Thank god for Private Rooms!

When my friends came down to visit me in Sasebo we decided to partake in a Japanese tradition, Karaoke! Thankfully, karaoke in Japan means that you get your own private room for just you and your friends! I am an awful singer so thank god we had our own room otherwise there might have been an international incident. I decided I couldn't hold out on you guys so here are some pictures from the nite. I included the 2nd picture that was from dinner at Chili's because everyone thought it was hysterical since I looked like I was 12.

Bird's Eye View of Sasebo!

A few weeks ago I did two briefings on the ships, I only hit my head once!! In between the briefings Dave took me on a tour of Sasebo and brought me to top of this mountain so you can see all of Sasebo, including base. Up at the top is a hotel and a Chinese restuarant, with some amazing views! It was pretty cool because when you are on base this mountain is in the background and is usually covered in clouds; with all of our dreary weather the clouds get so low and you think they are just going to come down to meet you.

Survived!!

The whole reason why I am in Japan is to help service members with their VA benefits; this includes giving one on one help, briefings in the transition program, and command briefings (including going on 3 ships and I only hit my head once thank you very much!). This week we kicked it up a notch and I did a briefing at the movie theater; 163 Marines (some forced to be there), a huge movie screen, and me! I did my presentation without a mike, I knew my loud voice would come in handy, and the projector light in my face the entire time (o and my head at the bottom of the slides hahah). I think it went succesfully but more important I survived and I will never look at a movie theater the same way again!

Sunset Cruise

One of the big attractions in Sasebo is the 99 Islands, also known as Kujuku Islands. There are actually 209 islands and the density of the islands is number one in Japan. The islands were designated as Japan's westernmost national park on the sea in 1955. The most popular way to see the 99 Islands is to do a tour on a pirate ship but because of the awful rain it took me forever to do it. In addition to great weather I actually had friends (I have like 4 in Japan) that came down from Iwakuni to Sasebo so it was a great timing. It makes me laugh but it is popular for people to come down from the Marine base down to Sasebo in order to hit up the exchange, go to Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks and the Chilli's on base, there is no American sit down chain restaurant on the Marine base. So that is what they did, they spent the day at the NEX. Whatever the reason for their trip it was fantastic to have friends in town!

My "Hometown"

As I mentioned earlier, one of the 2 bases that I live at is MCAS Iwakuni. Iwakuni is in the western part of Yamaguchi Prefecture. The "big" things in Iwakuni are the Kintai Bridge and the Iwakuni Castle. If you go to the Kintai Bridge and want to walk across it you have to pay. Once you pay and cross it you walk over to a mini town (all it basically does is sell ice cream - I love that they love ice cream) and then you can walk around the grounds and then take a cable car up to Iwakuni Castle.

Kintai Bridge:

The Kintai Bridge spans the Nishiki river and was first constructed in 1673 by Hiroyoshi Kikkawa. The bridge stood until September 14, 1950 when it was destroyed by the typhoon “Kijiya”. The bridge began being rebuilt only a week later and was completed in 1953. It was a recreation of the original and was built using traditional techniques. Since the first reconstruction, the Kintai Bridge has undergone some renovation. The latest renovation was completed in 2004. Its five arches are a symbol of western Honshū.















The Park After the Bridge







Iwakuni Castle

The castle provides a glimpse into old Japan. The castle was originally constructed in 1608 by Hiroie Kikkawa, but was destroyed only seven years later. It was reconstructed in 1962. Iwakuni Castle is situated at the top of Mount Shiroyama, and can be reached on foot or by cable car. The castle contains a history museum containing armor, weapons, and other artifacts of the Kikkawa family, I skipped most of that and went to the top of the castle for some breath taking views.









A picture from my walk around Iwakuni.