Mountain Summer

Sometimes a place is so captivating that it provides inspiration to update a long forgotten blog.  Visiting such a place combined with a short hiatus between classes & whalaa!  A post update after 2.5 years!  

First of all.  We are still here!  We love Japan and Okinawa and our request to extended our stay was approved.  

Secondly.  

After three years living and traveling in Japan and we found our "spirt home."  Sapporo, Daisetsuzan..Hokkaido.  If we could retire anywhere in Japan.  Unanimously, it would be here.  Home to the largest National Park in Japan and replete with outdoor activities and some of the most delicious and fresh food in all of Japan.  

We were so enamored, that not even two months after our first visit, and less than 2 weeks after we

climbed Mt Fuji, we found ourselves boarding another plane bound for Sapporo.  Our goal this time,  to complete the Grand Traverse.  A 7-9 day

hike across several mountain ranges in the park.    

Spending A Beautiful Night at Urassahi Campsite 

Notice the steaming vents on the right side.  Many of the mountains in Japan including Mt. Fuji, are active volcanos. Cool!

Top of Asahi Dake for the 2nd time this summer.  Much better view this time!

Heading to our campsite for the night.  Just beyond the snow patch.  A couple guys hiked skis up the entire steep climb up for this

Sunset from Kurodake the night before the storm

Mother Mountain weather did not approve our passage.  On day three in the mountains, we were forced to descend at Kuro Dake as not one but two typhoons heading directly toward us would soon make hiking conditions perilous.

We encountered these happy hikers the morning the typhoon started announcing it's presence

Suddenly, we were without a plan retreating to the lively city of Sapporo as the first typhoon hit.  Drowning our sorrows in delicious bowls of miso ramen and liquid gold (Sapporo Beer,) we stuck our noses in the world wide web to figure out plan B.

Hokkaido Specialty, Miso Ramen

Hokkaido Specialty @ Sapporo Beer Factory Museum

After much deliberation.  We concluded that we would head South.  Away from the weather and toward an area of Hokkaido we did not get to see much of on our first visit earlier in the summer.  The following is the remainder our trip.  In picture form.  One photo per location.  

Hakodate 

Hakodate is the Southern most port city in Hokkaido and is know for it's fresh seafood.  We climbed up "Mount" Hakodate to take in the Michelin 3 star rated view from the top.  It was beautiful.  But crowed!  99.9% of the 200-300 + tourists crammed on top paid to take a tram ride up and down and missed out on my favorite part of the evening, the hike up and down.  A much more peaceful experience than waiting in a line squeezed between loads of tourists waving camera phones in the air snapping pics at the top.

Next Stop: Lake Toya

While waiting for a bus to our campsite for the next couple of days, we ate the famous "Ghengis Khan"  dish of Hokkaido at a restaurant.  Upon seeing our need of tutelage, this helpful woman showed us how to cook the massive pile of raw vegetables and lamb meat in the dome shaped pan at our table.

Last stop: Noboribetsu

Noboribetsu is famous for it's natural hot springs.  This photo shows "Hell Valley."  10,000 gallons of hot water come from the natural hot springs outside of the town per day!  Incredible to hike through and see all the hot pools, lakes & geysers.   Not to mention bathe in 8 varieties of different types of water at one of the most famous onsens in all of Japan.  

Pictures from Kyoto

Kyoto Imperial Palace Garden

Garden of past Shogun 

Shogun Garden

Bullet train to Kyoto

Kyoto Imperial Garden

International Kendo Tournament 

More Shogun Garden

Outside a shrine near Kyoto Station.  You always have to take your shoes off before entering so they give out bags in front of the shrine to carry your shoes.  After putting your shoes on as you leave, drop the bag in a box and it is re-used. :)

Kamo River running path through Kyoto

Just a small part of a hillside covered with family shrines

These trees outside of a shrine were pruned and cultivated to grow out instead of up.
The branches need extra support.

Shogun Garden

Shogun Garden

297 Days, But Who's Counting?!

On Tuesday, I (Lydia) will start my new job as "Wellness Educator" for the United States Marine Corps.  Since arriving in Okinawa, a primary goal of mine has been employment.

So, a week after arriving, I stopped into the Red Cross office to look into volunteer options while looking for work.  The application for a volunteer dental assistant training program in clinic where Daniel worked was coming due so I grabbed one and left.  I figured that it would be something to do and I would learn a lot about Daniel's profession which would not be a bad thing.  I was called in for an interview. I did not get the position.

