Towada Flower Farm

On the second day of Corrie's visit, we mostly stuck around Misawa - exploring the fun Japanese shops and feasting on scones at my favorite Cafe. Then she and Matt drove down to Oirase Gorge and Lake Towada with a few of the other people who came out here with them from Korea. I opted out since I'd already been down there and had a few other things to take care of.

However, I wanted to make their final day in Japan count, and so I asked my friends Sharon, Beth and Kendall to go with us down to Towada City to see the flower farm I keep seeing pictures of in other people's facebook albums. Unfortunately, there is not nearly as much blooming this late in the season, but we had fun wandering around outdoors. There were a few ponds with coy fish and ducks, and plenty of giant blue hydrangeas and other unique Japanese flowers to keep us entertained.

They had some bunnies we got to feed! SO cute!

I made sure to bring my tripod so we could get
everyone in a few pictures!

Below are some shots of the unique flowers
they had there. I've never seen more beautiful flowers
than they have here in Japan!

As we were leaving, we passed a big water fall
that provided an excellent background for more pictures!

After the flower farm, we went shopping in some of the fun stores down there and bought some souvenirs and gifts for super cheap. Then Sharon took us to a cafe owned by one of her Japanese students and we enjoyed a really delicious meal. They all really seemed to enjoy getting to know Corrie and helped provide hours of stimulating conversation. Around that time we needed to head back... but the adventure didn't stop there!

Corrie and I went and picked up her husband Matt, and I took them out to a near by Shinto Shrine so they could get the iconic shot of them under the red torii gate. They were very impressed with the beauty of the area and the traditional architecture. After that they went out to dinner at the best restaurant in town while I met up with other friends. Tomorrow I will be dropping them off at the Misawa Airport so they can make their way back to Korea. It was a very quick trip but I think they got a full dose of all the best Japan has to offer in this part of the country. Hopefully our pictures will help inspire more people to make the trek out here!

Shipwreck Beach

This past week we actually had visitors! Our friends Matt and Corrie Ott, who are currently stationed at Kunsan, came to visit for a few days while Matt completed some sims. While he was at work, I enlisted some of my friends to help me show Corrie around Japan.

On Monday, my friend Anna drove us up to one of the big attractions of the area, known as "Shipwreck Beach". It's on Mutsu Bay about 45 minutes north of Misawa. There are a couple of things that make it unique - first, that it's littered with old, weathered wooden ships that have been sitting there for decades. Second, there is a current that deposits all kinds of things on the beach - namely polished bits of blue and white sea glass and larger glass floats. People go up there all the time to collect the glass. I've been eager to begin my own collection and wasn't disappointed. Anna, Corrie and I all walked away with at least a hand-full each. Between that and the fun pictures we took, I'd say that was a quality adventure that came with lots of fabulous, free souvenirs! Can't be that!

Jump Starting the Photo Business

A little over a week ago, the approval for my home business finally came in. (I've been sitting on pins and needles for 5 weeks waiting for people to sign on the dotted line... standard AF inefficiency.) I thought it would take a while to really get things rolling, but after I put up my first advertisements, calls and emails came flooding in with requests. I am very excited to really be working. But it's been a challenge because most of the requests have been for things that I have never done before. Needless to say, I am learning a lot.

I have already completed two shoots - both of which were for youth sports. I guess being able to order baseball pictures for your children is something you take for granted in the States where there are people who make a living specifically doing shoots like that. I grew up seeing all of my brother's sports photos and didn't think it would be too difficult, so I accepted the offer to do the official photos for a couple different baseball teams. There were many different unforeseen obstacles I had to overcome, but I think they turned out ok in the end. At least I learned a lot, have a new type of photography to add to my portfolio, and helped preserve some families' memories of the time they spent overseas. =^)

Sharon's Sock Monkey Shower

This past weekend it was time for yet another baby shower! Our sponsor, Sharon Gilmer, is having a baby girl next month so a bunch of the girls in the squadron pitched in to give her a beautiful shower on Saturday morning. Sharon and her husband Andy care a lot about being "green" and are both big fans of simple, educational toys so the theme was based around traditional toys like sock monkeys, wooden blocks and rocking horses. Sharon is a very gifted pastry chef and insisted on making her own cake. I think it was adorable! The girls here in Misawa have throwing showers down to a science. They are all so beautifully decorated and perfectly executed.

