An Apple a Day

You know it's expensive when produce is individually bubble wrapped. At $2.84 a piece, one of these Mutsu apples a day would certainly add up. Although you can't tell from my picture, it was about the size of a grapefruit. It was good, but I actually prefer the more modestly priced Johnagold variety (still not cheap at over $1 a piece), followed by the Fuji apple. From what I understand, there is an embargo on apples in Japan (potatoes, too). That means that only Japanese grown apples are sold in Japan. And we don't get the sweet potatoes/yams we're used to in the states. This isn't a huge deal, except that the apples are expensive out of season, and I haven't found one that tastes enough like Granny Smith.

Other random produce fact, I saw a small watermelon (a little bit bigger than a average sized cantaloupe) for sale at the Japanese grocery store for about 1900 yen, or nearly $24. I haven't bought a watermelon in the states for some time, but I really don't remember them being that expensive.

Updates!

We've finally completed the following blog posts:

Earthquake, Tsunami, and Aftermath

Thailand

Lake Towada - Oide Campsite

Over Memorial Day weekend, we met a group of friends at Oide Campsite on Lake Towada. Although there wasn't much sun, we enjoyed spending the day listening to music, playing volleyball, roasting marshmallows, and hanging out with friends. The scenery was beautiful. Here are some photos of the campsite and nearby Lake Towada.

We were surprised to see these cherry blossoms still in bloom, since they have been gone for at least a couple of weeks in Misawa...

Hokkaido Ramen

Ramen restaurants are all over the place here, like fast food establishments in the US. Matt heard about a good ramen place from co-workers.  This particular restaurant has four possible names among Americans: (a) Hokkaido Ramen, (b) Island Ramen, (c) Yellow Ramen, and (d) Ku Ramen. Hokkaido and Island Ramen come from the sign out front (see below). We live on Honshu Island; Hokkaido is the island just north of us. Yellow Ramen comes from the yellow entrance sign (see below). And Ku Ramen, well, we have no idea. Chances are, not one of these is the actual name. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but such is the case in Misawa. You can't judge a restaurant by its exterior.

Hokkaido/Island Ramen sign

The bar stools around a counter reminded me of a 50's style American diner or soda fountain.

We sat at the floor level tables that are ideal for dining with a baby.

Click on the picture to see the small print. Real missing pet poster? Or strange advertisement?

Our lunch. Delicious, but way too much food.

Matt and Hazel

In lieu of traveling to different countries on the weekend as we did in Europe, we're planning to try out new restaurants around town. Here in Japan, that will be an adventure in and of itself. 

Misawa Sky Park - Aviation and Science Museum

After leaving Citizen's Forestry Park and Lake Ogawara, we decided to stop by to check out the Misawa Sky Park, located adjacent to the Aviation and Science Museum. We didn't even venture inside the large museum, and still spent the better part of an hour outdoors looking at the impressive collection of Japanese and American aircraft.

F4EJ

 
F-16: This is the oldest model of the F-16 and is on loan from the U.S. Air Force.

T-2: Took its maiden flight in 1971 and used by the Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) primarily for education and training from 1976 to 2001.

F-104: Used by the JASDF from 1963 to 1986.

 T-2: Used as a trainer and demo jet for Blue Impulse, the JASDF aerobatic demo team.

 P-3: Anti-submarine warfare aircraft used to transport the Commander of the U.S. SEVENTH Fleet; Borrowed from the U.S. Navy.

 T-3: Developed in Japan and used by the JASDF since 1974 as a trainer.

T-33: Produced at the turning point from propeller-driven to jet-powered aircraft. Used by the JASDF for various purposes from 1948 to 1999; borrowed from the U.S. Air Force.

I'm sure we'll be back to explore the inside of the museum, which houses a replica of Miss Veedol, the first plane to fly non-stop across the Pacific. It departed from Sabishiro Beach, Misawa and crash-landed in East Wenatchee, Washington in 1931.

Citizen's Forestry Park

A couple of weekends ago, we set out to explore Citizen's Forestry Park and Lake Ogawara in Misawa. It wasn't a particular nice day, and nothing appeared to be open for the season, but it was pretty neat to see what beauty exists 20 minutes from our front door. Here are a couple of photos...