Comment

Comment by Anti M on July 23, 2009 at 9:35am

Navy dad... I'm not going to Japan anytime soon, I used to live there. For 12 years. Yes, the dollar is down, but it was down then too... I saw it under 100 yen, which is where it is now. Yes, prices a quite high, but they always have been. Yep, save the pennies!

Currency Converter

Comment by Anti M on July 22, 2009 at 11:43pm

Ha, T-Lynn, most of the sailors I knew, including myself, were ardent shoppers. My hubby would come back from Thailand and Korea with heaps and heaps of stuff.

Comment by T-Lynn on July 22, 2009 at 9:17pm

What a possible sight in Japan - a Navy Mom dragging her sailor along on a shopping spree. His thoughts as shopping: " I sure hope none of my shipmates see me." Just tell him you will buy him something special! TLynn

Comment by Anti M on July 22, 2009 at 7:37pm

We didn't bother with a couch for years. When we finally got one, we had to remove the feet so it could rest on the tatami. I had a lot of Japanese pieces, they make such cute things!

Comment by Anti M on July 22, 2009 at 4:47pm

The Japanese are notoriously honest ... except when it comes to bikes and umbrellas. Those are fair game apparently. I had my bike stolen on base, I thought I had clicked the lock, but it didnt' catch. sailors will steal any bike that is left unlocked. Nothing new about that.

I loved living offbase. I didn't mind sleeping on the floor, or the kerosene heaters, or the big spiders... it was an adventure and it wasn't the barracks. I had bad luck with roommates and wanted my own place. When I got married, we were on the list for the Tower Apartments, but i hated them. The walls were thin and the elevators smelled like pee. Why would I want to live crammed in with families when I had a nice little house on a hillside?

Comment by T-Lynn on July 22, 2009 at 11:11am

Good Mroning,
Having a car or renting an apartment in Japan - is not sounding fun. My sailor said there was no way he was living off base. Well, - he wants his money and not spend extra when he said the Navy provides. But a bike sounds like a good idea. At least for nice weather. Sharing some news. On the Illinois N4 M site - a Meet and Greet is being created. The ladies are working hard to get a date and place established. I'll share when I know more. Have a good day. Off to crank duty and I really have it today. TLynn

Comment by Anti M on July 22, 2009 at 10:53am

Most American furniture won't fit easily into Japanese apartments. And then there's the tatami mat flooring to deal with, you can't put heavy furniture with feet on it. I slept on the floor on a futon for nine years in our tiny house. Not an American futon couch, a real folding, put it in the bed closet daily, Japanese futon. I had to get used to sleeping on a bed when we moved back. I'd wake up gripping the edge of the mattress, afraid of falling off.

The side mirrors, yes! On a motorcycle, it is legal to ride past the cars if traffic is at a standstill. Hubby would fold back the mirror so we could get by, and I'd fold it back out as we passed by.

Comment by Anti M on July 21, 2009 at 11:20pm

There's a fair share of accidents in Japan. fortunately, the speed limits there are dramatically lower, so there are often fewer injuries. The insurance company covers the damages and medical expenses. Yes, visits are expected. My husband got nailed by a taxi who ran a red light. The driver never made an effort to even apologize. Hubby wasn't in the hospital, but his Harley was toast. The visits and apologies only apply to the Japanese, not the Americans. And yes, we had a guy nail two pedestrians in a crosswalk in the duty van... he did dress up nicely and go to the hospital and bent over backwards to keep his tail out of trouble.

Everyone gets the basic Japanese driver's ed, they drive on the other side. The cars are "backwards". Hit your turn signal and the windshield wipers come on. We'd laugh because a driver would jump in the car... on the passenger side. Then they'd look through the glove box, like they meant to get in that side. Parking? That's a trip. I couldn't pass the back up and whip into a slot tail first without stopping, in "one continuous motion". without hitting the cones Yikes.

Comment by T-Lynn on July 21, 2009 at 10:57pm

I am sharing this one with my sailor. Now that was a lesson! Unbelievable. By the way - are there many accidents? ANd I do hope this lesson is taught in the culture classes our sailors take. Have a wonderful evening TLynn

Comment by Anti M on July 21, 2009 at 6:06pm

I haven't been to Okinawa in ages, so I know there have been changes. It is a Navy base, it will change. It is larger than Yokosuka or Sasebo, and spread out a little more. The weather is nice, but they're in the path for typhoons. Don't let that scare you, the sailors work through the storms!

He will not need a passport in Japan, nor to certain other countries. If he wants to go sightseeing, Thailand comes to mind, he will need a passport. I think everyone should have one anyway, because you never know what will come along, good or bad. be prepared, huh?

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• …
• 1804
• 1805
• 1806
• 1807
• 1808
• …
• 1845
• Next ›
• Page