Adventures in Japan - two (ni)

It has been two weeks since my last post.  Here is what we have been up to in Japan!  

Every year Yokota Air Base hosts a Friendship Festival.  This is an event where the Japanese community are invited on base to celebrate the partnership between the U.S. and Japan.

Family Selfie

Checking out the planes

Sometimes things get lost in translation

The boys enjoying their snow corn

I ventured off base with my neighbor to a store called Hard Offs.  It was a thrift shop with a little bit of everything. We also went to a Recycle Shop which was similar except it had appliances and furniture too.

We checked out a nearby Japanese grocery store.  You can find some interesting flavors in common American products.  I wonder what turkey leg pringles taste like?  We did buy and try sake kit kats and green tea kit kats.  The sake was pretty good but would not recommend the green tea.  The boys liked seeing the random fish throughout the store.

Over the weekend we checked out the Aeon Mall.  We shopped at the Gap.  :)  They also had an H&M but those were probably the only two stores I recognized.  The food court experience is always interesting.  The boys had KFC, I found a flat bread pizza, and Eric is always sampling some noodle dish.  We sat in the kid area on little chairs.

They put Eric's name above our door.  The Vaillants live here!

We decided to get a 2nd car.  Check out E's new 1998 Pajero mini.  I might steal it.  It is smaller than our yellow car!

We went to our first Japanese Baseball game.  We did a travel tour through the base so we took a bus there and back.

Our home team is called the Seibu Lions and they play at the Seibu Prince Dome

The boys before the game

One with mommy!

Eric sampling the ball park food.  There is a picture of a baseball player on the seaweed.  I struggled to find anything to eat so I resorted to KFC french fries.  They also had beer girls with back pack mini kegs with beer on tap.

The atmosphere is very loud.  Across from where we were sitting there were bands for each team that play the entire game.  Sections of the stadium also did chants and dances in unison.  It felt more like a college football atmosphere than the baseball games we are used to back home.  Here is Linc with his plastic bats you hit together with the crowd.

You also want to fly your team flag

All the commotion led to a nap for Linc

In the 7th inning you can buy these balloons to let go together at the end of the inning.

Let em fly!  The Lions won the game!