So I had to take my things from her and left embarrassed. 

Leyton's New School

When we found out we were coming to Japan, one of the main things I was excited about was getting the girls into Japanese school.  I knew that would be the best way to expose them to the language and culture, while still allowing them to have fun and be a kid.  After getting here and doing some research, I quickly became disheartened.  The school year starts here in April and applications for most schools where passed out in September.  The popular Central Forrest International School that many of the kids from Atsugi attend has generally a 9 to 12 month waiting list.  Our landlord called around to local schools in our area and they were full.  Happily one Saturday I was walking around our little town and saw some kids in uniform.  They headed into Hosen Kindergarten with their parents.  I came home and Googled it, and the next day we walked by again, just to have a look.  There were two gentlemen inside who welcomed me and and spent the next 30 minutes showing me around.  Neither spoke excellent English, but I could understand most of what they were trying to tell me.  They asked me to return the next day because there would be someone there who spoke good English.  So I did.  To make a long story a bit shorter, the school was perfect.  About 10% of their student body are American kids from the nearby Sagamihara Housing Area, where many people stationed at Camp Zama Army base live.  Unlike the International schools that teach in English, this school is taught in Japanese but there is always someone there who can speak English, in case there is a problem.  Though I loved it, I thought for sure we would have to go on a waiting list, since school starts in two weeks.  Instead, they measured Leyton for the most adorable uniform I've ever seem, and she starts kindergarten on April 8!

Please check out the school website if you get a chance:
http://www.hosen-kinder.ac.jp/existing/english/info.html

It is a quick 500 meter walk from our house.  This past Saturday I went for Parent Orientation.  It was 100% in Japanese but they sat me next to a mother whose son will be in Leyton's class and who could translate for me.  She only translated the 'important' things so mostly I sat there for an hour and had no clue what was going on.  She did tell me I had to go shopping to buy some things LC will need for school.  I haven't braved a Japanese department store yet, but I will prior to April 8.  Leyton will be in the Sakura (Cherry Blossom) Class.  School is from 0900 to 1400 year round, but they have several breaks and take Japanese holidays off.  Leyton will be expected to eat lunch prepared at the school three days a week.  Once a month I have to 'make' a rice ball (I will be buying the ones they sell at the nearby Sanwa grocery store) and they will serve Miso soup to the kids.  I just ordered her come kid chopsticks.  I already foresee meltdowns, though she is learning to try new things.  We have been making her at least try all new foods that we braving.  Hopefully seeing the other kids chowing down will help.

The food aside, Leyton is very excited to start school and keeps asking "Is it April time yet?"  I am still unclear how exactly we go her in.  I do know that having American kids in the school is a big draw for Japanese families.  All Japanese learn English in school, from grade 6 to 12, and many study English on their own.  So having their children learn English at a young age will help them excel in that area of school later.  The teacher said that though they 'teach' in Japanese, the children do most of the teaching.  The children will teach Leyton Japanese and vice versa.  So perhaps they hadn't reached their 'quota' of American kids yet.  I am not sure why more parents from the Army base don't send their kids there.  Though price could be an issue.  The price is very comparable to other Japanese kindergartens and to most urban preschools in America, but not money you need to spend because school isn't mandatory at this age.

Sorry, no pictures yet, except what you can see online.  But I will be posting some of her in uniform soon, along with pictures and explanations of our Japanese house.  After nearly two weeks of unpacking, we are almost (thankfully!) done.  Unpacking is fun for about 3 days.  Add two little ones, a trip down the stairs, having to translate the oven, potty, washer, etc., and Ryan working 10 to 12 hour days and you will forgive me my delay on the posts.

All moved in!

This past week has been quite busy. Last Friday we "moved" into our house which consisted of packing up our suitcases at the Navy lodge on base and bringing them over to the house. That same morning, the Navy provided us with "stick furniture" to make the place a bit more homey. The Navy gave us a table with 4 chairs, a love seat, a microwave, 2 kerosene heaters, a double bed, a twin bed and a coffee table. They also brought bowls/cups/plates/utensils and a coffee maker. This is designed to just tide you over until your house hold goods arrived. Which for us, we found out on the same day that they were just going through customs in Yokohama and that they would be available for delivery on Wednesday of this past week. We were super excited to finally get all our things. The house was freeeeezing cold when we first got here. I got here first to open it up for the gas guy to come turn it on. That consisted of a lot of hand gestures and smiles. I got all the heater/air conditioners units running to try and warm up the place before I went back to base to grab the family. The movers that brought all the stick furniture were amazing. They were super fast, delicate and took off their shoes every trip in and out of the house. I went back to the Lodge and got the girls and we moved in! We still had to borrow some more things like bed sheets and blankets from some of our friends and then we went to nearby Army base Camp Zama to get pillows and towels. We also stopped by the commissary to pick up some basic food items. We all slept really well that first night in the new place. 

