The LONG story

Story Time:)

Let me set the stage. We have been in a theater for 2 hours being briefed on Japanese Transportation. I have only ridden on one train/subway that I can remember. That was in Washington DC where everything is in blessed English. Florida isn't big on trains and subways:) I am taking notes and paying close attention to every word this Japanese woman was imparting like it was life or death. After being given our "lost" cards we are told see you tomorrow. Mind you I am still on base not near a train station. After stopping at Community Bank and getting to the main gate I am ready. Ok I can follow the blue road to the station. I find the blue road well nicknamed since the road has blue flecks in it and the side walk has blue lines. I am walking along taking in the dreary soggy sights when I realize since this was the first station we talked about hours ago I am not sure if I remember what the entrance looked like. No big deal I am sure I can figure it out. After only one detour - I headed into a bank thinking it was the station. Hey to my credit the ATMS looked a lot like the ticket kiosks at the station and there must have been 8 in a row.

Ok so I am at Yokosuka-Chuo Station. I am armed with my notes standing at the ticket kiosk like a really tourist nerd. I start off the right way pushing the English button! I then figure out on the map how far away Yokohama is and how much it was going to cost. Then I hit the transfer line to choose the appropriate yen amount. Yeah it wasn't there. I stepped away from the kiosk to look at my notes - No help there. I tried again same issue being an ignorant foreigner:) I head up to the man in the booth. I know a way to make it easy on myself the rest of the time I am here. I wanted a PASMO (best example it is like a SUNPASS in FL) I say "Pasmo Kudasai" They say please after what they want here in Japan. The man says yes yes and takes me back to the kiosk which now seem to have metallic slanted eyes laughing at me. We easily get my pass. Now I never have to try and figure out which ticket to buy for where I want to go. I do have to make sure I continue to put yen on my PASMO or I will be stuck. The laughing was not actually being done by the kiosk but by two Japanese girls in their teens. I didn't mind because I am sure I looked slightly retarded.

I was just happy that I was through the ticket wicket that was farther than a lot of people in my orientation class. Seeing the rain many decided not to go out. I was baby free and needed to have some experience before bringing my sweet boy.

At 10:45am I stepped onto a train bound for Yokohama a 24 minute train ride. As I entered the train I scanned the area I needed to process the who, what, where when of the situation. As I did this, a Japanese gentleman motioned me to the area in front of him. He then pulled a seat down and held it until I sat. I thanked with with "arigatou" This put a huge smile on his face. I had been told that if we try even one or two words in Japanese the locals are thrilled. They may even tell us we have great Japanese - of course we would have no clue what they were saying. This happened to me. I rode in the clean silence that is Japanese public transportation. No one talks, there may be a few whispers, and eye contact usually does not happen. Nobody wants to bother anyone. Ha wait until Dylan is on the train - he doesn't know quiet. Gau-Gau may have gotten him to whisper but I haven't. At another stop a Japanese lady gets on and sits next to me. I turn towards her and say "Ohayo Gozaimasu" which is Good Morning. She replied back. Then the gentleman that helped me looked at this lady and said who knows what. She looks back at me and smiles. I am openly watching their exchange. So she says something which sounded really long. I just smiled back like the lady who had no clue - what do I mean like I was that lady. Then guessing they may be asking about my Japanese I held my fingers up to show small. At this they both laugh. Back to silence. A few stops before mine my new Japanese friend gets off saying Bye Have a nice day, Bye. This left me pondering the situation. Was she like me and only knew Hi, Bye and a few other English words or was it very important to maintain comfortable silence? Whatever it may be I was happy to have partially interacted with a Japanese person.

I had arrived at Yokohama. I exited the train and thought easy enough. Wait one second nothing was in English once I left the station. In the stations you will see English under the Japanese on the main sign hanging over head. It works you can figure things out, but I was now in the real Japan. I looked up and up and up sky rises for as far as I could see in front of me, behind me and to both sides. How was I supposed to find Tokyu Hands. The print out I had was no help! I spy ... oh look water and what looked to be a shopping high rise. I made my way via pedestrian crosswalks to Bay Quarter. Remember all this walking was done with an umbrella not helpful for visibility. I look around Bay Quarter there were a lot of shops, but I know from my papers that Toyku Hands is a stand alone. I am also trying to decipher a map from fleet and family services that is as fuzzy as the snow channels on a black and white t.v. I was surrounded by Japanese businessmen. This got me thinking. Yokohama is a large city, there are numerous stops, maybe I am at the wrong stop. Back to the train station I went. After consulting my English train map, I had to change to another train line, JR. Alright next stop I was off the train and still in Yokohama.

This is the stop where I took pictures. The freedom of being an American tourist in Japan is it is obvious so there is no point in not taking pictures. There were times yesterday when I thought maybe I had really come from outer space and had green skin. I did get a few of those strange looks but not many. I found it funny and was not in the least bit offended. I thought it most humorous when it was on the train and I would catch the person openly looking. Oh boy their eyes darted away so fast! I tried once again to understand yet another map. This was the large one outside the station. Don't know why I bothered. I didn't see Tokyu Hands so it was time for lunch.

