In Japan, karaoke is nothing like how it is in the US. In the US, it’s a big group event where one person sings in front of a crowd. It’s meant to be a bit embarrassing. In Japan, however, it’s a private event with only a few people per group and you get a private room. It’s customary to get a drink with your room and you rent the karaoke room for 1-3 hours. Lots of Japanese people use this to unwind at the end of the week, sing, dance, and blow off steam with friends or coworkers.

Leanne and I found a karaoke place near our house where we sang for an hour. It was a lot of fun! Leanne is camera shy but believe me, she can really sing!

Japanese Curry is one of the most popular dishes in Japan. We went to CoCo Curry House, a famous curry place right near the base to try it out! It was very different from Thai or Indian curry but good in its own right. Definitely worth trying!

Ryota, my friend I mentioned in a previous post, really likes to fish. He caught multiple fish, many over 40kg! He prepared them up for us to eat. It doesn’t get fresher than this!

Malls in the USA are dying for sure. But here is Japan? They’re so fun and full of life! When we came to the mall this time, we were greeted with a full on dance routine.

After a nice lunch we went to You’s Land to try to win a prize. We saw this bunny where you control when the scissors stop on a y axis. If you get it juuuuust right you get the prize.

We then discovered the arcade section of the mall, and let me tell you, arcades in Japan are next level.

We ended the mall trip with a trip to the photo booth which is not at all like how they are in the states. It’s a whole experience where you take the pictures but it makes your eyes huge and makes you look “kawaii.” You can then add hearts and funny things to the photos. And that was our trip to the mall!

Went to the mall again. You know what that means! Time for more funny translations! You would think that the bad translations probably don’t get sold and certainly don’t get worn, right? Well, you’d be wrong.

Japan sure does love its festivals! This weekend, there was a festival right outside the Base. So much food, activity, and cute things to see and buy!

Leanne found a fish stick! But, like, a literal fish stick.

Takoyaki! This is octopus inside of fried dough with japanese mayo on top. Really, really good.

Shaved ice is really big here in Japan. It’s not quite snow cones since it’s more fluffy but it’s a very similar concept. They put this milk sugar sauce thing on top that’s so delicious.

They had a section for live music that had a massive Uncle Sam. Interesting!

The festival was really fun! We’re planning on going back tomorrow.

Say hello to Tora, which means tiger in Japanese.

This is my new car. The navigation system is all in Japanese, which isn’t ideal, but it can definitely navigate me to the nearest udon noodle shop (tested this one, and it works)!

Guess how much all these plates of sushi cost, plus 2 drinks and dessert?

Yesterday, Leanne and I went to eat shabu shabu, which is an onomatopea for “swish swish.” You get a hot pot of a couple different broths and thin slices of meat as well as vegetables to cook in the hot pot.

The best part is the meats are brought by a robot cat!

The answer to the sushi question? $19.99! No tipping in Japan either. The yen conversion rate has been good to us!

While doing kimono shopping this morning at the Shimoda Mall, one of the other shoppers from base mentioned that there was a festival today. About 20 minutes north of Misawa is a town called Tohoku where fireworks were to take place over the huge lake in our area, Lake Ogawara. We headed over!

During summer festivals, many Japanese people will year yukata, which is a light cotton outfit meant for housewear, errands, and festivals. It’s certainly not mandatory though and totally up to you! Some people wear more traditional outfits, some don’t, even within the same family. One amazing facet of Japan is how seamlessly the old can live with the new.

The fireworks display was absolutely gorgeous.

Luckily for us, we aren’t coming to Japan without guidance. The base has a lot of tours of different kinds with bilingual staff to help translate and navigate Japan. Today we took a kimono shopping tour in the local Shimoda mall.

Now we can look great and fashionable for all the many festivals!