Photo Essay: Kanekadan Jomicha Tomb

 

 

Every path on Okinawa leads somewhere. . . . this is one of those paths.



 

 



 

"It is not clear when exactly this tomb was built. This tomb was constructed by carving into the side of the mountain; underneath the bridge are three small gates varying in size.

The tomb is worshipped by the people as it is said to contail the ashes of those who held important posts in the region such as niche and noro (female priest of the Ryukyu Religion)as well as men who lived during the nakanuyu times (generally understood as the time of the Shuri Royal Government rule). In 1963, to honour their spirits, the locals reconstructed the tomb and carved the names of the above-mentioned individuals into the entrance stone on the fifth month of the lunar calendar. They also fitted out the exterior of the tomb and are working diligently to preserve it to this day."

 



 



 



 

 



 



 



 



 



 

As this site was visited by Mr OkiNinjaKitty on his way from work I don't have much to say about this location other than what I have seen in the photographs. It looks absolutely amazing and I can not wait to visit back again. It's just another fine example of the fact that Okinawa is full of surprises.

Shrine in Ozato

Yesterday when driving to a few places that we thoughts would be fun and exciting we stumbled upon an area that looked interesting. After a detour which took us round the block we found a quick place to park and I went up the inconspicuous stairs to investigate.

When I got to the top I saw that the area was a small local shrine. Much like other shrines in Okinawa this one was concrete and grey in color. Inside the shrine were five small offering areas where people often put incense to burn. Unfortunately there is not much to say about this shrine. There were no markers nor where there any indicators on the maps in the are that it was even here. Another thing that I found interesting is that there were 5 offering areas but no stones or ceramics in the shrine itself. Generally inside these shrines you can find something other than the offering areas themselves. Either way it was a nice little area that I thought you might like to see.

[caption id="attachment_1041" align="aligncenter" width="652"] Entrance[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1040" align="aligncenter" width="652"] Inside the shrine[/caption]

FMF: Puppies, Disney and More

I got a lot of questions that needed answering since I left for Tokyo and so here are the answers that I have for you guys.

I want to get a puppy but I don't want to support puppy mills. What do you recommend?

There are a lot of different places where you can get puppies on the island. Eventually you are going to encounter some that are not necessarily the most legitimate. Although I do not have a full run down of what places are more legitimate than others here's my thoughts. I have seen some good pet stores and some not so great ones. I have also seem some good breeders and others who are no better than puppy mills. In my opinion each puppy out there deserves a good home and it's hard for me to turn away a puppy who looks like it wants love just because of where it came from. In my opinion if it's healthy and if you want to love it go for it. Personally the dogs that I have gotten I got for free from people who were giving them away. That's not to say that I would not purchase from anyone in particular but in my past experiences I have found puppies who needed a home at no cost.

How was the JetStar Flight Experience?

I very much enjoyed the experience. The only thing that I found irritating is that when I was in Narita we needed to get off the plane, get on a buss and then go to the terminal which then was the same case then getting on the jet on my way out. It wasn't that it was a problem but like I mentioned in another review it would have been nice if someone would have notified us that this would be the way we would be getting on and off the plane so I could have prepared more manageable carry on items.

Can you do a video about certificate of eligibility?

When it comes to things that deal with legally getting here I prefer to not try and go into those details. This is because I want to make sure I am not giving out inaccurate information. My recommendation is to go through the authorities in these areas. Sorry for any inconvenience.

What is in natto? Is it fish?

No it is not fish. Natto is fermented soy beans.

Is it as nice as people say to travel on a plane throughout Japan?

Yes. It is very nice to travel throughout the country. The airlines are great even when the are discount airlines. They treat customers very well and the airlines are extremely clean (yes I have traveled on various airlines back and forth through Japan) and the airports are for the most part easy to use and user friendly.

76.47 US ? That's expensive for one night for one person.

When traveling throughout Japan it is important to remember that the cost of items and services don't change based on the strength of your local currency. When I first got here to Japan the yen rate was 140yen to the USD which was nice but when the US economy started to tank hat got less and less now we're sitting at about 76 yen to the USD. Of course this doesn't change the amount that people charge in Japan for a room (for example). I got my room at the Narita Rest Hotel for 5000 something yen for that one night which was extremely affordable considering that the average is 15,000 yen per night per person.

