Summer Sixteen: FUK to DFW

Monday, August 8, 2016 - 

Fukuoka Airport (FUK) to Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT)

Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT) to Dallas/Fort Worth Airport (DFW)

This morning I woke up, showered, packed, and headed down to check out and meet my taxi.  My taxi showed up right on time and took me to Fukuoka Airport. My driver was so nice. He tried to use as much English as possible and I did the same in Japanese. He told me that he visited America 20 years ago ... LA and Disney Land. When we arrived at the airport - arimasu - he helped me with my luggage and taught me how to say "See you later!" in Japanese - mata ne. I headed towards the doors only to find that the airport was closed. It didn't open until 5:30. There was a small group of Japanese people outside and they over heard me mutter, "Too early." They then repeated, "Too early" back to me. We all laughed and got comfortable. In true Japanese fashion the doors were opened early ... 5:26. We made our way inside and formed a line at the Japan Airlines International counter.

Check-in was not until 6:00 -- I still say, "Better early than late."  

Check in, security, and the shuttle ride to the tarmac went smoothly. I found my seat and was asleep right away. The flight from Fukuoka to Tokyo is about 2 hours. 

Arriving in Tokyo was so exciting! I love airports. I'm not kidding. I love airports!  I followed the signs and made it to security, customs, and immigration. Since I am a resident of Japan now, I had to fill out a special form that allows me to return to the country using my current visa. 

I checked into the American Airline Admiral's Club and settled in for my 8 hour lay-over. Once again, I love airports so this was a treat. The club is unbelievable.

• wifi
• lounge seats
• showers
• magazines, newspapers
• computers
• food & drinks
• wine, draft beer, shots ...

Seriously, I will never travel internationally without lounge access ever again.

In the afternoon I ventured out and explored the airport . . . so much fun!

I walked through the Tax-Free stores and picked up a few small things.

I loved my afternoon in the lounge. I really didn't want to leave. 

Flight Necessities: water and matcha kit kat bars 

The flight from NRT to DFW was a little over 11 hours. I had a window seat and had the best seatmate. They were a foreign exchange student traveling to the US to study Economics and Finance. We had so much to talk about. We shared magazines, snacks, and both experienced "culture shock". It was the best time. 

I arrived to DFW in the late afternoon. Coming off the plane I headed to Immirgartion and Customs ... boy oh boy. It took a good while before I made it through successfully. It was so exciting to walk through the exit doors and be greeted by my family.

Let summer vacation begin!

Weekend Recap: August 6th and 7th

Saturday, August 6, 2016 - Today was the first day of the English Camp. C and I traveled into Fukuoka City on an early train and weren't quite sure what to expect. This was our first English Camp to work since becoming ALT's.

The first day was a success! We all survived and had a great time. But, gosh ... we were exhausted! 

When I got back to my apartment all I wanted to was crawl into bed. I quickly prepared for the next day: 

• repacked my backpack
• made my lunch
• filled my water bottle up
• showered
• laid out my clothes

And then the real task began ... packing for AMERICA. 

Sunday, August 7, 2016 - Good morning! I woke up later than I planned. I must have hit my snooze without realizing it. My alarm was scheduled to go off at 4:45 am. That would give me enough time to double check everything and make a cup of coffee. I wanted to take the 5:14 am train into Fukuoka City so I could check my luggage into my hotel. Unfortunately, I didn't wake up until 5:13 am. I hustled out the door and was able to make the 6:06 am flight. I was pretty impressed with myself. 

Heading to Orio Station

Orio Station

Once I arrived at Hakata Station I stored my bag in a locker, picked up breakfast, and stopped at Starbucks, before boarding my train to the English Camp. 

Day 2 was even better than Day 1! The kids had warmed up to one another and were all smiles. I could not have been happier with the outcome. Everyone had a great time. We'll be repeating this same camp model at the end of the summer. This camp went really well, but round 2 should be even better.

Fukuoka City

Everyone went their separate ways after the camp. I headed to Hakata Station to check into my hotel.

The hotel staff was extremely helpful. I explained to them that I would be flying out on an early flight and they helped me find the best transportation option. They called the taxi for me and made my reservation. It was a great help --- a check off my to-do list.  

Lookout Platform at the top of Hakata Station

Once I settled in and took a short nap, I went out exploring. Hakata Station was right across the street. I went and window shopped. I also ventured up to the top of the building and found the roof top terrace. It was unbelievable. There were sitting areas, a lookout platform, a shrine, and a huge garden. I'm excited to see it in the day time. It's the perfect place for brining a book and a cup of coffee. The view was amazing, too!

Shrine at the top of Hakata Station

Tomorrow morning I'll head to the airport and start my journey to the States. I'm really excited! But, I'm really happy that I'm only going for vacation. I'm glad I still have all of this to come back to. 

Weekly Update: August 1 - 5

August 1, 2016 - This morning I Face-timed with my best friend, Katie Scott! It was so nice to see her face and catch up. I'll see her at the beach in a couple of weeks. I cannot wait!

