The Yamada Denki Experience: Exploring a Tecc.Land Superstore in Japan
If you think you know what a big-box retailer looks like, wait until you visit one in Japan. On our latest excursion, we decided to check…
Read Post →Chapter 2 — Life in Japan
Chapter Notes
Following our PCS to Yokosuka — base life, Japan travel, language breakthroughs, and stories from the road.
Inside Kojima x Bic Camera: A Tour of Japan's Ultimate Tech Superstore 🇯🇵🤖
If you've never stepped foot inside a Japanese electronics superstore, you are truly missing out on a mesmerizing retail experience. We…
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Yokosuka Port Market Tour: Food, Ships, and Harbor Views 🌊
Welcome back, fellow travelers! There is something truly special about discovering the heartbeat of a coastal city through its local food…
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Relaxing Vibes at Tsukuihama Beach: Windsurfing, Fishing & Tiny Crabs! 🌊🦀
Hey adventurers! If you’re looking to escape the hustle and bustle and soak up some serious coastal tranquility, let me introduce you to…
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The Ultimate Beachfront Cafe & Dessert Spot in Yokosuka! 🌊🥞
Hey adventurers! If you’re ever exploring the beautiful coastal areas of Yokosuka and find yourself craving a sweet treat or a savory bite…
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How to Pay for Parking at Coaska Bayside Stores (Yokosuka, Japan) 🚗💨
How to Pay for Parking at Coaska Bayside Stores (Yokosuka, Japan) 🚗💨If you’re driving around Yokosuka, chances are you’ll end up spending a…
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Inside Japan's Version of IKEA: Exploring Nitori! 🇯🇵🛋️
Inside Japan's Version of IKEA: Exploring Nitori! 🇯🇵🛋️If you’ve ever lived in or visited Japan, you know how essential smart, space-saving,…
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What It’s Really Like Shopping at Costco in Yokohama, Japan 🇯🇵🛒
A Taste of Home in Japan: Exploring Costco YokohamaMoving overseas brings endless exciting opportunities to sample local culture, but every…
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Building Our New Space: An IKEA Trip in Japan
Relocating to a new country comes with its fair share of challenges, but one of the most exciting parts is finally making a new house feel…
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Japanese Supermarket Hack: Scoring Late-Night Food Discounts! 🍱👀
Welcome back to another Emmerican Adventure! If you've been following our journey here in Yokosuka, you know we've been having an absolute…
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You Won’t Believe These Wild Japanese Pizza Flavors! 🍕🇯🇵
Welcome back to another Emmerican Adventure! If there’s one thing we absolutely love doing while exploring Japan, it’s visiting the local supermarkets and…
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The Brutal Reality of an OCONUS PCS Move: When Your UAB Arrives Broken 📦🚚
If you’ve ever moved across town, you know the drill: wrap your fragile items in a favorite hoodie, throw everything in the back of a…
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🌮 Squeezing Into Flavor: The Ultimate Loaded Tacos & Fries Feast at Blue Entrance Kitchen! 🍟🔥
If you are hunting for the ultimate Mexican comfort food experience, you need to clear your schedule and head straight to Blue Entrance…
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Exploring the Incredible AEON Style Seafood & Sushi Counter! 🍣🇯🇵
If you've ever been to a supermarket in Japan, you know that their ready-to-eat food sections are on an entirely different level. Forget…
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Grocery Shopping in Japan: Exploring the Produce Section at Aeon Style! 🍎🥦
Welcome back to another Emmerican Adventure!When you think of exploring Japan, your mind might instantly jump to ancient temples, bustling…
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Lost in the Aisles: Exploring a Massive Daiso in Japan! 🇯🇵🛍️
If you’ve ever planned a trip to Japan, or even if you just love Japanese pop culture, there is one store you've likely heard of: Daiso.…
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A Taste of Home: Classic Diner Vibes at American House Bar & Grill 🍔✨
Sometimes, no matter how much you love exploring new cultures and trying local delicacies, you just crave a little taste of home. For my…
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Rainy Night Magic at Yokohama Stadium! ⚾🌧️
The dedication of Yokohama DeNA BayStars fans is a force of nature, completely unfazed by the actual weather. We recently headed back to…
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Pre-Game Vibes in the Rain at Yokohama Stadium! ⚾️🌧️
If there's one thing you need to know about Japanese baseball fans, it's that a little rain isn't going to dampen their spirits. Recently,…
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Finding the Hidden Gem: The Secret Walk to Base Overlook 🚶♂️⚓
Welcome back to another Emmerican Adventure! Today, we are taking you along on a quick but incredibly rewarding little detour we recently…
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Authentic Nepalese & Indian Food at Gorkha Palace, Yokosuka! 🇳🇵🇮🇳🍛
Welcome back to Emmerican Adventure! We’ve been exploring the incredible culinary scene around Yokosuka, and recently we stopped by Gorkha…
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Step Inside Japan’s Retro Craft Ice Cream Parlor! 🍦✨
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Is Hama Sushi BETTER Than Sushiro?! 🍣 Conveyor Sushi in Japan!
