1 Week Down

So, it has been a week since I arrived here in Yokosuka. So far, I like it. I was warned that there are places foreigners are not welcome, but so far I have only found 1. Even at that, they are extremely polite about it, and I can't say I blame them (the locals). If I had to live right next to a base with thousands of people that didn't understand my customs and ways, I think I would want a private retreat to escape to now and again. Saying that, as a whole everyone here seems to be as friendly as possible, willing to help in any way they can, and with a little effort on my part they are willing to make great effort. Language can be something of a barrier here. A few people are fluent in English, almost to the point of little or no accent, but most speak very little, or heavily accented. I am starting to learn how to listen to the accent so it makes things a little easier to understand.

I bought a book on Kongi, the symbolic written language, and a book on Japanese gestures and body language. I have no expectation of learning to read or write, but the forms of the characters start to make sense if you understand the basis. The gestures here are different, and some might even be considered insulting to us, as I am sure some of our normal gestures might be insulting to them. The difference is that western culture, TV, Movies are pervasive here and most know western body language.

Habu Saki-- There is a type of Saki, called Habu Saki. It is in a large jar (think 1 gallon pickle jar) and inside the jar is a very large, very dead, Habu Snake that ferments along with the Saki. Sort of like Tequilla w/ the worm, only on steroids. I haven't tried this stuff yet, and I am not sure that I want to, but then what is a trip to Japan without a drink of dead snake saki? I'll try to get a picture of one of the jars.