Saturday 3/7/09 Miura Pennisula Coastline in Japan

Konnichiwa
It is another cloudy and cool Monday 3/9/09 here in Japan and I am getting ready for the sun and warm weather of Thailand. Yesterday CJ and I made our hotel reservations and so now all is a go for our trip March 26-April 5th. I am getting excited and looking forward to more exploration and being outdoors in warmer weather.
I have been pretty much house bound this past week as we have had lots of rain here lately. I have kept very busy with work on the TSSI administration section of the web, updating my lists of kid and sponsor information, travel plans emails.... Always something to do it seems,and it take me longer than expected.
Saturday the sun did come out for the day and so CJ and I took advantage of the warm, sunny 50 degree weather and headed south to the beaches. We first dropped some stuff off up at the Sheraton Hotel for a guy coming into town. There I had my photo taken with Barack Obama and a few Japanese girls. They were having American steak day at the hotel restaurant and had a life size cardboard cut out of Obama. There was a red, white and blue flag balloon adorned archway over the entrance to the eating area and also an A Rod baseball jersey and some other USA memorabilia decorations up. Two short little Japanese girls were trying to get their photo with Obama on their cell phone, but the older lady with them could not seem to manage it, so I offered to help them out. When I took the photo Obama was under the bright light and it washed his face out and so I moved the cardboard form ahead 2 feet and they seemed so shocked by that and giggled while covering their mouths. I then took the photo, CJ took mine with them and Obama and then I replaced his figure to the former position. I had to laugh as they crouched in front of me, so not to block my view, but they were about 1 foot shorter than Obama and I, so it really made no difference. Funny!

We bid our arigatos and farewell and we were off to Yokosuka and the Navy base area. We took the train south to Kamakura and then east to Zushi and lastly to Yokosuka. When we got to Zushi we decided to stop and take a walk down to the beach. We passed through Zushi Ginza shopping area with many a fresh fruit and veggie stall, and then on streets where many school kids were passing us by on the way to or from their weekend classes. At the crescent shaped beach we enjoyed watching the many windsurfers whose rainbow colored assortment of sails and shapes reminded me of butterfly wings. We stopped and had a bit of the picnic lunch we packed and while I was standing up eating my rice crackers a very bold bird swooped right down and tried to grab the cracker right out of my hand. I thought it was CJ tapping me, but when I looked back he was sitting down on the ground. Crazy. A local man then walked past us and told us how we had to be very careful when eating here as the birds are very aggressive. Yeah I know. Duh! I then looked on the ground and saw my cracker lying there, so he did not actually get it, but I did feel his claw scrape my finger.

We watched a little longer, I found a few small shells to add to my collections from beaches around the world and then we packed up and headed back to the train walking up a different street. Just before getting to the train station we saw a shrine and what looked like a market of some kind. When we got up closer it was a flea market and we found some cool native artwork. Japanese lady dancer figurines made out of some kind of heavy metal. The guy gave us a discount if we bought all 3 and so now we have the "Zushi Triplets". It was a nice little beach town and one we hope to revisit later this summer.
Back on the train, where we met a family of 6 from Maryland and Colorado. They were in the military here and had been up to Kamakura for a visit. They lived in Yokosuka and so they told us a bit about where to go and what to see while there. They had lived here for just a year and the mom was a thin young lady who is getting ready to run in the Tokyo Marathon later this month. She had 4 boys which I am sure help keep her in the svelte physical form she had as well. She didn't seem too happy about living here as when we asked how much longer they had, the husband rolled his eyes and said how many more hours and days do you have here? :-(
We bid them goodbye and then wandered along the waterfront boardwalk where many older folks were sitting and chatting on the benches in the now very warm sunshine. Yea! I even had to take my jacket off it got that warm.:-) As we looked across the bay at Yokosuka Naval Base, we could see many a large gray military Navy ship,a black submarine and some questionable boat that recently had trouble docking here I guess? I will have to ask CJ more about that, as I am pretty much clueless about anything having do do with our military and the armed forces, sorry to say.
We continued walking along and enjoyed watching some kind of red headed ducks doing what we figured might have been their mating dance. They were making quite the noise flapping their wings and dipping in and out of the water. Funny! When we got up to a little stone step beach like area it was full of floating garbage. Really shocked me actually. I was very surprised they have not cleaned that out, and I hoped it was because it was winter and that they wait until closer to summer and then clear it all out. This was just the first glimpse of a much dirtier part of Japan we were to see that day.
As I walked up the ramp to the shopping plaza, I passed by a man that actually had not only a red and white striped sweater on his dog, but red goggle sunglasses too. I asked if I could take a photo of "Snoopy" in his red goggles and the man said sure. I said he looked like Snoopy the Red Baron and asked if he knew who that was, but he only went on to explain how he was protecting the dogs eyes from the UV rays.
Only in Japan? :-) The funny thing was the man himself was not wearing sunglasses to protect his own eyes. Hum? I thought about putting mine on as well, as it was indeed some very bright sunlight. By the way, the dogs name was not Snoopy but something with a P. They say names and words soooo fast, and if I don't write stuff down right then and there, it is very hard for me to remember.
We then walked through the shopping mall and out the other side and across the street to the funky little Dobuita street with shops of all kinds selling camouflage and clothes, silk baseball jackets,stickers, antiques... We even found some Campbell's Tomato soup for only $1.50 a can and so I grabbed a few. Usually they are close to $3 each and CJ and I have been craving grilled cheese sandwiches and duck soap, so now we are all set.
We walked down more shopping streets and then made our way down a garden area to the docked Battleship Mikasa. I just got out my brochures to tell you more, but everything is in Japanese and I pulled up the website and it too has no English. The Japan maps don't tell much about this Miura Pennisula area either.
So after looking at the outside of the ship and a quick walk around the park, we headed back to the main shopping street to catch a city bus to the end of the road and the Kannonzaki Lighthouse. It took us about 20 minutes to get there and we passed some cool looking little fishing like village areas, where crew teams were out rowing and marinas with boats and possible abalone farms. When we got to the end at Kannonzaki Park, we quickly hiked up the path to the top of the hill and had a glimpse out over the sea where the Tokyo Bay and Sagami Bay join. It was like a highway on the water with HUGE cargo ships, little ships, fishing charter boats, etc... coming and going up into the Harbor importing and exporting goods... from all over the world. This area is called Japan's Doorway to the World, where 150 years ago this area and the Yokohama Harbor about 20 km further north, were then open to negotiations with the USA and then the rest of the Western world.
Back down through the wooded trail we went as we wanted to hurry back to the marina areas we passed before the sunset.
We got out and right when we got to the area where the rowers were, we saw them all crossing a street and going down the sidewalk. Darn. We did see a group of about 6 boys busy tying knots of some sort on a bamboo structure? We made our way further down along the waters edge and a very messy storage unit of a beach. I could not believe the junk sitting around and I almost felt like a I was back in Honduras for a moment. There was junk lying everywhere. There were also clothesline like lines and rows and rows of clothespins hanging like a canopy over the beach area where stuff wasn't piled waist high. Down the beach a bit further I then saw where those clothespins were being used to hang seaweed to dry. CJ and I walked out onto a pier to get a view looking back at the little village area and then we watched some charter fishing boats come in and hoped to see their catch of the day, but thay all said "NO fish". We walked a bit further and then saw another boat coming into a different dock so we went over there and the after all the passengers got off the last guy opened up a live well, got a net and then took out a Flounder which he caught. I asked if I could take a photo and they shook their head yes and then motioned me to come on board to take his photo, so of course I did. Fun! The crew then cleaned up their boat and hauled a cart load of empty bait pails back to the bait shop. I found it interesting that the only girl on the crew, was the one that pulled the cart loaded with pails while the guy walked next to to her empty handed.

