LAWilkes Travels

Weekend of Apr 18 we took a tour with the outdoor recreation on base to Kyoto. Kyoto was previously Japan's capital and is now it's 7th largest city. We met the bus at 4am which was interesting since we had only 2 hours of sleep that night after going out with our great neighbors but thank goodness it was a 6 hour drive to Kyoto so caught up on some much needed sleep. I do have to tell you guys that along the way Japan has the most awesome truck stops. The bathrooms have warmers for the seats, flushing music to mask any unwanted noises :-), and bidets. Not only are the bathrooms amazing but it is like walking into a mall at a truck stop with all kinds of restaurants and shops. We should plan ... read more

Weekend of March 28 Anthony and I did different trips within Tokyo. I wanted to go on a trip that the base outdoor recreation was offering which had the word "hiking" in it so I knew I would have to go about this one solo LOL. The trip actually did not have much to do with hiking but was more a city walk but I was so glad I went because it winded up being a really nice day for a walk and at the end got a nice treat at a hanami (Cherry Blossom viewing festival). This is where people gather around having picnics around cherry blossom trees that are blooming. It is really a beautiful thing to see with all the trees in bloom in mostly white or pink. Anthony found a Brazilian festival ... read more

This past weekend we decided to take a trip with Camp Zama's outdoor recreation. Every month this department organizes trips throughout the month where you can sign up for a fee and most are just a bus ride away. This trip was to the Fertility Festival in Komaki City which the description read that you had to be 18 and over and was one that you wouldn't forget. Not knowing what we were getting into that one sounded like a must do! After signing up though everyone kept saying "Oh you're going to the penis festival" and yes that it was! Just a brief description of the festival from their festival map: "Hounen-Matsuri (the Bumper Harvest festival) is well known as a unique festival. Villagers carry on their shoulders a Mikoshi (portable shrine) which bears an ... read more

We have been living in Japan now for almost a month and loving everything that Japan has to offer. We reached Tokyo on Feb 5 and instantly fell in love with this country! On the way from the airport just driving through Tokyo I was thinking wow this is like NYC on steroids {Liz}. We have now been in our permanent housing for a week and just waiting for our belongings to arrive from the states. Forgot how nice it is to just live simple with just basics to make you appreciate that materials things are not what is important. Anthony & I bought bikes that we ride around to get from point A to point B around base. We now have a small little matchbox car to lug around groceries and if we just simply ... read more