This week I was back to work. I was scheduled to fly twice but only flew once due to bad weather. The flight was good. I flew with a fellow LCDR who just checked in a month prior to me. He took me to Yokohama, flew over downtown Tokyo, over to Kisarazu Air base, marked ontop the giant buddah and then on to Mt Fuji. Pretty amazing flight. What blew me away was how densely populated the Tokyo metropolitan area was. There literally was no empty space for anything. Kisarazu has a bit of sentimental value because my grandfather was station there during his time in the Air Force. It was pretty awesome to know that my grandfather served our country here many years ago. We did a few laps in the pattern and then off to other places. I'm sure you are wondering but yes, the flying part came back naturally and I didnt have any issues.
While I have been at work, the girls have been hanging out at the house and exploring the neighborhood. We have a cool path/trail that is right next to our house that they have been going on. They also found some parks too and played with Japanese kids while Shannon talked with their mothers.
Our stuffed finally arrived Wednesday morning. The same morning the Navy came and grabbed all the stick furniture as well. The movers brought 6 people. All spoke really good English. Again, they all were magnificent. All very very delicate with everything, very nice and pleasant and extremely effiencient. They unpacked every box by 1:30pm! Everything looked good too. The only issues we had was the top portion to our bed's head board was completely ripped off, we were missing the ironing board and then our grill was no where to be found. The grill baffles us. It was a pretty large 3-burner grill too. How can you lose a grill? Immediately the movers said the couch and love seat would be an issues. I guess that is pretty typical of the American family bringing all their large things. But they were able to fit everything in. Since Wednesday (mostly) Shannon has been busy putting things up and arranging things as she see fit. Everything is really coming along nicely. There is tons of storage space so everything is fitting nicely with room to spare.
I would be remiss if I said the entire week went well. We had too potential catastrophes: (1) We took the girls to the "daycare" place on base for the entire day on Wednesday to give us a chance to move in. When I picked up the girls that evening, Leyton's DoDo (her "lovey") was no where to be found. We searched high and low in the class room, hallways and in the car. But I finally had to tell her that we would have to go home without her Dodo. That really devastated me to tell her this because we all know how much she loves that thing. In fact the first thing she said when I told her we were leaving without him was that "we cant leave him -- I love Dodo." I literally almost starting crying along with her. It was sad. The ride home was painful. She cried for about 27 of the 30 minutes about how she misses him and wants him back. The night went actually much better than anticipated. She clinged on to her new Dodo and went right to sleep. Luckily the daycare called the next morning to say they found him stuffed in a toy house in the classroom. I rescued him the next day and we witnessed first hand Dodo's homecoming welcome. (2) Ellis fell down the entire flight of stairs. We have a pretty long and steep stair case that goes up to the girls' rooms. Apparently while everyone was upstairs Ellis bulldogged her way through the baby gate and rolled down the stair case. Shannon heard the gate crashing down and came out to see Ellis log rolling down the stairs. The bottom floor stopped her quickly with the assist of her head. Obviously this was no joking matter. Shannon immediately called me at work to inform me and said that she was walking around and appeared to be okay. Her head was pretty bruised but everything else seemed fine. I called my flight doc and talked to her about it all and she had a list of questions. After we talked for a bit we came to the conclusion that we didnt need to bring her in right away unless she was still showing signs of not being right. Shannon hawked her for the rest of the day and the following days and all is fine. In fact there is no bruises or anything on her head. Luckily she rolled down the stairs and not head over heels. Scary none the less. Mother of the year -- Shannon Campoamor. Ellis is fine though and my doctor wasnt concerned.
So there you have it. Our busy week is in the books.

Here is our 2005 Nissan La Festa. Isnt she a beauty?! It is kind of a micro-van. You can see the mini-van next to it. This this is loaded with all the Japanese essentials: sliding rear doors, 4 cyl, navigation and a full panoramic moonroof. Now if only we can figure out what all the buttons and switches say. 

Inside of the La Festa. Third row that only Ellis can fit in.

Ellis battle damage after her run-in with the stair case. 

Downtown Yokohama. Tokyo is in the far distance. 

 

Downtown Tokyo

We litterally flew over all the buildings. The only "no fly" area is the Emperor's house. Really really cool.

Disneyland and Disney Sea

Air Base Kisarazu. The Japanese Army flies out of there now. 

Kisarazu

Naval Station Yokoska. You can see the USS GEORGE WASHINGTON in port.

This was the area Shannon and I went on our field trip, Hase, during our orientation week. 

