Ric's Top 10 Clues That We Are Not in San Diego Anymore

10. The vending machines. They are everywhere. They sell hot and cold beverages, cigarettes, toys, ice cream, meal tickets, and even freshly-cut french fries. A side note on the machines: we walked to our new house a few weekends ago Sunday and we noticed that the price for the same items dropped as we got away from the base.

9. No tipping. I love it. People give good service and they are not angling for a tip.

8. Toto Toilets. We love them. We are planning to bring one home with us. Can't beat a warm seat and a warm rinse after doing your business.

7. Eating with Chopsticks. It requires that all prepared food is bite size. What a concept! We are still struggling to keep stuff from falling onto our laps. But give us a few years and we will be experts.

6. Bowing. The cashier at the supermarket bows to you. Employees at work bow. Strangers bow on the street if you engage them in conversation. It is so respectful.

5. A Cash Society. I expected to be using a credit card everywhere we went. But most restaurants and other businesses don't take credit cards, especially the smaller stores. A general rule is that we expect to have to use cash everywhere except on the Navy Base. Also, we use a lot of coins, so we had to get new wallets with coin pouches.

4. Presentation of food. Beautiful small plates with artfully arranged pickled vegetables and meats and fish. The balance of colors and flavors. We have never seen so many beautiful desserts that are made out of beans. And then there was the colorful seasoning that Danny calls fishfood.

3. Full employment. Though things are changing, there stills appears to be a willingness to sacrifice efficiency for full employment. Several people might help you check out at a store. I am impressed by the very old men in their hard hats that take their parking attendant jobs so seriously. There is pride and quality in the work (at least an appearance of it). Another example is the roads. They are flawless in an pretty harsh envronment (lots of rain, snow and earthquakes).

2. Smoking in restaurants. We are not used to it and can't tolerate it. Unfortunately, it is worse in some of the really cool small neighborhood restaurants.

And the number one clue that we are no longer living in San Diego is.........(actually these are not in any special order. So don't get your hopes up for this last one.

1. People being polite in public places. People don't use their cell phones on trains (for talking at least...they are busily texting...or something that looks like it). People are quiet. They never shout across a room to another person. Drivers let you cut in. In fact, they seem to go out of their way to be chivalrous. Some people have said that it is only a facade, but that facade impacts a lot of first impressions.

and another number 1.

1. We feel safe. Safe from violent crime and even pickpockets. Yes, there are burgluries and pickpockets. But it is much less common here than in other countries. I will post the stats on violent crime as compared to other parts of the world soon.

Recycling in Japan

The Japanese take recycling very seriously. Remember, Japan has a land mass the size of California but has a population that is the size of one-half of the U.S. That's a lot of garbage for a relatively small land mass.


The average life-span of a Japanese landfill is only 8 years. In addition, Japan's long-term goal is to become a "closed loop" society -- where recycled items become new products.


Japan began its recycling efforts in earnest in 1995 when the Containers and Packaging Recycling Law was initiated. The CPRL was passed in 1997, and by 2000 was fully in effect. By the time we arrived in Japan, they've got the system down.


For our city, Yokosuka, garbage must be separated into at least 5 different categories. Specifically, we separate our refuse into the following categories:


1. Burnable Refuse (food waste, tissues, paper that has touched food, etc.)

2. Cans, Bottles, PET Bottles (self-explanatory)

3. Plastic Containers & Packaging (self-explanatory but no PET plastics)

4. Nonburnable Refuse (ceramic, rubber, aluminum foil, etc.)

5. Group Resource Collection (cardboard, paper, magazines, milk cartons, etc.)


All items (other than kitchen garbage) must be cleaned/rinsed. Milk cartons must be cleaned, dried, and then cut so that they can be stacked and tied together (not placed in a bag). The waste companies provide us with a calendar advising us of the relative nature of the items within each category and the day of the week upon which each category will be collected (see photo below -- we keep the poster on the side of our refrigerator so that it is always available). An 11-page booklet provides greater specificity as to the items that fall within each category and the manner to pack/bundle up the garbage in each category (for example, paper cartons with foil or brown linings are "burnable refuse" whereas milk cartons, which have to be cleaned, cut up, and stacked in a particular way, fall within the "group resource collection"; or, the plastic lid from a PET bottle goes into the "plastic containers and packaging" category while the bottle itself falls within the "PET" category).



Each day, Mon - Fri, some sort of garbage is collected from specific sites in the neighborhood (garbage is placed into community "cages" or under nets in order to keep the scavengers out). The trucks come to pick up the garbage by 8:30 a.m. (you must put your garbage out between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. -- not at any other time). The trucks play child-like tunes -- reminds me of an ice cream truck coming down a U.S. street. Oftentimes, a very nice feminine voice will be broadcasting something (I cannot yet understand what she is saying). If you have any item within your garbage bag (which must be clear plastic) that does not fall within the day's category, your garbage is not picked up. You are expected to find the offending item(s) and remove it. You can also be fined.


