Gomenazai!

Dear friends and family,
It has been a while but you knew I was still here. I just had other things on my plate. I hope I can keep your attention so please stay tuned for updates--lots and lots of updates! And photos too! I know how you all like looking at our photos. All is forthcoming.

Meanwhile, I've put together a slide show or two to whet your appetites. Little tid bits from the past starting with our frozen journey to Sapporo for the Yuki Matsuri, or snow festival.

Our trip to the 5th station of Fuji-san

A Good Navy Day!

Doug and I had the honor one afternoon to board the U.S.S. Shiloh for a day cruise into Tokyo Bay. Our day started at 9:30, wandering around the docks trying to find the ship. We finally found the ship wedged between the dock and the U.S.S. John S. McCain. The day was slow to start as it seemed we did nothing but wait: wait for all the guests to arrive, wait for the commencement of the tour as everyone had something to say, wait for the word for the tug boats to pull us out. But once we got going, it was Fair Winds and Smooth Seas! Thank goodness too. All week, the weather was cold, windy and rainy. I had my reservations about going out and had even anticipated sea sickness by taking half a tablet of benadryl just before pushing off.

I appreciated the Ward family's hospitality by letting us tag along for their tour. LTjg Paul Ward took us along with his wife and several children, grandchildren and a few of their Japanese friends through the bowels of the ship including the command center, bunks, mess and engineering to include a fire drill demonstration. Our cruise included a fantastic lunch featuring homemade hotdog buns, some phillipino dishes, (yum!) and of course, really huge hamburgers.

What a wonderful adventure we had. Thank you to the crew of the U.S.S. Shiloh for a really nice navy day!

Dao Xiao Mian

One of our favorite places to go on a lazy weekend day is Chinatown in Yokohama. I guess because it's not too far from Yokosuka, about a 30 minute train ride away. I've been there enough times to know what the different shops have to sell, (pretty much the same things), and since it's a small neighborhood, its easy to walk around. It is one of the largest Chinatowns in the world and one of the few spots in Japan where you can eat your food in public.

Yes, we do have a favorite restaurant. It's not on the main strip so how we came to find it is still a mystery to me. Several years ago, while walking about the streets and alley's of Chinatown, hungry and with an even hungrier toddler crying on us, we came upon a restaurant with a red facade. The display of food in their window showed several different noodle dishes which seemed unusual since most of the other restaurants did not display noodles or if they did, they were typically ramen type noodles. So we went inside, and were seated immediately. We were offered a menu written in engrish, (robster??), thank goodness and ordered our meal.

Why should I tell you about all of this? Because of their noodles, those wonderfully chewy, yet light noodles, resting in a rich, sweet and spicy beef broth, topped with chunks of tender beef and leafy green vegetables. Oh Heaven! Dao Xiao Mian! That is what the noodles are called. They are one of the delicacies originating from Shanxi provence including black vinegar which is drunk as well as used as a cooking ingredient. Why should I mention the black vinegar? Because that is how I find the restaurant. I walk along the main strip of Chinatown and make a left at the place where they sell the black vinegar and coconuts. I can also keep walking until I get to the toy panda bears and make a left there too.

Here a few links I've found that might be interesting to you noodle fans. One is about a noodle master in Boston and another is an indietrekker video blog on Beijing Noodles. Should you come to visit us in Japan, we would certainly take you to Chinatown and of course our favorite restaurant, Kyokarou Honkan.

Now let me show you some of my favorite photos of Chinatown, Yokohama, Japan.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

What is art? Is it just something to be observed? Or something to be created? Or how about eaten? I encountered this little exhibit at one of the local department stores off base. I was in the basement of the store and part of the sausage vendor's booth was this zoo scene. Now Mom's, if you have any reason to believe that food cannot be fun, well take a look at these pics!

See the little hippo talking to the squirrels? I think they're squirrels. Their ears are small enough but I can't see the tail. But their little hands are held up just right. I think they're squirrels.