Guam (USA)

After checking out of the NAF Atsugi CBH this morning, we finally left Japan, bound for tropical paradise. It was raining pretty hard as we departed. We flew down to Guam and, soon after landing, fund that our aircraft was broken.  This means that we won't be going anywhere for a few days - we'll be here at least until Thursday morning...  Fortunately, we managed to move our reservations at the Pacific Islands Club up by 24 hours. Had dinner with crew at a Jamaican restaurant - good food. Drinks with the guys later.

Atsugi, Honshu (Japan)

[Staying at NAF Atsugi CBH] Worked all day...

Guam (USA)

Good day in the air today!  Thankfully, my cold is nearly gone. Great view of Lake Ashi and Mount Fuji - probably best yet! No problems with weather anywhere - saw a lot of islands. Okinawa was warm and Guam was hot and humid.  I've gotten spoiled with the Spring weather in Japan - it was good to get back tonight to breezy, coat-wearing weather at the NAF Atsugi CBH!

Yamato, Honshu (Japan)

Got another chance to go out for dinner tonight - we had to walk a bit to get to a social area of Yamato. Found one of the many restaurants that our group calls "sushi-go-round." They are so named because you sit near a counter that has what amounts to a little moving track that is carrying sushi plates. It is funny to watch - men behind the counter are busy preparing the plates with salmon, tuna, cod and other kinds of sushi rolls. Tempura (shrimp, chicken and veggie) rolls on by on the top of the counter and tea cups, sugar and other items go by underneath the counter on another moving track. There are even more exotic plates of squid, eel, octopus - and stuff we couldn't identify. Prices are easy to figure out - the plates are colored and the amount is listed on the corner. Not too expensive, either - I ate quite well for about 600 yen. We had fun trying to identify the items we were eating but, sometimes, maybe it's better not to know!  [Staying at NAF Atsugi CBH] 

Atsugi, Honshu (Japan)

[Staying at NAF Atsugi CBH] Worked all day...

Atsugi, Honshu (Japan)

[Staying at NAF Atsugi CBH] Worked all day...

Okinawa (Japan)

Day started OK - I have a nasty cold now... In the morning, we flew over to an airport near Hiroshima. Saw a great view of Mount Fuji again and the huge airport near Osaka. While there, a lady came by and was selling little Japanese box lunches (called Bento). I got some good fried rice. Later flew over to Okinawa - weather much better than last week... Only there for awhile and then flew back. Great views of the coast all day - and of the Kamakura/Fujisawa area.  [Staying at NAF Atsugi CBH] 

Atsugi, Honshu (Japan)

[Staying at NAF Atsugi CBH] Worked all day...

Atsugi, Honshu (Japan)

[Staying at NAF Atsugi CBH] Worked all day...

Kamakura, Honshu (Japan)

Woke up this morning and could see Mount Fuji from my room at the NAF Atsugi CBH! After our flight was cancelled (for maintenance), headed out with Ken, Eric and Thor to visit Kamakura. Ken and Eric had never been and I had never tried the Enoden Line (along the beach). Took Sotetsu to Yamato, Odakyu to Fujisawa and then had to wander through a big mall to find the next train. It was an old, crowded train car. Drove along the water and passed pretty town of Enoshima (next time?). Eventually got off train at Hase Station - near Daibutsu - around 1400. VERY crowded - probably because this is the nicest day since I got here and it is Saturday. I never had to walk behind so many people in this area - reminds me of New York City... Were still able to explore area around Buddha and then the Hasedera Temple. Had some cherry blossom flavored ice cream in the late afternoon. Then walked over to the Kamakura station and in "Shopping Town." Arrived at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine just before it closed. This time, I counted the steps - there are around 60... Nice views and some signs of more flowering trees in the near future... Just before dark, took train back to Yokohama. Thor took us to dinner at an English Pub called "The Tavern." The city was really hopping - people everywhere! Stayed till about 1930. Went to Easter Vigil after reaching the base again.  Bed after that.

