COSTCO Wholesale of Kanazawa, Japan

Crowded Isles

I can never believe that Costco could ever find a suitable place in Japan. Somehow they have managed to fit their huge American sized warehouse on a plot of land by the sea. And it is amazing. To get there from Yokosuka, we took the toll ($9.50 one way) to Namiki exit and Costco was there. They had 2 or 3 stories of parking on the roof. As you exit the parking structure you take a shopping cart and go down the escaladors which had a magnetic grip on the shopping cart. The free samplers were strange. They had raw fish, pickled vegetables, small appetizers. The Japanese line up in an orderly fashion to await their turn at the sampler or "demo" tables. A lot of the items in Costco came straight from America so everything I saw were recogonizable. I can hear the cash registers cha-chinging in my head as each Japanese person made their purchase in support of U.S. economy. Obviously, the most empty part of the store was the book section. All the books were imported from the states. Me and Soco went over there to flip through some of them since everything was in English. We bought Sushi, Bulgogi, anchovies with walnuts, pastries, eggs and fish. At the end of our shopping spree, we ate at it's restaurant which served the same stuff they sell at the states. Soco got a chicken roll and I got a slice of pizza and clam chowder. As we left, we saw the tire center. It was really clean, no tire or oil marks on their floors... it was sparkling and all the tires and tools were neatly stacked and put away. The Japanese are really clean! Really great place in Japan.

Seafood Pizza
Raw fish sampler
Checking Out

Yen or Dollars?

Wild Bamboo sprouting in front of hospital

It has been raining here like every other day. It is kinda depressing. But at the same time, it discourages me from leaving the confines of the military base. With a van, I can now travel everywhere on base at ease. The Seaside Club is no longer a cab ride or a long bike trip. Getting to work is no longer a hassle, except for finding a parking space. It makes no sense to me that patient parking is almost non-existent during the daytime hours. I'm glad that I work there, otherwise, walking to the hospital would really suck. Anyways, this morning I went off base to help Soco find a tailor shop and they sew patches on the spot in 10 minutes! Really amazing. Just supply your own patches, because chances are, they don't have it.

I was asked, what currency do I hold? Yen or dollars? I must carry both. On base, there are vending machines everywhere that take yen only. Drinks and snacks are everywhere, just carry yen. Every store on base accepts dollars or ATM/Debit cards. The stores off base accepts Visa and Mastercard sometimes, but not all the time. Japan is a cash based economy and people are usually expected to pay in cash. Even rent.

Money I pulled out of my wallet. Yen, dollars and even a Kuwaiti Dinar

Attempt at Vietnamese PHO

Pho at the table

The other day, I made Vietnamese Pho. It turned out okay. I forgot to get some garnishes such as bean sprouts and Heising Sauce. It was really good regardless. Due to the high cost of limes in Japan, we settled for lemons. Instead of mint leaves, we had mint sprinkles. It was okay still.

My Camera is up for auction on Ebay!

Cyber-Shot DSC-50 Click on this Link to see it!

I have posted my camera up for sale on Ebay! It is a really great camera and it captured many good memories.

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift

Somehow I ran into this link:

http://www.thefastandthefurious.com

Wow, it got me really excited that there is another fast and furious movie, and this time it doesn't take place in the U.S.

95 Toyota Lucida

Front Picture
Rear Picture

I've been getting a lot of compliments about my new van. As of right now, it is in perfect condition. No dings, new tires, fluids topped off, no leaks, everything works. Lots of toys, two sunroofs, rear mirror, folding chairs, seats 8 people. The odometer only has 55k on it and it is 11 years old! I'm really happy with this van. I'm glad I waited long enough for this van to show up at the car lot. Overall, with insurance, LTO fee, registration, license plates, road tax, weight tax, recycle fee, and toll road fee, I have paid $4,000 in all. Not bad considering how much vehicles cost in the states.
The $400 Japanese Baby Chair

Driver's Seat

Welcome New U.S. Citizens!

I have always admired the general makeup of our military. Many of our service members have recently became U.S. Citizens and some of them are personal friends of mine. Yeah! There is no better country to be a part of!

Sciatica Sucks

This sciatica is taking a lot longer to heal than I could ever imagine. It has already been a month and my spine is still crooked. My doctor prescribed muscle relaxant and an anti-inflamatory prescription and the physical therapist prescribed stretching exercises and posture correction movement. I've been doing everything several times a day. Stretching, walking, moving around, Yoga posture and stretching videos, shifting my back from side to side and it still feels like intense pinching in my left hamstring and butt. I have one week before I have to return to work and I don't think it will heal in time. I've also lost a lot of sleep because it is impossible to fall asleep in a constant state of pain. I took some over-counter sleeping pills to help me fall asleep and it didn't work. I did eventually fall asleep at 3 a.m. out of sleep deprivation and exhaustion. I just hope and prey that I'll be 100% when the baby is born. One more month to go!

