Freedom

We were finally set free to roam the base today. We cannot leave base until they send our certificate that we finished our seven hour videos.

Doug had to go check-in with some office because his ship is under weigh. I got up and did my normal routine. I just made coffee and starting to work on this blog. Doug came back about two hours later saying we were moving rooms. The Navy Lodge in Sasebo has two buildings. Building one is for ROM people and building two is for non-ROM people. We quickly packed everything up and moved rooms. Our new room is a little bit bigger and it has a beautiful view of Sasebo! Its a cloudy day but plenty of buildings to see.

After moving in, we went to housing. Doug had to fill out some paperwork. Then after housing, we had to take the cats to the vet on base. The cats got the all clear and they don’t have to be quarantined, because we did all the prep work! Thinking back on how Covid-19 really screwed everything up. I am glad we started getting everything together for our move to Japan early on, like November 2019. We took the cats back to the room. Then we went back out to get lunch. We got Taco Bell for convenience plus we both didn’t have breakfast.

After eating, we went to the NEX and the Commissary. We just picked up a few things we needed. At the NEX, Doug bought Paper Mario and I got a face mask. We bought some coffee, laundry detergent, and fabric softener at the Commissary. We then went to the Mini NEX to get some snacks and to check out what pet items they have. We were looking for a deeper litter box, but no luck. We decided to head back to our room.

When we got back to the room we put our drinks away, then Doug decided he was going to work out. He has been upset that he hasn’t really worked out since March. We all got fat. Its okay. He was ready to go, then our certificate came back, which allows us to go out in town. Doug went to double check we could go out in town. He came back and was all excited! I got ready and we left.

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I looked into what was around base last week. When you leave base, left is the shipyard and to the right is places to eat and the mall. It is a quick walk, like 15 minutes. We went to the Sasebo GoBanGai (5th Avenue) mall. They had plenty of places to shop for clothes, a stationary store, a cookware store, a grocery store, and places to eat. We looked around. We went in the Toys R’ Us, the arcade, and the stationary store. Toys R’ Us was dangerous. They had a lot of cute toys and they had some snacks. Doug bought a really cool Mario Lego set. I got some Pokemon stuff. At the arcade, Doug won me three items. I got a stuffed Raichu, a mini stuffed Munchlax, and a Totoro purse from the claw machines. We spent about $25 (2,500 yen) playing and all three items are valued at $50. We then went to the stationary store. I just wanted to see what they had. They mostly has stickers and some cute paper. Then we went to this udon place to eat. I got curry udon. Doug got beef udon and beef and rice. It was delicious. We were both so exited and happy to finally get to see Sasebo and feel like we are in Japan.

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After eating, we went to the grocery store. We went in for snacks and some drinks. I was excited to finally find the Pokemon snacks I was looking for. We decided to get back because Doug’s leg was hurting him.

It has been an amazing day! I am looking forward to all the new adventures and things we will get to see. I feel like I am finally in Japan!