Earthquake-Days 2 & 3

Saturday, March 12, 2011
Amazingly enough we slept a bit that night after the quake.  Not restful, but sleep.
We woke that morning to sunny skies and warm temps.  Like nothing had happened the day before.  We went downstairs, like any other Saturday morning, to start breakfast...and then the house started moving again.

It became all too real what had happened the day before.  Coming down the stairs and into the kitchen there isn't much to see but hallway - - -so when the house started moving again - I immediately went to the living room and was reminded of all the chaos that had happened in our house.  There was still stuff strewn all over the floor.
I yelled for my husband, "babe, its starting again..." and started briskly walking to retrieve my son.  Luckily, it was just a small aftershock...again.

So as the day progressed (one 30 minute block at a time) things became all to clear...nothing was the same. We started calling family to let everyone know we were ok.  Even though we had sent a FB message the night before, we all needed to hear the actual voices. 

While my husband and I are taking turns on the phone, time is slowly ticking by. 
Every 30 -45 minutes, the house starts swaying again.  It felt like all the "little ones" use to.  But after being in the big one...there was no way to even think of trying to settle myself to any sort of comfort level to be "okay" with it.  Panic hit me every single time the house moved.

We decided to get out of the house and see what the rest of our little area looked like.  To try and get our minds off the obvious.  To try and not freak my son out any more than necessary. We got everyone dressed and off we went. 
The sun was shining, the weather was warm, even though slightly breezy.  We walked around and surveyed the damage...a few cracks in the concrete, some of the streets had busted and the sidewalks were broken and twisted.  The bridge over the street at one of the local grocerys was blocked off - but it seemed business as usual in the city.
It was all a little "too normal" - it made me uneasy.

We walked through the park to try and give my son a little play time and then decided to drive to higher ground (the place I went after the quake) to see what we could see of the Bay.  Once again, all seemed a little too normal. 
Many ships were parked, just waiting, off the coast.  Many more than normal.
There was one fire burning that we could see near the coast.  But all in all...nothing much too see.

We went home and tried to have a normal night...
although we ended up getting a phone call that said the French Embassy was warning everyone to fill their bathtubs, close all windows and do not use heat for fear of the nuclear plant and problems to come. This, once again, set wrong with me.
So we all took showers, we washed a load of clothes and ran the dishwasher...in case they shut off the water in the middle of the night.

Something a little strange settled in me...I chalked it up to the uneasiness still lingering from the quake.  So we called it a night, early.  My husband ended up sleeping with my son and as I laid down to read (my mind would not calm enough for me to sleep) the house started moving again...
I wondered when it would all stop.  When would it all be normal again.
Little did I know what was in store for me the next day...

Sunday, March 13, 2011
We woke again to a sunny, warm day.  But the day just started a little "off".  Bathtubs full of water, the house continuing to sway with aftershocks, and the phone - ringing.  A LOT.

During all this we had CNN Japan on the television watching what news was being given about the tsumani.  Only a bit of information about the nuclear problem was being leaked through.  We started doing a little research on the internet and then we retrieved messages from our American phone line...everyone was saying GET OUT...NOW!
From that point on...everything was a blur.

We got a call from our neighbors (also a Nissan family) saying they had made plans to leave the country.  We looked at each other and decided 'we needed to talk'~
My husband asked me what I thought and if all this was just over-reaction.  We re-listened to messages, we sat for a good 15 minutes and watched the news.  We then discussed how the Japanese don't like to fail at anything, and how there probably was more going on than being let out to the news stations.  He looked at me and said, "What do YOU want to do."  Before that moment - I had not really thought about me, about what I wanted to do.  Actually stopping to think about it - scared me.  My eyes welled up and a few tears rolled down, and I looked up at my husband and said, "If it were just us, no problem.  But that little boy in there has no idea and has his entire life in front of him...I WANT TO LEAVE."
We started looking for flights.

He got approval from work to leave the country.  The approval which took over an hour! 
Then -"Do what you have to do."  We started looking for ANYTHING to get us off that island.
We found a flight to Honolulu for the next day at midnight.  Then there were calls back and forth to the neighbors about their flight and what flights we could get out.  We decided that we all needed to go together because we had a car, it would take less time.  Especailly since all the trains were still shut down and it was better for all - to go together.
A flight was found...for 5 pm..THAT DAY.
It's an hour and 30 minute drive to the airport -on a good day!  We had just had an earthquake, parts of the interstates were shut down...it was 12 noon.  We needed to be there two hours before for an international flight.  I had one hour to pack my family.

