Gakusei Travels

洋食を見つけた！

Prepare for a photo dump!

In Japan, there are several American military bases. My sorority sister actually works on the Yokota Airbase, one of the bases near Tokyo. This weekend is the annual Friendship Festival. Basically, the base is open to the public, and civilians can come to see the plans in the hanger, eat food, and hang out. I believe the point of the event was really to foster friendship between Japan and the United States. It honestly reminded me of the state fair back at home. Since we were guests, Sienna had to sponsor Sam and I. She was actually really smart. Since you basically have to get permission to be on base if you’re not an employee or military personal, we had to get visitor passes. Sienna had Sam and I come on Thursday to get our passes, because the day of, the line was out the door. We just had to bring our passports and we were good to go.

The first thing we actually did on base was get Einstein Bagels for breakfast. The base accepts the American dollar, so I could use my debit card. But in all honesty, I was just so confused. I first wondered if I even had money on my card, because I withdrew so much Japanese yen. And second, my brain no longer registered how much a dollar was. I’m not trying to be funny, but in my head, my concept of how expensive things are is broken. lol. At this food court, there were other American restaurants like Popeyes, Taco Bell, and Subway. It felt like being at home. There was also a Pizza Hut. Sam really really wanted to get pizza, but I guess it’s so popular that they were literally sold out for the day.

The festival itself was outside at one of the landing areas, I think. I don’t quite remember what Sienna said. People had picnic blankets out, there were food stalls, and music was playing. Like I said, it truly reminded me of the state fair, but it was a fun fusion of Japanese and American. Of course, there were things like hamburgers and hotdogs, beer and of course the most American thing ever, fried oreos. But there were also Japanese foods like yakuniku and soba. Most stands accepted both the yen and the U.S dollar (paying in yen was typically cheaper). It was so hot though, so the first thing we did was get shaved ice.

Throughout the day, the jets were taking off and putting on performances in the air. At one point, people were jumping out of the plane! I never actually knew how loud jet planes were. They were literally roaring over head, and I felt like my chest was resonating from the noise. Since the planes were flying faster than the sound itself, by the time the plane flew by, the roar of the engine trickled like an aftereffect. Sienna said that people who live in the neighboring vicinity hate the base. If you’re launching the jets in the middle of the night when I’m trying to sleep, I’d hate you too. T^T

We could also walk around and see some of the airplanes. Again, I didn’t realize how big some of these vehicles were. There were both Japanese and American Air Force planes. I’m not even really interested in this kind of stuff, but it was still cool to see, and I took about a million pictures like everyone else. They were actually allowing people to enter one of the carriers that quite honestly looked like it came straight from an Avengers movie. We didn’t go into it, sadly, because the line was too long and it was too hot to be standing outside.

As the day wore on, the heat just grew more merciless. I think it got up to 83F today. I was trying to chug water, cause I have passed out before from dehydration, and I really didn’t want to have to make that phone call home to my mom. We kind of took refuge in the shade of one of the bunkers. There, shops and stands sold merchandise or food. I ended up buying two tumblers, as if I needed another cup, and a T-shirt. I don’t know when is the next time I will come back to Japan, (hopefully soon) so I wanted to buy things to commemorate the experience.

At the bunker, there was also a stage with various groups performing. There were a lot of kids performing little dances or rhythmic gymnastics choreography. It was fun to watch and to take a little break from walking around. There was this one group that ended up performing, and it was so cool to watch. I wish I knew the proper term for it, but many of the dancers were carrying around drums. Two men were singing and someone carrying a flag was somewhat conducting the drummers by whistling. It was really cool to watch, because everyone was so in sync. I wish I could’ve gotten closer to take better pictures, but the hanger was so crowded with picnic blankets and people trying to avoid the sun.

After watching the performances for a while, we grabbed a late lunch, which was the first highlight of the day! I got some Black people food! Lol! I really miss my mom’s cooking, and recently, my family hosted a mini barbecue for mother’s day, where my granddad grilled out. The one thing that sucks about being away from your family, is honestly all the mini gatherings you miss in between the major holidays. I felt the same way last summer when I was in California for my internship. This is the second year in a row that I’ll miss Memorial Day weekend, the June BBQ we do for my granddad and uncle’s birthday, and 4th of July weekend. And last summer, since I was gone, I didn’t get to attend my brother’s high school graduation, which still makes me sad. I watched it live, but it’s not the same.

My family is really close, and it sucks not being able to spend it with them, especially since my little cousins all look up to me. I guess sometimes I do feel a little guilty. I try to be there as much as I can for them, but I am also an adult, and I’m slowly transitioning to the next phase of my life. My youngest cousin and I have an 18 year age gap. I know the older ones, to a certain extent, understand. I still managed to send my cousin a little money for his 12th birthday that just passed, but it sucks not being able to take him out for dinner, you know? But I have to live my life so that I can come back and tell them all the stories of my trips abroad. I want them to not be afraid to take the same risks I do and know they can do anything they put their mind to.

That’s why I’m so grateful for the connections I’ve made here with Sam and Sienna. It’s lonely being a foreigner, especially a Black woman in Japan. I’m just glad I have people who understand what I’m going through and can relate to my experiences. I was so happy to have ribs, mac and cheese, and collard greens. Just the little notion of having food you grew up with with people who look like you made me feel less homesick.

Now, the second highlight of my day, was grocery shopping. I hate grocery shopping usually, but this time, I was able to get some American foods! Don’t get me wrong, I love Japanese food. But there are some things from home that I just miss so much. Some things I can get away with by finding a similar Japanese alternative, like apple juice or soda. Other things I cannot find at all. I made beef stew for dinner the other day, and the grocery store does not sell any kind of chicken or beef broth/stock. I had to call my stepdad for help improvising T^T. It still turned out okay, but those little things make you lose your mind.

The base has an American-style grocery store and clothing store that is similar to our Walmart or Target. The first thing I got was Kraft mac and cheese lol. I want it for lunch. I also found tortillas, so I can finally have my tacos and quesadillas. I got chicken and beef stock along with some grits for breakfast. Now, in all I spent around $30. Since a lot of the stuff is imported from America, it’s more expensive. I’m not really happy about paying American prices, but I was so desperate for mac and cheese that I didn’t really care. At the clothing store, Sam got a few cute items. The store also had American toiletry products like deodorant and things for Black hair textures. Sienna said if we ever need anything to just let her know and she’ll sponsor us to get on base. Without her, we wouldn’t have been able to get or do all this, so I’m truly grateful for her! I only met her two weeks ago and she met Sam two days ago, yet she was so welcoming and just a major blessing. Even after we go back home, I hope we stay in contact. She may even be able to help us get a job on the base after we graduate university. When I told my mom that she lowkey had a heart attack lol

Honestly, the future scares me. I don’t know what I want. At first, I didn’t want to leave too far from my family. Then, after my internship last summer, I was set on moving back to Los Angeles. Now, maybe I will consider Japan. My professor here wants me to apply for graduate school at Sophia University potentially. I was set on doing my masters in English, but now I think I may branch out and do something I hadn’t considered before, because I’m learning more things about myself by being away from home. I’m learning what I like and don’t like. How to be independent. How to be confident on my own, and how to rely on others and be okay asking for help. I’m learning how to set boundaries and advocate for myself.

I don’t know what the future has in store. The ideal future vision I once had for myself has changed so much from the time I first started college. I can see the finish line for my bachelor’s degree, and since I have so many options for what I could potentially do career-wise, it is kind of overwhelming. I know whatever I do, in the end, I will have the support of my family and my friends.