A women who hired me to teach spin a few weeks later mentioned an open position as a health physiologist.  I followed up on it.  If I can teach spin, I can health physiologize right?!  Wrong. I was not qualified and did not get the position.

When one of the people I ride with found out I used to work in a bike shop he was kind enough to bring his Okinawan wife to Komesu's bike shop (one of three main shops on the island) with me to facilitate and translate an inquiry asking if he could use any help around the shop.  He did not need help.

I know a couple people who taught English in Japan through a program called JET.  Great!  I will apply for that.  I would prefer to work outside of the military world anyhow.  So I wrote an essay, got letters of recommendation, got the required medical clearance from a doctor, and completed and mailed in the 28 page application.  I got called back for an interview.  In Chicago.  No exceptions.   I didn't have any other options at the time, I have teaching experience and I currently live in Japan.  I thought, "my chances are good."  So I went to Chicago for the interview.  I did not get the position.

Starbucks, will they hire me?  I asked some coffee shops in our neighborhood.  

Nothing. They cannot hire Americans unless they have work visas or are citizens of Japan.   

One day an older gentleman approached me after spin.  He asked if I was seeking employment. "Yes!"  He recommended I apply for MCCS Semper Fit (Marine Corps Community Services Fitness) positions. He said, something to the effect of, "you have the twinkle."  I'm still not sure what that means.  But I followed up on the cryptic advice and applied for a couple positions.  "Rec Assistant" and "Sports Director."  I got called back for interviews.  I did not get the positions.

So I applied for another one, "Wellness Educator."  I got called back for an interview.  And then called back for a background check.  And then called back with a job offer. :)

Celebratory ice cream cones from Blue Seal

Getting a job is a big answered prayer.  However, going from 0 to 40 hrs a week of employment is going to be a challenge so please keep those thoughts and prayers coming for a smooth transition.  

February Furry

February was a delightful disruption of activity from what has become our routine, laid-back, island life.  It started off with a visit from our dear friend Amy Stoez.  Amy is currently in the midst of her emergency medicine residency program at Regions Hospital.  She had the opportunity to spend a week experiencing how medicine is practiced in Japan at a hospital in Okinawa and we were delighted to host her during her stay.  We would like to briefly sum up the best parts of Amy's visit:

• She was our FIRST guest. Yay Amy!!!!
• We loved hearing about Amy's experiences at the Chubu Hospital in Okinawa.  Her unique inside perspective on Japanese culture especially in the context of medicine taught us more about the country we live in.  
• Dropping Amy off at work, making sure she had snacks, picking her up, and worrying about her if she got home after dark made Amy our feaux-daughter for the week.  And Amy- Daniel and I would like to adopt you. 
• BOTH Daniel and I got sick while Amy stayed with us. We couldn't ask for a better and more sympathetic guest.  She accurately diagnosed my symptoms days before I ended up having to go to the doctor for a prescription.  :)

Lydia and Amy demonstrating their vending machine drink choices

Amy and Daniel on Kokusai Street

Five days after Amy left us, we were delighted with our 2nd visitor.  Linnea teaches at an International School in Shanghai.  She was kind enough to spend her 2 week holiday for Chinese New Year visiting a friend in Taiwan and then dropping in on us in Okinawa.  The Year of the Horse is starting with good fortune for us!  Highlights from Linnea's visit:

• Linnea and I lived on the same floor our freshman year of college at Gustavus.  Since then we have stockpiled a list of funny, delicious, and weird traditions/memories/experiences.  A big highlight of Linnea's visit was cherishing almost 10 years of friendship and the richness that comes with it.  It felt especially valuable in context of Okinawa where all of the friends we have are people we have known for 6 months or less
• Vegan pizza and documentary night lives on
• Love curry with Mr. Love Curry! (Daniel became "Mr. Love Curry" while I was visiting Linnea in Shanghai shortly after we started dating)
• All of the helpful travel tips/apps that Linnea shared with us that she has learned from years of living abroad
• Blue Seal Ice cream triple double day and Linnea's vending machine beverage choice (pictured below)

Dr. Pepper.  Extra long!