We have finally decided on a vehicle to purchase. It turned out to be a grey Toyota Mini-Van. It had one previous owner who was an old Japanese man. I can tell that he took good care of the vehicle. There are no leaks or problems what-so-ever! It was hardly believable for a vehicle to be 11 years old! I'll take pictures of it when we finally get possession of the vehicle.

Baby clothes
People are constantly donating baby clothes, toys and junk. More necessities than junk, of course. I'm trying to take some precautions since I think we already have enough stuff for the baby. As a matter of fact, I haven't bought a single thing for the baby! I'm not sure if it is out of generosity or people are just dumping their stuff on us. We actually had to trash some items because they were infested with mold. NASTY! Soco's parents have been very kind to us and sent us some very nice diaper bags, onesies, and stuff. It is really great. Yesterday, Soco bought some reusable cloth diapers. I think that will save us a lot of money. A pack of 40 disposable diapers are about 9 or 10 bucks. Since we are dual income, we don't qualify for WIC. Hehe, I guess according to statistics, our military pay combined is above poverty level... darn.

Well, I'm going to do more stretching exercises now.
Soco in her maturnity dress uniform in front of US Naval Hospital, Yokosuka Japan

Looking for a Vehicle

Arabic Cuisine - Catered food from Sultan Brothers Company

Lately, me and Soco has been trying to find a suitable vehicle for us and our baby. Finding an inexpensive, yet practical vehicle is a lot tougher than I thought it would be. I test drove a 94 Toyota Lucida and it ran okay. It had several problems though... I got on my hands and knees and noticed a small oil leak coming from the headers on the engine. The van had a little problem starting up. Soco noticed that the power steering fluid levels were below the minimum mark. When I drove under two tunnels, I turned on the lights, but for some reason, in absolute darkness, I couldn't see the speedometer. The heater doesn't work either. Hmm... The good stuff is that all the insurance has been paid for, the Japanese inspection has been paid for, everything legally is taken care off. I would only have to do a transfer. Me and Soco both agreed that it is a piece of junk and decided to rest on this decision.

Soco may be due within 3 or 5 weeks. So there is a little rush, but not too much.

Lift with your back, not your legs.

Daewoo's latest convertible - Seoul, Korea.

Ever heard of the saying, "Lift with your back, not your legs. You get more time off." Is true. But not in a good way. I'll be going to Physical Therapy on Monday. Hopefully they can perform some miracles.

There are a lot of issues that still have to be fixed from the move from off-base residence to on base. My internet access throught Asahi Net was still active. So I had to shut it off and now I have to mail my modem to Atsugi. My taxes still need to be done. The baby's room needs to be arranged. I'm looking to purchase a vehicle. It seems to be too much to do! Because of all of this, I'm taking some leave.

3 hour flight between Seoul and Tokyo

Back in Japan again

Potluck food

Soco the Advanced Laboratorian

I'm back in Japan again and not much has changed. Everything looks exactly the same. Neyeli is growing and kicking inside Soco's belly. Yesterday, I got to hear the baby's heartbeat. It was 145 beats per min.

Soco has moved on base and I had to spend minimal amount of time finding it. It was too easy and plus, this new place is much bigger than I had expected. The blueprints make it appear smaller. We have an American sized refrigerator, bathroom, bedrooms and kitchen. No more shopping for food everyday!

There are new faces in my workspace. I don't think it will take very long before I get used to them. I just hope they are hardworkers. It is kinda funny to walk around the hospital and people come up to me and say "Welcome Back, you're a war hero". I wouldn't say that much, but it feels funny to be called that. I'm glad to have the experience of deployment under my belt. Now I just need some shipboard experience...

I can just say one thing, I'm glad to be back.

Final Look at Kuwait

Stop

Departing Kuwait was the greatest feeling after a long deployment. The long hours of working has ceased and there is now plenty of time to relax. I worked until it was my time to leave and I tried to pass down everything I can for the smooth transaction for my relief. It is my first deployment and it was a good one. I don't ever want to go back. Especially since it is becoming summertime over there. When I left, it was almost 95 degrees inside the hospital. I wonder how hot it will be in the peak of summer.

I'll have a McMushroom Please!

Desert in Kuwait

Sandy Roads

I left with new friends, awards, and plenty of experience. Am I going to miss it? No. I'm glad to be back in Japan.

Last Minute Jokes