Keitai Denwa (Cell Phones)

My cell phone and Lucky Charm.

Inside of the phone.

There are 3 major phone companies in Japan that monopolize the cell phone market.  We weren't sure who to go with:  Docomo, Soft Bank or AU.....but ended up choosing AU.  Justin's work cell phone was AU, so that's one of the biggest reasons we chose the plan we did  plus the lady who helped us spoke very good English.  We found the rates to be cheaper than our plan back in the U.S., but are locked into a similar 2 year contract. 

Just like back in the states, there are a number of phones to choose from.  We ended up settling on the "free" Japanese phones even though one of the boys had his hopes of getting an I-Phone.  The one prerequisite I had for my own phone was to get one with a texting keyboard.  Can you believe they are not easy to come by here?  Everyone has flip phones!  I've read a variety of reasons why flip phones are popular such as:  you use one hand when texting which is easier to do on a crowded train or bus, they are compact/sleek looking, they have many emoticons that are popular here when texting, and most of all they have a place on the top of the phone to hang a lucky charm....which is a huge social practice here in Japan.

Its been very interesting having a foreign phone in Japan.  Here are a some differences I've noticed:

1) Every phone in Japan has an email attached to the phone number.
2) The numbers are the same, but we also have Japanese writing on the buttons.   I'm never quite sure what I'm pressing, or supposed to press.  
3) We get email spam or advertisements in Japanese.
4) The cameras on the phones have high mega pixels.
5) It is considered very rude to speak on cell phones on the train.  People put their phones on silent (or manner mode) so that they can still send/receive texts or play games while commuting.

Kimonos Are Not Just For Girls

My obi was lovely. 

His and her kimono.

The Meaning of Kimono in Japanese:  

kiru - to wear + mono - thing

tomesode:  kimono with a pattern on the bottom half worn by married women

furisode:  kimono with long, flowing sleeves worn by an unmarried woman

obi:  the belt that holds the kimono in place

To set the record straight, we never knew until last weekend that the kimono is worn by both genders.  We just always assumed that a kimono was worn only by females. We felt very naive, but that's why we're here....to learn and experience Japanese customs.  Kimonos can still be worn as a daily attire, but are usually just worn for special occasions such as: tea ceremony, weddings, New Years, and other formal festivities throughout the year.  Sumo wrestlers are also often seen wearing the kimono in public.

This past weekend we participated in a local Japanese cultural event.  Along with mochi pounding (a rice cake paste), games, food, tea ceremony, and art was the opportunity to dress up in a kimono.  There were many families (including young children) dressing up.  Our younger kids didn't want to dress up, so it was just us adults and it was an experience. 

We were taken back into a dressing area with very tiny, elderly, Japanese women helping us dress.  There were beautiful patterns of kimono and obi to choose from.  I found that the female kimono is usually very vibrant in color, while the male kimono is not.  Its actually quite monotone...typically in shades of black, or dark colors. 

My kimono was nice and comfortable UNTIL the obi was put on.  It felt like I was putting on a corset.....very tight.  I envisioned the little Japanese lady hanging onto the end of the obi since she just kept tugging on it to get it just right.  It probably didn't help that we'd just eaten.  When we were finished being dressed, the his/her kimonos looked great.  To complete the look were wore Japanese sandals with socks.  We didn't wear traditional tabi socks, but got our own socks to work just fine.  Walking around in the kimono is truly a wonderful feeling.  Your posture feels straighter, and to wear such an elegant piece of fabric was truly a unique experience.  Not to mention, I'm pretty sure I lost a couple inches off my ribcage by the time I took it off. 

I would love to purchase a kimono before we leave Japan.  They can be quite costly ranging in the thousands of dollars.  There are used kimono shops and flea markets that offer a less expensive way to purchase such a lovely piece of Japanese tradition. 

Japanese sandals.

 

Trash Talk

Our assigned garbage drop-off site.

Japan has an  intensive garbage and recycling system.  This is really no joke.  After signing our lease we were given a booklet about garbage and recycling in the city.  Luckily, its in English, but it was overwhelming to us newcomers.  We have trash/recycling 5x a week.  About a block from our house is a wire cage with green netting.  This is our designated garbage drop-off site between the hours of 0600-0800.  Until recently, we thought those cages were for animals!

