Hiking in Japan (December 2012)

We haven't done as much hiking here in Japan as we would like to, but J. found a trail that is nearby and dog friendly.  We headed out there one crisp December day with our neighbor and his dog, Angus.

Our first glimpse of the view

J., me + Lucy ... she was SO happy to get back out on the trail!

You could see all the way to Tokyo and Yokohama

Mr. H. and Angus ... he and Lucy are besties!

J. and I with the dogs

One happy little pup

Which way?!

One last view ...

Hopefully we will be able to get some more hiking in when J. returns from deployment!

Miyagase Tree Lighting (December 2012)

Last December, J. and I took a base tour to Lake Miyagase for their annual Christmas tree lighting.  The small town is covered in lights and the highlight of the evening is lighting the main tree.  The Japanese people might not celebrate Christmas, but they sure know how to decorate for it!  

One of the shops in the small town

Standing in line for mochi

Mochi

Happy Merry Christmas!

The view before sunset

Me + J. before all the lights were turned on

Start of the Tunnel of Lights

The beautiful Christmas Tree!

The lighted path leading up to the pedestrian bridge ...

With our friends and neighbors!

The tree with the lighted pedestrian bridge

J. + Me

If you are in the area, I highly recommend going to this event.  It was a great way to kick off the Christmas season and get into the Christmas spirit!

Deployment Homecoming (November 2012)

In light of the recent homecoming, I thought now would be a good time to post about last year's winter homecoming!  J., Mr. S. and Mr. A. did not get to fly a jet off the boat, so Mrs. S., Mrs. A. and I drove down to Yokosuka to watch the boat pull back into port.  It is something I think every Navy spouse should see at least once!  

Mt. Fuji was peeking out!

The boat coming around the corner

Can you see the sailors manning the rails?  It's a Navy tradition for the sailors to man the rails as the ship returns to port from deployment.

The ships gets backed into the slip

Home at last!

It was a great experience to watch the carrier return from her 2012 patrol, but the homecoming festivities were smaller than I imagine they might be in the States.  The sailors aboard the USS George Washington are split between two bases - Comfleact Yokosuka and NAF Atsugi - so the homecoming festivities are also split between the two bases.  The sailors from Atsugi are bussed back to the base and their celebrations take place when they arrive back at Atsugi.

Imperial Palace 5K (November 2012)

Last November, I had the opportunity to run a 5K around the Imperial Palace in Tokyo!  It was a great experience and a beautiful race course.  I thought that it was something they did monthly, however I cannot find any information about it online.  I found out about it through a wife on base and she had her Japanese friend sign us all up.  We had a pretty good showing but I only got pictures with my friends Mrs. S. and Mrs. A.

Pre-race photo ... notice the woman stretching in the background?

And we're off ... as you can see, it was a gorgeous day!

Post run picture of the famous Nijubashi Bridge

We finished our afternoon with a stop at Starbucks before taking the train back to Ayase

We hope to do it again this year when the weather gets cooler!

Nikko (October 2012)

Last October, Mrs. S. and I went on a tour to Nikko to see the fall foliage.  Our first stop was Ryuzu Falls, which means "dragon head."  The falls are thought to resemble a dragon head, however I couldn't see it.  Do you? 

Beautiful Japanese Red Maple

Halloween decorations in one of the stores!

Our next stop was Kegon Falls ... it did not disappoint with all the beautiful fall colors!

And then we were off to visit the shrines ... Nikko is home to several shrines but its most famous is the Nikko Toshogu Shrine.  It's home to the three famous monkeys ... "hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil."

A five tiered pagoda near the entrance

Torii Gate

The barn with the famous monkeys!

A close-up of the monkeys

Ema

Getting my fortune!

I think mine was future good luck ... but, of course, now I can't remember for sure :)

My fortune!

The shrine was huge and had many buildings

Leaving the Nikko Toshogu

Beautiful path lined with Japanese lanterns

On to the next shrine!

We weren't sure what this was for ... but we participated anyways!

Loved this one!

I think we went to three shrines that afternoon, however Nikko Toshogu was definitely the highlight for me.  And the beautiful fall foliage!  I hope to go to visit some more famous fall foliage spots this fall!