We put my son in front of the DVD player so as not to alert him to the fast paced packing going on. My husband stayed on the phone with a phone on each ear...one to the neighbor and one to his boss.  The neighbor had two phones going too...one to us and one to the travel agent lady.

The things I packed make no sense now that I am here in the States.  My brain wouldn't think straight...
'We are leaving.  We are REALLY leaving.  Grab shoes...wait, what kind?  What is the temp where we are going?  Wait, where are we going?  L.A.?  Tennessee?  Did I hear them say that we could get to L.A. but couldn't get to Tennessee until Thursday?  Wait, what are the temps in both places this time of the year?  I HAVE NO IDEA.
OK - think. Start packing Landon...he is most important.  OK...pants, shoes, socks, shirts.  Oh, he needs toys or SOMETHING.  What if we are gone for more than a few days.  What will he do?  What will he NEED?  Ok - stop and think.  Okay, keep going...only 30 minutes till we have to leave.  Ok I have to pack snacks for him for the plane...he won't eat that food.  What about all the food we just bought at the store?  What happens to all that?"
At this point -  MY BRAIN IS HURTING.

Ultimately I got packed (and not well, I might add).  We got into the car, got to the neighbors house.  There were people out  - seemingly checking things out,  we spoke to a German guy who saw us packing up the car.  His wife was across the street on the phone.  He said they were looking at leaving too - but trying to figure out where to go.
We had heard that the day before, no one could get in or out of Narita Airport because of the quake.  We left and hoped for the best! Once we got started, the seas seemed to part.  We made it to the airport (detours and all) in roughly two hours...just under the two hour mark for international flights!

The airport was crazy...
there were people SLEEPING everywhere.  People from the day of the quake, people who had ended up there the day after, people from canceled flights, people trying to get out any way they could.  The airline gave us free food tickets because the VIP lounge (or whatever it was) was not operational because of the quake. We got Starbucks & Mickey D's...breakfast of champions!  We knew it was getting bad when McDonald's was running out of food, AT AN AIRPORT!  But we ended up getting a lot of food...it was free.  We ended up not eating much of it and we gave it all away... To a group of girls, a French soccer team that was stranded in the airport and had made a fort with their luggage in the corner of the food court.  They clapped and yelled when we brought over the second stash of food.  It was sad and happy all at he same time.  We were helping them and yet, there they laid in the floor of an airport...the FLOOR of an AIRPORT.

From there, we had a 14 hour flight (my poor little guy is getting so use to the flights - he said yesterday  - that when Daddy went back to work...he needed to take two planes to get there!!).
After all the chaos of the previous 2 days...I was still nervous about the flight.  If there was even a tremor: the flight would NOT take off. We would be stuck again. Only this time - in an airport.  With all the other people who were stuck.
So when the plane finally had its wheels off the ground - my heart eased a little.  I looked at my son (who was in the middle seat) then looked at my hubby and mouthed the words "Thank You"...
and he knew ~
we had done the right thing.




Now the day in L.A. was a whole different story!!!

REALLY enjoying being on solid ground,
Deeds

A friend took this at the grocery store...this is where the bread is supposed to be.  Na-da.

Sooo glad we left.

Driving

It took a long time, but as you probably can tell...I DID get my driver's license.

A few things that made it painstaking:
Everything about the Japanese driver system is still rooted in the 1950s:

• the building (which is way out in B.F.E.)- over an hour just to get there.
• the SCAN TRON sheet driver test
• the classroom where you take the test (only seats about 10 people - tightly)
• the eye test machine
• the cardboard box with the bell in it that rings when you put your application in (just so they know that someone is actually out there)
• and the FOUR hours it usually takes to have the test given and graded. 

and the list could go on.  But regardless of all this, I finally got my license.  Well, by default actually.
After taking the test twice - I almost gave up.
The test consisted of 10 questions, True and False.  Easy right?...um, NO.
They are trick questions.  If ONE WORD in the sentence is wrong...you are wrong.
Then if you miss 4 questions - you fail.  If you fail, they DO NOT tell you what you got wrong.  They DO NOT let you see your Scan-Tron.  They DO NOT help you - IN ANY WAY.
They let you take the test as many times as you want...but you have to come back on a different day every time and it is about $30 each time you take the test.  And if they decide that they don't want you to pass...you never will.  NO MATTER WHAT.
Lovely.