So, needless to say, we take the recycling issue very seriously. We have four different garbage bins (see below), each labeled with its specific category (we maintain the 5th category - "group resource" separately).

Some people use a color-coded system (with each bin being a different color). Since I did not do the shopping for the bins, we have matching cream/taupe bins rather than fuschia, persimmon, lime green, and lemon yellow!


Also, in general, when out and about in Japan you are expected to carry and dispose of your own garbage. There are no public garbage cans (the most you might see is a recycle bin for a specific type of container -- usually located by a vending machine and designed to hold the container produced by the vending machine). Convenience stores might have 4 different bins outside (1 for each of the categories I referenced above excepting the "group resource" category).


Lots of work but we are getting used to it. Daniel often asks me in which "number" bin a particular item should be placed (for example, if he has a prepackaged beverage, the straw will go into the "nonburnable refuse" bin but the container may go into a different bin). So, it's a family affair!

Godzilla Lives!

June 16, 2008

Yes, Godzilla is alive and well and living in Japan! His resides at the Kurihama Flower World.

Today we (Daniel and Bobbie) went with some friends (Cam, Ryan, and Corey) to Godzilla Park, aka Kurihama Flower World. Cam was the navigator since, as most of you know, I am directionally impaired. Although the flower gardens were not in full bloom, the park is still amazing. The herb garden alone is a sight to see (and smell!). But, best of all, after a slightly exerting 1 km walk uphill from the parking lot, we reached a playground with a 30-metre tall Godzilla! The boys played for almost 2 hours and had a blast!

You can see the fantastic playground on which the boys played and why they had so much fun.

After playing, we ventured on to the park's "onsen" (hot tub) but, unlike other Japanese onsens where one submerges one's entire body in the mineral water, this onsen was solely for feet! It felt lovely after our hike in the gardens. Again, the boys had a wonderful time. Fortunately, we had sunny skies so their clothes were able to dry.

Just another adventure in Japan!!

Our Japanese House

June 6, 2008

We moved into our new home on May 30, 2008 (Friday). The house is incredibly cute, in a great neighborhood that is filled with children, and is only 3 km from the front gate of the base (then another km or so to Ric's office). The only downside to the house is its size -- it is small and has virtually no storage space (we each have a clothes closet that is approximately 3 ft. wide). Its stated square footage is 1,140; however, I think something was lost in the conversion from metres to yards; I have also been told that areas such as balcony space is included when measuring. So I sincerely doubt that we have 1,140 sq. ft. of usable space. We have a traditional Japanese house: this means we have a Japanese bathing room, a Japanese kitchen, and a tatami (straw mat) room with shoji doors. The house is 2-storeys with the first floor containing a kitchen, bathroom, toilet, living/dining area, and tatami room. The second floor has 3 bedrooms and a toilet.

As noted, our bathing room is traditional Japanese. This means that the tub is for relaxation not for cleansing. Instead, one scrubs (from head to toe) in the shower (located next to the tub) prior to entering the tub. The tub has a separate heating system so the water can be at the precise temperature that the person using it enjoys. There is a system to recirculate and reheat the water so the temperature remains hot (this system also allows you to retain the water for reuse by other family members -- remember, you always enter the tub clean and no soap or other products are used in the tub so the water can be shared). You can also turn on the tub using separate controls in the kitchen (there's also an intercom between the two rooms so that Ric can request a cold beer while soaking in a hot tub).

We are fortunate in that we have a fancy Japanese toilet downstairs. While not the "deluxe" version (no music to hide "unpleasant noises" and no blow dryer, etc.) it has a pre-warmed seat and built-in bidet (we affectionately refer to it as the "bottom washer"). You can see the controls in the photo below. It also has a faucet that automatically turns on when the toilet is flushed (see above the tank). You'll also note the slippers in the toilet room -- in Japan there are always special slippers kept in the toilet room for use only in that room.

Our kitchen has a traditional Japanese stove. This means that I have no oven! Instead, I have a tiny broiler about 7"x10"x3" (see the open "drawer" in the photo below). This is designed to broil a small piece of fish. The Navy has loaned us a microwave/convection oven that can be used for

baking.

The tatami room is the loveliest room in the house. It is open and airy and has deep closets (for storing futons) and shoji door (Japanese paper) window coverings that allow a soft muted light into the room(there are glass windows outside along with typhoon barriers). We have actually been sleeping here and find it quite comfortable (we lay a quilt and a blanket down on the tatami mats to use as "padding'). When we wake up, we fold everything up and put it away in the closet. (This looks neater but also allows the room to air -- if you cover tatami mats, they will get moldy).

