Flashback to July 2010 when we moved to Japan:
Things we WILL miss about Japan
Living in Shonantakatori next to the Murata family, the zipline and the swing park, the Seiyu, Oppama station, Mutsuura station, Mt. Takatori and it’s trails, the Lawsons, Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, Umi no Koen, and Costco.
Living close to the water near Sagami Bay and running along the boardwalk in Zushi and Kamakura and enjoying the beautiful view of Mt. Fuji from Tateishi beach in Hayama
Running in the Shonan International Marathon, the 10K charity races at the Imperial Palace, running with the running club in Shibuya, and hiking Mt. Fuji
Taking tennis lessons from Noguchi sensei and piano lessons from Hiroko
Hanging out in Yokohama shopping at Landmark Tower, eating in the World Porters Buidlings and apple pie at Bubby’s, enjoying the beautiful skyline from Osanbashi Pier, and walking around Sankein gardens
Going up to Tokyo, staying at the New Sanno Hotel and playing in the pool, visiting the LDS Temple, playing at Arisugawa park, eating Baskin Robbins ice-cream at National Azabu, walking through Shibuya crossing, walking along the streets in Harajuku, visiting Yoyogi koen and Meiji Shrine, walking around the shopping district in Ginza, having fun at the Lego Discovery museum in Odaiba, riding up to the top of Tokyo Tower, mexican food in Harajuku, eating at the New York Grill in Shinjuku, and wandering through the shopping malls and trains stations
Enjoying all the beautiful cherry blossoms every spring
Reuniting with Sara’s old family friends from her days as a youth in Tokyo
Traveling all around Japan to some of our favorite places like Kamakura, Hakone, camping in Matsumoto, Takeyama, Shirakawa-go, Nagano and Nozawa Onsen, Shiraito Falls, Kurobe Gorge, the Japan Alps, Kamikoochi National Park, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Hiroshima, Miya Jima Island, Iwakuni, and Sasebo
Eating authentic Japanese, Indian and Thai food. We will miss the sushi bars, Go Go Curry’s and Moti’s Butter Chicken and Naan, Pad Thai at our Thai Restaurant across from Saikaya, Katsudon from the Katsudon Nazi right outside of base, and Ramen from the mom and pop noodle shop in Kamakura. We will also miss eating the french toast at Denny’s
Riding the roller slides at Kinugasa and Kannonzaki Park and playing at the obstacle course playground at the Plum Park and eating picnic lunches there
Going to Disneyland and Disney by the Sea at a moments notice because we lived less an hour away
Skiing at Fujiten and Nozawa Onsen
Being able to travel to other parts of the world like Hawaii, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand
Things we WON’T miss about Japan
The abundance of nasty insects like cockroaches, hairy spiders, centipedes, mosquitos, mukades, and gejigejis
The traffic on Rt. 16 heading south towards the Yokosuka base and the traffic on Shuto B heading into Tokyo
All the blasted toll roads and not being able to get an ETC card for discounted toll prices
The emergency announcements from the megaphone in our neighborhood
Poor insulation in our house, no central AC or heating, a dryer that took 3 hours to dry clothes, no food disposal, small oven anddishwasher, and having to dust almost everyday
Fish heads for breakfast and paying per person at the Japanese hotels
The Japanse monkeys with the red butts
Mayonnaise and corn on everything
Japanese girls in short skirts and net leggings with high heels all times of the year including the winter time
Dirty streets, concrete buildings, and no grass anywhere
Base dwellers
How expensive everything was
Perverted old men reading porn on the train
Sunrise at 4:30am
The hot and humid summers that seem to last forever
Being told we can’t eat somewhere because they don’t serve foreigners
Having to carry yen everywhere because most places didn’t accept credit cards
Driving in the narrow roads and having to pay to park everywhere
Squat toilets
Old people crossing the road wherever and whenever they wanted
No gargabe bins anywhere and having to recycle like a maniac everyday
The Japanese unwilling to bend the rules for anything
The VRO and LTO
Smoking in restaurants
Mysterious road signs and stairs that go on forever
The ridiculous face masks people wore all the time for colds and allergies
Things we WON’T miss about Japan
The abundance of nasty insects like cockroaches, hairy spiders, centipedes, mosquitos, mukades, and gejigejis
The traffic on Rt. 16 heading south towards the Yokosuka base and the traffic on Shuto B heading into Tokyo
All the blasted toll roads and not being able to get an ETC card for discounted toll prices
The emergency announcements from the megaphone in our neighborhood
Poor insulation in our house, no central AC or heating, a dryer that took 3 hours to dry clothes, no food disposal, small oven anddishwasher, and having to dust almost everyday
Fish heads for breakfast and paying per person at the Japanese hotels
The Japanse monkeys with the red butts
Mayonnaise and corn on everything
Japanese girls in short skirts and net leggings with high heels all times of the year including the winter time
Dirty streets, concrete buildings, and no grass anywhere
Base dwellers
How expensive everything was
Perverted old men reading porn on the train
Sunrise at 4:30am
The hot and humid summers that seem to last forever
Being told we can’t eat somewhere because they don’t serve foreigners
Having to carry yen everywhere because most places didn’t accept credit cards
Driving in the narrow roads and having to pay to park everywhere
Squat toilets
Old people crossing the road wherever and whenever they wanted
No gargabe bins anywhere and having to recycle like a maniac everyday
The Japanese unwilling to bend the rules for anything
The VRO and LTO
Smoking in restaurants
Mysterious road signs and stairs that go on forever
The ridiculous face masks people wore all the time for colds and allergies
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