The Puppies are here!!!

This is just a short note to let everyone know that the puppies are now with us in Japan!! It was a very stressful process and a very long plane ride, but there are here! I flew home for two weeks to spend Easter weekend with my family and then flew back with Abby and Macy on the 17th of April. The girls are slowly adjusting to their new home. They are also suffering from the inevitable jet lag. All last week they were up wandering the house in the wee hours of the night. But, they are adjusting!

Enoshima Island

On Sunday, April 1st, Colby and I again ventured out into Japan. We decided to head south a little ways to Enoshima Island. Enoshima Island is a small island about 4km around, it is located in Sagami Bay. It is linked to the shore by a 600m long Enoshima Ohashi Bridge. Once you have crossed the bridge, you can see that the island is crowed with marine product shops, souvenir shops, and lots of places to get fresh seafood. Most of the seafood was so fresh it was uncooked and still had its' eyes, (and this is how they eat it)...I don't do eyes! However, we did stop for a excellent lunch of chicken curry, one of Colby's favorites. We then started our walk up a long hill, it wasn't long before we got to the first of three shrines. Enoshima-jinja Shrine is the first shrine. It was originally a tutelary shrine (to their spirits) where three goddess of land, sea transport, and fisheries were enshrined in 552. After exploring the first shrine we climbed a lot of stairs, and I do mean a lot of stairs, to get to the second shrine. It was here that we saw the dragon shrine. Then, we climbed up even more stairs. When we reached the top of the island there were beautiful views of the ocean below. After a quick rest, we started to head back down, to see the other side of the island. We passed quite a few more restaurants and little souvenir shops. We finally made it to the back part of the island. Here, we were right up close to the water. You could climb all over the rocky terrain to try to get that perfect picture. Also, the main attraction on this side of the island are the caves, Enoshima Iwaya. The caves are a creation of about 6000 years of sea erosion. We had fun exploring the two caves. They weren't really that big, but they were nice and cool inside. They gave us candles to explore and see the different shrines. Once we were finished exploring and taking pictures, it was time to walk back up the island to get back to the other side. Yes, again...even more stairs. I will offer this small piece of advice if you do ever go to Enoshima island. Wear light clothing (it was quite warm), wear good shoes (lots of walking), and don't eat chicken curry before you go (did I mention it was warm with a lot of climbing?).

Cherry Trees are in bloom!

The Cherry Trees are in full bloom! It is absolutely beautiful walking around on base. Especially where we live, Kamiseya. The trees line the roadways creating a tunnel of cherry blossoms. You really have to see it to appreciate their beauty. Colby and I went out walking on Friday, March 30th. We tried to get a few good shots. We also discovered that cherry trees make great climbing trees!!!!!

I even have a few scratches to prove it! Now, some of the petals are starting to fall. At times, there are so many petals in the air, it seems like it is snowing! Enjoy our pictures!