Sagami-Ono

We tried so hard to sleep in on Saturday, but the kids just wouldn't have it. They're internal clocks are set perfectly on 5am. We ended up letting them run free in the playroom in the lobby and Mark took a 2 hour nap on the couch, while I got online. We're up so early, we don't usually get up before 8am, that the hours in the day seem to creep by. By the time 6pm rolls around, it feels like 9pm and we want to go home to sleep. There's nothing is open this early, on base or off base, that we're just hanging around in the hotel room for hours!

Evan passed out in Careese's stroller around 4:30pm, just as we were leaving base to go out to eat and shop. Every once in a while he'd wake up and look around, mumble something and lay down back asleep! He didn't wake up till 5am this morning! Its amazing how much noise and motion this kid can sleep through. He slept through the train ride, walking around the streets, shopping, eating out and all the way home again. I'm sure the mile run we made him run earlier that day had something to do with it.

Evan has become quite the runner since we got here. We walk everywhere on base and he wants to run ahead of us all the time. We wanted to go visit Lucy at the kennels but couldn't find a ride over there. So we walked. Remember how I said there's a golf course between us and the kennels? Yep we had to walk around the course. It was a good 40 min power walk, and Evan probably ran 2/3 of it. It's so funny that he'll be running and running, with his short little legs to keep ahead of our fast walk, and then he'll spot a flower or rock and pick it up. Then suddenly he's down to a mopey walk and then gets whiny for me to carry him. I tell him to throw whatever he's got in his hand away, and then he's back to his run ahead of me! I think he'll be a good distance runner when he gets older, but he definitely can't run any relays involving a baton.

The lady at the kennels said Lucy's not eating, and asked if it was a stressful move to Japan for her. I think being locked up all day surrounded by barking dogs all day is stressing her out. She doesn't usually eat unless we're in the kitchen while she's eating anyway. I bought a few bags of jerky for dogs from Trader Joes before we left DC, and I've just given her those to eat after we visit her because its the only thing she'll eat right away. So, I know she's getting something to eat if she's not touching her kibble and wet food.

We took the train to the next town over, Sagami-Ono, to shop and eat. Mark's favorite clothing store here is Uniqlo, and they're like the Gap in the US, they're everywhere. They've got everyday basic clothes for good prices. We went in to buy umbrellas cause it was raining on our way to the train station. And then we ended up with a bag load of clothes when we left the store! I got 4 shirts and a dress, Mark got 2 tshirts, a button up shirt, 2 pairs of shorts, pjs, set of socks, and 2 umbrellas, all under $100 USD. We're suckers for sales. ;)

The great thing about Japanese restaurants is those plastic fake food they display out front of the food they serve. Is there a fake plastic food store somewhere? Its good thing too cause they didn't have an English menu. We went to a restaurant called Ducky Duck. "Its so good they named it twice!" Its a chain that serves Italian food, but of course with a Japanese take to it. It was pretty good. I had herb noodles with chicken and spinach. Simple but quite tasty. Mark got shrimp omrice (eggs on rice). And dessert was chiffon cake with whipped cream. The cream could have used more sugar (lots of desserts in Japan look amazing but don't taste very sweet) but the cake was good. We will be going back there again.

Mark asked me if I had enough to eat. Well, I guess serving sizes is something to get used to. We've been accustomed to huge portions in the US. This is what we came up with why; because who wants to eat a huge meal and then have to walk home. And who wants to carry leftovers on the train? And with a country obsessed with freshness, why would they want to eat leftovers?

When we first left base, I realized my purse was not in my bag. Mark had taken it out to get a phone number and it didn't get back in my bag. It had my military ID as well as my license in it. So, it meant that I couldn't get back on base. We though I'd have to wait at the gate while Mark walked on base to the hotel to get my ID and they'd give me a lecture about keeping it with me at all times, and should just staple it to my hand. Well, thankfully they just needed me to fill out a form and they let me through. The only threat I'd pose was the nasty dirty full diaper Careese was wearing!

Sorry, no new pics today.