Puro Yakyū or Professional Baseball

Yokohama Bay Stars vs. Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles

Professional baseball, or Puro Yakyū is a very popular sport in Japan.  Baseball was introduced to Japan over a century ago and has fans countrywide.  Nippon Professional Baseball has two separate leagues: Central and Pacific.  Each league is comprise of six teams that play yearly from April through October.

This week we went to see our first Japanese baseball game.  We went to The Yokohama Stadium (or Y Stad) and watched the Yokohama Bay Stars play the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles with some of Justin's co-workers.  Luckily, Japanese and American baseball rules are similar so it was easy to follow the game.  The stadium was outdoors and not as big as the stadium back home.  We had pretty cheap seats in center field so the view was good.

There were food vendors (popcorn, drinks, obento, etc), a smoking area, cheerleaders, a mascot, vending machines and music.  The one difference was that there are fan clubs or cheering sections for each team.  The cheering sections chant during the entire game,  have a song or chant for each player up at bat, and use noise makers such as hard plastic bats that are tapped together during the game.  The fan clubs only chant for their own team and are quiet when the opposition is up a bat.  

Noisemakers

We were rooting for the Golden Eagles at the game.  The Golden Eagles are based out of Sendai, Japan where there was a lot of damage from the earthquake and tsunami.  We were told by Justin's co-workers that we need to cheer for this team because they have suffered so much and it's the Japanese way to show support of the Tohoku region. 

Our first baseball game in Nippon!

Interesting Things In Japan

Living in a foreign country is always full of surprises, or doing things differently.  Even though some of these items are probably in the United States, I never saw or used them regularly.  There are so many things I could blog about, but here are just a number of things I think are practical or worth talking about:

Umbrella (Kasa) Accessories

Even though we moved here from The Pacific Northwest, we rarely used an umbrella.  We had them, but we usually wore raincoats, or Gortex rather than toting an umbrella around...unless it was soccer season.  In Japan, umbrellas are an accessory.  Almost every man, woman, and child carries one with them when it is raining, or not.  When it isn't raining I've seen many women using the umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun.  There are umbrella stands outside of convenience stores, malls, etc.  You can also find plastic bags to cover your umbrella with so that you do not drip mizu (water) all over the ground.  What a smart idea.  We got with the trend and bought a really cute umbrella stand with some colorful umbrellas for our entry way at our house.

Bags for your wet umbrella!

 

Our umbrella holder.

 Drain Cover/Basket

I think the most interesting thing about our stainless steel sink in our house is the drain cover.  I hadn't thought much about this item before, except the one we had back home was very small.  The one here in Japan not only hides the food, but the basket that contains the food remnants is very large.  My friend told me yesterday that the 100 Yen Shop has liners you can buy for this type of drain.  The Japanese really do think of every last detail.

  No more looking at all that old food you just washed off your dishes.

Tote Bags When Walking The Dog

There are tons of dog owners here in Japan.  What I noticed most when going to the park closest to my house is that almost all dog owners (both male and female) carry a small tote bag with them when they walk their dog.  At first, I didn't really pay much attention to it, but then realized that the Japanese carry these totes to keep clean-up supplies, etc in these totes.  I think that's because there are virtually no public garbage cans to dispose of animal waste and the Japanese don't want to walk around carrying their dog's business in a plastic bag for the whole world to see.

An example of a type of tote a dog owner might have.

Rice Cabinet

They have special pieces of furniture in Japan to store, dispense and cook rice on.  We just got a used rice cabinet last week from one of  Justin's co-worker's.  I was hesitant to have one more thing in my tiny kitchen, but this cabinet has turned out to be very practical for us.  We no longer have to measure out rice for the rice cooker because it's done for us, plus we have more storage space which is a bonus! 

The rice cabinet.  Left side stores/dispenses rice.

Ramen

Ramen, originally from China, is a very popular food item in Japan.  You can find it on most menus, made with a variety of broths, and at Ramen-ya restaurants whose specialty is this delicious wheat noodle soup.

We've had ramen a number of times since arriving in Japan.  My favorite broth is miso, but you can also get curry, shio (salt), shoyu (soy sauce), and tonkatsu (pork bone).  There are also other varieties of broth you can find at Ramen-ya restaurants.  On our third night here we were taken by our sponsor to The Red Door Ramen (Mitsumiya)  restaurant in town.  I had #5 and it was fantastic.  It had a creamy broth that tasted like it was made with coconut milk.  Oishii desu! 

In 1958 instant noodles were invented by a Japanese-Taiwanese man.  There are many choices and flavors of noodles to choose from.  We've had some good and bad tasting instant noodles, but they make a convenient and quick meal.

Ramen noodle machine

Raumen Museum in Shin-Yokohama

There is a ramen museum I really want to go to in Shin-Yokohama.  My youngest son and I were supposed to go on a field trip back in March, but it got canceled due to the earthquake.  This museum has a 1950's replica of an old street in Tokyo, the history of ramen, demonstrations on how it's made, restaurants, and dishes used to serve ramen over the years.  It sounds like an interesting experience and worth going to at least once while we're here. 

Ramen vending machine.

Signs

I think because we spend so much more time walking to and from the train station, that more time and attention is spend enjoying our surroundings.  I've noticed plants and flowers here in Japan that I have never seen back home, get to people watch more, and can just enjoy the experience of living in a different country.  I always tell people that Japan is so kawaii-ne or cute.  The people, the customer service, kids' school uniforms, the details when wrapping a gift.....the list goes on.