Odawara, Honshu (Japan)

After two days of rain, it was nice to have a clear day - just windy and cooler. Thor and I got started around 1200, took the Odakyu Line and arrived in the town of Odawara around 1330. As we left the train station, we saw the Odawara Castle on the skyline - we just walked along the street, keeping it in sight. We walked up hill until we were in the courtyard below this amazing building. It has multiple tiered rooves - classic design for this area (and China). Thought it was original, but we learned later that it was destroyed in the 1800s. It was only rebuilt in the 1960s, but it was reconstructed using original models (we saw them inside) - so it looks just like it did before. Some of the trees nearby were already flowering (plums?). We got tickets for the castle and a nearby museum. We walked up four floors and had a great view of the Sagami Bay - I can see why the builders chose this location. Mountains all around - including what looked like the base of Mount Fuji. Saw the canyon we took to get to Hakone a few days ago. Inside the castle, there were samurai swords, armor and artwork - along with some artifacts that were collected from the original building. We walked down the hill later and went into a little museum that told the story of the Lords who built the castle and controlled this entire area back in the 1500s - the Hojo clan. The ticket agent spoke English very well and gave us a personal tour of the museum (it's a good thing, since there were no translations...). He was very nice and gave us an outstanding background of Odawara. Walking around later, we visited the seashore and (once again) stumbled across various shrines. Some of the gardens are in bloom already, although it appears that the cherry blossoms are a big deal (missed them by about a week). At the train station, we saw huge groups of girls wearing beautiful kimonos - actually very formal looking Japanese gowns. Thor and I debated whether this was some sort of prom event (???). Uneventful ride back - dropped Thor off in Ebina to meet some friends. [Returned to the NAF Atsugi CBH] Still chilly after dark...

Atsugi, Honshu (Japan)

[Staying at NAF Atsugi CBH] Worked all day...

Hakone, Honshu (Japan)

The weather was supposed to be bad, but Thor and I decided to go over to Hakone, where there is a national park with a view of Mount Fuji and some hot springs. On the way, we saw the Odawara Castle - could be worth another trip. We rode in the front car of the train and enjoyed the pleasant, rural countryside. It took a few hours to get to Hakone-Yumoto station: we arrived just after 1400. We walked from the train station up the hill on the east side of the park, about 2 kilometers, until we came to the Tenzan resort. At first, we could only tell it was the place because we had a some information from our hotel clerk that included the Japanese. We had no idea where to begin besides that, but we picked the right door. Immediately, it was clear that this would be a good experience. We had to take our shoes off and store them in a little locker. We were lucky that one lady spoke enough English to tell us how much and where to go. The men and women are separated because no bathing suits are allowed. We changed (actually disrobed completely...) and went outside (temperature about 15 degrees C) - it had just started raining. There were a lot of other people there and we watched them for an indication of how we should act. We each sat on a little stool with soap and a small shower and took what basically amounted to a sponge bath. Then we went over to one of the springs (there were five outdoors). The first was extremely hot - much more than a regular hot tub! We moved to ones that were built with polished volcanic stone - they were much better. It was raining pretty hard by then, but the water was very nice. Spent over an hour in the different pools of water - and checked out the little sauna (hot!!!). Finished with another "sponge-bath." Saw lots of Dad's with their kids. Dried off and explored the resort: there was a room with cots that people rested in (wearing kimonos - perfectly quiet), there was a tea room (we had some noodle soup, sushi and tea - all while sitting on the floor) and a gift shop. We figured out there were two other buildings - different experiences: indoor baths made of Japanese cypress, massage room and a hotel. Would make for a great weekend getaway! Never made it to Lake Ashi or the rest of Hakone because of the rainy weather - next time! Stayed until nearly 1800 and rode bus back to the train station. Met a kid from Montreal who had stumbled across this place too - he was on the train with us for a little while. Turns out that poutine (see 2006 Montreal Trip) is very popular with the natives too (not just me...) - he said it was French. Transfering trains in Ebina, checked out mall - worth a future visit. [Staying at NAF Atsugi CBH] Nice relaxing day...

Okinawa (Japan)

Had some trouble getting into Okinawa today - there was a huge thunderstorm! When we finally landed, the guys on the ground said this happens all the time. I guess if you plan to fly a quick one to two hour flight you might return to really crappy weather. We had enough time to get some delicious yaki-soba (mmm...). Trip home was good - saw Fuji again. There is a lot of snow still up there... After dinner, went over to a Karaoke Bar with the guys.  Made fools of ourselves for several hours before heading back to the NAF Atsugi CBH... 

Atsugi, Honshu (Japan)

[Staying at NAF Atsugi CBH] Worked all day...

Nagasaki, Kyushu (Japan)

I've been to Nagasaki before but, each time, I wish I could stay longer. The trip over was great - we had awesome visibility of some big cities (e.g. Nagoya) and the best view I've ever had of Mount Fuji. The arrival into Nagasaki is a sight-seeing tour in itself: below mountains and into a huge valley that leads into an inland sea. The airport is on a man made island. Weather was great, but we were only there a short time. On the way home, we saw Fuji again (much closer) and could see the entire bay area near Yokohama (including the Minato Mirai area we visited yesterday). Back on deck at NAF Atsugi, I went out to dinner with my crew at a nearby sushi place - it reminded me of Denny's. On the way back to the base (and CBH), we ran into the rest of the group - we played pool games and had drinks until late. 

