Sara O./Japan....so jealous!

[Guest guest]

I saw that you are going to Hiroshima, you will just love it. The

trains, like Bethany said can be tricky. I lived in Astugi, near

Tokyo for 2 years. I have some tips for you also, bring lots of

pocket tissue, Japanese bathrooms do not have toliet paper typically

or paper towels, japanese women tend to carry a little wash cloth

with them to dry their hands, try not to eat on the trains, it is

rude as is being to noisy. If you are unsure about where you are

going in a train station try to move AWAY from the crowd or you will

be swept up in it. If you don't see any english on the signs above

the tickets booths walk all they way up to it, sometimes it is under

the Kanji characters. And when all else fails stand around and look

stupid with your train map out, I always found that the Japanese love

to practice their english and jump at the chance to use it.

In Hiroshima there is a resturant named kemby's off the Ginza

district, if you get too overwhelmed by the local food it is a great

place to go get a burger or a pizza at. If you like Japanese food

there is a specialty dish in Hiroshima, they have these little

resturants where you sit around a griddle and eat this omelet like

dish off of it. Almost all resturants have plastic food in the

windows so you can always just point to the meal you want. And I

never encountered any rude, while traveling or out off base shopping.

We left Japan September 30, 01 and I went by myself to Hiroshima as a

last hurrah that same month. It is so funny I didn't want to move

there, when my husband got orders there and now I am like when can

you convince the Navy to send you there again?! I could go on for

days about things you should try and do.

I hope you have a lot fun oh and there is a Starbucks on the corner

of the peace park, they are taking over the world!

Tabrin