Rubber Ducky, you're the one!

I finally visited an onsen today! I've been wanting to do it the whole time we've been here, but since public nudity is just not a thing for Americans and there is definitely a right way and a wrong way to doing the onsen, I've been nervous about going. Well, no more!

King Yumemira, the mascot of this chain of onsen, behind him are the shoe lockers

Onsen are natural Japanese hot springs, which are easy to come by since Japan is a volcanically active country. (Sentō are indoor bathhouses, but not hot springs.) They are intended to be used for relaxation and health and are popular among all ages. I saw at least one three-generation family at the onsen today. Men and women are separated, though some do have communal areas where you wear a swimsuit. 

Basically, upon arrival into the onsen, you undress and then scrub top to bottom in a seated shower area before bathing. The bath is not for cleaning. It's not terribly complicated, and you mostly just need to be mindful of others. Here's a pretty good overview of how to do it.

I recently got a visit into the pages of my favorite Japanese children's book - パンダ銭湯 (Panda Bathhouse) by tupera tupera at the Yokosuka Art Museum's special exhibit of their work! Since I didn't take photos of the interior of the real onsen, these will have to do.

You take off all your clothes

Scrubbing time!

Today, I was taken to an onsen with another military wife, a friend I knew from church back in DC before we both got married, and her sister who is visiting for awhile. Being naked with a friend is a little more personal and odd than being naked with strangers, but it's really not that big of a deal. 

It's a lot like this - pandas, I mean people, of all ages, relaxing in the tub with their towels on their heads.

Once we scrubbed up, we took a variety of baths - you can see a map here, and use your browser's translate tool. Indoors, we enjoyed a green tea bath and a whirlpool where some sections were deep enough stand and others to sit. Then, we went to the outside portion, which was nice in the cool evening around sunset. We did a salt scrub (rinsing with cold water inside a hot sauna is eye-opening), which felt really good. Next, we laid down on a hot stone bed with water running over it and stared up at the night sky, which was more comfortable than it might sound. My friend particularly recommends it if it's raining, so you have cool water dripping on you, but the stone and water warming you underneath.

To enter the next bath, which was another laying down bath, but inside the water, you had walk into a pool with pebbles big and raised from the floor enough to give you a bit of a foot massage. Nice, but actually a little tricky. Then I took a soak in a big jar or barrel like tub, which was also very comfortable. 

At this point, I was starting to run out of time, so I quickly tried a few other bath experiences. In one tub, I splashed my face with mineral water bubbling from where the bath was filling, to get water straight from the source of the hot springs. Then, I went back inside and had a brief moment on a big stone chair with water running down it and a foot bath. The last hot bath I tried was an electric bath - there were little shocks coming at my lower abdomen from behind. I feel like I almost got used to it before I got out, but it was odd.

Finally, I tried to take a dip in the cold tub. I only made it about waist deep before I had to get out. I then noticed a cool shower that others were rinsing in before they got in the cool tub, so I tried it, and it made all the difference. Then it felt good and I wish I had more time to really relax in it. That would be even nicer in the hot summer.

This particular onsen is a little far away from me to go to regularly, but now that I've done it, I absolutely want to try and find more! 

Believe in the compass of your heart

We will get to past adventures soon enough, but first, here's one from today at Tokyo DisneySea! It's an entirely different park than any other Disney property - with sections of the park divided into ports instead of lands and everything having at least a vaguely nautical theme. Perfect for a Navy family!

On the monorail to the park!

Even the handholds are Mickeys!

Sailors Wanted? (See sign above Blake) Here's one!

Last night, after work (for Blake) and rehearsal (for me) and a dinner of sushi delivered via shinkansen (for both of us), we headed up to an Airbnb in Tokyo. It's way cheaper than staying at a Disney resort hotel, but just about as convenient if you want to get to the park first thing in the morning. We've actually stayed at this spot before, and it's lovely. Just so small!

Living Room

Kitchen (bathroom through the door on the right) - I stood in the same spot for both photos

We picked a random Thursday because we looked on a crowd prediction calendar and it suggested this day would be less crowded than most. We are grateful to have the option to just take a random day of  leave and spend a day together. Even though it was supposed to be a less popular day, we weren't only ones in the queue to get in thirty minutes before the park even opened. Even though I had done a little research to get suggestions about how best to do DisneySea, we opted to just go with our guts and do what we felt like it when, even if it meant we missed something. So, after watching Mickey and Minnie dance around with a marching band and trying to get a photo with Goofy, we hopped on a riverboat and headed to the back of the park.

