Rest peacefully, sweet cousin

Michael Gover. Devoted son. Loving brother. Adoring uncle. Mr. Wonderful. Everyone's best friend. Larger than life. The life of our party. He left our world yesterday, leaving a space seemingly impossible to fill. His smile could brighten a room, his laugh utterly contagious. His bear hugs...irreplaceable. And the ever-present twinkle in his eye...

Things will never be the same without you, Mikey, but we were all lucky to have you while we did.

Here are some words that are not my own, but are too good not to share. They were written by one of his many friends, and if you didn't have the privilege of knowing him, this gives you a taste of what made him so special...

"Gover was a man among men. He told inside jokes..to total strangers. He once won a staring contest with a photograph. He would often open his fridge and tell his milk when..and if to expire. Sometimes I knew Gover to mail something and forget the postage..and it would still get there. Gover and I once played a game of poker..and he won using only UNO cards. Often Bigfoot would try to capture photos of Gover and it was rumored that Werewolves were jealous of his beard. When the local safari was closing, Michael opened his beard up and used it as an ark for the residence of the misplaced animals. And most recently I have been told Sharks have devoted a week just for him." -Jason


"When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight."  -Kahlil Gibran

Misawa Summer Festival

The Misawa Summer Festival is a four day celebration, which takes place at the end of August. The festival consists of a drumming competition and a ton of parades to include: costume, traditional Bon dance, Mikoshi, and two float parades. The parade route either started or ended right outside the Main Gate entrance to Misawa AB, which is super convenient for all of the base-dwellers (such as ourselves). We could park our cars at the shopping center on base and walk right out the gate to enjoy and take part in the festivities. Eric and I ended up getting to see all but the drumming competition, which is definitely on our list of things to do next year after hearing the drumming in the parade. The competition would certainly have been pretty amazing to see.

I did some googleing to try to understand what exactly the festival is celebrating. I couldn't find the history of the Misawa Summer Festival itself, but could find some information on the different parades.

During the Bon dance parade, (what seems like) hundreds of dancers dressed in light-weight kimonos perform the traditional Bon dance down the street. Bon dance is a style of dancing performed during Obon (a Japanese Buddhist holiday). Obon is a family-reunion type of holiday during which families commemorate their ancestors by visiting graves, making food offerings, and guiding the spirits of their ancestors home by hanging lanterns outside their homes. At the end of Obon, lanterns placed in bodies of water float away guiding the spirits back to the spirit world. This celebration has been observed in Japan for over 500 years. Bon dancing (which is called Bon Odori) was traditionally meant to welcome the spirits of the dead, but over the years has come to be associated with summer. Dances and music differ from region to region, but the dance is always performed in unison by the dancers. (Props to Wikipedia- a very reliable source- for lots of this information...to be fair, I cross-referenced it with other sources and with information given by our tour guide during our cultural briefing).

 

The Mikoshi parade is a parade of mini-shrines. The shrines are believed to transport and temporarily house deities. There were only a handful of Mikoshi during the parade at the Misawa Summer Festival, but it was interesting to see that at least one of the was made to resemble a cartoon character, which makes me wonder what kind of deity it housed... The people carrying the Mikoshi bounced the mini-shrines up and down, spun them around in circles, and tilted them from side to side. Wikipedia (again) tells me that this is done to give the deity a thrill. Well, the deity wasn't the only one getting a thrill, the crowd loved it and it seemed like the people carrying the shrines were having a great time, too!

The Mikoshi are carried by the beams.

So far I have not been able to find much specific information on the floats in terms of their history or what they are meant to represent. They were huge, beautiful, and elaborate. Each float appeared to be themed and each float also carried a large drum (played by an adult drummer) and a line of smaller drums (played by children). The drummers as well as those pulling the float sang and chanted along with the drums. Some people walking in the parade played flutes. The sound was as beautiful as the floats. Eric and I thoroughly enjoyed this parade, but were dying to know more about what was going on. During the parade it became obvious that Misawa is a small, close-knit community as people participating in the parade jumped out from time to time to greet and chat with people observing the parade.

