~Let's do Lunch~

I woke up the morning not realizing that Evan had a spot @ school! :) It was a nice surprise and i took advantage of it! We got ready Fast, and headed out. After i dropped Evan off, i headed to Yokosuka.
This Photo was taken on the Walk-Over to the Mall, near Shioiri Station.

That building makes me think... WOW... i do live in a city! :)

I have to add that i have taken the trains a ton of times... and mostly with friends or Evan. Only once by myself. That was a few months ago, and i was really watching the stops and making sure i did not get lost at the time.
This time? I was relaxed... and enjoyed the ride.
As i sat on the train for quite a few stops i looked out the window and people watched. It was very enjoyable.
I think today, i Really loved the ride.
As i look around, i already think about the next 36 months and... i know i will have to leave this wonderful place Again, and how sad i will be ... once again.
I try hard to soak it all in. Although, i know it's impossible.
When we lived in Sasebo i remember thinking, No Worries... we will be back. I don't know why i felt so confident in that... but it was a long 5 years, and yes we are back. But....
This time i realize this may be our last tour here.
10 years of my life spent in Japan... i want to Soak Everything In... Experience all Japan has to offer...... this is my last chance.
I will be surprised and thankful if we ever get to do this again....
Ok! Enough Sappy Feelings~ haha~......

About 40 minutes on 2 trains, and i made it to Yokosuka with no problems! :)
I did a little shopping in the Daiei Mall.



This is for my friend Kitty. She loves those Cat's.


After my Kids Dept (under-garmet shopping) & 100 Yen detour i met Ej for lunch. We walked a bit, and chatted, it was Very nice to have Adult convo w/ my hubby.
We chose to eat @ Big Boy's, located on the 3rd floor of the mall.




Ethan's set, ... I call it the Napkin Set because it came with the Napkin Tent... because it was SO hot it was Splattering Everywhere!


My set,... again Way 2 much food... although it was all very small items (like that Mini burger)... it was delish! We both got the drink bar.


My set also came with the Salad/Soup Bar. Ethan's came with the soup bar only.


After lunch, Ethan suggested we get a cup of tea. A great idea! :) It was So Cold today! (with a chance of snow!)



We have eat'n here once before, with the kids... when we were living in the Lodge.
It's Not like Big Boy's in the states, although it is a burger restaurant.
It was delish... and we got to have a nice chat over lunch.
Enjoy the photo's from Shopping and Lunch. :)

Take Left here and your off to the Train Station... Take a Right and you will reach the Walking Gate onto Yokosuka Naval Base.

Yokohama Chinatown

Yesterday we took the train to Yokohama Chinatown. It was Very Easy and was a wonderful to get out of the Yokosuka area for the day.
This is how we got there...



We took the train from Ikego to Kanazawa Bunko (3 stops). We got off @ Bunko and boarded a Green Train heading North (or twards Yokohama).
It was 2 Stops from Bunko.
(FYI... the train was packed, and for the ride to Yokohama we had no seats. On the way back, for 1/2 of the ride it was packed... when we made our 1 stop a few seats opened up and Ethan w/ sleeping Evan got one, and Olivia got the other.)

After arriving in Yokohama Station we made our way to the MM (Minato Mirai Line ~Subway~).





We boarded the Subway MM Line twards Motomachi-Chukagai.


Get off @ the Motomachi-Chukagai stop, the last stop.
Follow signs to the #2 Exit.


When you Exit the Subway, you will basicly be in Chinatown! Easy Peasy!




Chinatown is very colorful, lanterns everywhere... and has many street vendors!
Every few feet there are restraunts and brick-a-brack shops.


Sunday is obviously a very busy day to visit, unlss everyday is busy! :)




I just loved all the lantern's.


Next time we go, i would like to pick up something like this--->

It says China to me! :)
Chinatown was very $$$~!

All the 'Gates & Temples' were so big and colorful!













We decided to choose a sit-down place for lunch/dinner. We could have chosen street food... and saved a bunch of $$$! But, you gotta try some Chinese Food in Chinatown! :)
We chose a Buffet Style place. It was 2450Y (about $24.50) per adult. Olivia was 500Y off, so 1950Y (or $19.50) and Evan was 1/2 price 1225Y ($12.25). Drinks are Extra @ 350Y ($3.50) for a unlimited drink bar. We got '3' drink bars.
So our bill was about 9200Y (about $92.00).
IMO the kids prices were a RIP OFF!
The good news is the food was the BEST EVER, and Out of this World!
We WILL be going back, but not with the kids. Ethan and I REALLY Enjoyed ourselves!
It was a lot of $$$ but, it was worth it, for that one time.
Next time we will go with the kids we will choose the 'street food method'.