We tried to get on Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull, but just as the group ahead of us was about to board, they shut down the ride for a few hours. Hoping this wouldn't be a theme for the day, we picked up fast passes for Raging Spirits and headed for the Arabian Coast where we rode Jasmine's Flying Carpets and joined Sindbad's Storybook Voyage (its theme song is today's blog title). We also got a chocolate churro and were chatted with by some cast members who seemed excited to speak to English-speaking Americans who are Yokohama Baystars fans (Blake was wearing a Baystars cap). Westerners seemed to be relatively rare throughout our day in the park, so it was interesting to be a novelty.

The rest of the day went similarly - get fast passes for something and then spend time exploring nearby. We enjoyed all the other rides we went on including Flounder's Flying Fish Coaster (cars are maybe not big enough for two adults), 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and DisneySea Electric Railway. I think my favorites were Indiana Jones (when it finally opened), Aquatopia, and Raging Spirits. I also really enjoyed The Little Mermaid show, which combined puppetry and a flying Ariel (who totally waved to me), even if it was in Japanese. I translated things like "I'm sorry!" and "Welcome, everyone!" for Blake. Most of the park was in Japanese, so we had to guess at some storylines (or make up our own), but we still loved it.

Triton's Kingdom

Aquatopia

Outside Raging Spirits

Indiana Jones

I also loved running into some great characters!

Of course, food was an important part of the day. Lunch (Indian curry) and dinner (sandwiches, fries, and Lemon Fanta) weren't particularly noteworthy, but the snacks were!

Pancake with caramel custard filling

I did enjoy that my food pick had a Mickey

Popcorn is also a big thing at Tokyo Disney with a variety of flavors that can be found all around the park, including Blueberry, Herb-Tomato, and Curry. You can get a regular box, but you can also get a souvenir bucket to carry around and refill. We didn't take part in this tradition, but we did have fun checking out all the fun buckets people were carrying.

We also didn't make it to some of the most popular rides, like Journey to the Center of the Earth or Tower of Terror. By the time we made it to them, the fast passes were for the latest window of the day or you could wait in line for 2+ hours. So, once we wrapped up dinner and had ridden all the rides we wanted to except those with those kinds of lines, we decided that since we live here and could try again, it was probably a good idea to head home early and get a good night's sleep. It was either wait for a show that wouldn't start for two more hours and then get on a 1.5 hour train ride home, or just go straight to the train. Even if we never make it back, we feel good about what we accomplished and saw, and a good night's sleep will help us recover from the 11+ miles we walked around the park and through winding lines.

By the time we headed home, the monorail was dressed for Christmas!

Tokyo DisneySea is definitely something you should see if you're visiting, have an extra day, and are a Disney fan. We're casual Disney fans ourselves, and we absolutely had a great day with some great weather! I'd be happy to go again!

Dressing up twin-style is definitely a thing at Tokyo Disney that we had enjoyed being part of.

Hello, it's me

Well, the good news here is that I did better at blogging this year. There is still so much I haven't blogged about, but I have recorded in other ways. I wonder how my great grandkids will access my Instagram account? Or this blog? Oh well. Some record in any format, digital or analog, is better than nothing!

The other good news is that not writing as much as I could have means I have plenty left to write about. Even grocery shopping is an adventure while living in a foreign country, so coming up with 30 adventures worth blogging, past or present, shouldn't be too hard. Because, as you may have guessed by now, it's NaBloPoMo time again!

I've learned a lot this year and done some amazing things. I'll never feel like I've seen or done it all, but as long as we are proactive about living here and experiencing as much as we can, I will feel satisfied that at least we have tried.

So, stay tuned while I recount some of those adventures and lessons! Happy November!

Zushi Beach is the closest beach to our home, about 20 minutes away via train/foot, and this was from an illumination and candle lighting event they held recently. We (heart) Zushi!

When you think about Seuss!

My last semester of college, I was in the BYU Young Company production of Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse. The Young Company is a Theatre for Young Audiences production group that has an initial run on the BYU campus and then tours to local elementary schools for the rest of the semester. I loved being part of it and it was a great capstone to my time in college.

My friend Summer was also part of this group. I think we'd had a few other classes together over our time at BYU, as she was a Theatre Education major and I'd started as one (though ultimately dropped the Education half). After Lilly's, I graduated, Summer left on her mission for the church, and we lost touch.