I've begun to use the little Google man to see how to get around.

I love the little google man. I use it all the time to determine where I need to go but unfortunately when I got lost trying to get to my hotel it as just trying to find the buss itself. The hotel was not necessarily in walking distance so I was supposed to get on a buss. Unfortunately I did't know what bus number to get on and every time someone walked up to me asking where I needed to go they didn't understand what it was I was talking about. This was frustrating but nonetheless when I called Russ he helped me find the bus number I needed.

From visiting both parks did you see a lot of Stich and Angel merch? Did you meet any characters other than the ones at Chef Mickey's?

I did notice that there was a lot of Stich merch but not as much Angel. Also I did not meet any characters other than the ones at the character breakfast. I had the chance to but I didn't want to wait in line or run up to a character and push a little kid out of the way. I had seen many characters in my day and I think every kid should have the chance to do the same.

I grew up near the original Disneyland in Anehiem and it's a shame that other Disneyland locations seem much better.

I have never been to the original Disneyland but I spent a lot of time in Walt Disney World. I too think that it is a shame but I do think that t is good that there are still places where you can experience Disney the way it was meant to be experienced (in my honest opinion). For me Tokyo Disney is that place. It brings back memories of when I first experienced Disney with characters everywhere and everything Disney themed. I will be writing more about this later so stay tuned.

77 may be cold in Naha but is it cold in Tokyo?

To be completely honest 77 isn't really cold in Naha but it is the lack of humidity which made it seem so cold for me. Now I do not believe that 77 is cold for Tokyo, in fact I think that it is rather warm for Tokyo because most of the people were in the area were dressed for summertime and looking very hot not to mention I couldn't seem to find a good long sleeved shirt that was worth getting so I could stay warm.

How much does it cost to live in okinawa in USD?

This is a complicated question. It depends on a lot of factors on where you work, where you live and how you live.

How are the disney parks different from the ones in the US?

Tokyo Disney Resort is very similar to Walt Disney World 1994/5. There are characters everywhere even walking through the parks. There is also disney theming everywhere. I will be making an in depth post about this here in the near future so stay tuned for that.

More Tokyo Disney Sea: Video

Katventures Issue 4: Tokyo Disney Sea

 



 

Our second day in the Tokyo Disney Resort was spent at Tokyo Disney Sea. If you have never been to Tokyo Disney Sea this is a park which is themed to the waterfronts of the world. The centerpiece is a large volcano which is the background for the "sea" which is the center of the park. There is the American Waterfront, Mysterious Island, Port Discovery, Mediterranean Harbor, Mermaid Lagoon and Arabian Coast. If you have ever been to EPCOT this is a similar concept. Each area has specialty rides, foods and music which are appropriate for the areas that you visit. You can get curry from the Arabian Coast, Italian food at Mediterranean Harbor and hotdogs at American Waterfront. In the other areas the food is also themed although I will say that Mermaid Lagoon serving seafood just seems wrong but for us humans I suppose that it is acceptable.



 

Each of these locations makes you feel as though you are really at the different parts of the world which is why I compare it to EPCOT although that is the first and last comparison to be completely honest. Everything else about the park is completely unique in different ways. One of the very interesting things that they have is a hotel, Miracosta, which is actually located in the park. In fact when sitting around waiting for Fantasmic you can see the people in their hotel windows. In my personal opinion this is a great way to add a special something to the park because although the building is beautifully painted and is inside the park the fact that there are naturally people walking around moving in the building behind the curtains, some open some shut lights on and off in a completely candid way. It's a great thing in my opinion.



 

There are some places which are in the park which are completely based on the imaginary places created by novels such as Journey To The Center Of The Earth and 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. The theming of this area is absolutely amazing. This area is tucked behind the volcano and therefore you need to walk through a cave to get to this area. When you emerge you find yourself inside the novels themselves. When you are in this area you can find yourself unable to see anything else around the park which is fantastic. There are a few different things that are worth mentioning in this area. An important thing to note is that there are a lot of shady areas in this area to include Journey To The Center Of The Earth.



