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.