Here's an example of what our weekly trash collection looks like:

Monday/Thursdays- Burnable (food scraps, small paper, foil-lined snack bags, paper towel rolls, etc).  These items must be in a transparent bag or white bag.
Tuesdays- PET Bottles, metal food cans (anything with a PET and recycling symbol around it...usually seen on plastic bottles from the vending machine). These items must be rinsed out and put into a transparent bag.
Wednesdays- Plastics (plastic film off food, plastic food containers, plastic shopping bags, styrofoam packaging, etc).  These items must be rinsed thoroughly, and put into a transparent bag.
Fridays- 1st & 3rd is Non-burnable (plastic straws, plastic toys, aluminum foil, etc).  Must be in a transparent bag.
Sundays- 2nd & 4th is Group Collection (toilet paper rolls, paper milk cartons rinsed, aired out, flattened, and tied with string, cardboard cut up into nice stacks and tied together with string, old clothing).

Sounds easy?  Its getting better now that were are finishing up with week two of this routine.  I do take a daily trek down to the garbage area to make sure our bags were taken.  The trash collectors will reject garbage if its not done correctly.  You get a nice yellow (and I've also seen blue) sticker on you bag explaining in Japanese  what you did wrong.  We had an incident last week with an older neighbor who ended up complaining to the owner of our house about how we left "incorrect" garbage at the collection site.  It wasn't ours, but our realtor had to come over and make some phone calls explaining that it wasn't us.  It was a bit tense because of the language barrier, and because we are so new to the neighborhood.  I did ask my Japanese language sensei some phrases I could say in the future in case this ever happens again.

Home Sweet Japanese Home

We also hang out our clothes like everyone else.

An aerial view of the living room/dining room.

I love my Japanese refrigerator

Well, we moved into our house out in town last week.  It took the movers about 6 hours to unload/unpack our belongings.  We were surprised at how we did a good job of gauging how much to bring.  Everything pretty much has a place which is good.  Now I can justify why I need to go shopping since we need a few things (furniture, garbage cans, etc).

Our neighborhood is located about 3 miles from the base (about 10 minutes via car, 20 minutes via bicycle), in a really nice, newer neighborhood on the hillside.  When we say where we live, most people aren't familiar with the neighborhood, so we use the closest train station as a marker.  Speaking of the train, there's a tunnel for the trains underneath this development.  The first day I was at the house alone, I was startled by the train.  I/we don't even notice anymore.  We are desensitized from the train noises because we used to live next to the train track in North Seattle for 9 years.  The trains literally shook our place every time they went by.  I think that's why the boys were good sleepers when they were young.  The train would just lull them to sleep.

Our family is one of handful of Americans (American-Jin) living in the neighborhood.  We met a few of our neighbors last week when we brought them gifts.  Gift giving is a tradition here in Japan, so I was prepared and bought some items from home before we left.  All the neighbors were quite welcoming, and some were apologetic for not speaking more/better English.  The irony is that I/we feel the same not speaking their language better.  The neighbor directly across from us works on the Naval base and speaks pretty good English.  One of his dogs is named Marilyn Monroe!

Overall, I'm glad we chose to move out in town.  It will give us more of an opportunity to experience Japanese culture daily.

Bikes Galore



Bicycle Parking



Traditional Japanese bike


I was warned before coming to Japan, that everyone rides bicycles.  I took that information with a grain of salt until we actually made it here and saw for myself.  Its unbelievable.....bikes are everywhere.  They litter the shipyard bike racks and are parked all along the streets in town.  If there isn't an actual "bike rack" then people just park their bike and go about their business.  They even have bicycle parking lots!

Since we arrived we bought all new bikes.  Three of us have Japanese bicycles, one has a mountain bike and one has a BMX-type bike that we bought online from the states.  We wanted to start with a clean slate, since all of the bikes we had back home were old (2 mountain bikes were circa 1993). 