At Cape Zanpa

Photo credit: Linnea McCully
Cold, wet, but still cheerful fans credit: Linnea McCully and Daniel Dahl
3rd place in my first ever criterium road race!  I would brag quite a bit more except that first place is 13 years old ...ouch!

Exactly one week after we said our goodbyes to Linnea, I jumped on a plane headed to Chicago for an interview at the Embassy of Japan for a position with JET (Japanese English Teaching) that I applied for in the fall.  After that I spent a few short but wonderful days back in Minneapolis spending time with family.   

The day after I arrived back in Okinawa, we welcomed our 3RD visitor.  Joe was recently hired with a company owned by Delta Airlines and had a stretch of time off.  On Thursday, Joe and I were seated at Hard Times Cafe in Minneapolis planning his first trip to Tokyo using his hard earned flight benefits.  On Saturday, Daniel and I pulled up at the airport in Naha, to welcome him to Okinawa!  The last minuteness of it all was part of the fun.  We planned the entire trip three days before it happened.  Pretty awesome.  Highlights from Joe's visit:

• FIRST family member to visit!  Having Joe's lively company in Okinawa and simply spending time with him was the biggest highlight 
• Joe spent a couple nights in Tokyo before coming to Okinawa.  We enjoyed hearing his unique impressions and experience in the city while comparing/contrasting it to our own.  
• Joe loves to bike and enjoys fishing as well.  This makes him an ideal guest because he enjoys two of the things we love most about living in Okinawa.  Joe and I were able to go on my favorite bike ride around the northern tip of the island together.  A beautiful day long event including a 10 Kilometer climb into the jungle, multiple breathtakingly scenic ocean views, and meeting a friendly old Japanese man who offered us "beeru."  
• Joe, Daniel and I were also able to spend a warm Sunday afternoon out on the Zanpa cliffs fishing for Mahi.  

Fishing at Zanpa

Joe's adventurous spirit beats mine when it comes to sushi.  Here he demonstrates the raw sardine nigiri seconds before consumption.  He also gets props for eating raw squid nigiri, and many many more..

Thanksgiving, Christmas and The New Year

Joint Post:

First of all, thank-you for keeping up with us through this blog.  We appreciate it very much.  Knowing that some of our friends and family follow our posts is heart warming and we are grateful that we have not yet been forgotten!  

It has been a while since our last post and there were a few special occasions in the meantime, so we would like to share a quick recap of how we spent our Holidays.

Starting all the way back in November...  

Thanksgiving-Some friends of ours suggested we team up to cook and serve Thanksgiving dinner at Camp Hansen for young single Marines stationed there.  It was an interesting and eye-opening experience.  We quickly realized that the men and women there were in a much tougher situation than us.
From there, we continued North to a military resort called Okuma Beach.  We camped for three nights and enjoyed beautiful bike rides, hikes, fishing, and roasting things over our campfire by the ocean.  

Nature hike

Nature hike

Our ocean view campsite

Christmas- I (Lydia) was fortunate enough to go home and spent two wonderfully snowy weeks with family and friends.  THANK-YOU to everyone that took the time to get together!  Emily, Whit & fam, Lesa, Ellen, Steve & Candace, Gina, Kay, Amy, Jason, Katie, Sara, Beka and of course my family, Mom, Dad, Grace, Jay, Joe, Ni, Grandparents and all extended relatives present on Christmas Eve at Gramma Marcy's.  ALL of you contributed to a very happy and re-charged Lydia upon my return to Okinawa.   Lastly, thank-you to Daniel for selflessly spending our first Christmas together as a married couple alone so that I could go home and share that special time with my family and friends.  I am very grateful for a partner who was supportive and understanding of that choice.


I (Daniel) had a different Christmas this year than I'm used to.  I knew it would be difficult being apart for Christmas but I also knew how important it was for Lydia to make it home for some family time.  I was working for much of the time leading up to and around Christmas but I spent my spare time fishing.  My main event while Lydia was gone was Christmas dinner.
For Christmas Eve I invited anyone from the Dental Squadron who didn't have family, friends, or a place to gather and/or cook a meal over for a traditional Christmas dinner.  I thought I would have a few responses but when it was all said and done I had 13 RSVP, mostly young couples and single Airmen.  Fortunately the menu was enough to satisfy everyone and I ended up eating like a king for about a week afterward.  Christmas dinner; turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, corn casserole, gravy, cranberry sauce, veggies with hummus (homemade by Lydia)  and guacamole, Mexican chocolate cheesecake, and lots of chocolate chip cookies.  I turned on the oven when I got home from work at noon and it stayed on until dinner was served at 6:30 and for quite a while had 4 pans inside at any given time.  After everyone was stuffed we all played "Taboo," a word-guessing board game, until it was time to go home for the night.
It was a fun but exhausting evening and I was very happy to share our home with some of the folks who are far from home, family, and friends, and living in a dorm on base.  I heard Lydia comment several times that she wished she could have been here too and it will certainly be repeated.  The highlight of my break, though, was when Lydia came back to Okinawa so we could spend my time off from the clinic together.