Until, fascinatingly, I found out we were moving to Japan. She had moved here several years ago with her husband, a teacher at the high school on base, and her kids. A mutual friend who knew that helped us reconnect once Blake and I announced our move! Immediately, she suggested that I'd be able to help with the Drama Club she and her husband (who is also the bishop of our ward/congregation) run at the high school.

So, this spring, about one year after we reconnected, I helped the high school mount a production of Seussical, Jr.! Summer directed, her husband (Ben) produced, and I choreographed - something they could do, but don't feel super confident in doing.

We all had a great time working together and I am already looking forward to our next production this fall!

Sing with me, sing for the years

Karaoke in Japanese is a clipped compound word combining empty (kara) and oukesutora (orchestra). It's wildly popular throughout the world, but it was developed in Japan where it has long been common to have musical entertainment at dinner or a party. What seems to be popular here now is renting a private room with a group of friends, which Blake and I have enjoyed once and look forward to doing again!

It's no secret that I love to sing and perform and karaoke is, for me, a really chill way to get to do this. When I was in college, I spent many a Friday night at a theater in Pleasant Grove, Utah, singing karaoke with several of my theater friends. In Virginia, I went to Rock It Grill in Alexandria and other karaoke nights. But somehow, Blake and I had never been together until we moved to Japan. 

We have now more than made up for this, since I have found a new job and it couldn't be more perfect for my new life in Japan - karaoke host by the name of Amanda Darling!

Contracted through the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation office on our base, I alternate hosting duties on Saturday nights at one of the bars on our base. It's my job to announce singers, program the karaoke machine, and sing in the downtime. I was "discovered" by answering a survey sent out by the MWR looking for local entertainment.  I'm still figuring it all out, but I'm two months into this job now and I like it!

I'm getting to know some people in my neighborhood, practice singing, and working on my hosting/MC skills. I certainly didn't anticipate this opportunity, but I really do enjoy it. One of my favorite moments so far was being profiled by Aspiring Mormon Women on Facebook for embracing my "and" - all the things I am in addition to a wife, (one day future hopefully) mother, and LDS woman. I'm looking forward to seeing to where this goes and you can follow my adventures on Amanda Darling's Facebook page! 

Look around, look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now

Recently, my aunt asked Blake and me a few questions about our time in Japan so far, so I thought I'd turn it into a blog post!

With permission, I've included Blake's answers as well.

Q1:  What's the most interesting discovery you've made in or about Japan thus far?

Blake: For a high-tech society with automation everywhere, there's a lot of very simple jobs that are done by people. Cleaning, assisting, etc. 

Amanda: How respectful everyone is - of each other, of their traditions, of everything. It's particularly an aspect of the concept of "wa" or harmony, which suggests a peaceful unity and conformity. Yes, it can imply a subjugation of ones personal preferences or character, but I do find people can still be individuals while respecting others.  

Q2: the most weird?

Blake:  Seeing western celebrities hawking Japanese stuff. Like Tommy Lee Jones crying, while listening to an iPod, in order to sell Japanese vending machine coffee. 

Amanda: Japanese advertising in general. Sometimes it make sense; sometimes it's a bunch of kids who seem to be dressed as water bottles singing about their product. In fact, about half of them were Americans (or at least Westerners)! It's very common for children of families stationed here to get modeling and acting jobs. I couldn't find a video of this particular ad (probably because I don't remember the name of the product), but I did find an old Buzzfeed listicle about American celebrities who have appeared in Japanese commercials.

Q3: the most disturbing?

Blake:  Google "Japan loneliness." 

Amanda: One evening heading home on the train, I grabbed an open seat. To my left was a man dressed all in yellow. Bright yellow. Bright yellow tank top, booty shorts, and yellow thigh socks or leggings. He was eccentrically accessorized as well. And a few minutes into our ride together, he started crying - not just a few tears and light sniffles, but completely and loudly sobbing. I don't know what what was going on with him, but I hope he was okay!

Q4: the most Beautiful?

Blake: Nature, and how it permeates so much of society here.

Amanda: Japan embraces a concept called "borrowed scenery" - shakkei in Japanese. Instead of tearing everything down to build a garden, they incorporate a lot of what is already there. So, even a well planned out and landscaped garden feels like it was always supposed to be there and makes the view even more spectacular.

A shrine garden in Kyoto that uses the mountain in its design

Oppa Gangnam Style!

