Kushiage- Japanese deep fried kebabs

Tonight we had a very unique dining experience I wanted to share with you...it's called Kushiage. For about 2500 Yen a person ($25), Bern and I had 90 minutes to have all the skewered meat, seafood & vegetables we could eat. The unique part??? Instead of grilling the skewers, you deep fry them! There is a mini fryer in the middle of each table. First you have to coat the skewers into a batter, then into a panko bread crumb mix, and finally into the hot oil. Each portion on the skewer is relatively small so it only takes about 1-2 minutes to cook until golden brown. There are a variety of sauces you can choose from to dip the skewers into as well. At the end of our session, we finished over 50 sticks......
I think we could have done better, maybe next time! haha

 

 

                  

Yokohama...the city, not the tires

Last weekend, Bern and I went to the city of Yokohama which is about a 25 minute train ride north of Yokosuka. Luckily for us, Bern's god-sister Melissa works at the hospital on base so she was our tour guide for the day. Yokohama is the home of the biggest Chinatown in Japan and right off the bat we could tell why. From the ornate Chinese pergolas stationed at each of the entranceways to the red lanterns hanging high above the streets; it really reminded me of the Chinatown in San Francisco. Bern got a quick morning snack and bought a siopao (steamed buns filled with stuffing) & even managed to take a quick picture of the Hello Kitty panda bear. We didn't have time to check out all that Chinatown had to offer but at least we know where to look for real authentic Chinese food & dim sum in the future.    

 

Just like Yokosuka, the city of Yokohama is a huge port for Japan right off Tokyo Bay. As we were walking down the bay front, we came across a statue surrounded by a nice water fountain. After carefully reading the description, we were happy to find out that this statue has ties to the 619. It was a gift from the City of San Diego back in 1960....in fact, the same statue stands in front of the County Administration building. How bout that huh?! Right in the heart of Yokohama is an amusement park with small roller coasters and a ferris wheel.

This was a great opportunity for us just to get a feel for the city. We plan on coming back to Yokohama many times over....to ride the ferris wheel at night, checking out a Yokohama Bay Stars baseball game, and visiting the Cup of Noodles museum! YES! Rumor has is that visitors can make their very own flavor of cup of noodles so stay tuned.    

       

More 1st's

Bern and I have been on a week long AOB (area orientation briefing). It's the Navy's way of teaching new comers how to adjust to life here in Japan. Everything from basic base (which is called Fleet Activities Yokosuka) information/etiquette to Japanese culture/history has been covered. Thursday was sort of a field trip day where we finally got to leave the classroom and travel to Kamakura via train. Learning how to use the train system here is quite a daunting task. Japan has a very complicated, yet organized public transportation system that can take you practically anywhere you want to go. We purchased a Suica card that we can load up with train fare that will certainly help to make this process a bit easier...rather than figuring out how much it'll cost us to go from one location to the next & back home. Now we can just swipe the card before the gate and off we go. The only issue I think will still be the language barrier; not knowing how to read all the Kanji, Hiragana, & Katana characters. Hopefully we can pick up the basics as time goes on! Quick notes about the trains: the seats are heated (especially helpful since it's been so cooooold) & there are on-board bathrooms available for those long distance trips; nice huh?!

 

Kamakura is located west of Yokosuka, about a 20 minute train ride. The city was actually the first capital of Japan, under the rule of the first Shogun Minamoto Yoritomo during the 12th century. This was the start of the Samurai class that ruled Japan for over 700 years. It was raining all day so we were unable to visit all the cool sites they have here like the giant Buddha statue, but rest assured we will be back! After arriving in Kamakura, we had lunch at a ramen restaurant before our guided tour; first around the city then of Hachimangu Shrine. Notice the big red entrance way, or Torii, that stood about a mile from the shrine. Quick note: shrines are associated with the Shinto religion, which is a nature-spirited religion native to Japan whereas temples are associated with Buddhism. The walkway was lined with Cherry Blossom trees (sakura) which unfortunately were not in bloom yet.

             
When Bern and I got to the bottom of the shrine, we had to first purify ourselves by cleaning our hands as well as our mouths. After purification, we walked up those stairs and into the shrine. In order to make a wish/prayer to the gods, you must throw money into the collection basket, bow twice, clap twice, INSERT PRAYER/WISH, then bow twice again. Afterwards, we had the opportunity to actually write down our prayer on an Ema (a wooden plaque) and hang it up along the wall where all the prayers stood.

When we got back to Yokosuka, it was time for an early dinner so we ate at a Japanese beef bowl restaurant. You first order/pay from a machine at the entrance, grab your ticket, find a seat at the counter, and give your ticket to the waitress. In only 5 short minutes, you have a really good meal for only $4.

Needless to say that after a long day of walking, especially in some pretty crummy weather, I was beat. So when we got back on base, Bern took a pic of me sleeping on the short 10 minute bus ride back to the Navy lodge. Thanks hun! Geesh!

