And the winner is...

So, yesterday I talked about people getting sick and I mentioned that I'd report who was next.  Well, the answer is ... everyone else.

Ryleigh is doing MUCH better, but I don't think she's out of the woods yet.  She's still a little fussy, and after what she put in her diaper tonight, it's obvious that her tummy is still not fully settled.

RJ has recovered well except for his appetite.  He's still not eating much, but, on the other hand, the amount he eats goes in waves regardless of being sick or not.

Amy started feeling lousy this morning and is still not feeling well.  She's being a trooper, though, and pushing ahead.

Amy's mom is still not 100%.  She's been on a roller coaster today of feeling okay and then lousy and then back to okay.

Amy's dad is not feeling well and went to bed early tonight.

That leaves me.  My stomach is hurting, but I don't know if it's from being sick or from all the crap that I ate today.  I snacked and at too much junk food all day.  Oops.  If I were a betting man, though, I think that I'm feeling the way I do due to a combination of both sickness and bad diet.

That's it for today.  More updates tomorrow.

Good night, sleep tight.
-Jip

Who's next?

So who will fall victim next to this puking, nastiness that is taking us out one by one?  Today, Amy's mom fell ill and has been resting all day in bed.  This evening, RJ got sick in the living room and is now sleeping on the couch.  That leaves Amy's Dad, Amy, and me.  We'll see who the next sick one will be!

Since Ryleigh this morning was VERY lethargic and only wanted to sleep, Jo starting feeling icky, and RJ needed to get out of the house, we decided that I should take the munchkin to Kid-o-Kid in Yokohama and have a little "boys day out." 

We took off, took the long circuitous route to Yokohama because I thought I remembered which road to take--I was wrong, and arrived about 11:30 at our destination.  RJ and I went up to the third floor, and he played hard for almost an hour and a half.   After we got done playing, it was time to eat so we wandered over to the Minatomirai area where there are great restaurants and plenty of shopping.  McDonald's was the first thing we came across and it sounded good to both of us, so we headed in.  I had a normal cheeseburger and RJ had what he called "Japanese chicken nuggets."  (Someday, I'll break it to him that the nugget recipe is the same regardless of what Mickey-D's he's in)

After lunch, we did a little stocking stuffer shopping just the two of us, and then we headed home.  All in all, we had a great time.  He was very well behaved and, to me, acted like an boy older than 3 1/2.  I was very proud of him today.

Here are some photos from our adventures:

RJ's favorite table at Kid-o-Kid.  It's a popular table so sharing is often challenging.

I'm not sure what caused this look of determination or consternation, whichever it might be, but it's a good one!

He really liked this sand-mill thing.

Mmmm.  Japanese chicken nuggets with mustard sauce.

We had to sit at the window since the place was hoppin' today.

A little "driving" time before we headed home.

Well, I'm off to do a round of checking on the sick troops.  Make your wagers and bets now, and we'll update you tomorrow night on who is the next to fall.

Stay healthy and good night!
-Jip

When is the next doomsday?

So I know that there is a lot of chatter today about doomsday or Armageddon not happening on 12/21 coinciding with the end of the Mayan calendar, and since you are reading this, obviously it didn't affect you either.  I didn't personally know anyone seriously worried about  it, but I read that there plenty out there that were. 

One of my guys giving a brief today started out by saying, "The exits are there and there just in case the world starts to end while I'm giving this brief and you need to evacuate."  It only got a couple giggles, but I thought it was funny.  One of my other young LTs told me that he was emailing back to friends in the States telling them that the meteors were striking and that the sun had gone dark and that their time was coming soon.  I did question him about being able to email during an event like that, and he said he'd find a bunker somewhere with internet access in order to make it happen.

You may have already seen these, but these have made me laugh over the past few months:

My question is for all the "preppers" out there.  Now what?  Garage sale?  Cheap canned goods and guns for sale?  Bunker half off--never used--works well--internet access--available immediately?

Today was a good day.  I worked all day, but it was quiet after lunch since the command had a "Holiday Office Party" all afternoon.  I was actually able to get some stuff done.  The fam at home had a relaxing day without much action.  Yesterday, Ryleigh was throwing up and sick all afternoon and evening, so a day of rest was needed.  Tomorrow starts the last weekend that Bob and Jo are here, so we'll have to figure out what all else to show them here in Japan.

Have a great day and here's hoping that we all make it to the next doomsday!
-Jip

Kyoto Escapades -- Day 2

After a good night's sleep, we hit the road running with another student tour guide, Satoshi. After a quick ride on the subway, we arrived at Nijo Castle.

