Author: wabisabisole Page 52 of 54

We have rented a car for the past couple weeks until we were able to transfer the title of the car we are purchasing.  Tomorrow we should take possession of our new car.  The logistics of buying a car are tricky and made more so when you don’t speak the language. 

To help Dave with the process, last week I went to the vehicle registration office and was provided with the following steps:

While stationed in Japan, we must obtain local car insurance.  Two separate insurance requirements exist. We must have compulsory automobile liability insurance that is required by law and a voluntary insurance. After paying for liability insurance, a sticker is placed on the vehicle. The joke is that you pay for a very expensive sticker with a car attached. The voluntary insurance is for damage to the vehicle. 

The other important part of obtaining a vehicle is proving you have adequate space to park the vehicle. There is NO street parking. Japan has a law called the “Sky Garage Law.” The Sky Garage Law states: “Vehicles may not be parked on the street for more than 12 consecutive hours during daylight hours and 8 consecutive hours during darkness. You can’t use the street as a parking garage.” The penalty includes: 3-month jail sentences and/or a ¥200,000 fine.

Living on base, obtaining a parking certificate was very easy. We are allowed one designated parking spot for our townhouse. If we decide we want to own another vehicle, down the road, we will have to submit a request for another parking spot. This assignment is based on a first come first serve basis and typically the designated paring spot isn’t located close to the house. We have every intention to be a one car family while we are stationed here. 

If you live in town, the realtor who helps you find an apartment to rent will also provide the measurements of the parking space. Then you must have the vehicle measured to ensure it will fit in the allotted space. If your vehicle is too big for the designated spot, you will not be permitted to obtain registration for the vehicle. Same with motorcycles/mopeds. There must be a designated spot for the motorcycle/moped to park and it typically counts as the one authorized vehicle. 

When I first learned about the law against street parking, I was surprised. After driving for a couple of weeks now, it makes complete sense. The streets are so narrow, there is barely even a shoulder let alone space to park. It contributes to the reason to take the train as much as possible when going on a sightseeing adventure. The thought of finding parking is intimidating. 

Back to our vehicle registration, once we collected the insurance paper work, the parking permit and the bill of sale, Dave hired a “runner” or “LTO” to take everything to Yokohama to have the title transferred. This person is familiar with the system, speaks the language and represents the buyer of the vehicle to obtain the necessary title. After that, Dave was able to return to the Vehicle Registration Office and legally obtain our “new” (to us anyways) vehicle.  I will post pictures of the beauty in the next couple of days.

Meanwhile, let me stress how happy we are to live in housing and have an “American” style parking spot. 

When you can’t have space on the street, park in the sky! 

The Japanese have a proverb about climbing Mt. Fuji. “You are wise to climb Mt. Fuji, but a fool to do it twice.” It will be tough to convince me to do it again. We had a great time, but I’m not sure I can be fooled again. Here’s the story. 
We arrived at the 5th station a little before 5am. When we exited the bus, the mountain was right in front of us. I remember thinking, that doesn’t look very big for a mountain. Then I looked behind me. 

The view opposite the mountain. Notice the cloud height and other mountains. 

After using the restroom and purchasing our hiking stick, we set off on our way. As we began, we had the opportunity to enjoy an amazing sunrise. 

We stopped at the 6th station and watched the rest of sunrise & took a selfie of us with Fuji. 

The climb up had the expected level of challenge. The mountain is 3,776m or 12,389 ft and you begin climbing at 2300m. The composition and terrain also factor into the climbing challenge. Mt. Fuji is an active volcano (although it hasn’t erupted for over 300 years) and as you climb, you’re climbing sharp, rough igneous rocks. Plus, the climb is steep. At various points I was scrambling over the rocks on all fours. This was all part of the fun of the climb and we were prepared for the challenge. 

A highlight of each station was to have a stamp burned into your hiking stick. This time was also the perfect opportunity to rest a few minutes. 

Let’s jump ahead to station 8. Station 8 is also where the huts are located. You can reserve a cot at a Mountain Hut and sleep next to a stranger in order to hike to the summit and observe sunrise. Personally, Station 8 was my favorite. At 3400m, station 8 offered a cute monkey stamp, a gentle breeze and a glimpse of the proximity of the summit. Not so fast, trail blazer! Only 300m of elevation. It takes more than that to actually get there. 

By the time we arrived at station 8.5, the climb began to get strenuous. The toughest part of the climb was after station 8 to the summit. In fact, the final 600 meters were brutal. 600 m is nothing. 1.5 laps around the track. Unless, you’re climbing up and over igneous rock boulders at over 12,000 feet. Next time, I’m taking oxygen. My head was pounding. Wait a second… Who said anything about next time? 

We finally reach the summit. I’ll admit, I was looking for something more. There wasn’t an amazing view because we were clothed in clouds and the final stamp guy wasn’t there today!?! The highlight of making it to the summit was lunch. We ate tuna Onigiri & these little pancake sandwiches Dave grabbed. Dave Dwyer for the win! These pancake sandwiches were filled with syrup and butter. 