Most people who bicycle here have a front and sometimes a back basket.  This is really convenient because if you are commuting around town, like we are, then you need a place to carry your groceries.  Out in town we've found a few places that carry a pretty decent selection of bike parts, baskets, kick stands, etc for a reasonable price.  I can't wait to get a back basket and rack for my own bike.  This will we better for my back because two days in a row this week, I had a very full front basket, and a full load in my backpack.

Okay, riding around town on the bicycle has been a bit unnerving.  I love having the freedom the bikes have given us, buts its rarely been relaxing.  We have to be on full alert because people, and other bicycles are everywhere.  I'm grateful for the bell on my bike and use it frequently.  This works most of the time, except when people are walking with their IPOD's in their ears and cannot hear me/us coming. 

We have been loosely looking for a car.  Even when we purchase a car, we are still planning on biking around town.  Its not only been good exercise, its been an adventure every time.  Today, the younger boys and I saw a woman with a baby on her back riding her bike.  Her two younger children following on their bikes.  Now that's something you wouldn't see back home.

To The Left, To The Left

Most people back in their cars in Japan.

Japanese stop sign.

Beginner driver sticker.  We need to have 2 of these on our car for the first year.

As previously noted in one of my other posts,  the Japanese drive on the left side of the road.  This is quite different coming from a country where we drive on the right side of the road.  Luckily, training is provided so that we can be successful drivers here in Japan.  The Japanese believe that anyone who has their drivers license is a professional driver. 

Last week, Justin and I attended a half-day drivers safety course.  We received a booklet early in the week that explained road signs, rules of the road, etc.  There was a lot of interesting information, but it was also overwhelming.  There are/can be many repercussions if you get a ticket, into an accident, or God forbid, injure a Japanese National.  What we learned was enough to scare us, and make sure that we're always thinking safety first when on the road (even on a bicycle) here in Japan.  At the end of our training we had to take a 50 question written exam.  70% of the test was knowing the different Japanese road signs.  I thought the exam was a bit tricky especially since it was multiple choice.  The minimum passing score was 80%. When all the tests were graded, the instructor called out assigned numbers.  If your number was called, then you didn't pass.  Luckily, Justin and I passed and were able to sign up for the practical driving test.

I took the practical driving test today and it went fine.  There were 2 other people in the backseat waiting to take their test.  It felt like drivers training all over again.  On the drivers test you have to pass with a minimum of 80%...I got 81%.  Not sure what I did wrong, but  I am glad that its over and done with.  Justin takes his test on Friday, and I have no doubt in my mind that he'll do an excellent job.

Sweets, Sweets, Sweets

Treats from a French pastry shop in Yokosuka

If you know our family, then you know we all love sweets.  Believe it or not, one of the concerns I had about moving to Japan was how on earth were we going to get our sugar fix.  I figured that most Japanese people are petite and they must never eat sweets.   Boy was I wrong.  Japanese love treats. 

Pastry shops and sweet shops are everywhere in Yokosuka.  We've found a couple different places that we enjoy going to.  The first is in the basement of More's City (for those of you raised in Seattle, this reminds me of the basement of the old Frederick and Nelson's).  You grab a tray and tongs (never your hand like Mercer tried to do)  and start choosing from the fresh pastries, breads, rolls, etc.  There's such an interesting variety and most everything we've gotten (except the corn-topped pastry) is worth getting a second time.  We've had a couple pastries with bean paste because we thought it was reminiscent of chocolate.  They were okay, just tasted different on the palate.  The other pastry shop we like is Vie de France on Blue Street.  They had delicious tasting strawberry and chocolate muffins, twist donuts that weren't greasy and pastries filled with Nutella.  I'm biased because I like the French pastry shop the best.  They know how to put more sugar into their goodies.

While we seem to gravitate towards food that we recognize, there have been times when we've gotten something that looked good on the menu but had a unique taste once it was in front of us.  For instance, Justin ordered a ice cream sundae at Denny's (they have them here, but the menu is not representative whatsoever of the ones in the U.S.) that had tapioca balls, green tea ice cream and beans in it.  Interesting combination.  Not so sure we'll ever order that one again, but at least we can say we tried it!