We have officially landed in Japan! The plane ride was long but when it finally went after 47 hours of delays, the ride wasn’t too bad.

Miles did great with the ride! Didn’t seem to get bothered by it at all, which was a huge relief. Speaking of huge relief, the crazy boy held his pee the entire flight!

When we landed, we were blessed to see a familiar face: our friend Ricky. He was such a lifesaver. He drove us around the base, helped us check into our temporarily housing, get new housing (we secured a really great 3 bed 2.5 bath house on base with a yard), get our 4EJ international driver’s license, and best of all where to get cheap and delicious sushi off base.

Our first day was so exhausting, especially after such a long plane ride, so we called it by 7:30pm and passed out. The next day, Miles and I woke up by 4am feeling like our was 6 out 7 am because the sun was already coming up!! Land of the rising indeed! The sunrise here is at 4:15am!

Day 2 started with a cup of Joe from the vending machine in our hotel. The vending machines are everywhere and they have completely novel and fun drinks, most of which are really delicious.

In the morning, we headed off base to see some shops and convenience stores. Yes, convenience stores! In the US, these types of stores are generally grungy and boring, but in Japan they’re so different and fun. Just see the pics and videos below:

Next stop, supermarket!