At the end of my rope - I finally told my husband to ask his company about me having a "International License"...if that would cover me on the insurance. No test, just my U.S. license and a paper from the U.S. saying 'International Driver's License.'
Well, sure-as-hell...they said it was fine.  All that trouble and time - FOR NOTHING.  Dammit.
But it will make for a good story for the rest of my driving life.

So - jump to present day...
The hubby comes home last week and informs me that he needs to take the car to work for its 6 month check-up.  I reluctantly agree to ride my bike again for a day and give up the keys.

Now you might wonder, how come we have a car and my husband doesn't use it to drive to work everyday???
It takes him one hour and 30 minutes to get to work via a bus, then two or three train changes.  A pain is the a$$, I know.
But he kept telling me it takes longer to drive than to take the trains.  I thought - yeah whatever big guy...I would be driving!


So he takes the car for the check-up.  It takes him almost two hours to get to work - in traffic at 7:30 am.
He gets home that night and tells me that he made it home in only ONE hour!
'Wow," I said, "Maybe you should start driving to work" - and then thought better of it because I would have no car anymore.  Luckily he said "nah, takes too long."


The rest of our conversation went like this:

ME:  Why after a full year, when I tell someone you work in Zama (a little town)- every time they go "ooooh"?              So how far away is Zama actually???
HIM:  15 miles.
ME:   Wait. What? 15 miles?
HIM:  Yep.
ME:  and it takes almost TWO HOURS to get there and back EVERYDAY.
HIM:  Yep.
ME:  and even in the car it takes longer to get there?  15 miles?  nooooo.
HIM:  Yep.

I sat there dumbfounded and speechless. I finally understood.  I finally realized that I could probably throw a rock and hit my husband in the head while he was working but it would take him almost two hours to get back here to ask me why I threw the rock.

No wonder he is ready to go home too!
That 45 minute commute to work in the U.S. has never looked so good.

~as I grab the keys and head out to drive on the wrong side of the road and terrorize the locals  !!!  =-)

Enjoy your day,
Deeds





     

JAPAN'S "LOVE HOTELS"

The words ‘love’ and ‘hotel’ combined usually conjure up romantic images of weekends away, breakfast in bed, walks in the woods, dinner by candlelight with champagne - and whatever else springs to mind - by an open fire. In Japan, however, the resultant image of the same combination of words is somewhat different.


A "LOVE HOTEL" is basically this:  short term hotels throughout Japan where couples meet to have sex in a private and erotic setting.For decades Japan's love hotels have provided a place for couples to enjoy anonymous, uninterrupted sex. Politician and secretary, teacher and student, husband and hooker -- all are welcome, as long as they pay in cash and leave when the time limit is up.

They say that the hotels exist out of necessity...until recently, most people lived with their families until marriage, often with three generations under one roof, separated by only paper screens. Without a private space for the most private of acts.  So they had to find somewhere to do the 'deed'. 
What a terrible thought...having Grams in the next room watching Japanese Wheel of Fortune while trying to 'be sexy'? - umm, NO.

So voila, birth of the Love Hotel!  Everyone knows they exist and it is an accepted practice here. These hotels are typically either concentrated in city districts close to train or subway stations, near highways on the city outskirts, or in industrial districts. Love hotel architecture is sometimes garish, with buildings shaped like castles, boats or UFOs and lit with neon lighting. What wonderful imaginations!

Some more recent love hotels are very ordinary looking buildings, distinguished mainly by having small, covered, or even no windows.

As women gradually came to have more social and financial clout, the hotels re-modeled themselves away from typically male themes such as outer space and cars (haa haa...SO typical male). Porno channels on the TV were out and a ‘come early, stay late’ policy was in.  The newer hotels come complete with karaoke machines, jacuzzis and even swimming pools and most are  hilariously decorated. Some love-hotels boast sun-beds for those who like to top off their tan while doing the duty, or adjoining ‘swapping rooms’ for those who prefer to bed hop. Some have CCTV feeds from all the rooms, offering a unique in-house video channel where you can watch others watching you doing what you’re watching them do. A number of hotels provide ‘party rooms’ for groups and even S&M facilities for aficionados.
The stats say the annual turnover of the love hotel industry is more than ¥4 trillion (yen)...that's pushing $5 trillion USD.  A LOT OF MONEY.  But we all know, sex sells!

Some of the fabulous names I have seen on the signs of the Love Hotels around here:
Hotel CHAT
Hotel Rainbow
Carib Hotel
P & A Plaza
Dixy Inn
Hotel Chez Moi
Hotel J-Girl
Hotel Lala
Hotel First Wood  (priceless!)


