Walk to Plum Blossom Park

I decided that I am going to try really hard to blog every day about what we did the previous day with the exception of Saturdays because we will hopefully be gone all day.  I really want to remember what Japan was like.  On that same note I realized that I somehow left my camera battery charger at home.  My camera is almost dead and I'm not sure what to do.  I can't buy one online because amazon wont let me ship to Japan.  I also need it right away because we are going to go to Tokyo tomorrow and I don't want to miss out on the pictures.  Hopefully i will be able to figure something out, the base does not sell them.  Also feel free anyone to call me on Skype or email me with questions because i do not have a phone.

Yesterday I wanted to go out with the kids and found a map of Taura, it was all in Japanese but it looked like there might be a park on it.  So I looked it up on google maps and there should have been one about .7 miles away.  I made myself directions from google which was more difficult than you would think because i can't read any of the street names.  When we made it to the park I almost laughed and i didn't really think it was a park.  Between two houses was a path that lead straight up a moutian!  It was just these makeshift stairs heading straight up the mountian with no end in sight.  Tucker was set on going to the park so relectently I said we could try even though I am 7 months pregnant and had to carry Penelope.  We did make it to the top but failed to find any sort of toys. After looking at the map more I think there are some toys but they are at the other end so we will have to try it again sometime and I will take pictures.  The funny part about it was that once we were at the top i just found a bench and sat down.  There were a ton of 50+ Japanese people there.  I don't know how they got up.  And they were just loving me and the kids.  The people I saw the day before seemed to care less that I was american i barely got a second look.  Probably because they were mostly in their 20s or 30s.  But up at this park everyone was trying to talk to us, which was different because I only know how to say hi and thank you in Japanese.  Tucker wouldn't talk to anyone or wave at them because he said they would laugh at him.  Everyone smiles at us and Tucker thinks they are making fun of him.  I tried to explain to him that they just really like him and they don't see very many people with cool orange hair. 

People would point to my stomach and say 'baby' they would also point to the kids and say 'how old' after which I would tell them and hold up fingers.  We then walked up a little higher because i wanted to see the view but a group stopped us at the top. If if want to talk to a 3 year old just hold out a piece of candy.  They gave both Penelope and Tucker candy and said 'choc-o-lat' we took the candy and kept walking but we had to pass back by them on the way back and of course Tucker runs straight up to the person who have him the candy.  then a ton of people start pulling more candy out of their bags.  I said 'ok' and they repeated it to each other and handed both kids the candy again.  then i said 'arigoto gaziamas' (the second word I know and am sure I spelled wrong) which means something like thank you and goodbye.  they i heard one person say the word American as we were walking off.  It was fun and by the time we got home both my arms and legs felt like Jelly.

I am glad I had a good morning because the evening did not go as well.  Bob tried to buy a bike on base and he had to go to the commissary (I am not allowed to go in) so he didn't get home until 6.  He was going to buy a charger but they didn't sell them so I just got really frustrated.  Bob can only bring home a bag or two at a time so we have basically no food at home.  There are several tiny markets close by but they are so expensive.  I was tired out and hungry.  I walked across the street and spent 9200yen ($10) on one pint of ice cream.  It was hard, and the bike cost twice as much as we had planned.  I feel like things will be going well and I will be having fun one minute and then the next the stress of a new country just gets to me.  It is hard and great at the same time.