How about a TRAIN ride? Anyone???

Our 'little' station, Sobudai-mae

Our newest adventure... the train!

In the United States we rely on cars to get us most places, unless we live in large cities where buses and subways are used. 

The 'dot' is the last stop.
The name in blue is where you are.
The arrow is the next stop.

The majority of Japanese commute on trains, every day. It is just simplier. In fact, less than 40% of Japanese own cars. The trains and too good and too cheap to justify the cost of car ownership. 

We wanted to explore  bit and see what the trains were all about. We figured today would be a good day since Matt is off for Memorial Day, but the Japanese are still working. 

(The trains get VERY crowded during rush hours and on weekends. We wanted to learn the system without the stress of crowds.) 

Oh, that's where that goes!

  The only way to really conquer the train is to completely go for it.

  I have to admit it I was nervous the first time. 

  We have to get two adults, and four kids to another town without any    

  English, or any help. Umm, did the blood pressure raise a little?  

  Nah. But, I was nervous a bit. 

  Figuring out how to buy a ticket, where to put it in the turnstile and  

  deciphering which train to take can be overwhelming.  Matt was all 

  about diving into the experience, so I let him lead the way =)

I did learn enought to do it again on my own. (I can always find the shopping.)

Here is the train map. Nervous yet?

The RULES:

 *  No talking on your cell phone. PERIOD. In fact, your phones have to be on "Manners Mode", or silent. 

  *  There is also almost NO talking!  You can talk to your closet neigh in a tiny voice, but anymore than that is considered very rude.

  *  You give up your seat to elders or women with small children. 

The RESULTS:

  *  The trains are basically silent. There is no talking or noise. No music, no loud stories or rude commuters. 

  *  The trains are also spotless. Not one speck of dirt, or trash to be seen. 

  *  A lot of people use the train to nap. (I mean sitting up.) They ride the trains their whole lives, almost everyday. They see it as a time to relax and recharge, quietly. 

The arrows on the ground direct pedestrian traffic. Brilliant.

We had heard that children ride the trains alone. We were pleasantly surprised to find this true. We some a ton of kids. Some in groups, some on their own. All of them using their cards, riding the trains, knowing their ways. It was pretty cool.

Yes, they are being goofy! We found the shopping and were stared at everywhere we went =)
Our family is quite a show, apparently. 

The pricing of a ticket depends on how far you're traveling but the type of train has no affect. 

From our stop, Sobudai-Mae station, to Machida it costs 380 yen round trip. This comes out to be about 4 dollars for one person. Not too bad, even for a family our size. It ended up costing us less than $24 to travel. 

It was certainly worth that amount to gain some confidence in ourselves, and in the train system. 

It was a great adventure!

Conquering the trains came with a prize: ice cream at 7-11!

Living the Dream,

Aggie Amy

Where's Home Mom?

Years ago, when all of our kiddos were less than 6, I started getting the question.

Every military family knows THE question.

"Where am I from, Mom?"

Oh ...no....

I had NO IDEA what to say to that question.

I am never quiet  without an answer.

I had to find a way to teach the kids all about the cool places we had lived.

So, in an effort to quel the questions, and to entertain their minds I came up with ...

The "Home Box"

In the box there are several 'Dividers'.

Each Divider is numbered and a single Duty Station on it. (You can see #2 in the pic below.)

FRONT of Divider : The name of the station, a picture of the home (or apartment) and the years we were stationed there.

BACK of Divider :  pictures of the inside the home, tidbits about the area & things we loved while we were there.

In between the dividers are 'Cards'.

The cards have 'life events' on them for things that happened at that duty station. 

For example, if we had a baby that child would have a 'card' with their newborn picture and info on the birth listed. 

Other examples of cards: Favorite Friends, Best Restaurants, Quirky Quotes or stories that happened.

(Like when one of the boys stopped his won 3rd birthday party to announce, "Daddy, I just tinkled in by Bob the Builder underwear." Or when our daughter told her preschool teacher, "My Mommy is a BIG drinker! She loves her sweet tea!")

I also made sure to have some serious cards. If we learned a tough lesson or lost a loved one I made a card for that. It sounds like a lot, but there are only about 3-4 cards for each divider.

We are on our 10th divider. Which means we have moved T. E. N times already!

This is where I realize how old we are!

It's fun to look over the Home Box every once in awhile. Plus, it helps me remember all the details of our crazy military life. I told you, I'm old. Did I tell you I am forgetful.

The kids love, and learn from, the Home Box. Visitors, and family, can see what our life is like along the way.

It's simple really. It can be just large index cards in a lunchbox if that is what suits your fancy.

It can be a scrap-booker's dream because it is small enough to get it done quickly, but large enough to put several embellishments.

Just enjoy telling the story and it will turn out awesome.

Keep the Faith & Tell their Stories,

~ Aggie Amy