“Sumimasen” has become our new favorite word as we commit every accidental faux pas, but thankfully, everyone has been super nice and polite. I’ve even made a native Japanese friend!
The biggest news is we have a house! We moved into a 3 bedroom 2.5 bath townhouse on the north side of base. It has a yard that Miles absolutely loves.
We have officially landed in Japan! The plane ride was long but when it finally went after 47 hours of delays, the ride wasn’t too bad.
Miles did great with the ride! Didn’t seem to get bothered by it at all, which was a huge relief. Speaking of huge relief, the crazy boy held his pee the entire flight!
When we landed, we were blessed to see a familiar face: our friend Ricky. He was such a lifesaver. He drove us around the base, helped us check into our temporarily housing, get new housing (we secured a really great 3 bed 2.5 bath house on base with a yard), get our 4EJ international driver’s license, and best of all where to get cheap and delicious sushi off base.
Our first day was so exhausting, especially after such a long plane ride, so we called it by 7:30pm and passed out. The next day, Miles and I woke up by 4am feeling like our was 6 out 7 am because the sun was already coming up!! Land of the rising indeed! The sunrise here is at 4:15am!
Day 2 started with a cup of Joe from the vending machine in our hotel. The vending machines are everywhere and they have completely novel and fun drinks, most of which are really delicious.
In the morning, we headed off base to see some shops and convenience stores. Yes, convenience stores! In the US, these types of stores are generally grungy and boring, but in Japan they’re so different and fun. Just see the pics and videos below:
Next stop, supermarket!
Portland may have been a bust but Seattle definitely was not! Surprisingly it didn’t rain at all (I’m now 95% sure they tell us it’s rainy to keep us out) and the city was so walkable and fun!
Miles got very tired, which is great because tomorrow we hop onto a 12 hour flight to Japan, during which we want him asleep. Next post will be from Japan!
Portland, OR was a bit of a bust. Lots of homelessness and most things were closed down or just unsafe to be. We loved our dog friendly hotel though!
After the night in Portland we headed up to Seattle. Once we made it to the hotel, we dropped off our things and headed for the beautiful Cascades.
With a few days until we get to Japan, we are taking a road trip up the west coast to Seattle where we will fly out of. We left our California home and headed out in the Subaru!
We hiked Northern California around the beautiful Mt. Shasta.
Miles slept most of the trip in the comfy back of the Subaru. When we got to Medford, OR, we stopped for delicious tapas. The best one in my opinion was the saffron butter shrimp, but Leanne says the grilled octopus was her favorite.
We stayed the night in a tiny eco-home we found on AirBnB. It was so lovely.
It was a great first day. Now for the next stop: Portland!
When you are moving internationally, it is important to cut down on the amount of things you have. Especially when you are moving from a country with relatively large homes (USA) to a country with relatively small homes (Japan). As such, we cut down our possessions significantly. It is amazing how much junk accumulates in just a few years, even when you’re being careful!
I’m excited to “start fresh” though, and redecorate our new home in Japan in a Japanese style. Any Japanese interior design tips or inspiration would be amazing!
As Leanne heads into the end sprint of studying for boards, a necessary and welcomed reprieve presented itself as the USAFP (Uniformed Services Academy of Family Physicians) went underway in Orlando, FL. Leanne presented multiple posters of research and case presentations. We both attended lectures and learned what’s cutting edge in family medicine.
But what fun is only going to lectures when you are 15 minutes away from the “Happiest Place on Earth”?
With any free time we had, we and the other residents and attendings headed to Disney or Universal Studios!
Universal Studios Islands of Adventure:
One of the residents planned a “Family Dinner” at Disney Springs’ T-Rex café. Yes, that’s right, about 30 full-grown adult physicians went to the T-rex café. The waiter, at first confused where our children were, later assured us that sometimes adults come here too.
Lastly, my favorite Disney park Epcot. The “Flower Festival” was in full bloom and all the famous Disney characters were beautifully sculpted and located throughout the park. I loved enjoying food and drinks from around the world!
March 5th, 2023 is the day Leanne and I completed the Napa Valley Half Marathon. This was my first-ever half marathon and I’m proud to say I ran the entire way.
This was a huge accomplishment for me and proved that if I set my mind to something, even something as crazy as running 13 miles straight, I can do it!
After eating delicious Korean food, we went to a holiday party put on by the attendings for the residents. After our bellies were filled with all the foods and desserts one could imagine, we went to karting for our friend’s birthday party.
Early the next day we dropped Miles off at the sitter and headed for South Lake Tahoe to the Heavenly Resort. How amazing is it we are only a short 3 hour drive away from the mountains!?
At first we did the green slope, but it just came back naturally. We met up with a friend who also happened to be skiing that day in the same resort and she brought us onto the blues. And we did great!!
We hit the slopes for two full days and got a TON of skiing in. Our legs were extremely sore after it!
The last day of skiing right before we hit the slopes was the World Cup final. And what a spectacular final it was! Full of drama, comebacks, and close competition!
Football isn’t the only sport I’ve gotten Leanne into. We all hate FIFA, the corrupt and awful organization that controls world soccer leagues. But once every 4 years, they put on a magical tournament bringing together the best 31 teams and whatever corrupt country bribed the most for the 32nd team (yes, I am butter Qatar got the bid over the USA). Then, they play. The play is fantastic. There are upsets. Who knew Japan could beat both Spain and Germany! Saudi Arabia beat Argentina (the day after was literally declared a national holiday by the country)!
The best part of watching the competition has been getting Leanne into it though. From watching the USA games together in Spanish (and suffering through a borderline unbearable 3 minutes of hearing “gol” screamed every time one hit the back of the net), to making March Madness style brackets, to watching highlights of the best games and goals together, this has been one of my favorite world cups ever.