As the float parade started, I felt myself getting a little emotional. I don't know if it was the beauty of what we were witnessing, the fact that the drumming and singing reminded me of pow-wow, the hormones, or the fact that I was feeling just so fortunate to have the unique opportunity to live in and be part of such an entirely different culture from our own. It was probably a combination of all the above, but Eric and I commented all night about how lucky and happy we are. We have to keep pinching ourselves to remind us that this is our real life. We don't intend to take any of it for granted. We grinned ear-to-ear throughout the entire parade. Here are some pictures of the beautiful floats...

 

Of course no festival is complete without great fair food. Eric and I walked around and checked out all there was to offer. Later, in a google-sesh about traditional Japanese fair food, we learned that all the fair-food superstars were available at the Misawa festival. Eric ate a lot of (and loved) Takoyaki, which you can read about here, but are basically octopus fritters. We tried two different types. One I would describe as the mass-produced, fast food version (octopus chunks were smaller), and one I would describe as the handmade, legit version (large octopus chunks). I preferred the smaller chunks of tentacles, Eric the larger ones. We sampled various other delicious fair foods, but got too full to try it all. Now we have a list of must-try's for next time!

After the float parade ended, Eric and I popped into a liquor store to check out the selection. They sold beers individually at this store so you could piece together a custom six-pack (or more). They had a lot of really unique beers and Eric got a couple to take home and sample. I stood there and whimpered. But the highlight of the trip was really this, which I am considering purchasing specifically for the purpose of a table centerpiece. I think it would really help future guests feel at ease in our home... what do you think?

Who doesn't like snakes in their liquor?

Cheers!

Oirase is Gorges (and other little tidbits of fun)

Shameless silly selfie

Over the weekend, Eric and I set out to visit the Oirase Gorge near Towada (the gorge was a little over an hour away from Misawa by car). The gorge was created by the Oirase River, which is the only outlet draining GIANT Lake Towada into the Pacific Ocean. Lake Towada is the largest crater lake on the Honshu Island (where we live) and is over 1,000 feet deep in some places. The fact that it is a caldera lake scares me to no end as I believe many of you are aware of my...some say irrational...fear of supervolcanoes...but it was beautiful nonetheless! Lake Towada is also the home of the mythical Kappa...yes, the fish whose "hobbies include challenging passerby to sumo wrestling matches and giving swimmers impromptu colonoscopies with their webbed fingers," according to one of our many reference books on Japan. We were not prepared to swim so, unfortunately, we did not run into any Kappa...a sumo match might have been fun! Colonoscopy on the other hand...well, that could be....interesting? On the day we visited, the sky was very overcast so it was difficult to see the steep rim of the caldera. We have heard that a good way to the tour the lake is by boat so we will have to return again on a clear-er day to do that. 

Lake Towada (this picture in no way does the size of the lake justice)

We spent our day hiking the path along the Oirase River. A 9ish km trail follows the river through the gorge. Oddly, a road also follows the river and the trail. So...on one side, you see a picturesque river with waterfalls and rapids and on the other you see cars and buses. Luckily, the sounds of the rapids and waterfalls mostly drain out the sounds of traffic and you can almost forget that it is there.

Eric and I had initially planned to hike the whole trail, but for a variety of reasons, that did not occur. The legs of the trail are measured by distance between waterfall attractions. We hiked the two longest stretches of the trail, which ended up being about 12km round trip. It was a good long walk and we were pretty tired and hot by the end of it. We were also being swarmed by gnats, which becomes surprisingly upsetting when it goes on for prolonged periods of time. But aside from the heat, humidity and nagging gnats, it was truly a beautiful place to be and experience. We've heard that the Oirase Gorge is an especially hot travel destination during the autumn months because of the fall foliage. We're excited to go back when the leaves have started to change color.