 

Weekend Update

The first weekend here in Yokosuka was all about exploring the immediate area outside of the base. On Saturday, we checked out the local mall which was no different than any other mall you would find in the states. On our way there, we discovered our very first Pachinko Parlor. It's kind of a mix between pinball & slot machines...not really sure how you win at the game but one thing is for sure; these places are LOUD!! The main street of Yokosuka is called Blue Street. It's filled with all sorts of restaurants, markets, & shops. Bern discovered the 100 yen stores, which are like the 99 cents stores back home.






There is a nice park right off the base called Mikasa Park. It has an old Japanese military ship permanently docked along with a mini archway similar to the one in St. Louis. It overlooks Tokyo Bay and the military base.

One thing I have noticed are all the vending machines at each and every street corner. Japanese people must be obsessed with these things because they are all over the place. No joke. But they are unique in that they offer both cold and hot drinks which I thought was something really cool. (Look into this Laura! haha) I got my favorite Japanese soft drink, Calpico. Try it out the next time you go to a Japanese market, it's pretty good.



As you can imagine, Bern and I worked up a considerable appetite with all the walking we did this weekend.

We had Ramen (finally) at the noodle shop right off the main gate. I had the spicy miso ramen while Bern had the shoyu ramen. When paying for your meal here in Japan, you go up to the cashier and place the money in a tray instead of handing it to them directly. Not sure why yet but I'm sure I'll find out why soon.

We also went to a Tempura restaurant where the tempura batter was different than the one we've become accustomed to in the states. Here, it had a lighter, more crunchier texture which I thought really helped to absorb the sauce a lot better. I was a happy camper because I also had my first beer in Japan; Kirin (my favorite!)

Now on Sunday, as we were strolling down one of the unbeaten paths of Blue Street, we came across a small Yakatori stand (grilled meat on a stick). They had a variety of different meats from chicken to pork liver. Bern and I had just finished dinner at the Tempura place so we decided to just share one chicken stick. Each stick is 70 yen; or about 70 cents, so the people there were just hanging out grabbing the yakatori sticks as they were coming off the grill. One guy I saw had atleast 20 sticks in his hand when he went to pay for them. I'm sure this place gets packed with people after a long night at the bar. NOTE TO SELF- open up a carne asada fries stand next to Yakatori stand! haha

Our 1st sushi experience in Japan

Tonight was the very first time we were able to leave the base and actually go out into the town. Being that it's Lent and we can't eat meat on Fridays, it was the perfect opportunity to eat Sushi! Our sponsor, Lizzie and her husband Ricky, were gracious enough to drive us to a newer sushi joint in Yokosuka. This was our first time eating at what people call a 100 yen sushi restaurant; meaning that most of the sushi starts around $1 for each plate. The food was served on a conveyor belt that went around each of the tables in our section. You just grabbed whatever you wanted directly from the belt. For specialty items, there was a screen at each table where you could order food as well as any drinks & deserts. After a few minutes, your food would come out on a bullet train type tray that would stop at your table. If you wanted Ocha (Japanese green tea), then you would grab a cup, pour some green tea powder in there, and fill it up with hot water which came directly from a spout built into the side of the table.

Bern and I had to have our favorite sushi right off the bat...so I had the Inari (sweet tofu pocket filled with rice) and Bern had the Salmon Nigri; then it was game on from there. The food was really good for being so inexpensive so we ended up with about 20 plates. The waitress then came to add up all those plates so we could pay up in the front counter. Tipping is not allowed in Japan which is something I'm not used to. Overall, we a great time with our new friends and will definitely plan on coming back here again! 

 

 

 

 

We made it to Yokosuka

Leaving San Diego was emotional to say the least. Saying goodbye to family & friends is never an easy thing to do; it's like a rollercoaster ride of emotions. We're really sad to be leaving them but at the same time excited to begin this new opportunity. But life keeps moving forward so watch out Yokosuka, The Matsunaga's are moving in.

Bern and I arrived safely in Narita airport on Monday, March 10 at 5pm local time. After going through customs, we met with our sponsor Lizzy (Bern's co-worker) who took us on the bus headed toward Yokosuka which was about a two hour drive. We are staying at the Navy Lodge which is basically a hotel until all of our house goods arrive. The next day while Bern went to work, I decided to walk around the military base and explore. During my journey, I found a used car lot where I think I may have spotted something I can take back home to SD...a Nissan Skyline R32.  YES!!! I also found the essentials like the commissary, exchange, movie theater, food court, and a travel agency that organizes all sorts of excursions in and around Japan.. I won't have the chance to explore outside the base until I get my military ID, which I think will happen next week during our welcome orientation. Stay tuned   

It's official....

Bern got her official orders last week so we are leaving San Diego on Sunday, March 9, 2014. I can't believe that we are actually moving to Japan! What a great opportunity this is for the both us; both professionally and personally. The movers came to the house on the Monday beforehand to pack and ship all of our household goods. It was such a surreal feeling watching them pack all of our stuff. There's no turning back now...it's Japan or BUST! I can't begin to describe how excited I am to be doing this. And to think I get to share this life-changing experience with my one and only Bern makes it even sweeter.