Sharon (like Claire before her) has been great about making friends with local Japanese women. She teaches english to a group of them, and it was fun having them at the shower. They were fascinated by a lot of our traditions and foods. We played baby gift bingo, and it was fun explaining what all of these things were. They also had some unique Japanese outfits and toys to contribute to the generous pile of gifts. I had several funny conversations with them because they kept coming up to me and commenting on how young I look and how skinny I am. hahaha...

Seeing all of the things people got for Sharon was fun too. Not only were there heaps of adorable baby girl clothes and shoes, but people got really creative with incorporating the theme of traditional toys and organic materials. I bought her an organic cotton onesie with cherry blossoms on the front that said "Blossoming Beauty" and an organic baby food cookbook since she loves to cook. Others played to her husband's sense of humor with funny sayings on the rompers and things... There were lots of smiles and "aww's" all around. :-)

It says "Daddy uses my poo for compost." :-P

I feel like this summer has been full of baby news. We still have two more ladies in the squadron who are expecting. I am going to jump in and help plan one of their showers. I think it's a fun challenge to figure out a way to do something new and original after so many other incredible baby showers!

Sharon was an excellent sponsor and continues to be a big help as I'm still learning my way around my new home. I look forward to turning the tables and serving her after her little girl joins us in a few weeks!

Miss Independent

I can now add Weekend Warrior to my new collection of life experiences since moving to Japan. This deployment is forcing me to attempt doing things that I would normally rely on James for. One of those is home maintenance and decorating. I've really been wanting to paint my office a fun, bright color but the timing just hadn't worked out with Lisa's schedule (she's kind of been my handyman stand-in all summer. ;^) I didn't have any plans for this past weekend so I decided to do something daring (or stupid) and do the whole thing myself.

I bought a can of yellow paint at the Japanese home store and picked up a whole load of other free painting supplies from Self-Help on Friday afternoon and set to work. I had a yellow room growing up and liked the idea of creating a more sophisticated version of "my room" here. It was quite a work-out removing armfuls of books so I could scoot the furniture to the center of the room. After that I got out the step ladder and took down the curtains so I wouldn't get them dirty. Then I raided James' tool box so I could remove all of the outlet covers before taping around the room. Finally, I laid out the tarp I had left over from painting the living room.

Saturday morning I got up and put on some clothes I didn't care about in preparation for my first attempt at painting solo. (Good thing too because my clothes were completely spoiled...) Because Japanese stores only sell super bright, primary colors I knew I would need to mix a lot of white into the yellow in order to achieve the light, canary yellow color I was going for. Then I set to work. It turns out painting is a lot more physical than it appears when other people do it. The combination of really having to apply pressure as I was rolling on the paint with having to drag my step ladder around the room for the edge work really wore me out. BUT, at the end of the first day, I was still on an independence high and loved my yellow walls.

That was before they dried. A few hours later I walked in to survey my fine work and got a shock as the walls glowed back at me with a glaring shade of Big Bird yellow. It probably could have been tolerable as an office after the furniture and pictures covered it up. But as we also plan on using this as a guest room when/if people come to visit, I knew I needed to tone the paint down A LOT. So, Sunday after church I added another can full of white paint to the mix and set about correcting my mistake. It quickly became evident that the white wasn't helping. There was just too much yellow pigment in the paint and the second coat still reminded me strongly of rubber ducks...