Our "household goods" (furniture and other household items) have not yet arrived. Our "unaccompanied baggage" (kitchen items and linens) arrived on Saturday, June 1 and have already filled the house! The Navy loaned us a bit of furniture (sofa, chair, computer desk, bed, lamps, etc.) to use until our things arrive. Frankly, I do not think that our furniture will fit in the house. We are considering scrapping our living room furniture and using pillows and our bean bag chair in the tatami room and setting up the living room as an "office." We'll see how things go.

Our First Ten Days

May 2, 2008








We left San Diego early on Monday, April 21, 2008, and arrived in Japan in the early evening on Tuesday, April 22, 2008. There is a 17-hour time difference.



We have been in Japan for 10 days now.


Our last month or so in San Diego were quite hectic -- we went to Hungary and to Rome for 2.5 weeks, I spent a day in the hospital with a kidney stone, had to get glasses for a sudden (and unexpected) problem with my eyes, and had to work with movers, etc. I am glad it is over.


Our trip over was uneventful. We were able to use accumulated miles to upgrade our seats so that the trip from San Diego to San Francisco was via first class; the trip from San Francisco to Tokyo was business class. Having never flown anything other than coach, this was pure Heaven! I wish we could do that all the time. One of Ric's co-workers, Karthik, kindly picked us up at the airport (so we didn't have to take a bus for the 2-hour ride).


Since arriving, we have explored the base, the outlying area, enrolled Daniel in school, looked for houses, and attended a week-long orientation course. I'll address these in order: (1) the base is "little America" -- it's like living in Mayberry RFD: you can walk to EVERYTHING and all the faces are already becoming familiar; (2) the area outside the base is FASCINATING; very crowded, very busy, and bustling (think of Chinatown in San Francisco but MUCH MORE crowded and in Japanese!); (3) Daniel is doing well in school but, unfortunately, he has had subsitute teachers almost the entire time because his teacher's son was ill and then she received word that her father is/was dying; (4) the houses here are SMALL -- we were advised that we were entitled to about 1,600 - 2,000 sq. feet so we brought a lot of furniture with us (it will arrive in about 3 months), however, the houses here are generally only about 800 to 1,200 sq. ft. so we will be squeezing everything into very smallrooms; and (5) the orientation course let us know about various services the naval base provides or that can be found on base, it also taught us a little about Japanese culture (and "forced" us to take a train trip, by ourselves, and report back to the class on it), we also took (and passed) the written portion of the Japanese driving test.As you can see, our time has been absolutely filled. Next week, I have to work with the health care side of the base to see if I can keep my U.S. doctors and to verify the Japanese health coverage we have. We will also take our behind-the-wheel driving test (one drives on the left side of the road in Japan -- wish us luck!). I will also get to take part in a field trip at Daniel's school -- I love getting to be a "mom helper."

We will also continue to look for a house. Right now, we plan to live off base for 1-2 years, then move on to the base and be here for our last year or so. Living on base is really convenient -- you can walk to everything (school, shopping, library, movies, doctors, restaurants, etc.) but it just seems as though we are not really experiencing Japan if we do this. So, we plan to live off base, get a taste of Japan, then move onto the base for the conveniences it provides before we'll move back to the U.S. Housing does, however, present its own dilemmas. As noted, apartments/houses are generally about 800 sq. ft. We have two full queen-sized bedroom sets, office furniture, living room and dining room furniture, as well as a bunch of not-used-often stuff (like Christmas & Halloween decorations). If they had been a little more up front with us in San Diego (we may be entitled to more square footage but that does not mean it is available), we never would have brought so much stuff. While we can easily get rid of our living room and dining room furniture (they are old and worn out), I don't really want to get rid of our bedroom and office furniture (too expensive to replace when we return to the U.S.). So, we'll have to hold out for a house that is at least 1,200 sq. ft. and, even then, live in very crowded conditions!!!


We ventured to the "electronic district" of Tokyo last weekend (about 1 hour on the train). You wouldn't believe it. Thousands of people walking the streets. They say the discounts here (for electronics) are really good but I did not see anything that fantastic (as to prices). It was, however, an astounding area. We went into some game stores (stores that sell games for Nintendo, etc.) and they were 5 to 9 storeys tall! The same is true for other types of electronics. Amazing that there is such a market for all this stuff. I have also learned that not all arcades are for children. The Japanese love (LOVE!!) to gamble. So, if Daniel sees an arcade, I have to check it out first since it may not be appropriate for his age!


As to our "field trip" for our orientation class, we went to Kamakura and saw the "great Buddha." It is a lovely place (I am attaching a photo of the Buddha and a photo of the sandals he wears when he takes his reputed midnight strolls). We had a lovely day touring.




Other REALLY interesting first impressions of Japan are: the toilets and the vending machines. The toilets are really high-tech (warmed seats, built-in bidets and blow-dryers, music, etc.). The vending machines are also high-tech -- you can find virtually ANYTHING in these vending machines hot or cold drinks (in the same machine), hot noodles or rice, umbrellas, cigarettes, etc. Do a search on http://www.google.com/ and you'll get an idea of what I am talking about!