Whose that coming down the track?

The neat part about living on mainland is getting to take the train everywhere.  It's easy to do!  First, decide which kind of train you want to take.  The shin or the more local one.

The shin is faster than the local train.  It's also known as the bullet train.  The fastest one is the Nozomi line, but it doesn't stop here in Iwakuni.  You have to go up to Hiroshima to catch it.  ITT on base sells discount Shin tickets if you know where you want to go in advance.  If not, don't stress!  Just show up at the shin station and buy your ticket there.  You can use the ticket machine OR ask for help at the window.  I like the window since I can pay with my credit card.  You've got a few options. First class is called "the green car".  Very fancy.  You can get a reserved seat or take your chances with an unreserved seat.  The train that stops in Iwakuni is called the "Kodama".  it's also a bullet train but stops at more places than the Nozomi.  It also only goes up to Osaka.

What's the best site to get your train info?  Try Hyperdia.  Put in what station you want to leave, where you want to go and ta-da!  It'll even give you airport information!

If the local train is your thing, be aware- not ALL of the stations have elevators.  Keep that in mind when you're lugging stuff around.

First, park.  Pay to park.  or take a taxi.  say the station name and "Eki". This will get you to the train station.  Once you're there, look at the big map.  you'll see the cost of your ticket.  Just look for where you want to go and it'll show you how much it costs from where you are, to where you want to go.  Next, go to that ticket machine.  Look for the English button.  Push it.  From there, follow the directions.  To enter, put your ticket into the machine.  Then the machine will pop out your ticket.  PICK IT UP!  You'll need that to exit the train station on the other end!  So, don't lose it!

If you want to make your life simple, get an ICOCA card at the station.  It'll initially cost you 2000 yen.  500 yen will be a deposit for the card that you can get back when you return it.  I like the ICOCA card.  I don't have to worry about the cost of the ticket.  I just put it on the IC blue area, the gate opens and onto the train I go!  The ICOCA card will let you on if you don't have enough money, but won't open if you don't have enough money on the card.  There are recharge stations for the card before and after the gates.

Also, the ICOCA card can be used at convince stores and vending machines to buy stuff as well.

Here are the links for more information!

IC Cards
ICOCA card

Where are all of the parks around here?

Japan has TONS of parks for your little ones to play in.  The key is finding them.  The equipment is different.  Not as "safe" as back in the states.  Metal slides, monkey bars and not always that safety mat.  There's an app on the Google Playstore/ App store called "PARKFUL".

The trick to this is getting a japanese iTunes account.  How do you do that??  Watch the YouTube video to find out!  You need a second Email address.  Don't worry, you shouldn't need a credit card.

And this video will show you how to get a Google Play one.

All you'll need to do is type in the word "PARKFUL" into the search bar and it should pull up the app.  It's white with a green and blue bubble thing that makes it look like a fountain.  The app is in Japanese of course, but it's fairly simple to use.

Once you open the app, click the location button next to the house.  This will show you where you are.  If you don't see a green box with a letter in it, zoom out.  The parks are labeled S,M,L, XL.  Obviously, the bigger the size, the bigger the park.  

Part I- How to Succeed when Getting Stationed Overseas

I love living overseas, but it doesn't come without its challenges.  It's all about how you handle it.

First- you gather all the information you can.  Start joining those Facebook groups to see what people are asking for, selling and complaining about.  That'll help you decide what to bring.  A LOT of places overseas are smaller, so if you've thought about purging, now is the time to do it.  Really THINK about what you put in storage because you'll end up adding to your stuff once you get to your new location.  My advice- only put in storage the big, heavy, sentimental stuff.  Because if you could live without it for 3 years, you probably don't need to see it again in 3 years.  I do advise to bring a fake Christmas tree and holiday decorations.  Sure, you can buy some here, but it's not always easy.  And sometimes Amazon won't ship it here.  

Second- think SMALL.  The smaller the better.  Space is a premium here.  You may end up in an apartment.  I'm finding our American goods are just a bit too big so nothing fits right.  Frustrating, but  hey- we are in Japan!  Gotta just roll with it.

Third- Understand the Law of Murphy.  So, if it can go wrong, it will go wrong.  For example, we did an express and a household good shipment.  Well, the household goods arrived before the express.  Hey- just had to roll with it.  What else can you do?  Just have to go with the flow.  

Fourth- Be OK with change.  Sometimes I think people forget that they live overseas.  So, no, you won't have ALL of the conveniences of living stateside.  You're in a different country, Duh!  They try to have the commissary and exchange stocked, but hey- if you're looking for it, chances are, others are as well.  Things don't poof!  So, you learn to rely on Amazon, live without it, find a substitute or go out in town and try and look for it.  If your response is to post on Facebook, bitching about not having blueberry oreos, or whatever, you're going to have a hard 3 years.  So maybe, go out in town, try a similar looking cookie.  You might find you like the local Japanese ones better!  