 

There are a lot of other fun things to do around the park and tons of great photo opportunities around the park although some of them may be . . . . . strange. Regardless it's a fun place to be. You will hear me talk more about this park here in the near future. Overall this park is a great place especially for the adult guests. Stay tuned for more fun facts and information in the next week.

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Katventures Issue 3: Tokyo Disneyland

For our first day at the parks we decided that we would go to Tokyo Disneyland because it was simply the most appropriate place to go on the first day of a Disney trip. The weather was not bad although I to be honest would have liked to see a bit more sun. We were completely cloud covered and it was incredibly windy up there but we managed to get by without much of a problem.



 

We had the advantage of special park passes which allowed us into a special area where we could get into the park 15 minutes early which was great. This was one of the advantages of staying on Disney property and we took advantage of this as often as we could. Fifteen minutes might not seem like a lot but it was enough to get yourself ahead of the rest of the people and get on some of the rides before others were allowed into the park.



Although I had done my research about the time when we were traveling I didn't realize that this "off season" would be the way that it was. We did start enjoying the parks on Wednesday which was mid week but there seemed to be no one (at least compared to my last trip to the resort) here. We were able to get onto a number of rides that usually would have long waits all before lunch. To be truthful we really didn't know what to do with ourselves. We had enjoyed a few things as far as shopping and really strolled around the shops and saw what they had to offer. We also took some time to really see what the park had to offer as far as food went although we didn't eat everything we saw. I will be making a post in the future completely dedicated to food so when that time comes around I will make sure I go over absolutely everything that you might find at the park so you don't feel like you will be eating rice and sushi the entire time if you choose to visit.

 

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Over all the day at Tokyo Disneyland was great! We had the chance to see a lot and also just relax. There were some set backs like a little bit of rain and some of the shows were canceled because of the high winds but this was nothing that we couldn't deal with. To be honest I am trying to think of actual draw backs from the day and I can't think of any. The park was clean the staff were friendly everything went really well.

Around the Area: Ikspiari Shopping Center

 

We started off the day with some coffee which I had packed for the trip. This turned out to be a very useful thing especially the "blendy sticks" that I had also taken along with me which gave the coffee that gourmet taste without the gourmet price. If you are into paying over $10.00 for your coffee there are a number of places in the local shopping center known as Ikspiari where you can find a variety of places that serve up almost anything you can think of but more about that later. The Ambassador Hotel did offer up a few different types of hot drinks such as instant stir and go coffee as well as tea but I am glad that I had brought along my drip coffee especially with the amount of coffee that we drank.



 

 

It was a long flight for my mom who was coming from Boston so we decided to start the day off at Chef Mickey's and then spend some time in the area at Ikspiari seeing as it was very close to the hotel, in fact it was about a 5 minute walk from the elevator to Ikspiari itself. We had actually planned on going to various other places in Tokyo to explore, however, the sheer size of Ikspiari coupled with the amount of food, shopping and entertainment offered ended up keeping us entertained for most of the day.

 

To be completely honest although it would have been fun to go from place to place as I had originally planned I was actually blown away by the variety of what was offered at Ikspiari. If you are familiar with the Disney Resorts around the world, mainly Walt Disney World, I would compare Ikspiari to Down Town Disney. There is a movie theater, live shows, food and various shopping all with the high quality Disney customer service that you would expect from the company. There are, however, some main differences. Although there is a Disney Store there are very few Disney themed shops in Ikspiari which was nice. There were also a lot of places which were more practical rather than novelty. For example they don't have places like the magnet store which only sells magnets but they do have various clothing stores, cosmetic stores as well as some familiar brands like Coach and Lush.

 



If you do not want to shop there are various other areas you can explore like the large court yard with a stage in the center where there are various acts for everyone to enjoy. Although we did not sit down to watch any of the shows in particular we did see a bit of one where a man was doing tricks on the stage with the help from the audience. It seemed silly to me but the crowd seemed to like it and were very involved. These shows seemed to happen every night although we did not see a schedule nor did we watch every night so we took it as more of something to see if you happened to be in the area. The rest of the area is just beautiful though, there are flowers which were just fantastic and the sights and sounds were very enjoyable.

