Be my then-husband Accept Military Orders to Japan for HIS Next Duty Station, I was nervously excited. At the time, my first child was Barely Over A Year Old, and i hated the though of Living so far away from our friends and family in the United States.
Despite Never Havinging A Passport Before, I Overcame My Fears and Embraceed The Idea of Living in a Foreign Country for A Few Years.
In 2005, My Family of Three Packed Up and Moved from Pensacola, Florida to Sasebo, Japan on the Island of Kyushu. For three amazing years, IMMEDED mySelf in japanese culture and experiencing as much as i could of this beautiful county i was fortunate to call home.
I HAD SO MANY UNIQUE ADVANTS IN JAPAN THAT I STILL LOOK BACK ON FONDLY TODAY. Our Family Lived in a Traditional Japanese House for a Few Months before Moving INTO US Navy Housing. I visited shines, temps, and castles. I Shopped for Pottery, Sang Karaoke, and Stayed in Ryokans – Traditional Japanese Inns With Futons Instead of Beds. I took a shinkansen bullet train to kyoto and explored the highlights of Tokyo, in Addition to Visiting Other Nearby Countries Like Thailand and South Korea. I have had a baby there, giving birth to my daughter in a japanese ladies’ clinic.
In 2008 Our Family Moved to Virginia. Today, I Still Miss Many aspects of Living ABROAD, Including these Favorite Aspects of Calling Japan Home.
Onssens provided a great way to relax
Japanese onsens are hot springs where Guests Strip Naked and Relax in Public Baths. I found an inexpensive ounces that was a fifteen minute walk from the house on base and became Such a regular there that the employees started recognishing with. I was always the only american amidst japanese Women and children, and although we didn’t speak each other’s langages, i appreciated their nods of approval ben i properly followed etiquuette, such as showering the hot and kepting My Hair Out of the Water.
The author Says Visiting an Onssen was Her Favorite Form of Self-Care while Living in Japan. Courtesy of Heather Sweeney
Our Family End took a Road Trip to Kurocawa, a Japanese Town Known for Its Onssens. We soaked in hot springs running through caves and another outdoor stool overlooking a babbling brook with waterfalls. O onns were my favorite form of self-cart while living abroad and i still me to say today.
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The Cherry Blossom Celebrations are a sight to behold
Cherry Blossoms, or Sakura, Aren’t Just Pretty Trees in Japan. They’re a celebration. Only in Full Bloom Once a Year for About a Week, People Scrutinize Weather Forecasts to Plan and Parties to ADMINE the abundant pink flowers.
The author Says she hopes to return to japan while the cherry blossoms are blooming. Courtesy of Heather Sweeney
Every Cherry Blossom Season of Snapped Photos at Local Parks and Attended Flower Viewing Parties. At Night, I Strolled Through a Park Near the Military Base to Enjoy Lanterns Lighting Up The Blossoms and Watch the Delicate Fall from the Trees Like Pink Flurries when ther brief life ended.
Each Spring of Visit A Park in Virginia That Hosts a Cherry Blossom Festival, but the trees just as beautiful as the japanese sakura and the celebrations in their honor.
Nothing Compares to the Food
One of the First Japanese Words I Learned Was Oishii, Which Means Delicious. I used that word a lot.
I SAVORDED SUSHI WITH MELT-YOUR-MOUND SALMON AND TUNA AND CRUNCHED ON SHIMP TEMBRAPRAPT AND TONKATSU (DEEP-FRIED PORK CUTLETS) EVERY Chance of Could Get. I Discovered New-to-Dishes Like Yakitori (Chicken Skewers) and Shabu Shabu (Hot Pots). I Sipped on Noodle Sups Like Ramen and Udon, and i Devoured Side Dishas Like Miso Soup, Edamame, and Seaweed Salad.
The Author Says she enjoyed many delicious meals while living in japan, and especilantly love a spot that offert up sushi via a conveyor belt. Courtesy of Heather Sweeney
My List of Favorite Restaurants in Japan was Long, some including the traditional pract of sitting on the floor made of tattami mats and many that showed pictures of the menus for the Diners to Point to their Orers. But the one i returned to again and again was the popular restaurant where Diners Grabbed Plates of sushi from a conveyor belt. It was all oishii to me.
I still love sushi and eat it regularly, but never tasted anything as delicious as the sushi in japan.
I haven’t ben to japan in over fifteen years, but i hope to the again again one day. And be will i, I know i’ll return during cherry blossom season, go to my beloved onsen, and eat much food as i can.