Come to find out the restaurant I chose meant "Garlic Restaurant"- Ninniku-Ya Goemon that was quite fitting since I love my garlic. I did have an option of choosing a western restaurant, but alas it was a day for adventure. Besides I had packed a power bar in my purse. Ok come on, I can be adventurous but I don't need to be hungry. It was an unneeded back up plan! Outside the restaurant there were display cases with the sample food. I had heard about Japanese pizza. Granted what I had heard didn't always sounds so tasty but I wanted to try some anyways. Some I had heard of during the brief - mayo, shrimp and cheese & squid, shrimp and zucchini. Anyone hungry now? In the display case, I spied one with something green, something yellow and something beige. I figured I would give it a try like I said I had my back up plan. Entered the restaurant was greeted nicely and seated right by the entrance. I didn't know what to think of that - everyone who came in got to check out the Gajin trying to eat with chopsticks. I started to look over the menu in Japanese but figured I would still go with the pizza. Motioning for the waitress we walked out to the cases. I am sure they get that a lot. I pointed at the pizza saying Kudasai Pizza. At this she shook her head no and said dinner. No pizza for lunch folks. Once seated again she handed me an English menu. I love how they wait for you to slaughter their native language. I kept up the Japanese. After lunch as I was checking out and paying in yen I tried to say delicious about my lunch. I said oishii - I had been told that unlike in English when there is a double letter each one is pronounced separately in Japanese. Ok can you just imagine how I sounded saying delicious! Yeah the hostess looked at me rather shocked like I had asked to kiss her mom. I knew at that point I had to make her understand so I busted out the charades. I smiled really big, gave her two thumbs up, said very good (in English) and continued to nod (oh I know you all love that part). Finally a huge smile spread across her face and she said oishii the correct way then she proceeds to say I am so glad. Are you kidding me - would someone just greet me in English. Blow my socks of saying Hi and then when I say something back to you in English do the cool nod and smile like I do.

It was time to do some shopping. Even though I had given up on finding Toyku Hands part two of the mission still needed accomplishing. My dear mother's birthday is coming up. I am thrilled to say I found her something but since it is currently en route I can't tell you about it. At the information desk at the mall I asked in Japanese where the Toyku Hands was located. It was then that I learned it was at my first stop after all. O-well what can you do.

At 2pm I started to walk back to the train station thinking I was giving myself plenty of time to get back to Yokosuka and pick up my son at 4pm. I was doing great swiping my Pasmo card, taking pictures of the locals because no one said I couldn't and why not I am a tourist. I choose to time my rides so that if I can't understand the Japanese announcement I will know when to get off. We were 1 minute until my estimated time of arriving in Yokosuka-Chuo when we pulled into a stop. I didn't hear an announcement, but a lot of people got off the train. Scary thing about that is I had been warned that sometimes you will not understand the announcement (go figure) saying this train is going into Zushi for maintenance. It has happened numerous times that a foreigner will find themselves inside of a maintenance dock because they failed to get off when everyone else did. Believe me if everyone leaves a train I am out of there. Granted I won't know which train to get back on but we will deal with that when it comes. Back to wondering where I was. I asked a younger Japanese man who after taking out his head phones and me asking again shakes his head yes. Now I thought the yes head shake was universal maybe I was wrong. I got off onto the platform. As I start to turn away out of the corner of my eye I see the guy start to come towards to door. I turn around just as the doors close and the train pulls away. major miscommunication there. I think he was trying to get me back in but didn't have time. I was not at Yokosuak-Chuo. I head up the steps to find someone to ask. I spotted a uniform and in hindsight I think it was just some uniform but not a train depot attendant. I asked him and he said platform one. Ok I was set. I hoped on the next train when it arrives and away I went. I began to realize I had no idea where I was going. So a few stops later I asked a gentleman as he was getting up Yokosuka-Chuo? He must have felt really bad or I was really lost. I think it was the latter. He missed his stop and rode with me to the next depot. It was in the boondocks (if they have those in Japan) The platform was outside, it was he and I two others and the monster crickets. Taking me to the map he showed where we were off on some side line in the map. We then counted the number of stops until I was to get off once I transferred back onto the main line that is. Oh my goodness it really hit me then. As the crickets chirped and the heavy Japanese humidity tried to push me down I realized I was so fortunate that I asked this man who used broken Engrish to help before he got off. I would have been riding to Timbuktu and from this side of the world I might have actually arrived. Lacking the same spunk, and missing home, friends and English I finally arrived back to Yokosuka-Chuo. Just to let you know I kept a running count of the stops on my fingers on the way back. I then booked it through the rain trying to get to the base and my sweet son. I was 10 minutes late. I sure am glad I gave myself to 2 hours to take a detour home.

Therefore in the picture below if you see an emotionally, mentally and physically exhausted woman who was so grateful to be back on base where at least most people spoke English you would be correct. The Japanese triple charge Gatorade was helpful but I know who really helped me home. The blessing in it all is that I truly had a peace the whole time even when I was concerned and a little overwhelmed. I am so thankful for His deep abiding peace!