And last but not least,

New Years Eve- We were invited to join a few couples for appetizers and games on New Years Eve.  We enjoyed bringing in the New Year getting to know these new friends more through games and conversation.  
On New Years Day, Lydia joined in on an annual century ride up to Okuma and back in beautiful weather with a large group of other cyclists on the island.  Daniel spent his afternoon at his favorite fishing spot, Cape Zanpa, on the prowl for mahi mahi.  
The next day, we packed up and spent the rest of our long weekend back up at Okuma, this time in a cabin.  We enjoyed some terrific rain storms, hiking, a little fishing, and spent some adventure time together fighting wind and waves in a double kayak we rented there as well.

Looking for sea glass

Hiking to Hiji Falls

A new extreme adventure cliff fishing spot near Cape Hedo

Thanks again for reading!  We appreciate you, our dear friends and family, and your  prayers and support so much.







   

Mainland Japan: Tokyo

Our Japanese teacher asked what the occasion was for our recent trip to Tokyo.  We paused and looked at each other.  It was the first time we had been asked this.  "Because it's November."  I finally responded with a large grin. 

We left on November 2nd.  Hiked from our house on Camp Lester to the bus stop.  Boarded the 120 bus, and were dropped at the Naha Airport an hour later.  

Arriving in Tokyo is different than arriving in Naha.  Daniel happily slipped into a tag-a-long role as he let his partner navigate the Tokyo Train system.  Until it was midnight, and we were still not at the hotel.  A stop at one of the always plentiful street-side vending machines for a sugary beverage and another hour of hauling our luggage around the streets of Tokyo later, we collapsed into our room.  

We did a lot of exploring but one thing seems to follow us wherever we go in Okinawa and apparently in mainland Japan as well.  Every time we try to find a restaurant by following our instincts, we end up walking into a Soba (Japanese noodle soup) restaurant.  We've had several experiences with the Okinawa variety, none of which we've particularly liked.  Okinawa Soba is edible but barely.  In Tokyo, however, it was an entirely different experience.  The first soba place we walked into caused us to look at each other and groan in horror, but we were pleasantly surprised. Tokyo's soba is very different (and we think much tastier) than Okinawa Soba we've eaten.  The second place we walked into, assuming it was a curry restaurant, "Yellow Spice," turned out, of course, to serve a curry flavored soba.  But, again, was surprisingly delicious.  We have since resolved that when in Tokyo soba places are fair game but we will not go out of our way to visit them back in Okinawa, at least not by choice.

Here are some pics of Tokyo for you to enjoy/entice you to come visit.  :)

Shibuya Intersection.  The famous Tokyo intersection.  Many scenes from "Lost in Translation" and other movies shot in Tokyo were filmed here.

Early morning egg breakfast at the Tsukigi Fish Market.  The largest fish market in the world.

The fish sold at the market got a lot bigger than than these lil' guys.

Salmon roe for sale.  

Imagine 20 aisles of this for several more blocks.  

A park near the Ueno stop in Tokyo.   We followed the signs to the "pond." Which looked more like large lily pads to us.

This picture was taken just before we spent 30 min looking over the edge of the bridge watching the many large coy fish swim around beneath us.

Probably one of our favorite spots in Tokyo.  A large green park next to the Meji Shrine outside of the "young peoples shopping district,"  according to our fantastic volunteer tour guide.  "You can see a lot of young people in costumes there."  Not surprisingly, it is also Lady Gaga's favorite place to shop in Tokyo (not the park, the shopping area nearby.)

I thought trees only looked this perfect in paintings.  

Bonsai exhibit.

View from the top of one of the Tokyo Towers.