 

 

  

Eric insisted I include these last two pictures, which document the system I developed to keep the gnats away from  my head, ears, and eyes. He took these, unbeknownst to me, as he laughed about the psychosis I developed after hours of being swarmed and pestered. My "propeller bag" did a superb job of keeping my personal bubble free and clear of nature. I tried to confine use of the propeller bag to wooded areas where we were alone on the trial. Eric kept reminding me that I am an "ambassador of the United States, gnats or no gnats" and giving helpful advice like, "be one with nature!" I fully admit (in hindsight) that my behavior was ridiculous...

Now, after all that hiking...and bag propelling....we had worked up quite an appetite. We had read about a brick oven pizza place near the lake, which we wanted to try, but found out they had very limited hours and were already closed. There is also a brick oven pizza place near Misawa AB, so we decided to give that one a try instead. The bad part of this plan was that the base was still over an hour away...and we were veeery hungry. By the time we made it to the restaurant, we were well on our way toward unraveled. Luckily, the pizza was well worth the wait and immediately improved our blood sugar and our moods. This restaurant has a legitimate brick oven and only stays open as long as the dough lasts. Pretty impressive! The pizza in the background had hot Italian salami and green chilies on it. For some reason when we ordered it, I had an image of canned green chilies in my head. These chilies were not in fact canned green chilies. I am not sure what kind of chili they were, but I can assure you they were no joke. And we love hot foods! Restaurants in these here parts serve drinking water in teeny tiny glasses, which is usually enough drink to get us through a meal. The green chili pizza was so hot that it required us to call in the reinforcements. Eric ordered a beer and I...a ginger ale. The drinks cost more than the pizza in the foreground, but were well worth it. My mouth is on fire just thinking about it.

The red spaceship looking thing is the brick oven

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Here is a *quick* (ha, you know I'm never quick) rundown of some other shenanigans...

We put our toes into the Pacific for the first time a couple of weekends ago. The first beach we visited was not a swimming beach, but there was evidence that it is a popular spot for things like beach bonfires and fire crackers. We were surprised by the fact that there was a lot of trash on the beach, especially because most other parts of Japan that we've seen are squeaky clean despite the distinct absence of public trash receptacles. A few days after our first beach trip, a friend of mine invited me to go with her to the swimming beach. That beach was definitely cleaner, but it was still very different from beaches at home. Huge jetty like structures that looked like they were made of giant jacks (like from the game) blocked off the swimming area from the rest of the ocean. This meant that the water was still...as in no waves. It was odd to stand in an ocean without waves. I am assuming that the jetty structures are there to help with the effects of tsunamis, but I am honestly not sure what the purpose of those things are. 

A view of the Pacific at the non-swimming beach.

My visit to the Japanese grocery store was a solo expedition. It was a Monday and I had nothing in the refrigerator to make for dinner. The commissary is closed on Monday so, thinking I could get most of the items I needed by recognition, I decided to try my hand at the Japanese grocery store. I also thought that if I had any trouble there was a good chance I'd run into another American there who would appear to have done this before and kind of know their way around. Wrong. I honestly think I was the only American in there that day, which was fine, but not very useful when I realized that the vegetables I needed were probably the only items on my list I could get by recognition. The hardest part was the soy sauce. I stood for what felt like hours in front of about 1,000 bottles that appeared to be soy sauce-like liquids. I finally got the courage to ask a guy stocking the shelves for help. I knew how to say "excuse me" in Japanese to I used my smartphone to Google the Japanese word for "soy sauce." I then walked over to the employee and said in Japanese, "excuse me, soy sauce" and pointed at the shelf (I pointed in English). He jumped up, said yes, and proceeded to do the best he could to help me pick out regular old soy sauce. He was so nice and we both got a good laugh at the two of us working together in there. I really enjoyed walking around the store! It was a great and interesting cultural experience. It also gave me a lot of time to reflect on what it must be like to be a non-English speaker in America...where we are even less inclined to be bilingual and able to help out the person who gets up the courage to ask. I managed to get everything on my list with the exception of chicken stock and honey. I'm sure they were in there somewhere, but after about an hour and half of looking, I gave up. To complete my list, I stopped at the Shoppette (quick shop) on base to see if they had honey...they did! And to get my chicken stock, I bought three cans of Healthy Choice chicken noodle and strained out the chicken and noodle. I'm so smart. My mother must be proud...For dinner that night, I made Japanese Curry and it was absolutely delicious!