Got it—my mistake! Thanks for the reminder. Here is the updated post with all timestamps completely removed:---# Is Hama Sushi BETTER Than…
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Ultimate Japanese Hot Pot: Our All-You-Can-Eat Shabu-Shabu Experience! 🍲🥩
# Ultimate Japanese Hot Pot: Our All-You-Can-Eat Shabu-Shabu Experience! 🍲🥩 If there is one dining experience in Japan that you…
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Chasing Sunsets Along the Coast: Finding Magic in the Unseen World 🌅✨
There’s a unique kind of quiet that settles over you when you’re driving along the edge of the water just as the day begins to turn.On our…
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Experiencing Evening Colors at CFAY: A Timeless Navy Tradition in Yokosuka
There is a quiet magic that settles over Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) as dusk begins to fall. If you ever find yourself…
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Catching Our Lunch! 🥢 Our Traditional Japanese Nagashi Somen Experience
If you’re looking for one of the coolest and most interactive dining experiences in Japan during the warmer months, you have to try…
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A Taste of LA in Tokyo: Trying Randy’s Donuts!🍩✨
There’s nothing quite like a little taste of home when you’re traveling abroad, and our latest family adventure brought us right to a…
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Retro Sweet Treats at Cafe Kateko! 🍨✨
# Retro Sweet Treats at Cafe Kateko! 🍨✨
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Time Travel to 1958 Japan for Retro Ramen! 🍜✨
Ever wondered what it feels like to step straight into a time machine? On our latest adventure, we took a trip to the Shin-Yokohama Ramen…
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A 2:01 AM Wake-Up Call: Our First Earthquake Experience in Japan
There's nothing quite like being jolted awake in the dead of night by a blaring, high-pitched alarm you've never heard before. At…
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Making Custom Instant Noodles at Shinyokohama Ramen Museum! 🍜✨
If you’re a food lover visiting Japan, a trip to the Shinyokohama Ramen Museum (Ra-Haku) in Yokohama is an absolute must-visit…
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Slurping Through History: Exploring Japan’s Famous Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum! 🍜✨
Welcome back to Emmerican Adventure! If you love Japanese cuisine or consider yourself a noodle enthusiast, you're in for a treat. In…
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Ultimate Comfort Food: A Night Out at CoCo Ichibanya
If you have ever visited Japan or explored Japanese comfort food, chances are you’ve come across CoCo Ichibanya (CoCoICHI). Widely…
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From Nagatacho to Shibuya’s Neon Chaos! 🚀
If there’s one thing Tokyo does better than almost any other city, it’s delivering pure sensory overload the second you step off the train.…
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Late Night Gyoza & Drinks in Shibuya: The Ultimate Tokyo Comfort Food Experience 🥟🍺
When exploring the lively streets of Tokyo, nothing hits the spot after a full day of sightseeing quite like a classic Japanese izakaya run…
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Tokyo's Ultimate Shopping Maze: Exploring MEGA Don Quijote Shibuya
# Tokyo's Ultimate Shopping Maze: Exploring MEGA Don Quijote Shibuya
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This Japanese Vending Machine Makes REAL Coffee ☕🇯🇵
# This Japanese Vending Machine Makes REAL Coffee ☕🇯🇵
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Sizzle & Smoke: Our Japanese BBQ Night at Gyu-Kaku 🔥🥩
If there’s one dining experience in Japan that instantly turns dinner into an interactive party, it’s Yakiniku (Japanese grill-your-own…
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Crafting Our Own Custom Chopsticks in Japan! 🥢✨
When traveling or settling into a new place, the best souvenirs aren’t the mass-produced trinkets you pick up at a gift shop—they’re the…
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Our First Trip to Tokyo: Staying at The Kitano Hotel & Lunch at Tea Lounge Cafe
Making our very first trip up to Tokyo from Yokosuka was a huge milestone for us! The city is so vibrant and fast-paced, but staying at The…
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Crossing a Big One Off the Bucket List: Seeing Nippon Professional Baseball Live at the Tokyo Dome! 🏟️⚾️
Ever since we started planning our adventure in Japan, there was one item sitting right at the top of our family bucket list: attending a…
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Tranquility in the Heart of Tokyo: A Day at Zojo-ji Temple 🌸
When visiting the hustle and bustle of central Tokyo, it can be easy to forget that peaceful, spiritual retreats sit right in the shadow of…
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Ascending an Icon: What It’s Really Like Inside Tokyo Tower! 🗼
Ascending an Icon: What It’s Really Like Inside Tokyo Tower! 🗼 If you’re planning a trip to Japan, standing beneath the iconic…
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Exploring Kamakura: The Ultimate Easy Day Trip from Tokyo ⛩️🌊