The rates here are by the hour and rooms are often selected from a panel of buttons and the bill settled by pneumatic tube, automatic cash machines, or a pair of hands behind a pane of frosted glass.


Similar establishments exist in other East Asian countries such as South Korea,Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The same concept also exists in Central and South America, particularly in Guatemala, Chile and Mexico (where they are called "autohotels"), in the Dominican Republic and Colombia (where they are called "cabañas" or "motels"), and in Argentina and Uruguay, where they are often called "albergues transitorios" or "telos" (after reversing the syllables of the word "hotel"). They are very common in Brazil and Puerto Rico, where they are simply called "motels" (the word is exclusively used for love hotels).

In the United States and Canada, they are known as "no-tell motels" . Apparently the first love hotel will open in France next summer, in Pontoise, next to Paris!

I guess all the world needs love.  No matter WHERE you have to get it!

Enjoy the photos!

Deeds


the video screens to choose your "room"...

 the sex machine room...

 the Neil Armstrong Room - for all you astronaut wanna-bes!

the Train/Subway Room - in case you don't get 'groped' enough on the real trains!

 The Spiderman Room...swing from chain to chain!

What is this...the Land of the Lost Room???

****and they say Japan is a mild mannered culture!  Someone figured out the wild side!!!

Guam

Over Xmas, we went to Guam.  Since we will be in Japan for 18 months - two years, we only get one trip "home"...we did that in October for family reasons.
So my husband decided that since he's been working for 12 months, around 16 hours a day...that we needed to go somewhere fun and lucky me, Tropical!

Guam became our destination.  A quick five hour flight, sunny, warm, English is the language, shopping is plentiful and the general temperature is 85 degrees (29 C - for all my international friends).

Once we arrived we were whisked away in a lovely, shabby cab.  Complete with hanging pineapple air fresher and some new-fangled rap song emanating from the stereo, obviously from America, that I have not yet had the pleasure of hearing.
The island is very small so we were at the hotel in roughly 10 minutes.  Great!

While doing research on where to stay - we were told by several people here (all expats) that we most definitely had to stay at the Pacific Islands Club.  We were warned that it was a bit 'dated' but since we have a 3 year old..."you gotta stay there, the water park is excellent."

Palm trees and waterfalls, kayak streams and a kiddie park, water slides and wind surfing, trampolines and snorkeling, scuba diving and water animals...this place had everything you could imagine.  My son was in heaven.  Well, my son and my husband were in heaven!
I was just happy to lay by the pool and watch the happiness.
The 30 minute breaks to myself, laying poolside with 100 little kids frolicking all around...were pure heaven.  I never knew that being in the middle of all that chaos - could be so relaxing.  I happily waved from a distance as my son and husband went from water animal to water animal, and water slide to water walk.  It was bliss.

Our schedule went something as follows:
9 am - wake
9:30 - breakfast (in the LARGE buffet style dining room with 600 other people)
10:30 - poolside
1:30 - lunch
2:30 - son naps
5:00 - shower
6:30 - dinner (which was something quite normal and American (ie, burgers, ribs, fish, etc.))
8:00 - roam hotel
9:30 - back to room

One day we ventured to KMART.  Yes, they have a 24 hour Kmart.  This is where everyone stocks up on all the things you can't get here in Japan...the American brands you are used to:
vitamins, shampoos/conditioners, American size clothes (but remember - we are in Kmart- so you have to be desperate), toys, socks, tools...what-have-you.
And of course - the prices are through the roof.

We also ended up being one out of about 15 families (that I saw) who were not Asian.  So we basically had the same idea as all the others...go somewhere warm.
The hotel pool staff was mostly Westerners, they all had on a name tag with their home city on it.  Most were young, early twenties and loving life.  Life guarding by day and partying by night on a little island in the Pacific.  (how come I never thought of that when I was in my 20s???)

But, the rooms were run down...reminded me a little of Three's Company.  The older furniture and the very flat, hard beds.  Bad art on the walls and a 15 inch TV that was probably 20 years old.  The bedspreads - very HoJo, and one night our air conditioner started leaking and made a huge wet spot in the middle of the hallway.  But I will tell you this...
This is the first trip I have ever taken where the room - did not matter.
We were so happy to be in the warm weather, to have my husband with us on a daily basis, to have normal  food at every meal (well, what we consider normal - I know, everything's relative), and a water park that ROCKED!

