Yamato Shrine Sale

It was long overdue, but I went to my first shrine sale in Japan this month. A few of my friends from Oakleaf and I ventured to the Yamato Shrine Sale, which occurs every 3rd Saturday of the month. It's about a 45-minute drive from Yokosuka near the Naval Air Facility Atsugi.

A shrine sale is essentially a flea market with many Japanese antiques mixed up with some good old Japanese junk. From pottery to kimono to furniture, you can find many pieces of history, if you know what you're looking for.

But even if you don't know what you're looking for--as is the case for me--you can manage to find something interesting. Like the itomaki, or antique Japanese silk reel bobbin, I bought for 1500 yen (about $12). They are traditionally used to spool kimono silk.

I'd be lying if I said I knew all this before I purchased this little four-cornered piece of wood. I happened to figure out its purpose (but not its Japanese name of course) by observation. See, I snapped a photo of an itomaki (bobbin) in place on this zakuri (Japanese silk reel).

I did, however, know what I would use it for...as a stand to prop up my blue and white ceramic sake/beverage dispenser so I can get a good-sized cup underneath the spigot! Some of that Japanese ingenuity is rubbing off on me.


So, why do they call it a shrine sale in Japan? I don't know. But I venture to guess they usually occur near a shrine. More importantly, have you ever pondered this: why do they call it a flea market in America?

The Cave Men...and Me

Last week Brian arranged for us to get a tour of the Japanese-made caves on the Naval base. When the father of one of his patients suggested the personalized tour, Brian invited two of his male co-workers and me to come along. The base is said to contain about 16 miles of these caves, although I can assure you we saw just a sampling in the hour that we were spelunking.

We were told to bring a flashlight, any flashlight, apparently because the bright battery-operated lantern that our guide carried lasted only 30 minutes. With Brian in his headlamp, and I with our small, shake-up, battery-free flashlight, we were quite the pair. As if in tune with a subliminal request to be unique in our flashlight choices, our friend Doug brought a tiny maglight. (Joel didn't bring one at all, which might also be considered a unique choice.)

Our tour guide, a Master Chief whose steel-enclosed office is built within the caves, has ventured down into the caves many times. He has even brought his young children exploring with him. So, we knew we were in good hands. Nevertheless, our novice guide was quick to point out how confusing and dangerous the caves could be. His unreassuring comments included:

• "To find our way back, we'll just follow this string someone laid out." (Right about then I wished I'd brought bread crumbs as backup. But I also thanked Brian for my "green" flashlight that would never die. )
• "I've never been this way...I don't think."
• "Oh, good, there's the chair...that means we turn left up here...unless someone moved the chair. That would be a cruel joke."
• "If you feel an earthquake, run...but I'm not sure which way the exit is."
  

I took it upon myself to be the string spotter once or twice. I felt I had to be the voice of reason (i.e., the woman), with a nervous, only half-kidding laugh, pointing out that there was no string in these parts we were navigating. But we always seemed to reunite with the string within minutes, so I was appeased...

Until we saw this Japanese centipede. No need to guess the reason the Japanese call them "Getcha-Getcha's." Yes, they are ugly and they bite.

But I was able to put all my fears aside enough to realize the caves were rather amazing. All 16 or so miles were man-chiseled into the hills of the base, starting around 1938 to protect against possible American attacks during World War II. Although much of the information about the caves' purposes is still classified, it is known that the cave system contained rails for moving heavy equipment, a hospital and a power substation. Then after the United States took over the base, the caves held the Navy hospital and several commands. They are now too dangerous due to the earthquake-induced rubble and lose electrical fixtures and are, therefore, closed to the public.

But on our private tour, we saw many interesting historical remnants of the caves features and can begin to speculate what they were for...such as the benches and gurneys that seem to have served as part of the hospital. Or the tall air shafts, complete with a hole in the ground of the cave that appeared to double as a well to catch rain water (see photo).

And there is even an apparent shrine that--judging from the candy offerings--remains in use by recent visitors to the caves.

So, alas, this candy proves we are not as special as we might have you believe. That is, others have seen what we have seen in these caves. And all have lived to tell. Except this poor creature:

(It might have been a tanuki who tripped over his unusually large testicles only to be gotten by a getcha getcha. But that's a blog entry for another day.)

Read this article for more information about the Caves.

A Japanese Two-Car Garage





















Need I say more?

Our Earthquake Alarm Went Off Last Night...

We may think we're the masters of our dogs, but our dogs are masters of senses...and, therefore, masters of us. You name it: smell, hearing, observation and behavior. All of these senses have never failed Mitch when food is near. He certainly smells when food is near, most humans even do (except Pete). But with his hearing in the ultrasound range, Mitch can even hear when a small morsel hits the floor and he comes running from the other room. In fact, he's really come to appreciate Sydney's eating behaviors:

• that there will always be food dropped during the course of the meal, which is fair game;


• any food left on Sydney's plate he will eventually receive; and


• if he merely stands close enough, Sydney will feed him directly from her highchair, thus expediting his meal.

