And the snow keeps coming

While we were on our little jaunt to America, Ichinohe was hit with a meter of snow in just one day. A gas station's roof collapsed and the power went out for three days in some places. I don't have to tell you how glad I am that I wasn't here for that. All of our heating methods are powered by electricity. We would have had to burn our furniture for warmth.

Still, coming back from Tennessee it was a bit shocking to see.



This is the biggest of our "Death-cical" crop on our house.
This is another picture of our leviathan icicle, but it's easier to see the foot of solid ice that rests underneath the snow on our roof. Last year when the weather finally warmed I would hear these loud THUNK noises. When I would go out to investigate, I would invariably find a 30-40 pound block of ice had fallen off the roof. Concerned, I asked my tutor what I should do about the problem. I was hoping for some sort of solution that would stop me from being bludgeoned by ice while trying to unlock my front door. What I got was: "Oh yes, that ice is very dangerous. Many people die every year. Be careful." I was not comforted.




This picture was taken from an exposed manhole cover, to show you the amount of packed snow and ice that stays on the walking path at all times. Also, that dome on the horizon is our Library.

This should give you an idea of how fast it can snow here and how hard the wind can blow:

From Ichinohe to Chattanooga

I want people to understand how long it really took us to get to Chattanooga for Christmas. We left our house at 6:oo AM Japan time which is 4:oo PM Chattanooga time. (For the rest of the post Chattanooga time will be in parenthesis versus local or Japan time.) Our first leg of the
trip home is the twenty minute walk to the station. Even though we have gotten up early to be out the door spirits are high. We have eaten breakfast and feel ready to travel. Above we see Samantha on the first part walking to the station.
After we get to the station its time for a local train ride. We took the 6:47 AM(4:47PM) train south to Iwatenumakunai. The journey lasts 28 minutes and is after the walk to the station the smallest part of our journey. The photo below is the local train.From Iwatenumakunai we took the Shinkansen or bullet train, to Tokyo. I love the bullet train its my absolute favorite way to travel. Its fast, quiet, and has a lot of leg room. The only real draw back is the cost, but oh well. You get where you want to go in comfort. For more about the Shinkansen system in Japan follow this helpful link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinkansen. We took a 7:38 AM (5:38PM) Shinkansen to Ueno, which is a station in Tokyo that has a line that goes to the Airport.

Above we see the Shinkasen and me on it. We are reaching the part of the journey where we are on a mode of transportation long enough to attempt to sleep. We are also on the only mode of transportation that will allow us the comfort to sleep. The Shinkansen takes 172 minutes from Iwate to Tokyo. When we arrive in Tokyo at 10:30AM (8:30PM) Chattanooga time. We had some time to kill in Tokyo so we did some shopping before heading to the airport to get there the 3 hours before the flight we need according to the travel agent. To get to the airport we have to take a train from Ueno station to Narita Airport. The airport train takes 90 minutes and we actually have to go to the prefecture north of Tokyo. Below the train to the airport.

Next, we have one of the big legs of the trip. We took a 747 all the way from Narita to Chicago. I have to say it was one of the worst flights I have ever taken. Since, it was near Christmas there were a ton of Children on the flight. So there was pretty much always a baby crying especially when we went through the roughly 3 hours of turbulence. Also, to make it even better there was child kicking the back of my seat for the first hour . After that first hour her mother moved her to the seat behind Samantha. The child then spent the rest of flight kicking Samantha's seat and being scolded in at least 3 languages. Lastly one of the meals they served was literally just a bowel of instant ramen that they poured water in. That flight was 10 long hours.

Above the 747 at Narita with sun setting behind it. Chicago was a terrible terrible airport. We had a 2 hour lay over that we though would be plenty of time to rest. However, Chicago only had 3 agents checking passports from 2 international flights. It took forever. We finally got through and had to really hurry to the flight. The flight to Nashville takes about an hour and a half so its not to bad.

Above the puddle jumper to Nashville. Finally we get to Nashville, get our luggage and start to look around for my folks. They are nowhere to be found. There is some snow on the ground so we are getting nervous that they might have had some trouble. So I get some American change together and call my my mom. We had walked past them at the gate and not seen each other. After finding my parents we head for the car for the ride home.

Above Samantha and I on the ragged edge of sleep deprived insanity. The ride to Chattanooga takes around 2 and a half hours. We didn't get home to Chattanooga till about 10 PM Chattanooga time the day after we left. I did some addition and it took us around 19 hours just in travel alone. That does not count lay overs or waiting on trains. It is only the time we spent moving in a transportation device. It was long and stressful but worth every minute to be home for Christmas.