If you’re looking to escape the neon-lit hustle of Tokyo for a day, Kamakura is the perfect breath of fresh air. Tucked between lush green…
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Conveyor Belt Sushi Magic: Dinner at Sushiro with the Family! 🍣🏮
If you're traveling in Japan with family, there is one culinary experience that is an absolute must: conveyor belt sushi (kaitenzushi)!…
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Foodie Highlights on Kamakura’s Komachi Street! 🍡🥢
If there is one thing we’ve quickly learned since making the move to Japan, it’s that snacking our way through a historic town is top-tier…
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The Ultimate Summer Day Out at Soleil Hill! 🌻🎢
Summer in Japan is nothing short of spectacular. Since settling into life here in Yokosuka, Megan and I have been on a mission to explore…
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Culinary Exploration in Kamakura: Sweet Strawberries & Savory Ethnic Curry
If you are exploring the historic streets of Kamakura, you already know the area is packed with incredible sights, but the local food scene…
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All Aboard! Our First Train Ride in Japan: Yokosuka-Chuo to Kamakura
Taking on the transit system in a new country can feel like solving a giant puzzle — today we officially earned our Japanese transit badges riding from Yokosuka-Chuo to Kamakura…
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Quick, Hot, and Delicious: Our Pepper Lunch Experience in Yokosuka, Japan
If you’re looking for a meal that’s fast, delicious, and interactive, Japan’s fast-casual dining scene never disappoints. On our latest…
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Konnichiwa, Japan! Wheels Up on Our Biggest Adventure Yet
Wheels Up for Japan! After months of planning, packing, and endless checklists, the big day finally arrived: we are on our way to Japan!…
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Ready for Japan: Pack-Out Complete and On to the Next Adventure!
There is a distinct, undeniable echo in a house once the life you’ve built inside it is carefully packed away into wooden crates and…
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Walking the Flight Deck: Our Tour of the USS Nimitz at Naval Station Mayport
We recently had an absolutely incredible opportunity to get an up-close look at naval history and cutting-edge aviation engineering. We got…
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Jacksonville Flavors: Mastering the DIY Grill and Boil
As we inch closer to our move to Japan, the preparation process has been all-consuming. While I recently wrote about using hot pot as a way…
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Prepping for Our Big Adventure: A Taste of Asia Right Here in Jacksonville!
With our upcoming Permanent Change of Station to Yokosuka, Japan, coming up fast in August, the whole Emmer family is getting into the…
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Hoops and Highlights: A Week at the NAS Jax Youth Activities Center
I’ve included a few photos from the week below to capture the fun.
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Preparing for Japan: Charley’s Big Vet Day!
Preparing for Japan: Charley’s Big Vet Day! It is officially crunch time for our international move! As many of you know, bringing a dog to…
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Summer Fun at the NAS Jax Pool!
We had an absolute blast at the NAS Jacksonville MWR pool this week! There is no better way to beat the Florida heat than spending the day…
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From Jacksonville to Japan: Mastering Golden Curry at Home
There’s something incredibly comforting about a warm, hearty bowl of Japanese curry. It’s been a staple in our house for a while now—thanks…
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Tacos, Travels, and Tokyo Dreams: A Tampa Farewell
As July creeps closer and the reality of our upcoming move to Yokosuka sets in, the endless checklists and packing logistics give way to one last Tampa road trip with good friends.
Decluttering, Diamond Dirt, and Dinner: The PCS Countdown Continues
The countdown to Japan is officially in double digits, and our days are flying by in a blur of packing tape, baseball dirt, and savory…
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PCS Chronicles: The Medical Milestone
Another day, another step in the PCS checklist. If you’ve ever moved for the military, you know the process is less of a smooth transition…
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Chasing Dreams Under the Wings of Legends: A Day at NAS Jax
There’s a unique kind of magic in the air at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. It’s more than just the hum of jet engines or the steady…
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Training My Palate: A Pre-Departure Hot Pot Feast
What better way to prep for life in Asia than with a comforting, communal meal of Korean hot pot?
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Packing Up for Japan: The Purge Begins!
The purge has officially begun. If it doesn't fit in a suitcase or ship cheaply, it's gone.
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