(This explains why Sydney only just surpassed the 20-pound mark yesterday--at 21 1/2 months and with clothes and shoes on.)

My point? Mitch really has us all figured out (trained) thanks to these sensibilities. Well, I always thought Mitch's great "sense of sensing" was a liability, but last night I realized it is indeed an asset.

At a little after 4AM, Brian and I were sound asleep when Mitch jumped up onto our bed between us and began pawing at us. He was restless and nervous. Uh oh, that usually means something Sydney fed him didn't agree with him. Ever the dutiful dog owner and husband, Brian arose to let him out. After a few minutes, he called Mitch to come inside, but Mitch refused to come in. He was laying on the doormat in front of the door. So, Brian returned to bed to catch a few more zzzz's before waking in another hour or two. When I asked him what was wrong with Mitch, he said, "Something is up. He's acting weird."

He was right. Sure enough less than 10 minutes later, before we could both fall back to sleep, the house started shaking ever so slightly for about 10 seconds. An earthquake. Turns out there was an earthquake (4 on the seismic scale) just off of Chiba prefecture, which includes Tokyo (see map) and is just north of Yokosuka.

Thus, we have added "earthquake alarm" to Mitch's list of senses. That may come in handy in Japan. Now if we could just tell the difference between earthquake and bathroom emergency, we'd be set. Either way, I guess Mitch figures he'll evacuate...

Click here for a National Geographic article about animals sensing earthquakes.

Japanese Construction

Construction crews in Japan are constantly working on some road or another, inevitably on our route to and from base. Maybe we have more settling from earthquakes contributing to this construction, I don't know. But unlike in the States, in Japan during the day there is usually at least one person whose sole job it is to direct traffic, even when universal orange cones seem to lead the obvious way. Well, just in case you miss the orange cones, you can't miss the white gloves flagging you down the proper path. Often, when the sidewalk is closed, there is even a make-shift pedestrian walkway made of orange cones in the road where the white-gloved worker directs you with a slight bow and/or a simple, "Dozo," or "Go ahead."

I often wonder, are these gloves simply a flash of white to get your attention? Or perhaps, like Sydney, these workers don't like to get their hands dirty? (But then why white?) Or maybe the gloves are to prevent sunburn? Any other possibilities? Dave? Do let us know...

Anyway, in Yokosuka, the workers don't work all night long on a road project. However, when they go home, you are not on your own to figure out your way through the construction maze. We are fortunate to have a little automated bright blue man (wearing a similar shade of the real uniform) waving a lighted "hand" back and forth to direct us where to go. That's Japanese technology at its best once again!

And along with technology, the Japanese are indeed known for their manners. So, does it surprise you that there is even a sign indicating a polite bow? I can only imagine it is thanking me for my patience and understanding during this time of construction. (I say, "do-ee-tahsh-ee-mahsh-tay." As much as this pronunciation sounds like "don't touch my mustache," it really means "you're welcome.") It's even amazing how efficient the Japanese are at saying all that in two kanji characters. Well, they do say a picture's worth a thousand words...never more so than when you can't read the words. I guess that's our American ignorance at it's best!

31st Annual Friendship Day

A few times a year, the base is opened for the day to the Japanese public. Last weekend was one such time. The occasion? Friendship Day, or a day fostering good relations between Japanese and American people. Sydney, along with Brian's help, designated herself a little ambassador as she led a pack on base.

No matter what the occasion for the open base, the turnout is the same. Thousands of Japanese nationals (over 33,000 on this day) line the streets of the Navy base, mostly in pursuit of American foods and items, it seems. One such item is a turkey leg. I myself have never had a turkey leg, but perhaps that is un-American of me.

But I do, however, enjoy pizza, another favorite of many Japanese people. In the time we've spent here in Japan, the pizza restaurants have had to resort to a two-pizza maximum, since I suppose people were getting carried away with the carry-away pizzas. Yes, American pizza is tasty, but this overzealousness may have had more to do with the fact that a similar pizza off base in Japan costs more than $30.

Then there's McDonald's. There are plenty of McDonald's off base in Japan, but there is still a big draw to the one on base during festivals. This line of people wraps around the building where there is normally a drive-thru window. My theory is that the McFlurry drew the crowds here in the heat and humidity, although maybe the pregnant lady's just partial to ice cream.

The day concluded with a 45-minute fireworks display. They were launched from a barge in the Tokyo bay, so we went home and viewed them from the sea wall a few blocks from our house. They were slightly muffled at this distance, but otherwise the experience was just as satisfying and just as friendly, as all our Japanese neighbors were shoulder-to-shoulder with us.