Arriving in Japan

Well we are here. This first blog entry will be long since I have to catch up. We arrived in Japan on Oct. 16. We spent the first week end getting over jet lag and a trail run to Ed's new office. The first week we had a meeting with the relocation company and Exxon's HR here in Japan and we had to apply for our resident's card and open a bank account which took 2 1/2 hours. Friday and Saturday we looked at apartments. We looked at 10 locations each day and more than one apartment at some locations. Sunday we went out on our own to check out the neighborhoods. Tuesday we went out again checking out neighborhoods and Wednesday we had our second look at our short list. I wanted one place more and Ed wanted a second place because he said it was a better location and it would be easier for me to do my grocery shopping which is almost daily event since you can only buy what you can carry home. So, we are presently waiting to finalize lease contract.  All of this is handled by companies Exxon has contracted. It is a very formal process. Our move in date is Nov. 27th.  I leave for the states on Nov. 21th so Ed will be on his own to move us in, the first time in all our moves. Okay, one for the girls.

 Halloween is alive and doing well in Japan. all the shops were decorated and the clerks in the store wore costumes. We even went to a Halloween party with all the ghouls and goblins dressed in costume. Ed was a pirate and I was a "Who Dat" We didn't have mush time to put anything together.


Nov. 2 was a holiday. Culture Day originally this day was celebrated as The Meiji Emperor's Birthday. He is the 122nd emperor  (1852-1912) of Japan, the great-grandfather of the current Emperor. When Japan was facing unprecedented conditions such as the opening of the country to the world after its long isolation and the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate. We visited the Meiji Shrine and they had several exhibitions. All the participants dressed in traditional costume, sword fighting, stick fighting and the Emperor's archers on horseback. It was a beautiful day. Nov 15th is
Shichi-go-san (seven-five-three) celebrates the boys who have reached the ages of three and five and girls who have reached the ages of three and seven, who visit Shinto shrines dressed in traditional dress to pray for their safety and healthy growth.

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This past week-end we went to Hakone to see the Fall Foliage. We rode a train to reach the Romance car fast train, we rode that train to a slow train, then a cog train up the mountain and then a cable car. We could see Mount Fuji and all the hot springs which we decided will be another trip maybe when I get back and we saw the fall foliage. I am going to attempt to up load some of those pictures as well. But I may have to buy more memory because something keeps putting up.