Alright, time to move on. The weather was changing and we thought it best to get moving on down the mountain. The weather changed quickly. Within 10 minutes of leaving the summit there was a thick fog & rain. It proceeded to rain all the way down. Our 3 hour descent was in a downpour. In fact, the trail was washing out before our eyes. We had been warned of the rain and packed rain gear. We just weren’t expecting a 3 hour slog down the mountain.

By the end of the descent, nothing was dry. I had standing water in my boots. We both slipped once, but we’re fine. Our quads were burning. Our knees ached. We stayed positive and had fun together. 

This is the same spot I took a selfie at the beginning of the hike. By the end we are drenched and Mt. Fuji isn’t visible. Dave’s face is priceless. 

Our sweet reward for completing an amazing hike. 

Back to the proverb at the beginning. Will I hike Fuji again? Maybe. Someone will need to visit and convince me it is on their bucket list. As we were finishing, we watched group after group set out in the rain. They were going to spend the night at station 8 in the cots. By the time they arrived they would be as soaked as we were and would sleep on a cot in an open air hotel and wake to finish climbing in the morning. In wet boots and maybe even wet clothes. Nope. None of that sounds fun. Therefore, I will say “maybe” to hiking it again if we do just the day hike and I’m going with someone who REALLY wants to make the climb. 

Our stats for the day:

Total miles: 17.85

Total hiking time: 10 hours (5.5 up/1 for lunch / 3.5 down)

I unpacked today. 

Only one casualty. Kermit. 

RIP, my terra cotta friend. You served my plants well. You will be missed. 

On a positive note, the kitchen is more functional. 

Still a little too much countertop clutter. I need to find homes for a few more vases. 

The pantry is much more user friendly. 

I tested Dave this evening. He successfully found the proper home for the “sport jelly beans.” 

The den is getting more and more cozy. 

Only 3 boxes left in the den. Pro-gear that needs to be unpacked by CDR Dwyer. 

I’m really loving the rugs we bought right before we left. They make a huge difference. 

Tackling the upstairs tomorrow. Clothes, clothes and more clothes. Oh, and shoes and purses… 

We received our household goods today. 9 crates total or 9,000 pounds. Two guys showed up at 7:25. They began the process of opening 5 of 9 crates. They staged all of our stuff outside the house and then delivered it to the correct room. As usual, I started right away on unpacking the kitchen. Dave managed the inventory & directed traffic. 

They made quick work of unloading.

They also cleaned up the paper mess before beginning the second truck. 

 After they cleared out the first truck, the second truck arrived with the remaining 4 crates. 

There was so much paper because they wrapped furniture with paper instead of blankets. 

They left before 1:00 pm. The driver from the second truck helped them finish. They worked so hard and didn’t want lunch. We kept giving them Gatorade & water. 

The rest of the day we tackled boxes. By the end of the day, the downstairs looks a mess. 

tomorrow is to have the kitchen finished and the den put together. I’m wiped and ready to crash on this…

We put our bed frame in long term storage. I’m so glad we did. We have about two feet on either side of the bed! I’m also glad we put our bigger furniture in storage. It definitely would not have fit. 

It feels so good to unpack and settle into our home. 

If all goes as planned, we will hike Mt. Fuji Saturday. I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am for this adventure. Hiking Fuji this summer was on my dream list before we even arrived. The mountain/volcano is only open for hiking July – early September. We were able to sign up with Fleet Recreation for an all day hike. This means we will leave early Saturday morning (0145), ride 3 hours on a bus and then set out on a 10 mile round trip hike to the top. We will return to the base around 2300. 

When we were still in Chicago, we mailed ourselves several boxes and in one of them I packed hiking clothes for us both. I decided not to pack our hiking boots because everything I read, said running shoes would be fine. Well, that was bad gouge. We attended the mandatory safety brief a couple weeks ago and they highly encouraged hiking boots and gaiters. Mainly because the trail has a lot of rocks & pebbles that end up in your shoes if you’re not wearing the right equipment. The guide discussed numerous people who hiked in the wrong shoes and finished with bloody & blistered feet. No thanks. So, we began our search for hiking boots. Finding a pair for Dave was relatively easy. The NEX had an acceptable pair of men’s size 12. Unfortunately, no women’s and the smallest men’s was a size 8. I tried them on and they were too long & too wide. 

Next idea. There is a Sports Authority in Yokohama we passed last weekend. We decided to give that a try. A quick Google search revealed there was one even closer in Kamiooka. 
They opened at 10am so off we went on our easy 22 minute train ride. 

We found the Sports Authority easily and I beelined for the “trekking” section. Unfortunately, the largest women’s size they carry is an 8.5. Nope. We did however get a couple backpacks, hats, gaiters and gloves. 