 

I do, however, think that it is important to note that although it is a nice place to stroll this is still a high traffic area. Although it is not as high traffic as some areas in Tokyo might be it is still Tokyo and you will experience the hustle and bustle of the city so be aware of that. If you have children strollers will be just fine but I would think twice about having young ones walking freely because of the amount of people and the slightly confusing layout of the area.



So you want to save all of your money for Disney merchandise, I understand, but everyone's got to eat! I was incredibly pleased with the food options which were available at Ikspiari. No matter what you are looking for or what type of food you enjoy you can find it here. . . somewhere. And you can even find those places that you otherwise would have searched all over Tokyo to find, right here, at your fingertips. Rainforest Cafe was no surprise but I was pleased to see that there was a Sweets Paradise which I had been searching all over for. Other restaurant options included Yakiniku, Italian, Sushi, Traditional Japanese, Tempaura and more. If you wanted to grab something for your room there are various places like a grocery store where you can pick up various international favorites. The prices were a little steep compared to what I am used to but according to Mom they weren't that bad and were rather affordable in many cases. There were also other places where you could get fresh foods such as sushi, rice balls and various other favorites. This was in my opinion much more affordable and I wish I would have seen this sooner. There are also places where you can get hotdogs and sandwiches if you are not in the mood to try some different Japanese style foods although I should warn you that many of the American foods are a bit overpriced because they are a special treat.

Overall this is a fantastic area and certainly worth the trip if you are in the Tokyo Disney Resort Area. It's also a little taste of Japan Shopping even if you are not out in the city and stay in the Tokyo Disney Resort.

Here are some more photos from Ikspiari including some of the foods that we got from the grocery store:

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Ikspiari (Tokyo Disney Resort) Rainforest Cafe Review

One of the restaurants which is a must for my family and I every time that we visit a Disney Resort is always the Rainforest Cafe. Here in Tokyo it was no exception. I could not resist the chance to eat some familiar foods and enjoy some nachos and tacos the way that they were meant (as far as an american is concerned) to be eaten.



 

The service was great and the prices were typical so I really can't say anything bad about that. They also had many of the favorites that you might find at any Rainforest Cafe with the addition of some Japanese style specialties to include a salad which included raw seafood. Before I continue any further it is important to note that if you are interested in going to the Rainforest Cafe and have not been here before you should know that it is loud and exciting. If you are looking for a quiet or romantic sit down restaurant this is most likely not for you. There are "animals" around the entire restaurant which "act up" from time to time as well as "thunder storms" which happen every so often. I would not imagine that this would be the place to bring children who may be fearful of these types of things. This wasn't a problem for my mother or myself though.



 

 

Overall Review

The service was great and the food came quick. Once it arrived it was delicious too! The staff was friendly and although they did not speak English well they did do their best to take my mother's order and there were no mistakes.

RATING: I give this restaurant a 10 our of 10. There was nothing that I could honestly say they needed to improve on that I was aware of.

If you are interested in going to the Rainforest Cafe in Ikspiari I would definitely recommend it.

Katventures Tokyo Issue 1: Chef Mickey's Character Breakfast

There is no better way to start off your trip with a nice filling breakfast and we did just that at the Tokyo Disney Resort Ambassador Hotel's restaurant "Chef Micky's". Like the Chef Mickey's located at different Disney Resorts around the world this restaurant offers a nice dining location for families as well as adult groups/couples to enjoy a hearty breakfast no matter what you enjoy eating. From steamed Japanese veggies and dumplings to jelly beans trust me when I say there is something for everybody.

The breakfast was very affordable at 3300 yen per adult for an all you can eat buffet. There was no posted time limits on the buffet although I assume it would be the standard 90 minutes the they have at other all you can eat places in Japan. The selection was HUGE and in fact I didn't even scrape the surface with what I ate. I also made the mistake of having two Micky pancakes which were very heavy and filling although they were amazingly delicious. There was fresh fruit, veggies, pastries, meats, pancakes, cereals, rice, curry, and so much more! The down side is that for two people it felt a little bit cramped. The table we were at was small and in a corner which made it hard to get in and out to see the characters without disturbing the two girls that were along side of us. Of course it's Disney and everyone was very understanding of what was going on because that is the nature of the restaurant but still I think it is worth mentioning if you are planning on going with just yourself and one other person.