We much enjoyed Guam.  Its not Hawaii, but it will do just fine!!!!

If you have the chance...try it sometime!

Happy 2011!

Deeds

Around Stateside, and Back Again

It has been 5 days and we are STILL dealing with a little jet lag.  But, what do you expect with a 3-year old?
Regardless, we have made it back to Japan and we are all in one piece....well, relatively speaking.

As anyone who knows me, or anyone that knows I am here in Japan...knows I have been ready to visit home for, well lets be honest...9 months.  Approximately the duration I have been here.
Not that I think Japan is a bad place to live, but simply put - - -
I miss my other life.

I guess you don't really realize how much you like, or love, something until you set it free - as the old saying goes. Which honestly until now - I thought was a load of hooey!  But I am now a FIRM believer in this little saying.
As from a previous post - you can tell that I was bewildered by all I had forgotten in America.  Everything from fast food (which here has a totally different meaning) to the wonders of a normal grocery store.  I caught myself driving on the wrong side of a parking lot once while in the US too.  Luckily, it was only a parking lot.  Speaking of that - I had forgotten how much SPACE there are in parking lots in America.  I know that sounds like - "Hey Yo, Jessica Simpson - what in the hell are you talking about."  But I am serious.  Parking here in Japan is like the scene from Austin Powers where he is trying to turn the golf cart around in that little hallway...slowly back, turn 1/2 an inch, change gears, forward. STOP! turn 1/2 an inch, change gears, reverse, STOP!  and on and on and on.  Seriously, I was so happy to actually TURN into a parking space, Stop and GET OUT OF THE CAR ON THE FIRST TRY!  When I got out of the car I had to stand back and make sure I wasn't taking up two spaces.

I also cannot express the elation while seeing some of my friends.  There were a few dinners to be remembered, a few cocktails that were LONG overdue and a few old stories that ALWAYS get brought up!  The feeling of warmth that spread over me was glorious.  Like an old T-shirt that you've had for years and every time you put it on...it fits you perfect.  Or maybe the warmth was all the cocktails???  Either way - cheers to all of you who made my trip everything I had hoped it would be!

And as with almost every trip I take, I ended up having to buy a new suitcase.  Usually it is because I buy too many things and they won't all fit into the luggage I brought.  But this time it was a truly warranted purchase...all the zippers on my biggest piece of luggage had somehow all broken.  And I mean BROKEN.  The only way for me to get them open and closed was to use a coat hanger...remember like back in the 80s when you'd wear the skin tight jeans and the only way to get them zipped was to lay on the bed and have your best friend stand at the other side of the bed and pull the zipper closed with a coat hanger???  Yes, the zippers were broken and probably for just that reason - trying to stuff that baby full and then zip it when it was    over capacity at is was!!!  But that led me to shopping, which led me to all the lovely stores I have so adoringly missed.  Which lead me to filling all remaining suitcases to coat hanger zipping capacity AGAIN!...even the broken one.  And yes, I brought it back to Japan because I had too much stuff to fit into the new one!!!
Don't you know my husband loves me for dragging that damn broken suitcase BACK ACROSS THE WORLD!  (love you honey!)

But alas, now I am back in Asia, and everything is exactly how it was when I left.  Which is actually a good thing.  God forbid ANYTHING had changed...then I would have had to start all over and re-learn everything I have already learned!  I think that might have led to a SERIOUS high-speed-come-apart!!!!

My son is happy to be back at school, his friends gave him the welcome of a King back from a long journey! His teacher said they argued over who was going to get to play with him first!!!
Which filled my heart...sad and a little evil, I know.

All in all, even the 24 hour trek to get home, as much as it completely takes its toll, is always going to be worth it.  The memories of watching my son get sick from the turbulence at 35,000 feet, the rude stewardesses (hey lady-not my fault you chose this job!), the crappy wine they serve, the jealousy that I am not the one in 'business class' snoozing away with a sleep mask, and the back and shoulder pains that last WEEKS after the trip...ALL WORTH IT, just to get to see a little bit of home!
Even if this one trip happens to be the only one I get until its actually time to move home - - - it was worth every cramped moment of the trip.

The day before we left my husband asked me if I was actually going to go back with him to Japan...I smiled half-heartedly and said Yes.  I mean what is 18 months to sacrifice for a lifetime of happiness? RIGHT?
(plus he said he would handcuff my son to him and swallow the key - if I didn't agree to come back! - SO...here I am!)

xoxo
Deeds

Have a drink on me

My bar experience has been limited whilst here.  I know...amazing!
But, having a 3 year-old does hamper what you do.  Especially when you don't have a babysitter and the only option so far (since mom has left) has been a strangely friendly Japanese woman who stopped me on our street one day to tell me, in VERY broken English, that she "babysits American kids" while pointing to Landon...Uh, yeah.  NO THANKS.

