Disney Sea is the place to be

The Jones family (along with Mamaw, who is here for a visit) spent our Memorial Day at phase 2 of the Tokyo Disney Resort - the one and only Tokyo Disney Sea.  I wish it was a smaller world than it actually is and that there wasn't 6,000 + miles between KY and this original Disney wonderland.  

Disney naysayers and pessimists can stick it in their mouseholes.  I find true excitement and wonder in these places just through my eyes, not to mention the fact that I get to enjoy the enthusiasm 

of my two young daughters and of the Japanese people.  As I mentioned before, in my post on our Disney resort visit, the Japanese are fervent Disney patrons.  We have been super lucky, if not quite good planners, in picking two low attendance days for our Disney trips.

What I love best about the Disney resorts is the attention to

detail.  What a dream job it would have been to research and design every tiny aspect of each of the themed ports, even down to the restroom signs.  I truly felt as if I was stepping from one end of the world to another as we journeyed around the park and it definately made my wonderlust grow.  I longed for more of Italy and Mexico.  And it was awesome to be able to stand in the middle of a place that's completely fictitious like the Agrabah Marketplace, Triton's undersea kingdom, and Captain Nemo's Mysterious Island. 

As I said, this is the one and only Disney Sea.  Does that make a visit to Japan a little more enticing?!

Pictures posted on Photo Journal page.

On US soil, once again

With this move to Japan, we've been able to experience a new and different culture, Nippon style - the shrines, the konbinis, the social rules, hello kitty.  But, we've also been immersed into another very new type of culture - Military culture.  My maternal grandfather served in the military for a very long time, as did all 4 of my maternal uncles (my Uncle Gary's gravesite lies in Arlington in the shadow of the Pentagon), and even my own father served for while.  But, while my mom spent her whole childhood in this culture, I have had no previous experience.  My dad's run in the Air Force ended before my time and I don't remember my grandfather or uncles being on active duty, except Gary, but his whereabouts and activities were always a secret.  I think he was some kind of spy. For real. 

So, being here, at cfay (commander fleet activities yokosuka) is a new experience and a new culture in and of itself, Naval style - the uniforms, the acronyms, the id cards, the ships.  Aw, finally the segue into the subject of my post.  

Yesterday, we finally, once again placed our feet onto "US soil" when we got to see the inner workings of the USS George Washington, the nuclear propelled supercarrier, as tall as a 24 story building, able to accomodate about 80 aircraft and over 6,000 crewmembers, that now makes it's home here in Yokosuka.  The husband of a co-worker of Trips' (who is stationed on the GW) took us on a very informative and super cool tour.  Even the girls got to go along. 

Robert was an awesome tour guide.  Not only very knowlegable (he had the patch to prove it), but very enthusiastic and hospitable.   He was the first to say, "hey Stella, why don't you jump up in the CO's chair and get a picture" or "let me put you on this helo so your mom can get a picture".  He even bought her a snickers in the galley.   From a mom's perspective, this is major and made my experience even more enjoyable.

It was an awesome experience to see something so out of the realm of our ordinary, everyday life.  Not only the everyday life we were used to in KY before we moved here, but the everyday life we are experiencing right now in Japan and in life on the base.  There are many, many people who make the GW their workplace and home and it's something very different than what we know.  

I suppose, though, with each new experience, whether Nippon or Naval, the ordinary, everyday life we were used to is changing and evolving, as are we.

This is not my photograph, which is pretty obvious, but I thought I'd add the disclaimer anyway.

My pictures posted on our photo journal page.