Like my mom used to say- attitude, not aptitude will get you altitude.  And remember- really, the brutal truth is: the government doesn't care if you're here or not.  only if the AD service member is.  So, if you're that miserable- go back to the states!! Your crappy attitude is infectious and just brings the rest of us down. :)

Japanese yogurt

talk about a cute car!

Expressway Driving in Japan

Ok.  Blogging isn't my forte.  I will try to be better at it!  We're back in Japan... this time with a toddler in tow.

A lot of people want to know the in's and out's of Japan.  Sometimes, you find what you need in the least expected places.  For example, I want to figure out the cost of tolls.  That lead me to the website. Once I found that out, the links at the top were VERY helpful. Who knew there were ostomy sinks in Japan??!!

Turns out spitting out food at the table is also poor manners.  Guess my kid violates that one on a daily basis.

Anyway, take a look at the links above for more information about rest stops, how to get gas, and of course- tolls!

Lastly, I found this link.  It allows you to plug in where you are and where you want to go.  It shows you the different routes and prices!  And it's all in English!

I'm the one who runs the house and I need a POA??!!

Well, here's another fun tid bit about this place- EVERYTHING is in your sponsor's name. Yes, EVERYTHING. It doesn't matter if you're the one who did it all at home, you need a POA. POA, you ask? Well, that's a power of attorney. You have to get one from the legal office. Well, not YOU, but your sponsor! I have a general power of attorney, so I am legally able to sign my sponsor's name. I needed it so far to buy a car and get car insurance. I found a little plastic thing I keep it in- in my purse. No, no one wants a copy. Everyone has to make a copy of your original. I've heard you can get a POA on a single sheet of paper, but mine is a 2 pager. ooooooooooh!

The big plane ride over

Well, we finally made it to Okinawa. I was unable to find information about the flight as it appears to be top secret. Well, I’m here to share my experience that may help others.

Seattle: There are many cheap places to stay that are right across the street from the airport. Seriously, I mean walking distance. All of the hotels provide shuttle service. USE the shuttle service so you don’t have to listen to the cabbie tell you he is losing money by driving you across the street. Places to eat; 13 coins and Denny’s are 24 hours and within walking distance. We ate at a Chinese place in the Ramada inn. Really delicious! If you don’t want to get a room, the USO is open 24 hours and has free food and snacks. It looked like it gets packed quickly.

People started to line up EARLY, really EARLY for the flight. Yes, the seats are 1^st come 1^st serve. They do keep families together- seat wise and in the plane. If you are single and want to sit with a friend, line up next to that person. They weight EVERYTHING and count bags. Pets and carrier weight over 70lb is $112. If you take more than 2 bags a person, it’s $112. They ask you your weight. Can’t say that was most pleasant first thing in the morning! You get a ticket, but the airport doesn’t open until around 5am or so. There is a 24 hour starbucks and a Hudson news (in the baggage area).  There will be plenty of time to kill before the flight after you get your ticket. That is when we decided to eat breakfast. We did go to 13 coins. HUGE portions and really tasty.

The seats are arranged in a 2-3-2 pattern. There is no “first class”. Everyone gets the same seat- a coach class leather seat with decent lumbar support. Yes, they recline, have a pillow and blanket on each seat. Kiddos get a little back pack with an old maid game and a coloring book. They feed you- the 1^st flight is 2 snacks and 2 meals. Meal quality is coach, but it’s a meal and you get a hot towel. I’m not 100% exactly what each item we ate was called, but it wasn’t bad. I’d avoid the meat, but that’s just my preference. Beverage service is an entire can and they DO sell alcohol (beer, wine, liquor for $5). Beverages are coke products, Dr. Pepper, water, coffee, tea and juice.

The first stop is a long layover; bring all of your chargers to recharge your electronics. They show movies- adult and kid friendly. Headphones are supplied as well as a few music channels. At the first stop, even after eating the entire flight, people were still hungry! You can exit the waiting area and go to a mini café and get food. They also sell sundries and packaged snack items. Bring Yen for the vending machines. At this point, people can walk their pet and sit outside for a little bit. There are telephones, phone calling cards and wifi in the terminal. The wifi is a little slow because everyone is on it, but pretty cool, none the less. Also, they have asked for no photographs of the flight line!

We did make another stop, but were NOT allowed to get off. Ugh!

Finally- at Okinawa! It takes a little time to get off the plane, so please be patient. It also takes time to get the bags, but the luggage carts are free!! Another tid bid no one told us is- Yes, they do randomly inspect bags for “illegal items”. Some of these items include- fruits, veggies, beef jerky (meat products), unlabeled medications/ expired medications, pocket knife blades linger than 2.5 inches.  Glad we ate the beef jerky!! All and all, it was a pleasant flight experience!