Friends have taken me on a couple of other adventures around Misawa. I have visited the 9's day market (farmer's market held on calendar days with 9 in them) on two occasions. Both days were rainy so I think the number of vendors were on the slim side. I bet in nicer weather there are more vendors and a bigger crowd of shoppers because it is a great place to get fruit, veggies, flowers, and all kinds of other random goodies. Friends have also taken me to two 100 Yen stores in Misawa. The 100 Yen stores are kind of like Dollar stores, but a lot nicer. More like Dollar store meets Michael's meets Bed, Bath & Beyond. I have a feeling those stores will be regular stops for me...you can pretty much get anything there. The last notable trip I made was to the mall, which is in another city about 30 or so minutes away from Misawa. It's a big mall with a movie theater, bowling alley, and lots of shopping options. It was fun to walk around and check out the fashion. I haven't been to Tokyo yet, but the clothes seem much more casual here than they do in the pictures I've seen of Tokyo. I had an opportunity to try Japanese-style fast food in the food court. The restaurant was called Pepper Lunch and the food (steak, rice, veggies) was served on a hot cast iron-type bowl. When they hand the bowl to you, the steak is still raw, but cooks quickly on the cast iron. It was really delicious! I want to find bowls like that I can use in my kitchen...and learn the technique. 

Well, I think that's all for now!

"What? So soon?" you say. 

I know...I should really work on being more verbose...

I ate instant ramen my second week in Japan...

Yes, it is shameful, but true. But there was good reason for it and I will get to that later.

First. Oh my gosh, we live in Japan! This latest development in our lives has not even come close to sinking in. With our move to Japan, came an end to my employment, which has left me with ample time to blog about the many adventures we hope to have while living in Asia. Not too many people get an opportunity like this one, and we intend not only to take advantage of it, but to document it well. Hopefully this comes as welcome news to my many followers (haha) who had their Two Hergs, One Adventure reading material dry up sometime last December...inexcusable. Let me just say that the lack of posting did not mean that the fun in Altus dried up. In fact, it was quite the opposite. We had a wonderful last 7 months in Altus that I will not soon forget. We shared them with really great friends who we hope and plan to run into as we continue down this crazy road of life. We already miss them dearly.

Our heads are still spinning from the transition from Southwest Oklahoma to Northeast Japan. I am not sure there is time to list all of the differences, but the immediate ones that punch you square in the nose are as follows: dry v. humid, drought v. water, water everywhere, brown v. green, dust v. fog... are you sensing a theme? Oh, and then there are the Stratotankers/Globemasters v. the Fighting Falcons (translation: not very loud v. ohmygosh so loud). It is going to take a while to get used to the sounds of living on a fighter wing. People say that Misawa is a small town, but to us, it doesn't look so small at all. The base alone feels to be about the same size as Altus. It takes as long to get from our house on base to the Commissary as it took to get from our house in Altus to United on Broadway. I am sure that just as Altus initially felt larger than it was, the base and Misawa will shrink as our familiarity grows.

So here is a bit of a rundown of how the first two weeks have gone...

Flight & Arrival to Misawa

The great news was that the flight from Seattle to Misawa was only a 9 hour flight. For some reason I had gotten it in my head that it was upwards of 13 hours so this was a very pleasant surprise. The flight was smooth and we slept through most of it. The worst part of the trip was the hours we spent in the Seattle airport from 11:30 pm to 8:30 am. If I could ask anything of the Seattle airport it would be to please remove the armrests from between the seats in the terminals. Please! Overall the trip was very uneventful, which is what you hope for during long airplane travels. When the pilot announced that we were beginning our descent into Misawa, Eric and I, bursting with anticipation, returned our seat backs to the upright position and did the lean to look out the window as we sailed through the clouds. And what did we see? Clouds. Lots of them, For a long time. Finally it looked as though we were about to pass through them and get our first glimpse of Japan. Then we did. And then we were on the ground. On the day we landed, the clouds themselves were laying on the ground. We didn't even see any ocean. In fact, we have yet to see the ocean. Seeing the ocean is top on our "to do list" for this weekend. Right before, "visit a Japanese grocery store."