Anyway, I have been to three bars thus far: (in order of visitation)
Bar #1
The HUB Pub.  An English pub type bar located in the middle of Yokohama.  Conveniently right near the train station. It is small, has an open air patio option, very small tables and booths, and Western style bathrooms (meaning - there isn't just a hole in the floor to randomly aim at).  The music is loud - usually something American is playing - well, Beatles and then something American, and there is futbol (soccer) on all the televisions.  The bartenders and waiters all wear black pants and black & white referee jerseys.  They are all Japanese.
The bar has American and English bar foods (which I have not yet tried):  Fish & chips, burgers, onion rings and some sort of  'popper' type dish.  They also have bar nuts...which you have to BUY.  What is THAT all about.  Bar nuts are never good anyway so why would you BUY them??
They also let you reserve tables.  On one hand this is good - but it isn't really a 'restaurant' per say - so reserving tables takes the bar atmosphere (first come, first serve drunky) completely out of the equation.
And you can smoke.

Bar #2
Benny's.  This bar is located near Motomachi (the Rodeo Drive of Yokohama).  It is upstairs and if you don't know its there...you will never find it. Benny is a retired Navy guy and he has carved himself a little niche.  The bar is small, upstairs, has 5-7 tables, 3 electric dart boards (not the REAL dart boards - to the disappointment of some UK friends) and the bar is an S shape.  Well, HALF an S-shape. ( I guess that would be a U-shape, huh? Well, it has the makings of the next 'curve' in the S - so it still looks S-ish to me)  - it couldn't have been the alcohol! nooo.
The waitresses are Japanese and one of them (whom I have seen each time I've been there) speaks better English than most people I know.  The bartender (s) are, well, have been British...the accent is lovely, and in a loud smoky bar - they all sound the same.  So apologies if they are from Ireland, or Australia, etc...after a few toddies - it all sounds the same!
The food here is EXCELLENT.  They have a standard American menu...
burger, fries, grilled BBQ chicken and RIBS!  These ribs are as good as any I have had in the States.
They have loved seeing us coming through the door...husband 6'4", two stepsons each 6'2" - and all order the ribs!  A lunch can cost us upwards of Y20,000 = $200 USD.
You can also smoke in this bar.

Bar #3
D'Erlanger
This has been my favorite so far!  We ended up here on recommendation after a night with some new found friends from the first bar (The HUB)!
This bar is quite small (smaller than the rest) and none of them are big.  It has swinging front doors akin to an old-west saloon.  The bar is in the shape of what I remember being a triangle. Three or four SMALL tables in the back on the way to the restrooms and that's it. And you can smoke.
(if you haven't guessed it yet - you can smoke ANYWHERE here.  They have the no-smoking section, but until now - I have never realized how useless this really is). - and no, I don't smoke, anymore.
They also have cigarette machines on every corner!  And if you're lucky - a beer machine too!

When we ventured into this bar - there was only the bartender (a girl) and a Japanese gentleman wearing an American baseball cap.  Since there were 7 of us (all Americans, even though 3 live here in Japan and have for YEARS now) we got the 'eyebrow' look.
But after a few drinks (and me teaching the bartender how to make a lemon-drop shooter), and more loud music - I was shown why the one friend has been calling it "Vinyl" Bar all night...

Yes, they have all vinyl records and they are all in English!!!!!  I hit the mecca!


The bartender, luckily, took requests and after a little time and a few more drinks - me and the single Japanese gentleman at the end of the bar were singing at the top of our lungs together (across the bar mind you) and both playing air-guitar!  I know, lovely visual! Obviously I somehow bonded with the Japanese guy.

It was funny though - that Japanese guy didn't speak very good English in conversation - but I'll be damned if he didn't know EVERY SINGLE WORD to AC/DC's Back in Black!

So the night went on and we drank more and more,  we sang more and more and the vinyl kept burning up the record player.
My new friends decided I was a little crazy and that it had been way too long for me not to have heard any good ole American Rock-n-Roll.
My husband, I am sure, is still wondering why he married me!!!!

One more thing I have under my belt....singing at the top of my lungs to strangers in a bar in a foreign country!
You gotta love it!