Yokohama, Honshu (Japan)

I always like visiting Yokohama! Like last year, I brought a new guy to the Minato Mirai part of town. Eric and I enjoyed the warm weather - short sleeves! We rode the train into Yokohama and then took the subway to the Landmark Tower. We didn't ride up, but we walked around the mall and along the waterfront. There were lots of people out in the parks playing ball, flying kites and having lunch. There were street performers and we found a funny store called "Snoopy Town" - Eric commented that Snoopy is a rock star here, and I think he's right... Lunch/Dinner was at the Dragon Kalbi restaurant (my third trip). I like this place because you get to cook your own meat on a small grill in the middle of the table. The waiters brought out a warm wash-cloth and then glowing red charcoal briquets. No one spoke English, but we found a few words on the menu. We selected the Dragon Plate: assorted Korean hors d'oveurs, lettuce and cold carrots/pickles, cubed beef, pork strips, chicken thighs, tongue (and other meats), a half shell scallop (big) that we cooked on the grill, seaweed soup, rice mixed with egg in an earthen bowl. Desert was a tiny bowl of yogurt with the shape of a flower in it (made from berry juice?). Kirin beer completed the meal. It was hard, after all of this, to make our way back to the NAF Atsugi CBH... That 12 hour sleep trough we are still experiencing (it was about 0430 at home) didn't make it easier, either. I hope we have another chance to go out exploring with weather like this!

Iwo To (Japan)

This was my second chance to spend the whole day on Iwo To (the island also known as Iwo Jima). Andre met us at the flight line (he was here last year) and he took us on a bus tour of the island. We saw lots of places I didn't visit last time - Andre said he is always finding new things. He took us to see the hulks of sunken ships, a large crater (called the sulfur pit), the remains of a crashed cargo aircraft (we went inside), and the top of Mount Suribachi. We saw whales along the coast. The weather was better than ever - nice breeze and the sun was shining - probably 15 degrees C. Usually it is humid and hazy. We drove around for four hours before Andre took us back for about 30 minutes of biking around the island. It started to rain just after the sun set.  After an interesting day, we headed back to our rooms at NAF Atsugi CBH.

Atsugi, Honshu (Japan)

[Staying at NAF Atsugi CBH] Worked all day...

Ayase, Honshu (Japan)

We went out to dinner tonight at the Edo Steak House (Ayase). I have walked by this place before, but never went inside. The place was packed - we were lucky to get a place to sit down! They actually stuck us upstairs but I think the main business is downstairs. We looked at the menu and couldn't make up our minds until we saw another group near us getting some good looking food. We took their recommendation and I got the filet "set" - steak, salad, a kind of potato, soup and garlic rice. The wine was free, though it kept running out. The meal took over two and a half hours. We were supposed to get sherbet, too, but we gave up and went back to our rooms at the NAF Atsugi CBH.

Atsugi, Honshu (Japan)

[Staying at NAF Atsugi CBH] Worked all day...

Honolulu, HI (USA)

I woke up early, even though I'd barely slept, walked along the beach near our the Hilton Hawaiian Village. We usually stay closer to the main section of Waikiki Beach (e.g. "Duke's"), but this hotel is in a different area. Some of the guys haven't been in Hawaii before, so I showed them places to get food for all-day flights. We had around five hours to explore before we had to check out of the hotel.  After that, we headed back to the airport for our final legs of the TRANSPAC. The weather was good everywhere again - and there were a few less people on the plane than yesterday. Our stop at the Kwajalein Atoll was interesting. Japan looked bright and busy by night again as we arrived at NAF Atsugi.  We then got rooms at the CBH.  Whew!  This should be a good visit...

Honolulu, HI (USA)

[WESTPAC DET] This was a very painful trip! We had four long legs, all of us were packed like sardines in the aircraft, and the six time zones barely masked the fact that I was awake for over 23 hours... On the plus side, the weather was great - we could see each of the destination city skylines (Jacksonville, New Orleans, San Diego and Honolulu) very clearly. Needless to say though, I was VERY relieved when we arrived at our hotel (Hilton Hawaiian Village) at 1045L.  I was also VERY exhausted and fell asleep without looking for fun on the beach...

Knoxville, TN (USA)

[itinerary uncertain - flew with Thor - had dinner at chow hall while waiting - bought limoncello]