It was starting to get dusk now, so we hurried up and over the next big hill and down the long set of steps to the other larger village area. There we saw more boats, a few kids picking seashells and more junk all over...boats, nets, buoys, trash, U shaped brackets with buoys which I assumed might be for abalone farms. We saw groups of the black bobbers out in different areas of the bay? No one around to ask in English though, so we made up our own ideas of what we thought things were. It will be interesting to find out one day what really goes on? Ha ha

As the sun set on another day here, we walked further along and I spotted a bunch of little starfish washed ashore as the tide was out now and as we passed by an old metal shed, it sounded like a music group was having band practice. It was the back of the building and there were no signs anywhere so we just assumed it might be that. Homes here are considered quiet,relaxation places, and they are very close together and some with thin walls...so I thought this would be a perfect place far away and not close to anything to speak of to disturb others.
At the end of the beach we climbed up the stairs, walked across the seaside drive road and back up to the main drag to hopefully catch a bus back into town and the train home. We walked about 4-5 blocks and then the bus showed up. We got off, at the train station, grabbed a quick grilled yakatori onion and chicken stick for 80 cents a piece and ate that before boarding the train. The little 1 aisle restaurant was right outside the train station and was jam packed with people standing shoulder to shoulder inside. We opted to stand outside and eat it right there on the street corner. It was delicious.
We had planned to stop by Costco to pick up a few items on our way back home, but we got all confused and missed our stop, when talking to a very friendly Japanese guy that wanted to help us when he saw CJ looking at the train map. We had never been there from the south direction, and the guy told us to get off at one station too early we think. Then when nothing looked familiar we tried to ask a few other folks and they all said to go up 2 more stops and so we did that, but by that time it was almost 8pm and I was not sure when they closed so instead of walking all the way over there we decided to go a different day.
We then ate supper at the Train station and had our favorite pork cutlet, with cabbage slaw, miso soup, white rice, pickled veggies...Yum! Found mini jumbo-cho looking desserts filled with ice cream. I got rum raisin and CJ green tea.

Back home we showered and hit the hay after another long day of walking.
Sunday we had planned to go to the Zoo if it was nice and or Costco, but it was cloudy and drizzly so we just stayed home. CJ relaxed, slept and watched TV, while I did more computer work. We also enjoyed nice phone calls with Kalen and Grandma Jean and MaryAnn's family. Tried to get a hold of Grambo but he was out with friends. In the eve we watched the rerun of American Idol where they picked the Top 36. There are some very good "young" singers on there. Is it just me, or do 16 years old kids these days seem like they are 24 yrs old? I can't believe how composed and mature some seem. Old souls in young bodies perhaps? It will be exciting to see who ends up winning. Darn...I just thought that I will probably be in Honduras now when it ends instead of begins and will year another year not see the while season. Oh well! My 2 girlfriends Judy and Marcie are being very good about keeping me in the Idol loop.

Maybe this coming weekend we will go to the Zoo or explore another new area? Before we left yesterday we stopped by an exhibition at the Yokohama train station and found the city of Takayama very interesting with lots of hiking, crafts, wood carving...one we definitely want to check out later this spring or summer.
Today I have been looking up many different things on the web and printing off schedules of the 150th anniversary celebrations to take place later this summer. Miscellaneous general information on different aspects of life in Japan....Have to read up and mark my calendar so,not to miss anything. I also chatted with my folks on the phone today too and they seem to be doing allot better since dad was at rehab.
CJ is at a work dinner tonight, so I had better go make myself a salad or something so I don't starve.
Another adventure report soon, I hope
Karla