The First Sortie Off Base

On our second full day in Japan, the city of Yokosuka threw a welcoming parade for us!

Turns out the US Navy base hosts an annual parade in which the locals carry traditional floats made of enormous, hand crafted wooden shrines along a road in town, then onto the base and down the "Main Street USA," where there is a string of American fast food stations. The base is open to the locals, who run past the parade just to stock up on McDonald's meals, american pizzas and Duncan Donuts. (Seriously, we're talking about 24-count boxes of donuts.)

Anyway, the parade hadn't quite started yet, so Tina, Nathan and I wondered off base for the first time. We didn't go very far; we just wanted to see the start of parade route - the street that the Americans have nicknamed "Blue Street."

But boy, what a difference it is off base!

Within feet of the American gate it's another world. Apartment buildings rise up a dozen stories atop the tiniest of lots and create an urban canyon of neon signs and chrome finishings. Cartoonish-looking automobiles and tiny, tiny trucks whisk by in smooth flowing traffic. Firetrucks the size of an American mini-van, cruise by covered in flashing lights that remind us of something out of anime.

All the while the Japanese locals are milling around, gathering for the parade. Most of the people we see are actually going to participate in the parade. They are wearing matching, brightly colored robes with insignias embroidered on the back. The women wear traditional robes with short skirts and the men wear even shorter "shorts" if anything at all beneath their robes.

We found the 7-Eleven mini mart, where Tina made her first purchase with Japanese Yen. Of course, Tina's first selection was coffee (actually a frozen latté). But her real motivation was its branding: "Mt. Rainier - The Mountain of Seattle". Talk about the perfect welcome for mommy and child.  The included photo is of Nathan and his namesake as the logo of the latté.

I'll post more photos from the parade on my PWA account later.

- Charlie