America Day!

On Sunday, we attended the annual America Day Parade and Festival outside the main gate of the base. Each year the Japanese and Americans swap cultural experiences like this. This year our leadership wanted to give the Japanese a taste of the Old West - so we were encouraged to dress up as cowboys. A band played country favorites on a big platform, and there were lots of silly decorations with which the Japanese (or silly Americans) could take their pictures. By the main gate there were lots of booths up by the base selling American food and drinks. Then down the street the Japanese had booths where they sold us Japanese snacks. Definitely not the best festival I've ever been to - but it was an experience. ;^)

The Japanese people waved and cheered

as the motorcyclists roared by at the

start of the parade.

The people in these hummers were throwing candy

so they got mobbed by Japanese mothers and their kids.

The Misawa Jets cheerleaders. They did stunts where

girls were tossed up in the air. The Japanese people

gasped in horror each time. Hahaha...

A little Japanese boy getting his picture taken

like an regular Western outlaw...

We couldn't resist taking a pic too...

Lisa and her sister rocking their cowboy boots.

The Japanese were scared and fascinated by the Gee's

dog Kona. Apparently they're not used to big dogs.

We tried to show them she's nice and encourage

the little kids to pet her. So cute!

I think the Japanese snacks were way cooler than ours.

Behold - candy coated bananas on a stick!

These sundaes really made me wish I hadn't had my

gall bladder removed. They looked SO tasty!

The final event of the day was a fly-over by the guys

from the 13th (the other squadron on base.)

They were late and a little off. Very anticlimactic. =^(