This photo shows most of the food selections.

This place was a buffet, but it was what i would call 'family style' and they served us. We did not have to get up only to get drinks and dessert.
Very casual!

The Chinese Meatballs were just beyond explanation! SO GOOD!

This dumpling was So different! I think it was filled with seafood of sorts, and the wrapping seamed to be made out of rice. I have no idea how they colored it so brightly! Oishi!!!

A few more of our selections...

Dessert!

There was this chocolate/coffee flan stuff with milk poured over top...... it's not pictured, because it was AMAZING and we ate it up!
We all shared, and Everything we ate was SO Good!

Heading home...


This is the 1st time have seen a Ladies Only Train Car. I have been told about it, and ever read about it... but WOW~ So cool to see it! Neat!


A beautiful mural in the Yokohama Station.


Olivia Finally sitting, on the last leg of the trip.

Evan slept the way home...


When we got to Kanazawa-Bunko we have to swap trains to get home.
We decided wake up Evan and leave the station. At Kanazawa-Bunko there is a Open Early/Late Stand-alone Mr. Donut. A Stand Alone anything in Japan is a big deal!
I have been here w/ Ethan a few times, but Never with the kids.
We all enjoyed a bit of Coffee/Juice & a Donut for 'dinner' (haha).
It was a nice ending to the day.


Donut line-up: Ethan (angel-cream), Olivia (the same), Mommy ... a Mochi-like donut, and Evan choose a Chocolate Mini filled w/ Chocolate mouse.

Don't ya just love Ethan's face? He does it on purpose!


The kids got to choose something to buy (for around 5$) in Chinatown. Olivia choose a Mini Tea-set. Perfect for Barbie! Evan choose a basic toy.
Mommy & Daddy choose this scroll for the wall.
It caught my eye. I love horses... and it just looks so pretty to me! ;)
Ethan really liked it too.

Happy Valentines Day...from Japan~!

Today was a Very Low-key day!

It was more like Spring, than Winter here in Japan. We had All Windows open, and were even breaking a sweat!! The weather was unbelievable! And as usual we did not take advantage of it! (haha)

We spent the entire day relaxing, cleaning, spending family time and doing laundry. It was a VERY Awesome day.

Ethan even hung a few more things on the wall! :) Now, ... it's starting to feel more like home. This is sort-of sad, because we miss our family & friends- and- being in the states is just seams so long ago (4 months).

But, for the family and for our sanity... we Need to make this place Home. So, we are!

The photo's above are from 2 days ago.

Evan has been collecting sticks for a while now. Every day he brings a few home from our morning and afternoon walk. He has been asking daddy how to make fire. So, we had a SMALL Campfire on the patio. We did not have Marshmallows... but we did have Peeps! haha! we roasted Snowman Peeps from Christmas!

Surprisingly they were Delish! haha!

We wish you a very nice Valentine's Day from Japan!

Kamakura for the Day

Please Click photo for Full-Size-View! ;)
This turned out to be a nice Panaramic Photo...

Evan looking at the ticket photo of the great budda and then looking at the actual budda... and saying "Yup, We are here!".

:)

Today Evan & I went with my friend Tammy to Kamakura. She has been living in Yokosuka, and has been even as far as Tokyo, but not been to Kamakura.
So, we took the day and went to see The Great Budda or also known as Diabutsu.
It was a 'blustery day' but it was still enjoyable!

We left about 10 am and took the train from Ikego to Shin-zushi. We walked the few blocks from Shi-zushi to JR Zushi station. We rode the train (going twards Yokohama) one stop to Kamakura.
We transfered to the Enoden Line and rode until the 3rd stop, Hese.
Hese is where the 'great budda' or daibutsu is located.
If you want to know more about 'The Budda' click here---> daibutsu

It is believed that the statue was originally cast in 1252.
The statue is approximately 13.35m tall and weighs approximately 93 tons.
The statue is hollow, and visitors can view the interior for 20 Yen a person.
The Great Buddha was originally housed in a temple, but the temple itself was washed away by a tsunami in 1498. Since then the statue has stood in the open air. Repairs were carried out in 1960-1961, when the neck was strengthened and measures were taken to protect it from earthquakes.

We had a Very nice time exploring the great budda again. For some reason, Evan really likes visiting the budda.