The cast members were very helpful and most spoke either English or would alter the way they spoke Japanese to a more understandable vocabulary. If there was a misunderstanding then they would quickly either get someone to assist or they would find out how to ask the question in English before returning to the table. That made everything very helpful and less stressful especially for my mom who wasn't sure how to communicate what she wanted. I should also mentioned that regardless the fact that I could have assisted my mom before I had the chance to even explain that Japanese was ok for me the cast member would have already rushed away to get a statement translated. . . it was that quick.



The main dish, as far as my mother was concerned that is, were jelly beans. There were 4 different containers of jelly beans of mixed flavors for you to enjoy. They were also Jelly Belly brand which was surprising to me because usually Chef Micky's has candy for breakfast but not high quality beans like this. Everything was good and high quality though so I really can't say anything bad. There were also only 4 characters which was fine with me but I understand how some people may not have been pleased with that. The characters came around much more quickly than they do at Chef Mickey's in Walt Disney World but nonetheless it was still fine with me.



All of the characters were very "physical" in that they would shake your hand, give you a kiss or whatever else. For me I am tall so they pulled me down so I would be at their level. I had a great time taking photos with the characters and it was a good chance to get my photos in without having to wait in the lines that there at at the parks. If you want to really have a different variety of characters though, you can go to various character dining options that are around the resort. This is a great chance for you to see everyone but for those who you do not see you can check them out a the parks. They have a TON of characters (even the ones that you haven't seen for years and years) for you to meet and greet. They also have them out for long periods of time so that almost everyone has the chance to see them if they want to.

The Bottom Line:

RATING: 7 out of 10

If you are staying at the Ambassador Hotel then this is a great way to start your Disney trip. The price is right at 3300 yen for an all you can eat buffet with character meet and greet. If you are not at the restaurant early you may find yourself having to use something called "priority seating" which means you can get a ticket to come back to the restaurant at a later designated time rather than having to wait. This is common at other Disney Resorts also and I find it extremely useful.

So why 7 out of 10? The table was just a bit too small in my opinion and just a bit too close to the one next to us especially for a restaurant where you are up and down taking photos with characters. I also would have liked to see maybe just 2 more characters and have them a bit more spread out because it felt just a bit rushed.

Other than those things everything else was GREAT! Definitely something I would recommend.

Katventures Begins!

It's the time that we've all been waiting for. It's time to kick off Katventures!

Since I said that we are kicking off Katventures you know what that means. . . I am on my way to Tokyo. Over the next week I will be exploring the sights and sounds of Tokyo and unfortunately this means that I will be unable to post my regularly scheduled videos over on the OkiNinjaKitty Youtube Channel. What? You're not subscribed to my Youtube Channel yet? In that case you had better to get over there and hit that subscribe button because there are some extremely exciting videos which are going to be posted there in the coming weeks. I intend to post some teaser videos up that are taken on the fly while I am exploring which will also be broadcasted live on my UStream Chanel. Either way you can find yourself updated with everything that is going on.

So when are the high quality videos and photos going to be posted? Because I don't have the ability to edit and upload (and because I want to have a lot of fun which will lead me to getting YOU the best possible videos) you will be seeing the videos after I return to Okinawa. I know it's a lot of time to wait but I promise it will be worth the wait.

Also don't worry that you won't have something to read over here on the OkiNinjaKitty blog because I have scheduled some fantastically interesting blog posts for you to enjoy during the time that I am gone. They are going to be as closely related to the trip as I can make them. Don't forget to keep shooting me messages and comments because I will answer them all upon my return to Okinawa. That's right. It's going to be a Fan Mail Extravaganza.

There are other ways that you can keep track of my trip. Want to know how:

Check me out on Twitter by looking up @Okininjakitty

Don't forget to check me out on Facebook.

I also now have a new Tumblr.

High expectations the reason for bad travel reviews?

