Fireworks and Smoking

I found this stand of fireworks in the HOMAC home store. I like fireworks and they are legal to burn in Misawa City not on the base. Most people head to the beach after the festivals to celebrate. I particularly liked the no smoking sign above them all :)

Lawn Mower or Vacumn Cleaner?

I was making my way through our local home store here in Misawa and came across this thing. It has a plug.... I have never seen an electric lawn mower and there were many different models. With gas as high as it is what an ingenious idea!

An Empty Misawa Baseball Field

Baseball is huge in Japan. To find an empty field in the spring season around Misawa is nearly impossible. You can find small kids to adults playing on the field. This field is next to the Misawa City Airport. If you head over there in the afternoon during the week or weekend you can catch a game.

Hachinohe Fish Market

I found this guy literally hanging around the Hachinohe Fish Market this morning. It is a very interesting place to spend a Sunday morning. Each time I go I find new things that I did not know people could eat. Whether it be sea urchins or dried fish of every variety or the foaming at the mouth crabs I am always entertained. For more information on the Fish Market

Hachinohe Botanical Gardens

Spring has sprung here in Northern Japan. A trip to the Hachinohe Botanical Gardens is great place to see it. They are renewing the grounds for the summer season and it is beautiful. There are a variety of gardens to choose from. Most plants have the Japanese name as well as English so you can tell what you are looking at. Very nice!

The Plan for the Weekend Misawa Style

This is the same thing that I will be doing this great four day weekend. Today we toured the Hachinohe Botanical Gardens and Children's Park. These monkeys were laying around and they were hilarious to watch.... I will leave it to that. Hope everyone enjoys their weekend. I will post more on the park with directions at this weekend. Cheers!

Shoes :) :) :)

So this is a little different for me but I must admit my worst addiction in life is chocolate and SHOES! While walking around downtown today we walked into a giant shoe store. The picture only shows a small corner. There was a twinkle in my eye and skip to my step :)

To find this store head towards McDonalds in Misawa across from CoCo's and it is in the same plaza. Enjoy!

Tonami Clan Memorial Tourist Village

Tonami Clan Memorial Tourist Village is a free park located in the city of Misawa. The park is located on the first "Western" farm in Northern Japan. The breeding of livestock and cultivation of farmland was the purpose of the farm throughout the 20th century. Now the grounds is home to a small group of huts and statues portraying the activities of past times. To see what else is offered at the park click .

Misawa AB Beach

Quite recently the base renovated the beach to include these beautiful cabins. I haven't had the opportunity to stay in one, but would love to. There is a fire pit, BBQ's, playgrounds and outdoor recreation has tons of equipment available for rent. Fun :)

Planting the Rice Paddy

Surrounding our house is a maze of rice fields or "paddys". The field is quite a work of art. The farmers began a couple weeks ago leveling the dirt then within a day the entire thing was covered in water. Using an elaborate system of pipes every field around us was filled with water which made the ducks and seagulls very happy. The following day the tractors were back to level the mud underneath the water. Very disgusting and things did not smell sweet that day. After that they brought out the machine above... It has a higher IQ than me :) This took the seedlings and planted them off of bundles perfectly. As I watch it grow it will be interesting.

Ramen Shop Ladies

One of my favorite places to eat in Misawa is Sapporo Ramen. They have the best ramen I have ever had. The ladies are so friendly and the restaurant is traditional japanese sitting on the floor. If you go out the POL gate and continue until the stoplight with Lawson's on the right Sapporo Ramen will be on the left. If you get to Universe Market you have gone to far. Enjoy!

Asian Pacific Heritage Month

Today there was a hula and other various Asian Pacific arts demonstration at the Base Exchange. After covering my husbands eyes we watched the beautiful dances performed by locals in the community. Good times!

Little Yellow Ducks

TGIF! :) Around Misawa you will see school children walking. Many times they all have the same color backpacks or uniforms on. This time is was yellow hats and behind this group there must have been a hundred more. They are so cute!

Old and New Roofs

Old and new times are everywhere here in Misawa. The top image is an old roof on a traditional Japanese building that I was walking by recently. The lower image is the first building you see when you come out the main gate of Misawa AB. Besides the casino's that have sprung up this is one of the brightest buildings in town. It really shows how things have changed.

Crazy Confused

So I have no idea why these people are so confused but I chuckled for a good while... some kind of family resemblance. The statue overlooks one of the lakes that is located on the Komaki Grand Hotel in Misawa. It is a very beautiful lake and walking area only minutes from the Misawa Train Station.

