But, free child care is provided and it was an opportunity for me to spend the day with other adults, mostly enlisted folk, but also other civilians who had also recently arrived in the country.
We learned a little of the history of Japan and quite a lot about the resources on base; the day care center does hourly care and has some Parents Night Out events, there is a whole department devoted to recreation, not just sports and fitness but also bus tours and day trips at various sights around Japan.
They even go over a few basic phrases and show you how to use public transit. I had already used the trains and buses many times so I skipped out early that day and went over to the nearby shopping mall.
This was a cultural experience in and of itself. First of all, I had only used the bathrooms in our house or on the base so I was not at all prepared for this:
This "toilet" was in the women's bathroom (I double checked). The weirdest thing was they had regular toilets too. I guess these are just for the hard-core, old-school ladies who miss they days when they peed into a hole in the ground!The stores are cute. I even found some things to try on. The sizes for clothes and shoes are way smaller than what I'm used to. When I went to go try some stuff on I committed the first of probably many faux pas. I forgot to take off my shoes! I knew to do that in people's homes but didn't realize the changing room required this as well. The kind sales lady reminded me.
In the dressing room, this sign greeted me:
Now...I don't read any Japanese but I think...I think, this is what they were going for:
A nation of germaphobes. That's where I'm living.
All that shopping was making me hungry. Mike was meeting me during his lunch break and I was supposed to find a place to eat in the mall. I started to wander hoping I could find one of those picture menus to peruse. I found something better!
PLASTIC FOOD!!!
Genius! Makes it so easy for the tourists to pick a place to eat. It's helpful for us as parents too. You can see what they have for kids (bottom left) and know if your kids will eat it.
I settled on a Sushi-go-Round style restaurant where the sushi and other items, like miso soup, french fries, fresh fruit, pastries, travel around by conveyor belt to your table.
You can either grab what looks good as it sails by or order from touch screen computer built into the booth and your order will arrive special delivery. Let the plates stack up on the table and when you're finished they come around and charge you based on how many plates you have. (The different colors indicate different prices.)
So, I survived my solo excursion out to the mall. I bought 2 shirts. Found a yummy restaurant. But, the best part was, Mike and I got to enjoy our first meal without the kids in weeks. Complete with cheesecake!