Nijo Castle was the home to the Tokugawa shogun. It is built almost entirely of Japanese cypress and has many woodcarvings and paintings by the Kano School on sliding doors. The main building, Ninomaru Palace, has 33 rooms and more than 800 tatami mats. All the sliding doors on the outside walls of the castle can be removed in summer to allow the breeze to cool the castle. One of the neatest features of the castle is its nightingale floors. To protect the shogun from intruders who managed to cross the moat and scale the stone wall, special floorboards that creaked when walked upon were installed throughout the castle. The creak is high-pitched, and it truly does sound like a little bird. When the shogunate government was abolished in 1868, the Emperor took over the castle. The Emperor later donated the castle to the City of Kyoto.

The outer guard tower for the castle.

The moat and stone wall protecting the castle. It is crazy how this is just sitting in the middle of Kyoto!

The outside of the Ninomaru Palace.

And us in front of the Palace. RJ thought the helicopter was much more interesting than the Palace.

Sorry--no pics of inside the palace, as they aren't allowed. They don't even allow people to sketch.

Here's another palace on the castle grounds. It is only open to the public a couple times per year.

We went to Kyoto Station for lunch. Jip had to go back to the hotel to fetch our luggage, so we hung out in the mall at the Station. Ryleigh acted as Ambassador the whole time. I'm not sure relations are better, but the talks sure were cute.

After tonkatsu lunch (deep-fried pork and fish with rice and cabbage salad), we met our last tour guide, Yuta. He met us at Kyoto Station and then we walked to Hongwan-ji Temple.

The temple had a lot of Chinese influence...

... And a lot of Indian influence (that's an elephant carved there).

After the temple, we headed back to Kyoto Station to catch the Shinkansen back to Yokohama.

The subway ride from Yokohama back to Yokosuka was much less crowded--no near-passing out for this girl last night!

The kids were super travelers, and I'm so grateful for that! And, we all enjoyed the trip, from the experience of the bullet train to hearing the castle floor creak. Good times had by all!!

Kyoto Escapades -- Day 1

We took a quick trip to Kyoto with the Papas. We left the house at 6:30 am yesterday and returned just before 7:00 pm tonight. It was fun, but tiring!

After a ride on the super-crowded subway (it was so crowded and hot, I had to get off midway through the ride and get some fresh air so I wouldn't pass out), we took what felt like an ultra-luxurious ride on the Shinkansen.

The Shinkansen coming into Shin-Yokohama Station.

Grandpa, Jip, and RJ enjoyed seats 4A-4C...

And Grandma, Ryleigh, and I enjoyed 4D and 4E.

After getting to Kyoto and taking two subways to our hotel, we enjoyed some lunch at the Asahi Brewery. We then met our first tour guide, Sakiko. She is part of a goodwill tour group. The guides' services are free--we are just required to pay or their transportation and meals. The tours give the guides, all university students, with opportunities to practice English while they help us navigate Kyoto. It was fun to meet some locals, and we also presented a gift of chocolates to each of our guides for braving the cold and our crazy family!

Sakiko took us by city bus to Ryoanji Temple and Kinkaku-ji Temple, home of the Golden Pavilion.

Sakiko wore a traditional winter kimono. She was given a discount at Kinkaku-ji for wearing it!

Ryoanji is known for its large rock garden. I couldn't photograph the whole garden at one time, as it was too big.

A scale model of the garden. I was able to photograph all of this at one time!

RJ made his own rock garden later.

All of the temples required us to remove our shoes and walk in our socks or slippers. RJ tried these Miffy slippers at the first temple--it was a disaster, so it was socks from then on.

The pond at Ryoanji.

This is how Ryleigh enjoyed Ryoanji--and a lot of other places in Kyoto.

Then it was on to Kinkaku-ji Temple.

The top two floors of the Golden Pavilion are covered in gold leaf. Sakiko told us that this was for two reasons: 1) the builder ran out of money and 2) by only doing the top floors, the way it reflects in the water makes it look like it is floating.

The Pavilion had to be rebuilt in 1955 after a mentally ill monk burnt the original pavilion down in 1950. Isn't it beautiful?

A view of the pavilion from the back side.

Chilly people in front of The Golden Pavilion.

We ended the night at Bikkuri Donkey, a hamburger steak restaurant. Thanks to the Gaijin Guide, a book about Yokosuka, we were excited to try this national chain restaurant. The Japanese hamburger steak is more like a flat meatloaf, but it was delicious nonetheless. It was a good find and a good way to end our evening.

Oh, the best part of going to Bikkuri Donkey? RJ's response to a man in the bathroom. RJ held open the door for a gentleman entering the restroom as RJ was exiting. The man said thank you in Japanese: "Arigato." RJ responded, "Hi, Taco!" Close, RJ. Close. Maybe by the time we leave Japan, RJ will be able to say thank you properly.

Day two in Kyoto--tomorrow.