We are fortunate that Blake's current assignment is shore duty, which means he will be home most of the time, instead of sea duty, which means he would be assigned to a ship and gone a lot more. He may have sea duty in the future, and we'll make it work, but for now his trips away should be relatively minimal. However! In March of this year, Blake received a temporary assignment in South Korea for a few weeks. We missed each other, but he really enjoyed the work and experience.

Of course, one of the best things about some military assignments away from home are port calls - usually when a ship pulls into a foreign port and the sailor's family gets to meet them. In this case, I flew to Seoul, South Korea, with one of Blake's fellow JAGs (Caitlyn) to meet up with our husbands (hers is Jacob) who both had been on the temporary assignment. It was a super quick weekend, but still an incredible adventure!

Seoul, as seen from a cab

For the most part, travel to and around Seoul was quite simple - we mostly took cabs and walked. Caitlyn and I did have a bit of trouble getting from the airport to the hotel though. After struggling to find a way to get Korean won out to pay for the subway, and buying a train card we never ended up using, we decided to just take a cab. Our first cab driver was possibly a victim of some sort of extortion right in front of us and another older man was trying to chat us up, but also recording us in some manner. We eventually got out of the situation and found a different cab. The rest of the weekend was uneventful in the travel department, which we were quite relieved by. We stayed at the Dragon Hill Lodge, an American hotel on a military base, right in the heart of Seoul, and it was quite nice and familiar in a very unfamiliar city.

Friday afternoon, we spent the time wandering the grounds of two palaces in Seoul - Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung. I'd told our cab driver to go to one of them, she took us to the other, but this happy accident gave us a chance to check out both! Changdeokgung was constructed in 1405! and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

All this painted wood was so beautiful!

We found out too late that you can rent hanbok to wear around these palaces. So many lovely traditional clothes being worn by both men and women. If we ever visit again, I want to do this!

In the evening, I was hoping for a promising trip to a night market alongside the Han River, but we underestimated its popularity. With LONG lines for food trucks and booths of goods we weren't particularly intrigued by, we ended up at a restaurant where we got to cook our own meal at our table. We probably did it wrong, but it was tasty!

The biggest adventure of the trip was Saturday, which we spent touring the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and Joint Security Area (JSA) between South Korea and North Korea. We all learned quite a lot about the history of the region. And! We crossed the border into North Korea for a few minutes. It is as far into North Korea as we will likely ever get, so even without a new stamp in our passports, we are definitely counting it on the list of countries we've been to.

Line of demarcation - North Korea is on the right.

Overlooking North Korea

Inside the room where the two sides meet occasionally. The microphones on the tables mark the border and we are solidly on the North Korean side. Those are South Korean guides behind us, so that there is always someone between the tourists and the North Koreans.

Looking into the North Korean side. We were inside the blue building on the left in the previous photo.

Our lunch break was in the sad, odd amusement park and shopping area of the DMZ. We had some seafood pizza and sausage for lunch. J-shaped ice cream cones? Why not!

For dinner, we found ourselves at another Korean barbecue joint, but this was far less upscale and actually more fun. We tried a few different foods and had a blast, though not as much as the loudly drunk party next to us.

We then tried to find some more shopping, but our ability to find much in the way to traditional Korean crafts or goods was lacking. We did, however, enjoy wandering through an outdoor food market and some more modern shopping venues.

Sunday was filled with more history as we visited the Korean War Memorial museum. There was plenty of information about the Korean War, of course, but also a great deal about the overall history of Korea. Since so much of the identity of Korea is wrapped up in the last century since the Japanese occupation and the Korean War, it was interesting to learn more about the previous centuries.

Replica boat of one that had been shot up in a conflict, the red throughout marked bullet holes.

I wanted to play this drum!

We did a little more wandering in search of lunch and culture, and were pleasantly surprised by the tacos we found.

Also delighted by fresh churros in warm chocolate pudding and vanilla ice cream.

Caitlyn, Blake, and I flew back to Japan on Sunday night (Jacob had a few more days of his assignment). I had been feeling a little overwhelmed with all the new newness of Seoul and the inability to speak the language and was afraid I was experiencing the homesickness for America that so many other transplants to Japan had suggested I would feel. Fortunately, as soon as we arrived in Japan, which I have grown so accustomed to, the homesickness dissipated. It's strange to be calling Japan home now, but it is really is!

Maybe we will come back for the Olympics!