Mt Fuji-san. Pretty incredible. There is a USMC base at the foot of the Mtn. We flew up to the base and then had to come back so we wouldnt be late. You can fly really close to it which ill do and document one of these days.

LC being silly with her pig tails

Because we have seen more rain in these past three weeks then we saw in San Diego the past three years, we had to buy the girls rain coats. Here they are modeling said coats. 

Ellis has started to use the potty. We pretty much know when she goes the bathroom so we plop her on commode and she goes. The down side is that she is now homesteading and using this time to navigate the ipad more then using the bathroom. 

Movers unpacking us.

2 of the 4 crates.

First few Days in Japan

This is my Aunt Susan and Uncle Tom. They live up in NORCAL and drove down to San Diego to visit us before we left to Japan. It has been a long time since I have seen them. We had an enjoyable time going to the parks and visiting. 

Our room had a spectacular view that LC and E were soaking in before being forced to wear jackets. Temps in San Diego were in the mid-70's before we left. 

Not too shabby!

We finished up AOB/ICR last Friday. After graduation we trekked to the Drivers License place to take our test. Because we have valid US licenses, they assume we are "responsible" drivers. So we just have to sit through a (boring) 2 hour class and pass an exam. I demonstrated my driving superiority over Shannon by scoring much higher than her. I only missed two and she missed at least 5. We will pick up our licenses on Wednesday and be legal to drive. Now we just need to buy a car.
We looked at three houses yesterday and decided to go with the last one we looked at. It really was a nice home. The owner actually grew up in the house as a kid. He went to school in the USA for his architecture degree and came back and completely remodeled the house. It is completely westernized. It has doors that I dont have to duck under, it has wood floors, washer/dryer, large fridge, a stove and an oven and tons of storage space and closets. In fact the girls' rooms are going to be humungous. The girls also have access the a balcony that looks out into the neighborhood. It has a yard which is rare. It is located in the town of Zama. Actually, Camp Zama, a US Army base, is a five minute drive away. So we will be close to the commissary and exchange. It is a block or two from a Japanese grocery store and about a 10 minute walk to the train station. All and all, we found a steal. We dont know when we will be able to move in. Our stuff is still transiting the Pacific and we still have to sign all the contracts and paperwork. The owner was very very cool and even gave us the keys right then after he invited us to his office for green tea. It is roughly 5 miles  from the Navy base where I'll work but will probably take 20-30 min. The traffic here is so terrible. We will post photos later of the house. We are very excited.
Our class went on a field trip to a train station to learn how to navigate and obtain our train passes. After we went one stop with her she told us all to go somewhere and be back the next morning. Shannon and I decided to go near Kamakura and visit the town of Hase. It is known for the giant buddha statute. We found it pretty easy to navigate the trains. We went to a shinto temple and then visited Buddha, grabbed some street food before heading back. Overall it was a good trip.
This week I have to check into the Squadron and get settled there as well as working on paperwork to move off base. Oh and we also need a car because we would have no way to get to the house. ha.

As promised, here are some photos we have taken since being here. Enjoy.

Shannon with the Giant Buddha. I think it is is around 43 feet tall. 

While reading up on Hase, the experts said to try the sweet potato ice cream and the sweet potato hashbrown. Both were delicious. 

This was the Hase temple. This was actually the first place we visited. The Cherry blossoms were starting to bloom, there were koi fish in the ponds and a lot of temples. Yep, we are in Japan. 

The town of Hase. As you can see they drive on the other side of the road which was mind blowing when we first saw it.  Soon we will be able to brave it and drive amongst the Japanese. Good thing they have no idea what road rage is.

This was some rice cake cracker that was dipped in soy sauce. We saw a lot of teenage kids buying them so we followed suit. 

That same temple in Hase. Pretty neat. 

This is looking out south from atop the temple area. It is right on the water and has nice beaches and a lot of people were surfing. You can find of make out the bay near Kamakura. 

Every holy place has a Torri gate that is the entrance. This was some cave that had statues of people. I had to duck for most of the journey through the cave. 

Close quarters in the Navy Lodge. Are these two monkeys even related?

Our lovely abode for the next few weeks (hopefully less).

The 7-11's here actually have good Japanese food you can buy. We went into one of them on base and just grabbed random items. Everything was fantastic. Rice balls and some ramen. yum

Just got off the train and headed to the Buddha.

Cherry blossoms. Should really start coming out in a few weeks. 

I think this was the first morning we were here. We were up at 2am so as soon as there was enough light, LC and Shannon went outside to play in the snow. They built a snowman and a snow dog. 

E and Ryan enjoying the warmth of the room.

Parking lot of the Navy Lodge. The building across the street is the Chapel.