Thankfully my new neighbor Yachen came to the rescue on Monday morning. I knew I did not have the strength or positive attitude I needed to do a full third coat, so she volunteered to come over and help me out. This time we poured the yellow bit by bit into a big bucket of white paint until we got the shade we wanted. This third coat was the exact color I was going for, which immediately improved my mood. And it was a fun way to spend some quality time getting to know my neighbor. There were many lessons learned through the process - namely, big projects like this are always easier and more enjoyable when you have a friend to help. (I should have known that based on my first round of painting with Lisa, but I suppose I had to try it for myself to fully appreciate what a big help she really was.)

I loved the yellow walls so much that I could hardly wait to get back in there and put everything back so I could start enjoying my new office! Once I was confident the paint was dry, I set to work removing the tape and tools and moving everything into place. I slightly changed up the lay-out in terms of where the bookcases are located, which makes the room look much more complete. Then today (Tuesday) I spent the afternoon hanging picture frames so the space is finally complete!!

It was A LOT of work, and I had to scrub all the sweat, grime and paint splatters off after each coat. But it was completely worth it! I now have a bright, inviting and inspiring work space that I actually want to spend time in which should help my motivation. AND I have a greater sense of confidence in my ability to manage a household on my own. GIRL POWER! B^)

Summer Blooms

Last weekend I was sitting in the living room looking out the sliding glass doors and happened to notice there was a little bit of blue peeking out from behind the giant green bush/tree thing we have growing in the middle of our yard. Upon further investigation, I discovered that we have a stunning blue and purple hydrangea bush hiding back there! I don't usually enjoy working out in the yard, but on Friday I went out there with some clippers and cut back the green monstrosity so that I actually have a view of the flowers from my usual seat on the couch. Perhaps after the season is over and the bush "goes to sleep", I'll ask Lisa to help me replant it in a place where I will really get to enjoy the view next year. But for now, I'm just excited to have a pop of color amid the sea of green out back. One thing I can say for Japan - they have incredible flowers!

Thoughts about Korea

Before heading over to visit Korea, I really didn't know much at all about the country or what to expect. I knew geographically where it's located, and about the current political struggle, but in terms of the people and the culture, the little I had seen seemed very similar to Japan. Boy was I wrong! Their traditional architecture may look similar from a distance, and the people may look a lot alike to the untrained eye, but that's about where the similarities stop.

The first thing I was struck with was the color. Japan has a very muted color palate. Many of their buildings are very non-descript, as are their outfits, etc. Their cars, advertising, and products for young people are often brightly colored and "cartoony" but... here in Northern Japan I just feel like I don't see much of that on a daily basis. Korea, however, is very different. Their buildings are all plastered with multi-colored advertisements, and their traditional buildings are intricately painted in jewel-tones. Some people complain that it makes driving over there a bit of a sensory-overload, but I like it! The people are also very up-beat and smiling, whereas the Japanese are much more reserved. I just feel a bit more comfortable being out among them - as if I don't have to worry about offending them by doing something wrong.

One very insightful thing Claire said while we were out is that she thinks Japan seems to be more modeled after Europe, whereas Korea is much more reminiscent of the U.S. In Japan we drive on the wrong side of the road down tiny streets in tiny cars. Many of them don't even own a car, and prefer to walk, ride a bike or take public transportation. They're also very keen on tradition and, while they're polite as a rule, they're very reserved and like to keep to themselves. In Korea, however, they have HUGE highways and interchanges where people drive on the right side of the road in normal sized cars. Their big brands are Kia and Hyundai - which are not quite as nice as the Japanese cars but they are also much more affordable, which means more people seem to own cars. (The towers in the picture above represent each of those car companies.)

The Koreans also just seem to be a bit more passionate. While Japan is a highly secular nation with many people loosely following Buddhism and/or Shintoism, Koreans are much more overtly religious. As I mentioned in my "Korea - Pt. 2" blog post earlier, I was struck by the fact that they actually had people worshiping inside their Buddhist temples. But even more exciting that their fervor for that is their acceptance of and belief in Christianity. There are A LOT of churches in South Korea, and all of them have red neon crosses that light up at night. Claire told me about a third of the population there is Christian, which is significant in Asia. In fact, the church with the biggest membership in the WORLD is located in Seoul. That would be a fun thing to go see next time I'm there. I hear they have headsets you can wear that give you the English translation. Very cool!

