One stop fixes all

When I was growing up 7/11 was the place to get a slurpies or a really over cooked hot dog.  Since coming to Japan 7/11 is the best place ever.  You can do almost everything at 7/11.

You can get full meal including salad

Entree

and of course dessert

This ice cream bar has a waffle cone on the outside and ice cream in the middle with a layer of milk chocolate...amazing!!!

But the best part of 7/11 is you can pay your bills...phone, internet, gas, water, and electric.  

In England you could pay your bills at the post office, but you couldn't get dinner at the same time...7/11 is far better.  

Welcome to Japan, where the one stop shop truly is one stop.  

Thankful for technology...

Since moving to Japan I feel like my IQ has dropped significantly.  I speak in broken sentences and rarely understand what people are saying to me.  I can't read simple signs and have resorted to memorizing single words to communicate.  

My vocabulary has dwindled to:  

• Thank you very much
• I am sorry
• Yes
• It's ok/alright

I got a new AC unit installed in my living room...So thankful for cool dry air.  =) 

In order to use the lovely unit there was a bit of a learning curve...

I can not read these buttons...hmm

And the installation techs did not speak english.  Google translate to the rescue!!!

All you have to do is take a picture of the characters, highlight them and you have english...

now all I have to do is memorize the positions of the buttons and I am good to go.  

So my life has become a game of memory...I should be winning those games with my neices and nephew in no time.  

Vending machine life

I have always heard that there are crazy vending machines in Japan, so I have been excited to see them.

Here are the first few I've seen that are not what you'd find in the USA.

Hello Kitty pops pop corn fresh...of course

fresh...of course

Ice Cream anyone?

More to come whenever they pop up.  Hope you are enjoying this adventure with me.  I am having a blast with all the fun new things.  

Festival Time has come

In Japan summer is festival time.  I've been told there is a festival everyweekend somewhere in Japan during the summer.  So of course I had to participate.

 It was a huge field with booths all around with food of every kind, 

well every kind of Japanese food, no hambergers folks, but there were kebabs a plenty.  

All the little girls looked so cute in their yukatas.  

Dipping for gold fish...things are similar throughout the world...children having fun. 

The festival was followed by an incredible firework show which I was honored to see from our lab tech Sok Man's uncle's home (he was the 1st prosthodontist in Japan)...so cool.

Sixteen candles...all i want is a car

Well with a phone and house off the to do list it was time to find a car.  Normally this process of buying a car with involve test driving multiple car makes and modles, research, bargaining, and hours at a dealer.  Not so in Japan.

I walked down to Kelly and Kelly (a 15 minute walk), and the dealer said to look at the cars on the lot and let her know which number caugth my eye and I could have the keys to turn it on (no driving).

You may think this would take hours, but the lot was only the width of the building and the lenght of a small lot.

I sorted through about 30 cars.

There were really only three I thought were viable due to size.  I wanted something small but with some cargo space, you know for the obligatory Ikea trips...

Meet the Wine Toyota Passo...I will passo you by. he he he

I walked back into the dealer, told her I liked the passo, she told me the price, I gave her a 40,000yen deposit and she said to come back in 2 days to pick it up (the time to register it).  

It was ready a day early and now she's mine. 

Now I am jetting around Japan only making a few mistakes a day...no accidents yet...

The wish list...

August 1, 2016 was an amazing Monday (how often do we get to say that).  I was praying about a house and what would be ideal.  

The prayer /dream list for a house:   

1. Within walking distance to the train station, 
2. Fenced area for Tobias, 
3. Enough space for the furniture
4. Kitchen with enough prep surface for cooking to be easy
5. Kitchen with a gas range.
6. At least 1 1/2 baths
7. Two bed rooms
8. Parking for at least 2 cars
9. No more than 20min from bas
10. Feels homey


I was scheduled to see one home in the morning and one in the afternoon.  

Let the hunting begin...

House #1

 

House #1 was about 30 minutes from base.  It was cute, like a craftsman style (with Japanese flare). 

 

It had beautiful wood floors, and a decent kitchen, but the dining area was a very small.  The yard was lovely, but it was very far from the train.   

 

The upstairs was a narrow room and the stairs were very steep, I have no idea how you would get a bed up those stairs.  There was only parking for one.




I wasn't really sure, but I thought it might be a decent option, I thought I may need to settle and store some things and take this house.  I kept praying and felt that God did not what me to settle but wait for his best.  I went back to base and as the landlord dropped me off he said another family was looking house #1 in the afternoon, I was starting to stress about no accepting the home, but I prayed about it and God said...wait.  


Let the hunt continue...


House #2  

Similar to this one, minus the trees and more square.  

(I didn't take a photo of this one).  

The house was about 15 minutes from base.  It was pretty new with good parking so visitors could park easily (the 1st house did not have this), and the rooms were a nice size, but there was no outdoor space, the kitchen was small, it was not close to any public transportation.  

I was again considering it but it would have been a pretty big compromise.  I just did not have peace about it.  As I walked out of the house the Realtor said she had another house she could show me that was not on the original listing.  She said it was about a 15min drive and had 2 bedrooms and was near the train station.  I said OK, lets go see it.  


Oh please let this hunt be successful...


House #3

As we drove she told me more about the house...its new, it has an out door space...as she was talking I thought, maybe this is the house God has for me, I was feeling hopeful, but more like excitement mixed with peace...we arrived at the house. 

It is 3-5min walk to the train, there is a park across the street (out the front door), parking for 3, a fenced outdoor space with minimal maintenance, it is new!!!  

 

It has an amazing kitchen with gas-stove top, and good space, a perfect living space, an amazing closet, and the bathroom has a claw foot tub but is modern (beautiful).

I felt like God had wrapped this house up in an amazing bow and hand delivered it to me.  I snagged it up right away feeling complete peace.  I went into the housing office and got the official process started.  As the counselor talked with me she looked up the house and said it was listed as not allowing pets, but the Realtor told me pets were fine.  The counselor called and verified that yes the house allowed pets...God is TOO amazing.  I am so amazed.  I moved in on 9 August.  I have a home.  

Driving Miss Daisy

Last Saturday I started the adventure of driving in Japan.  Since I lived in England I thought, this is will be no big deal (since Japan uses the Left side of the road also).

Well... It wasn't too bad, but when I was in England I had a US spec car but here I will have a Japanese car.  There is a bit of a learning curve to this...

Day 1 Score card:
1.  Tried to get in on the wrong side of the car: 3

Hmm...you can't drive from the passanger side??? 

I ment to do that, I'll just put my purse down and go to the other side now. he he

2.  Tried to shift using the arm rest: un-numbered.  

3.  Turned on the windshield wipers when trying to turn on the turn signals: un-numbered 

This is affectionately called the Yokota wave since it is so common for new drivers.

4.  Drove on the wrong side of the road: 1

At the end of the day I was doing pretty well.  I wasn't using my windshield wipers to signal turns and I was getting on the right  side of the car (literally).  

I ended the day with a fabulous firework show with Debbie and Jim.  I love fireworks!!!  The first week could not have ended better.