We worked our way across the street and we were about to head to the train station when Dave suggested we look through the shopping area (mall) adjacent to the train station. This mall was out of contol! TEN stories!! Yes, 10! As we walked around there were a plethora of stores with cute clothes, however after my recent shutout with shoes, I wasn’t brave enough to venture into them. 

Until… We came across a Columbia store. Earlier my mom messenged me and suggested I try men’s boots after I told her of my struggle at Sports Authority. Hmmm. Perhaps a good idea. Maybe Japanese men have smaller feet. Dave said the largest running shoe he found was a 9.  So, very humbly, I asked the Columbia store clerk for a size 10 in any women’s boot. No. Let me eat more humble pie. How about men’s? I could tell I confused her. She went to the register and retrieved a sizing chart. We communicated by pointing. I asked for an 8 in men’s. Yes! They were a great fit. Much more narrow than U.S. men’s shoes. I made the purchase and the jokes will probably never end about my gigantic man feet. Amazon Woman. Sasquatch. Yep. Yep. & Yep. 

Happy to have completed our tasking for the day, we continued to explore the mall. Guess what was around the next corner… A Gap! I was so excited. Surely, they have American sizes. Yes, they do up to a size 8 and down to a size 000. And they were having a birthday sale – all 1969 denim on sale for ¥1969 (about $20) I bought my first pair of Japanese denim capris. 

I must also mention this dressing room. Notice the carpet. DO NOT step on that with shoes on. The attendant didn’t speak a word of English until I stepped on it wearing shoes. She quickly told me “take off shoes!” Oh, yes, ma’am. She also used a masking tape roller attached to a long handle to clean it in between each customer. You can only imagine how awkward it was to exit the dressing room with the clothes I tried on and purse and attempt to slip on my converse. I was yet again the awkward American. Ehhh, it’s whatever. Just smile. 

Another important purchase was a pseudo wallet for my husband. His cards have gotten out of control since we have been here. It’s his business, but I’ll be honest it stressed me out. Today he purchased this little containment system. It made me happy beyond logical explanation. 

Shifting gears. Tropical Cyclone Mindulle is headed our way and should be arriving in the next 12 hours. Strong winds & a lot of rain. Commence Cyclone/Typhoon party. If only we had our HHG to unpack, instead we will watch Amazon Prime movies on the iPad. Next time we move overseas, I will make sure to pack a TV in our express shipment. #lessonslearned

We rode the train to Yokosuka this evening and met Ed for dinner. We ate at a restaurant called “Delicious.” It is an Indian restaurant with the best curry in Yokosuka (claimed by several people I’ve met). I am a novice when it comes to ordering curry and the thought of trying to order from a Japanese menu, was very intimidating. No worries! Delicious is located near the base and they have an English menu available. The restaurant is Ed’s favorite in the area and he gave me a crash course in ordering. 

We started with garlic naan. It was Delicious!! I could have eaten naan all night. 

After we settled into our naan, we each ordered a different curry plate. I ordered coconut chicken & spinach chicken curry. Both with a mild spice level. It was just enough for me. It was served with a salad, naan, rice, popad and beverage. The salad was a fresh cabbage salad with thousand island dressing. Good, although not photo worthy. 

Both types of curry were delicious and paired well together. I would pick the coconut curry as my favorite. I ordered garlic cheese naan. It was too much. Next time, just a plain naan with my meal. The little flat thing on top is the popad. It was like a baked potato chip. Nice crunch. Nothing special. 

Dave ordered chicken curry and seafood marsala curry. Both with a medium spice level. He said he preferred the chicken. He ordered the cheese naan and agreed the plain would have been better. 

Ed ordered the mutton spinach curry and the sesame naan. It was a nice pairing with the curry. 

As we were leaving, Dave asked if the chefs would show me how they make the naan. Here is an action shot! 

They flip the dough back and forth and then place it into the hot (180 degrees Celsius) oven in the background. It bakes for a few minutes and comes out bubbly and delicious!

It was a fun evening tasting and experiencing a new restaurant. I now have confidence in ordering curry. Honestly, I would go back just for the naan!! The curry was better than I expected and I loved having two small portions so I could have samples. 

The other news of the evening is the Tropical Cyclone that is headed towards Japan. Tropical Cyclone Mindulle has the potential to be a Typhoon by the time it makes landfall. Just to clarify, a Typhoon is the same thing as a Hurricane only it occurs in the Pacific Ocean. As of Saturday evening the base is in Condition III.

Searching for further information about the track of the cyclone, I found this map. It shows the storm heading north and directly at the Yokosuka / Tokyo Bay Area. 

We have been to the store plenty over the past few days and have a sufficient amount of provisions. We are ready for our first Typhoon Party!! 

The storm is predicted to make landfall Monday evening. I will keep you posted with updates. The funny part, this is our third storm since we left the mainland. One in Hawaii, Chanthu last week and now Mindulle. Tis the season!