Kamakura and um lots more!

Ok, so it's been quite a few days since my last post, so I decided that I'm not gonna keep posting day 1, day 2 etc. cuz all the days are starting to blend together! :( But I'll try my best to get it all straight!

Monday we started our A.O.B training, which, if you don't know, is pretty much like a culture class of Japan as well as rules and regulations on the base. Oh, and you do training to get your driver's license here as well. Anyway, the first few days of class were pretty boring, just rules mostly, so after one of the classes and once Trevor was done with school, we decided to go check out the Daiei Mall off base. Inside was a huge, 4 or maybe even 5 story building full of Japanese clothes, shoes and stuff, and restaurants and grocery stores. It was really neat but we didn't do much shopping cuz of course, I was with my bro and dad as well ;P So I definitely plan on going back!

Btw, if any of you were still wondering about the Starbucks flavors I mentioned earlier, some of the weird flavors are Matcha, and Coffee Jelly. I decided to go and try the Matcha flavor in a frappe, cuz it was pretty foreign and green, and supposedly green tea flavored. But when I tried it, it was horrible!!!!!!!!! At first when I took my first sip, I thought it tasted sort of like some kind of mushy and cold Japanese soup. Then I realized that's cuz it tasted like seaweed!!!! I kept trying to finish it, telling myself that I ate squid and raw things earlier so this shouldn't be that bad, but it was. So instead of throwing it away and going to waste, my dad made me give it to him and he had to muscle it down instead, gagging the whole way. The other flavor, coffee jelly, I havn't tried yet, but it doesn't look to bad. It's just a frappe with coffee flavored jelly filled at the bottom. So maybe I will try that next!

Another one of the days we spent kinda wandering around the base and got to know the area a bit more. We checked out the gym, which was pretty cool cuz it had tons of classes you could take like martial arts (taught by Japanese ppl though!) and Zumba and all those things. It also had a pool, basketball courts, and the usual machines and whatnot. We also went to the post office and now have our mail box transferred (as far as I know!). Then I went and checked out the colleges, which were superrrr far away from where we've been hanging out every day! And that's also where the rec center is and uhmm more of the navy stuff.

I also got a call I think Monday to tell me I got the job at the NEX! I know I said Commissary before for those that remember but I meant the nex haha. But I'm getting paid above minimum wage here by like $1.10 and I'm getting $8.44 which is cool And I start on the 29th! A couple days later, I met up with the directors who did the auditions for the play, and they told me I got a part, which is also cool (as long as it doesn't take up too much of my time-- I'm way too busy!!).

Thursday, we got to go on a field trip with our A.O.B class to Kamakura, which is a really historical site in Japan that contains many shrines and temples and the big Buddha! Unfortunately its was pouringggg rain and we we're drenched so we didn't get to go see the Buddha. But we will sometime in these next couple years at least! Anyways, remember in my first blog when I talked about the weird squatting toilets? Well we got to experience those yesterday! My mom had to go when we first got to the train, and this is what we saw:

Sorry it's a little blurry lol.. But anyway, it was tiny!!! Wayyyy smaller than either of us expected! I squatted in front of it to get an impression of the size and how its way too small. Sorry for the creepiness of this

picture lol...

It might be hard to tell, but I'm pretty sure when I ever have to use this, which, I havn't so far, but I'm pretty sure I am going to miss.

But to continue on, we hopped on a train and it took us to Kamakura. We tried an authentic Chinese Cuisine for lunch, which was alright, but not quite as good as the Japanese stuff we've had ;) but oh yea I bought this really yummy cherry flavored drink called Calpis! (haha) It was super tasty!!! And looked a little somethin like this: ;)

Ok, so after lunch, we hiked up to the Hachimangu Shrine, who was the last "Shogun", or Samurai, (like the movie), and it was really neat! 

(it was hard to get a good picture cuz it was pouring rain and there were a ton of people)

Before reaching the temple though, you had to cleanse yourself. There was a sort of fountain thing at the base of the shrine, where you would pour water into the little cup thing, pour a bit into each hand and cleanse your mouth, and then wash the handle that you were holding. Here's me doin all that! 

So, as we were wandering through all these shrines and temples, a small group of Japanese kids came up to us and asked for our picture. It was really cute haha. As we went a little further on, I noticed a news anchor and camera man walking around, and came up to us and actually wanted am interview!! They totally couldnt speak English, so this process of asking like 1 question took maybe 15 minutes, but it was cool cuz maybe we'll be on TV ;)

When we got back, we went to the bowling alley with some friends and had a pretty good time :) But yea that's pretty much what's happened the past few days! I don't wanna overwhelm you with another couple more exciting days that have gone by since the last big day, so I will just write another one in the morning ;) But before this ends, I'll post another couple pics of our trip to Kamakura:

This was an entrance to shrines in that area, and...

...this is another BIG entrance to the Shogun shrine, the shrine for the last samurai. 

And ummmm I don't really remember this one haha it was maybe another entrance to another shrine..? Or maybe this one was a little temple? I'll just say it was a cool building ;)

Ok well that's pretty much it for pics. Until next time! :D

Rhianna