I have been doing a lot of research recently for my Tokyo trip. I am not looking for a great deal of information but just a few things that would make the trip easy like if the hotel has a laundry service so nothing big. During my research I ended up spending time some time reading reviews which I found were interesting and at times surprising.

To be completely honest I read only the English comments because I wasn't into translating. During the time that I was reading I started to see a pattern and that pattern is that basically I think people have high expectations when traveling to another country and in some cases feel that that country should accommodate to what is part of your particular culture or it simply is not up to good standards. This is best illustrated in the example of bedding. Now here in Japan it is most common for people to sleep using futon. Futon can be closely compared to a long thin mat that is rolled out on the floor and from there a sleepy person would sleep upon it like a bed because. . . . it is a bed. If you were to go to home shops you might also see the same type of thing where the futon is rolled out on a raised level which looks similar to a bed or in some cases a mattress is used although it is usually firm. Knowing this you might only assume that it is natural for the beds in Japan to have a similar build where they are firm. Unfortunately there are a great deal of people traveling to Japan who don't seem to know this and therefore feel extremely disappointed or even distraught about the fact that the beds are firm or "feel as if you are sleeping on the floor". The comments that I had read were absolutely relentless stating things like "Japanese obviously hate Americans" just for the feel of the bed. It actually makes me wonder if these people had ever traveled to another country ever before. My thought is no and the reason that I say this is supported by something else that I found myself reading during my research and that was that no one spoke English and "staff was extremely unhelpful because of it". Wow. This is always one of the things that surprise me the most when I hear it from people who travel to countries which do not have English as a primary language. Of course English may be available from time to time, however, just because a hotel has "english speaking staff" for example does not mean that everyone on staff at all times speaks English. Truthfully I do not feel as if there is a lot of explaining for me to do in order to try and help others understand that when traveling to Japan it might not be possible to communicate in English but I suppose that there are some out there who just feel this way and that saddens me. In fact the reason that I am most sad about this is because the way that these comments are made almost make it seem as if these families were traveling to Tokyo and going to certain destinations and then having no assistance whatsoever. It seems like they are made to figure out everything on their own and fend for themselves which I do not think is the case. What I can do is explain what I have experienced in the time that I have been here. I have been in Japan for approximately  6 years now but my language skills are not the best especially because Okinawa is not the best place to learn Japanese but I will get into that during a different post. Regardless my lack of language skills I have never encountered a problem doing anything here in Japan be it Tokyo, Osaka or Okinawa. I Have also take a number of steps to ensure that I do not run into problems. I have a great survival vocabulary and when I do not know I have taken time to make accommodations for ahead of time. Anyone can do this and I encourage anyone going to any country to do something similar.

There were other things that I had read about and just thought was amazing that people were not considering these things when they left on a trip to Japan. I suppose some people are just never satisfied. Thanks for reading.

Katventure: Tokyo Prep

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This morning I had found myself doing something that I usually do a few weeks before I go on vacation. . . . packing my bag with all of the things that I plan to bring with me on the trip. So I pulled down my suitcase and pulled out some of the things that I had been planning on bringing to Tokyo and began to put some of these things into my suitcase. Thank goodness that I did because I realized a few things but mostly that I am not as prepared for this trip as I thought I was.

So let me start from the beginning. Basically what I do in the event that I want to travel is that I take everything I plan on taking with me and put it in one place. Once that is done I find myself taking the clothing and other stuff, putting going through it (and testing it out in the suitcase) and seeing how much I can fit and if my outfits were not planned in the proper direction or not. This is basically what I did today.

