Japan in a prehistoric shell

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Traveling with the Navy is very different than traveling by your own acord. It has pros ($$MONEY$$) and cons (TO MANY RULES!!) Ultimately, the old Navy motto “Join the Navy and see the world” has proved to be true. Thanks to a gray floating box called the USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT my eyes have laid eyes upon The Bahamas, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Dubai, Greece, England, South Africa. I paid the fair with blood, sweat, and tears. Now I’m stationed onboard a new ship: The USS GEORGE WASHINGTON. My home port is Yokosuka Japan and for the next two to three years, I will call this place home. From what I have seen thus far I am happy to do so.

Japan is amazing. It must be approach with an open heart and mind. Obviously it can’t be put into a nutshell……but I will try to put it inside a prehistoric coconut shell. Even so I will surely short-change it:

Japan is a mystical land where ancient tradition and innovative technology fuse in an almost artistic manner. Seamless would be wrong to say, but the seams that exist are beautiful embroidery. It’s like watching the past waltz with the future. Japanese culture is polite, considerate, loving, and efficient, extremely efficient. Technology is found everywhere. Many restaurant toilet seats remind me of flying a spaceship….all those buttons (enough on that.) You could be in the middle of the country and you are sure to find a soda machine, except soda machines usually don’t sell soda at all. They carry several types of teas: Greens, blacks, sweats, non-sweats and all points in between. Don’t like tea? They also carry several sports drinks and all natural juices. Now, if you’re into things heavy in artificial coloring and tons of corn syrup or sugar….then your shit out of luck. Did I mention they talk? I can’t understand them but they do...in friendly robotic voices.

I’ve been spending most of my days going out with my friends. We usually have loose plans that involve trains, bike riding, sight seeing, eating, and the socially accepted practice of public alcohol consumption. A train, a car, a bike, the beach, the mall, not a problem. The food can be fantastically strange, is almost always delicious, and terribly addicting. The other day my friend and I ate whale. I think if the animal rights peeps gave it a shot, they might ease up on all that save the whales bull. I say eat the suckers. Good sushi is very hard to NOT find. Bomb sushi is everywhere and compared to the US It is pretty affordable, but if you are one of those California roll, fake sushi eaters…you wont find that trash out here. Yup, grade A salmon is the simplest thing you will find…delish. I would go as far as to say the one has not really eaten sushi until he or she comes to Japan. I was lost, but now I am found.

Japanese are big drinkers and bars are a plenty. My favorite bar is a small hole in the wall named KA-SI-MU where the bar tender is not only the coolest Japanese friend I have so far, but also my new tattoo artist. Why just last week he inked me up on his dinning table. Later we went on a short walk to the beach with his wife, kids, and dog. My friend Mao from Woodinville, WA was with me too. We spent like 10 minutes poking dead sea life that washed up on the shore. I still don’t know what it was….some kind of squid perhaps, but when I pocked it with a stick it pooped green. Nice.

Museums are great, and art is found everywhere. Japanese kids run around the streets in school uniforms modeled after sailor uniforms. The girls all look like sailor moon. The landscape is magical.

The houses seem randomly placed, at the same time it creates a sort of organic order which is neat and fun to get lost in. Exploring little alleys is one of my favorite pastimes. They are constantly revealing new hidden treasures. Jagged, heavily vegetated short mountains split the land everywhere. Tunnels are plenty. The ocean is clear and clean. The Japanese are almost OCD about their recycling rules. My Japanese brothers love shopping, yet another binding quality we share.

So I think that is a pretty big shell, even for prehistoric measures. I need to go to bead so I am going to abruptly end this entry. It’s 1:15 in the morn and I still haven’t gone to bed. Much love.

Hasta la proxima aventura!
-Fernando

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Comments

[Grammy P]

Wonderful writing
Hi Fernando, I just have to comment on your writing. Your descriptions are so vivid I could see you standing there poking fish. You are an excellent writer. I hope you have been keeping a journal. Someday, you might want to write a book about your adventures. I hope to print these joyful letters and keep them in a folder so I can look back and read them often. Mucho gradis, Grammy