In the afternoon I headed out to Fukuoka City to see the fireworks in Ohori Park. Summer in Japan is Firework Season! Every weekend there seems to be some display going on. This was my last opportunity to see fireworks before leaving for my trip to America. I didn't want to miss it. I took a train into Fukuoka and found Ohori Park without a problem. I wanted to take more pictures than I did, but it was so crowded. I've never experienced a crowd this size. I was overwhelmed to say the least. I put my camera away and enjoyed the night for what it was --- a memorable experience.

The festival stands in Japan are unbelievable. They have such a wide variety of food: 3D pancake characters; chocolate covered bananas; yakitori; pineapple on a stick; shaved sweet ice; takoyaki ... etc. Check out the comprehensive list at Japan Talk. They took the pictures I could not.

I have decided that my festival go-to's are: pineapple on a stick & a beer.

I took the train from Hakata back to Orio Station. Right before leaving Hakata Station though, I picked up doughnuts and coffee. Nom nom nom. 

August 2, 2016 - This morning didn't go quite like I planned. I had wanted to go for a long run, but I kept pressing snooze on my alarm. I guess I didn't really want to go.

So even though I had these amazing doughnuts to break into (I bought two of each kind last night so I would have doughnuts in the morning) ... I held off until later after I worked out.

Doughnut flavors from bottom to top: fried doughnut; sweet potato poppy seed doughnut hole filled with ube (puruple yam); chocolate doughnut hole filled with chocolate coconut cream.

For lunch I had unagi sushi, black seaweed, and a salmon filled onigiri.  During the summer unagi (eel) is very popular.  Japan Monthly Magazine calls it a summertime treat.  Currently my favorite Japanese foods/drinks are:

• Unagi (eel) with Rice
• Onigiri with Umeboshi (pickled plum)
• Matcha Truffles 
• I LOHAS Aloe Vera Water
• Sesame Seed Dumplings filled with Red Beans

I began packing for my upcoming trip to the US today. I still have quite a bit to do and a few days before I leave, but I'm going to be really busy with work so I needed to get started.

I also went out and ran a few errands: SunLive, Diaso, and the ATM. 

And for dinner I went with a new type of sushi. I'm not exactly sure what's in it but I could taste fish, ginger, and green onions. It was really good and I thought it was neat that it wasn't wrapped in seaweed, but instead some type of leaf.

Dessert was a kashiwamochi -- oishii! 

August 3, 2016 - Today I traveled into Fukuoka City for Day 1 of the English Camp Training. I spent all day in Fukuoka. I took an early train in and had an hour to sip coffee at Cafe Fadie before going to into the office. This Cafe Fadie location is one of my favorites. It's on the ground level of a huge office tower and feels like an atrium. There is a open air sitting area with plenty of seating and an inviting atmosphere. I could have sat there all day. 

 Cafe Fadie, Tenjin Center, Fukuoka City, Japan

View of the PARCO shopping center --- one of my favorite department stores.

1 hour of morning bliss.

Day 1 of the training went well. The commute back to Orio was not bad. B and I took the same train and were lucky enough to have seats for the whole ride back. When I got to my apartment I ate dinner, showered, and called it a night. I have another full day of training tomorrow and I wanted to get some extra sleep.

Tonight's view.

*** For dessert I broke into the bag of match flavored KitKat bars I am supposed to be bringing my family when I visit. I'll have to replace the bag, but it was so worth it. 

August 4, 2016 - Today was Day 2 of the English Camp Training. It was another full day of prep and training. During the lunch hour I ventured outside for some fresh air and Pinkberry with B and C. I got a medium originial with pineapple, melon, kiwi, red beans, and matcha cookies. It was so good!

When I got back to my apartment I went for a short run and then made eggs with vegetables for dinner. It was a really good day!

August 5, 2016 - Today was the last day of the English Camp Training. I traveled into Fukuoka City and met everyone at the office. We had a few finishing touches to put on our camp materials and we needed to run through all of the activities. It was exciting to see it all come together.

 I tried out a new coffee shop this morning --- J.Ferry Grand Store, 300 yen iced coffee
J.Ferry Grand is a clothing brand store that I could have easily bought a few pieces from. Instead, I held off and just window shopped.

For lunch, B and I walked down to Full Fill bakery and bought some sweet breads. I purchased a blueberry bagel and two matcha scones for later on. We took our bread over to Café Fadie's coffee shop and ate on their outdoor patio. We each ordered an iced coffee.

Fukuoka City is becoming one of my favorite places to explore. It's one of the top 10 largest cities in Japan. They have everything --- temples & shrines, trendy restaurants, outdoor parks, festivals, beer gardens, the beach, Softbank Hawks Baseball ... etc. There's so much to do and see. I think I'll have to plan a weekend trip where I stay over night when I get back from vacation.

 Training went really well. We finished on time and the staff surprised us with Mister Donut doughnuts -- oishii!

After training instead of heading straight back to Orio Station, I decided to do a test run to the camp site. I wanted to make sure I could navigate my way to the site. 

I found the site and felt a whole lot better about making the trip on Saturday morning. One of my biggest stressors is time --- I hate being late.

I made it back to Orio Station and all that was left to do was to get a good night's rest before camp.