I even find signs here so kawaii-ne and funny.  The road signs aren't funny, just the ones that give you information or warning.  They are so childlike, and often written as a characture.  I love this small piece of living in Nippon.   

Watch out for the train.

Do not litter.

Crosswalk sign.

Priority Seating on the train.

On the escalator at the mall.

Gōruden Wīku (Golden Week)

It's Golden Week......or vacation time here in Japan.  Most Japanese will be off work and school between April 29-May 5th to celebrate the many holidays that fall between these special dates.  I've read in travel books, and heard from the locals that this is not a good time for Gaijin (foreigners) to travel to or within Japan.  It can be very difficult to find accommodations or to get around during this time.  The roads, local attractions, and the trains are often more crowded than usual.  I really wanted to go to Tokyo Disney last week when most of the boys were off school.  Needless to say we didn't go because it was the beginning of Golden Week and it had recently re-opened after being closed  for a month after the earthquake.

I love the idea of having many holidays in one week, and that each holiday has such a significant meaning to the Japanese.

• April 29 is Showa Day or 'Showa no hi'.  This is the birthday of the former Emperor Showa.  April 29th was the original Greenery Day until 2007 when it was switched to May 4th. 
• May 3 is Constitution Memorial Day or 'Kenpo Kinenbi'. A national holiday remembering the new constitution, which was put into effect after the war.
• May 4  is Greenery Day or 'Midori no hi'.  Originally celebrated on April 29th.  This day is to celebrate the Emperor's love of nature and plants.  
• May 5 is Children's Day or 'Kodomo no hi'.  This holiday was established in 1948 to celebrate the uniqueness and happiness of children.  This day has also been known as Boy's Day. 

Sights To See When You Visit Us

Everything in Japan is spectacular.  There is great tasting food, efficient trains, courteous people, beautiful parks, and many places to sightsee.  Here are some of the places we will take you when you come visit:

Lighthouse at Jogashima


Islands
Jogashima- This is a lovely little island across a bridge at the end of Miura Peninsula.  It has many trails, lighthouses, tide pools, lookout areas, and a place to picnic.  The drive was maybe 30 minutes from our house...not bad!

Enoshima- This island is located in Fujisawa.  It has many restaurants, shrines, souvenir shops, caves, lookout areas, many, many stairs, an escalator (for a fee), garden areas, and yummy sweet potato ice cream.  Nearby is an aquarium and a great pizza place I hear.  From our house it took 4 trains to get there.  The distance isn't far and its a nice day trip especially if you get a glimpse of Mt. Fuji from the island.

Sarushima or Monkey Island- This island is an old fort and is located in Tokyo Bay off Yokosuka.  You can take a foot ferry to the island right near Yokosuka Naval Base.  There is swimming, fishing, hiking, BBQ areas, and many places to explore.  I love that it is close to where we live.  We can take the train or drive and park on base.

Beaches

Zushi Beach.

  Zushi & Hayama

Zushi and Hayama are located on Sagami Bay. They are both quaint areas with beaches, eateries, marinas, shrines, and a good place to watch windsurfers.  Since there is really no parking available, we will be taking the train.  It will take about 30 minutes to get to the beaches (this includes the train ride, plus about a 15 minute walk from the train station).

Kamakura, Yokohama & Tokyo

The Great Buddah in Kamakura.



Kamakura has a lot of character.  It is a very historical city with many shrines, quaint shops, gardens, hiking, biking, and a ton of restaurants.  Its also close to "The Great Buddah" which is an amazing site to visit.




China Town in Yokohama


Yokohama is a bustling area with China Town, tons of shopping, waterfront, antiques, museums, dining, Costco, and amusement parks.  This area is very spread out, but there's always something new to see and do here.




Tsukiji Fish Market

 Tokyo is a large metropolitan city with endless possibilities.  You can shop for electronics, see Tsukiji Fish Market, go to The Emperor's Palace, go shopping in Ginza, or Shibuya and hit the dancefloor at a disco in Shinjuku.  There is a lot  to see here, and we're only about an hour train ride away. 

Job Opportunities For Spouses Abroad

I attended a spouses employment brief a couple months ago to see what my options were in case I decide to work while I'm here in Japan. There was a lot of good information but my original goal was going to start job hunting in June. The reason being is that the government hiring process can often times take three months and that would mean I could start a job around fall when the kids are back in school. Sounds good in an ideal world, but I've decided that now is the right time to apply for some GS level positions...especially since there aren't many people to compete with on base at the moment.

I am going to start submitting my resume on CHART (The Navy's employment website) and also on USA Jobs. I have no idea how this process will go. I watched Justin constantly work and re-work his information on these sites last year and know it can be very time consuming and at times frustrating. I've decided to just take the plunge and have a wait-and-see attitude. I am in no rush and hope to savor my free time now before it gets eaten up by the demands of a job.

If I work for at least one year, I will have priority for a government job when we return to the states. This is something I've come to realize would be in my very own best interest to do. I could most likely get a position at PSNS, Keyport or Bangor.

If I didn't want to work on base, there are many options to teach English out in town. Some people I know teach anywhere from 1-4 days a week. Some teach children, while others teach adults.

I am just grateful for all the job opportunities here for us in Japan. I am hoping to start a nice travel fund for our family so that we can see many things here in Asia. Not to mention, I need to replace my diamond earring I lost about a year ago. Those of you who worked with me at my last job know how many "different" funds I had.