When we arrived at the airport, Eric's entire office was waiting for us right outside the security checkpoint. They even had welcome signs in hand. Their smiling faces were quite the welcome sight. And had they not been there...it is likely that Eric and I would have stood blinking in the sunlight for quite sometime before figuring out what our next steps should have been. Instead we were whisked away to bring our bags to lodging, and then to check off a number of other things on our in-processing checklist. Most important of which was lunch.

Within hours of our arrival, two of Eric's colleagues took us to a Japanese Mongolian BBQ restaurant where the grill on which you cook your various meats is sunken down in the center of the table. It was delicious and a welcome treat after hours of airplane goulash.

Cars and driver's license 
Before arriving in Japan, Eric and I had purchased two vehicles from the JAG who left the office when Eric came in. These cars were waiting for us in the parking lot at Eric's office, but we could not operate them until we had secured driver's licenses and insurance. On our second day in the country, Eric and I attended a driver's briefing, took a short multiple choice "test," and were issued driver's licenses. We then had a friend drive us to work on getting insured. The car insurance office was directly outside the main gate of the base. We walked in, talked to a representative, and signed a number of documents written in Japanese (this was the first, but not the last time we did this during our first week...I'm not sure where my lawyer of a husband went while all this was going down).

Eric cruising in the FunCargo (my car).

And with that, we were authorized to operate motor vehicles in the country of Japan. Being allowed to drive and actually driving are two very different things. In Japan, drivers drive on the right side of the car on the left side of the road. Basically, the mirror image of driving in the States. The blinker is on the right side of the steering wheel and the windshield wipers on the left. I can't tell you the number of times I've walked to the left side of the car to get in the drivers seat and turned on the wipers to signal a turn. These are telltale signs of a rookie driver, you can go ahead and forget needing a sticker! Another telltale sign of a rookie driver is driving down the wrong side of the road. Which I have also done. But just once. On my very first left turn.

Tour of Misawa and Hachinohe
Part of our orientation to life in Misawa was a tour given by Airman and Family Readiness to introduce us to highlights of Misawa and neighboring Hachinohe, and to give us a "how to" for travel and shopping. The trip started with an introduction to Japanese people and culture at the Misawa Cultural Center and was followed by stops at the train station, a shopping center, a Shinto shrine, and a humongous fish market. At the Cultural Center, we learned some basic Japanese phrases, which we were invited and encouraged to practice using throughout the day. At the train station, we were shown how to purchase train tickets for local travel as well as how to purchase a ticket for the bullet train to Tokyo.

Around lunchtime, they took us to a small shopping center and gave us some time to walk around, but Eric and I did not make it past the food court. We were too distracted by an opportunity to try authentic Japanese ramen to look at the clothes and other goods for sale in the mall. The ramen was amazing, even on a hot day. We took turns pushing the bowl across the table and taking bites. And by "took turns" I mean I took two bites to every one of Eric's. The entire ramen stand is run by one little old lady, but to order, one does not communicate directly with said little old lady. Rather, Yen-jamins are fed into this trusty little machine (see below). You put in the correct amount of money, and order your food by pressing the desired buttons. The best part is that neither the trusty machine nor the little old lady provide any explanations about what the buttons mean. It's actually a lot of fun!

The tour guides also pointed out a parking lot next to the shopping center, which is the site of a Farmer's Market that is held on each calendar day with a "9" in it. I am excited to check that out on August 9th as the produce at the Commissary was surprisingly expensive. Also, it will be a great opportunity to experiment with some local produce. Misawa Air Base seems to be surrounded by farmland so I am hoping there is a variety of fresh and local produce from which to choose. 

