Best day ever.

I don’t know what day it is.

I’m sitting painting my toes pink in Jaime’s room and sweating because the AC is broken upstairs. Today was one of the best days I’ve had in Japan. I’ve really only been in Japan a little over a week if you add up the days we weren’t underway, which is weird to think about. All new people stationed in Yokosuka are required to take an introductory course about living and working in Japan. It lasts all this week and guess what today was…field trip day! It really is designed to make sure every person makes it off base at least once while living in Japan, they literally take you step by step from where to buy a train ticket, how to order from a plastic menu, and most importantly which way to face when you squat over a Japanese toilet.

We got to go in a little later today because of the field trip so we woke up at 6 am instead of 5. Wei and I went for a run around Zushi and ended up at the beach where we did abs in the sand and then jumped in the water to rinse off. The beach was beautiful that time of morning and the sun was already high in the sky. Today was windy, so there were actual waves and a number of guys were out attempting to windsurf. I decided life would be a lot better and people would be much happier if work just started an hour later every day.

We thought about missing the trip and looking for houses today instead, but since it’s a Japanese holiday, of course no realtors were open. So we went to Kamakura. Kamakura is located just north of where I am staying in Zushi. It is home to a giant Buddha and a number of shrines and temples. We started walking down the crowded streets lined with shops full of little trinkets. Wei, Doug (another new Ensign on our ship), and I stuck together and carefully separated ourselves from the wandering group of foreigners. We found a great curry house for lunch. Wei and I are helping Doug expand his palate to include more than only chicken and potatoes. He actually liked the curry! Green tea rice balls covered in sweet bean paste, he did not find so appetizing. I think the bean paste grows on you.

Right after lunch it started raining. Luckily, the little shops have plenty of clear umbrellas to purchase! We walked aimlessly until we found signs pointing to a temple or shrine and then we just walked until we found it. We visited one temple which was so serene. Everything was so green. It was like a temple I would have pictured before with interesting trees and a gong and a knowing silence. A man was sitting down to sketch and I wanted to join him. We next walked about 2 km to another shrine on the side of a large, forested hill. We had to walk up a path lined with red gates and prayer flags. Remember that it was still raining pretty steadily. The entire experience was very surreal. I had never been to a Shinto shrine, but it was interesting to look at and so peaceful. Stairs made of stones led up to more shrines and paths up the hill. It was nice to just sit and listen to the rain falling on the trees in such a spiritual place.

We made our way down the hill and went searching for the Giant Buddha! After another 2 km, we found him towering over crowds of people from all over the globe. He sits cross legged and people walk up and say prayers in front of him. Another thing, before you enter a shrine, you must dip a cup in running water and rinse your hands and mouth before entering.

By the end we were tired and wet, but happy to have explored and gotten away from the stress of work and finding a house and everything else. We headed back to Zushi, but not before hitting up a 100 yen shop (Japan’s version of a dollar store)! I bought lots of delicious snacks I will be sending home! By delicious I mean everything from milk candy to dried octopus. Let’s just say it will be different. We then went to a grocery store and bought food for dinner. Wei has been cooking up delicious Japanese meals including tofu, soba, dumplings, and lots of little vegetables and fruits I can’t even name. But tonight Doug treated us by cooking up pineapple beef and rice! Yumm.

Let’s just say I ended today by taking a relaxing bath. We ate dinner at a reasonable hour tonight, about 6 pm and just didn’t know what to do with all the time we had! We’ve been leaving the ship every night between 5 and 6 pm. With such long hours, I can’t decide if I like being in port or underway better! Jk. Now that we are getting into some sort of routine, life is better.