One other odd thing that I found to be very interesting about Korea was the fact that they have no houses there. All of the housing consists of big groupings of white apartment buildings. It's all very generic looking - something that bothered James. But I suppose it's an efficient way to house great numbers of people in a small amount of space. Their building style is one of the reasons I love Seoul. It is a HUGE city - akin to Tokyo or New York. There are a lot of big buildings, and a lot of people, but somehow the size is not oppressive. The buildings are nicely spaced and you're never in want of views of the sky or trees. The river also breaks the view up nicely.

I really enjoy how the city is so "foreigner-friendly". Most Korean people who work in a place where they might come in contact with travelers (airports, hotels, international restaurants) speak very good English. Most of the taxis offer free translation services if the driver does not understand you so you never have to worry about getting to your destination. And they offer food from all parts of the world. Their international cuisine is actually properly prepared too. They have a few non-Japanese restaurants here but they are always the Japanese interpretation of something like Mexican or Italian food which, while edible, hardly satisfies a craving for the real thing. But as I mentioned in my last blog, the food from American chains we had in Korea were better than they are in the U.S.! Truly remarkable.

If any of you have the means to travel to a far-off destination and are looking for something a little more original than Paris or London, I highly recommend a trip to Seoul. You won't regret it!

Korea - Pt. 2

Originally we had planned to head up to Seoul on Friday night, but James had his big final certification ride that day and they got diverted to a near by city due to weather. So we had to wait until he found a ride back to Kunsan. By that time he was tired and a little frustrated so we decided to just relax that night and drive up to Seoul with Claire on Saturday morning.

At first the ride was fairly uneventful... The roads around Kunsan are big and open and wind through green hills partially obscured by fog. But as we neared the capital city, traffic really picked up so we ended up sitting in the car for much longer than we would have liked. Apparently some of the Koreans like to capitalize on gridlock traffic like that and sell snacks in the middle of the freeway. Unbelievable.

Finally we made it into downtown Seoul. The metro area is really beautiful. A big river divides the city in half and so you end up crossing bridges quite often on your way around town. We decided to eat lunch on Yongsan Army Base and then Claire headed out to hold a wine tasting at their shoppette while we caught a cab to our hotel. Normally, AF families stay at the Dragon Hill Lodge at Yongsan, but we decided to splurge a little bit and spend the weekend a the JW Marriott. I knew it was supposed to be "nice". But I was definitely not prepared for the luxury that greeted us when we walked through the lobby doors. I felt like a true VIP during our time in Seoul - riding in cabs, eating at fabulous restaurants, shopping and relaxing in our extraordinary room.

The 3 story lobby was stunning!

Our guest room was very comfortable. That king sized

bed was so nice after staying in the small, full-sized

ones the Air Force provides.

The marble bathroom. Yes, that is a telephone next to the

toilet. There was also a speaker above the toilet connected

to the TV so you didn't have to miss anything if you needed

to get up in the middle of a show. SO COOL!

Our room was on the 22nd floor. The view was incredible,

especially at night with all the city lights.

That night, we met back up with Jon and Claire and went out to dinner at a Moroccan restaurant where their squadron was saying farewell to one of their pilots. One of our friends named Matt Ott from pilot training in Del Rio is in Jon's squadron as well, so we enjoyed catching up with him and his wife Corrie over dinner. It was also just a cool experience. Seoul is such an international city so sampling all these different types of food was a big treat.

Sunday morning we got up early and took one of the English-speaking bus tours of the sights in Seoul. Our first stop was Jogye Buddhist temple. The architecture was really cool, with similar bright paint to what I saw at the Korean Folk Village. One of the biggest things I observed was that there were actually Koreans there praying. There are a ton of Buddhist Temples and Shinto Shrines here in Japan but it seems like they are always empty except for tourists.

These are lotus lanterns, suspended over the entrance to the Temple.