After the shopping center, we took about a 40 minute bus ride to the neighboring city of Hachinohe. It is larger than Misawa and even has a bit of a city skyline. Our tour guides pointed out interesting stores to check out and restaurants to try around the city. They also showed us how to reach the city from both the back roads and the toll road. Our first stop in the city was at a beautiful Shinto shrine. Here, we were taught shrine etiquette including a lesson on how to cleanse oneself before entering. Eric and I both participated in the cleansing ritual at the fountain (pictured above left). Once inside, a woman showed us how to make a prayer/wish. In order to make a prayer you have to bow twice, clap twice, bow again, and then step forward to pull on a long rope hanging from the ceiling that is covered with bells and cymbals. After we made our wishes, we took our time walking around the shrine. There were so many intricate details to notice and observe. We could have stayed for much longer, but the tour had to go on! Here are some pictures of our walk around the shrine:

Hachinohe Horse- we were told these were historically part of wedding ceremonies

Our final stop of the day was at the famous Hachinohe fish market. Aside from the very extensive selection of sea creatures, there were flower, produce, ice cream, kabob (for lack of a better word), and sushi stands. There was also a huge bakery, liquor store, and a number of restaurants. The place was an amazing one-stop shop. Eric was beyond fascinated with the sea food collection and wanted to buy every new odd thing we saw. I continuously reminded him that, while we wait on our household goods, our kitchen is currently stocked with exactly nothing. We do not have any spices, seasonings, or oils, nor do we have a halfway decent cutting board. I pictured him trying to prepare a giant octopus tentacle on our ONE 5x8 cutting board. We will have to experiment with octopus tentacles another day...

In the meantime he/we had to settle for all of the samples that were available. We sampled a seafood pancake, but kept our distance (this time) from the bowls of raw things with chopsticks sitting in them for you to help yourself. Maybe next time. We also tried some kabobs. One was some type of meatball and the other was garlic wrapped in chicken skins. Both had some kind of delicious sauce slathered on them. The other thing we tried was green tea soft serve. It was savory, but had just a little bit of sweetness. Delicious!

Now, behold the sites (unfortunately we can't include sounds) of the Hachinohe fish market:

Sea Urchin? No idea..but they were moving.

When all was said and done, it was a great tour and we were so glad that we participated. We learned a little about how to get around our new city and got to try a bunch of amazing food. Who could complain! After it was over, Eric and I went home and crashed for the rest of the day, and by "the rest of the day,"  I mean the rest of the weekend! Jet lag is no joke!

I forgot to mention that while at the shrine, we were invited to pay 100 yen (a dollar) to discover our fortunes. The fortunes ranged from poor/bad to excellent. If you got a less-than-desireable fortune, you were supposed to go back into the shrine and tie it to one of these structures (pictured left) so that the fortune could be improved upon/reversed/worked on by the fortune-fixers. If you were happy with your fortune, you could accept it by taking it with you.

I was nervous, but interested in trying it out. I felt at least a little better about taking the gamble since there was a bad-fortune insurance policy available. So, I paid my yen and reached into the bucket. The fortune that I pulled was excellent! I was so excited that I think I let out a little yelp. Eric decided not to risk it by going for his own fortune. Instead, we decided to celebrate our collective good fortune.

Upon closer examination, Eric discovered something else... Part of my excellent fortune included this simple phrase, "childbirth: No problem. Easy to birth." This, to me, was great news! And it brings me to why I ate instant ramen during my second week in Japan...

On the second week in Japan, Eric started his office gig and was gone all week. I had grand plans of trying to get brave and explore my new environment on my own. This was all thwarted by a horrible bomb (that's what it felt like) of all-day (not morning) sickness that could ONLY be cured by...you guessed it! The instant ramen that came in our welcome pack... The good news is, I am feeling better. The bad news is, it took a little pep out of my step during that second week. Exploring had to wait, but just for a few days. Overall, I have really been feeling pretty good.

All joking aside, the great news is that Eric and I are expecting a baby in late February! We are a lovely mix of nerves and excitement...and getting more excited everyday. And the baby has already brought us great fortune! Because the Bean (the name we use instead of "it") is on it's way, we qualified for a three bedroom townhouse. We are camping in it right now while we wait on our furniture to arrive, but we love it and are very much looking forward to filling it with baby, baby stuff, family, and friends!!