As you might see in the photographs above some of the stuff that I have to be packed is not clothing related at all. In fact as I had mentioned my plan was to bring foods like snacks and other treats on the trip with me. This would allow me to ensure that I have some things to snack on and eat for breakfast when I get to tokyo rather than trying to find something at a local konbini or having to pay more buying from a kiosk. . . . at least right away. I have these snack bars called "Lite Meal" and I also have some other instant oatmeal and drip coffee which will assist in the breakfast part of the day. FInally I also have some sports drinks packets which can be added to water bottles to ensure that we are getting the proper number of electrolytes when being out in the summer heat for most of the day. Of course this is not to prevent us from buying anything when in Tokyo but it will allow us to save a little bit of money and be able to use bubblers rather than having to buy bottles of sports drinks. There are various other products that I am bringing with me to include some different types of wipes for keeping clean and cool as well as a few other fun and interesting snacks like Salty Pocky. Not sure whether that will be a fan favorite when I get to give it to Mom (who will be meeting me in tokyo) or not but either way it is going to be fun. I also have a few fun treats for my mom which I am bringing with me. These items do take up a lot of space in my bag but I do plan on these spaces being cleared out for when I travel back which will allow for me to have more space for fun things I might purchase during my time in Tokyo.

I have also decided that I am going to travel with some of my electronic devices in my bag rather than on my person. Of course because airport security will require electronic devices to be taken out of the bags and put in different containers for screening it seems like there are some which are not necessary to take with me on the plane such as my camera. With me iPad and cell phone as well as my video camera there is really no reason to have the still shot with me. This will most likely be carried in my bag although I am still not sure what I am going to do quite yet and it all depends on space.

Finally we get to the clothing which is the most important part of the stuff I pack. Of course most of the stuff that I need to take needs to be ready for the warm weather but also needs to be what is considered appropriate for the different things that I will be doing during the time that I am in tokyo. I want to ensure that for the days when I go to certain places I look appropriate and on other days I can move comfortably and have a good time. A good way that I do this is to supplement some outfits with the use of scarves. I have three scarves that I will be bringing with me to tokyo all of which are basic and can go with any of the color combinations that I am taking on the trip with me. I will also be bringing some cover ups for my arms. The reason for this is because seeing as how I have a tattoo that covers my arm I want to ensure that I am being appropriate for times when it is needed but also I need to ensure that I also am protecting my expensive asset from the very harsh sun. This is not difficult and will only require a bit of sunscreen at most times although on some days a long sleeve or three quarter length sleeve shirt will also do the trick.

What I seem to notice from going through my clothes, however, is that many of the things I am packing are in need of some bottoms. I have the tops ready to go but no pants. This is really not to much of a problem because I have the pants lying around I just need to get them and put them in the pile of stuff for tokyo but at the same time the fact that I haven't set them aside yet and thought I was almost ready to go is a bit concerning. I will also need to ensure that I am bringing some night time clothes which I have not set aside yet as well as some under garments which also have not been set aside.

Overall today's mock up was very successful because it allowed me to find out what I am going to need but it also allowed me to see how much space I have left in this little suitcase of mine which turns out to be about half of the suitcase left and that doesn't count my carry on bag so I seem to be in good shape. Hopefully it all turns out well and I can get everything I need to tokyo.

Thanks for following! More soon including tips on saving space.

A New Concept: Katventures

My father-in-law is a big OkiNinjaKitty fan and recently he brought up the idea of a series of videos called "Katventures". I have not 100% decided how I will be handling these types of videos but at this time I feel that it is going to be the name of any videos that I do which are in any way some type of adventure rather than just something informative about Okinawa or Japan.

Truthfully this will not really be any huge chance to the quality of the videos although you might see a new intro and maybe a few new fun things going on in the videos themselves.

So when can you expect to see "Katventures" take off? As you can see in the graphic above the first location for the "Katventures" is going to be Tokyo. I am heading to Tokyo mid July so it is the perfect time for me to get some awesomely fun footage and share it with you guys. It is also going to be a lot of fun because this will be one of the first adventures that I will be taking by myself (at least for some of the time) and then meeting up with Big Momma (ok so she will probably not make an appearance as "big momma" but that's the best I can come up with right now) who will be joining me for her first trip independently out of the country. We will come together and have a lot of fun traveling through some areas of Tokyo and making memories that I am sure you will all very much enjoy.

Although I will be taking a trip through Tokyo for about a week you can expect to see the various videos posted throughout that time in order to make sure that I can get everything uploaded edited and all that great stuff. There will also be special "Katventures Teasers" which will be up on UStream as well as hopefully posted to YouTube if Rusty (the hubby) can coordinate with me on that.

It is bound to be a great time and I hope that you all enjoy the upcoming videos!