Misawa Suzuki Clinic

This sign is out in front of the Misawa Suzuki Clinic. It is a hospital for birthing mothers and their newborns in the Japanese community. I have seen this sign probably a million times and didn't realize until now that the baby is missing its mouth. Babies have mouths, loud ones, perhaps the artist did not have children.... In any case it is still cute.

Komaki Grand Hotel in Misawa

Was I in for a treat today. The Grand Komaki Resort is a huge hotel and onsen area in Misawa. It is located just down the street from Misawa Train Station. They have numerous Japanese buildings, shrines and gardens on the property. As I toured the grounds I realized I was about the only one there.... quite nice :)

Mother's Day Flowers

Happy Mother's Day to everyone! Here in Misawa there is a huge variety of flowers in bloom. The fields are being flooded for the rice crop as well. We spent the morning planting a garden and enjoying the sunshine. Have a great week!

Misawa Aviation Museum

One million floating papers. We went on our first trip to the Misawa Aviation and Science Museum today. This hanging sculpture was mesmerizing. I believe that it looked like a blimp from the entrance, but from the second floor it seemed like confetti falling. So fun!

Fore!

Today was beautiful here in Misawa. This picture is on the Misawa Air Base driving range. The golf course is filled with pink and white cherry blossom trees that carve out the fairways. Something to see!

End of the Tracks

Up until a couple years ago a train would cross Misawa Air Base. It was not a large train maybe 3 cars if you were lucky and it would only show up once a week. I imagine much more when the base was being built. As you can see the tracks have been removed to make a smoother road, but some still remain. This portion is located across the street from the main base shoppette.

Cows make Beer

Cows make beer here.... or somewhere ??? Never tried it, but for an Irish girl that would be a dream come true. The bar is located on the main street outside the main gate past white pole road... mmmmm cow beer and staek :)

Misawa Taiko Drummers

The Misawa Taiko Drummers are something to hear. Tonight me and the kids stopped at the Cafe Mokuteki to grab something to eat and we got a show too. The video was taken about a year ago at the Collocated Club on Misawa Air Base. Taiko drumming dates back many years. It was performed in the castles and shrines as well as motivation for the military troops during feudal times. The drumming has become mainstream again and teams of performers can be found in the majority of American Universities.

Cherry Blossoms are Falling

Most of the blossoms have fell and it is nearly raining with the petals. Beautiful sight to see. For more information on viewing and the differents types of blossoms visit this site

Miss Veedol on White Pole Road

Many people know the story of Miss Veedol, but if you don't here it goes... The first transpacific nonstop flight took off from Misawa and landed in Wenatchee, Washington. Piloted by Clyde Pangborn and Hugh Herndon. This model of the plane can be seen on white pole road next to New Miyaki (good lunch specials). All around Misawa you will find these models of the Miss Veedol. So now you know :)

One Day At A Time.....

> =



Hopefully a sobering topic for the base today. One of our own made a bad choice this weekend which not only reflects the American military but America as a culture. The Japanese have endured obnoxious behavior from our comrades for many years. I am not sure if the sign will be updated, but the fact that every American news paper has an article about a Misawa airmen not reflecting the best interest of society is quite enough.... Hopefully this will stop...

Wagasa, Traditional Japanese Umbrellas

Wagasa is the correct name for the beautiful Japanese Paper Umbrellas that you can find around Misawa. This was the largest one I have ever seen (at least 7 ft across). They create each umbrella by hand using bamboo and Kozo (paper mulberry). The kozo is boiled, beaten and watered to strengthen and enhance the beauty of the finished product. Once finished applying the paper they mix plant oils to waterproof the umbrella. Overall the end result I think is worth all that work!

One Missing Tooth

Entrance to Misawa Air Base

This is the entrance sign for Misawa Air Base. Many Japanese and Americans pass by this sign everyday. Notice the cracks in the sign.... We have had three large earthquakes in the last month. I not sure if one of those caused the cracks, but I can say that they certainly could.

Although, they don't scare me nearly as much as the tornado's and hurricanes in the midwest and south. I was lucky a while back and left Keesler AFB a week before Hurricane Katrina hit Biloxi, hope my luck is not running dry :)

Sampuru - Japanese Fake Food

Sampuru (or sample in English) is the fake food displays you find in many Japanese restaurants. I love this about japan. You can decide what you want to eat before you ever walk into the restaurant. The video is the Iron Chef style competition in creating this art. The picture was taken right outside Misawa Air Base. Note the major credit cards listed on the window. Five or six years ago it was very difficult to find somewhere that took currency other than Yen.