I love all of the bright colors!

Below is the "Blue House". This is the headquarters

for the South Korean Government (like our White House).

We were not allowed to stop or walk in, but I managed

to capture this shot as we drove past.

Our next stop was Gyeongbok Palace, where we observed

their changing of the guard ceremony before wandering through

its many open-air hallways. The detail on all

of the royal buildings is breathtakingly beautiful.

Below: the main building housing the King's throne.

Below: the King's party building. Nice view, eh?

Me by the gate into the royal gardens.

This pagoda looking building stands on top of the

Korean Folk Museum. The tour guides really didn't give us

enough time to truly explore the museum, but we at least

got a taste of their history, and I bought a Korean jewelry

box as a souvenir.

After the museum we went to the Amethyst Center, where we got to "ooo" and "aww" over beautifully crafted jewelry and gifts made with this precious stone. I bought a little cross-shaped key chain charm. Turns out the sales woman I bought it from was a Christian and was excited about my choice. She kept saying "Jesus Christ - very good!" Again, that is something that would almost never happen in Japan. It made me smile.

After the tour was over, they dropped us off in Itaewon, which is the international shopping district right outside the Yongsan gate. We wandered around and window shopped for a while, then ate lunch at a Quizno's. (Yes, they have all kinds of American restaurants in Korea!!) I'm not kidding when I say that was the best Quizno's I've ever been to. Not only was the food delicious and super fresh, but they also sold a bunch of specialty coffee and teas (a la Starbucks), as well as milk shakes and smoothies!! I think this should catch on in the States...

By this time we were very tired and worn out and eager to get out of the heat and humidity, so we caught a cab back to the hotel for a much needed nap. Then we decided to milk our hotel privileges for all they were worth and eat dinner at one of their many great in-house restaurants. The one we chose was called Olivo - a Sicilian/Italian restaurant. I got a delicious thin crust veggie pizza, and James got a bowl of alfredo with scallops.

Then, to celebrate the 4th of July, we went up to see one of the most iconic landmarks of the city - the N Seoul Tower. We were lucky that the weather was clear so that we could actually see the city from the observation deck. (Usually the fog and haze really obstruct the view). It turns out our timing was perfect, right as we got up there, fireworks started going off over the army base. What a view!

After the fireworks were over, we rode the elevator up to the observatory at the top of the tour. The 360* view of the city was breathtaking. I've never spent much time in big cities like this, and am surprised how much I love the city lights. There's just something magical about it! So we took our time looking out and admiring the view.

One of the cool things they did up there was to put the name and distance to major world cities on the windows in the direction you were looking. I was excited to see that they chose Denver as one of the U.S. cities. Crazy being so far from home!

The next morning we hopped on the bus down to Osan AB where I'd be flying out of early Tuesday morning. James and I walked around the shops outside the gate again, enjoying our last time together in Korea (for now). Since I had already been in most of the "girly" shops, we decided to partake of another Korean must-do and ordered James a custom tailored suit. Mr. Lim is a well known and respected tailor there, and helped James pick out his own Versace-quality, James Bond looking grey suit for pennies on the dollar. I am glad I was there with him to help him exercise some restraint. He did offer us an unbelievable deal on 2 custom suits, 2 custom dress shirts, 2 satin ties, a belt, a leather flight jacket and party shirt to go with his Mess Dress uniform for only $800... but I didn't think we needed to spent THAT much that day so...we passed. He's still very sad about that but...I think one suit is enough to start out with.

The final thing we did was eat dinner at Chiles (getting my American fix before returning to the land of fried noodles) and grab some frozen yogurt sundaes from Baskin Robbins. I think that relaxing night together was the perfect end to a whirlwind trip. I got to see a lot of Korean culture, as well as a sample of each AF base over there. Now if we or any of our friends get an assignment to Korea, I have a good idea of what to expect. Hopefully I will make it back one more time before he returns from this deployment. But even if that doesn't happen, I feel like I got a thorough taste of South Korea!