Costco in Japan

We were so excited when we learned that Costco was now in Yokohama, Japan, just up the road from Yokosuka. We couldn't wait to hit the international Costco. 

A hole in my shirt, shoe prints on my leg that didn't match my shoes or B's, & a ding on my wrist that hurt like hell & $200 later we emerged from the depths of a Japanese Costco on a Saturday afternoon. It is a jungle! 

There are many familiarities about the Costco here in Japan  & the ones 

in the States. Like you will find American clothes, & all the usual department areas. However, even the American products are packaged in Japanese! There is a one line, shorthand, description of the product on the price tag just above it in English. Some products you will recognize & not need a sign, however...chicken strips for the dog...you need the sign! 

ALL the appliances are Japanese in both packaging & build. However, you can find some really nice appliances from refrigerators, to deep freezers, washer & dryers, to rice cookers! 

The grocery department is about the same, just their bulk is about half the size. Instead of 12 Fuji Apples you get 6. But it is still cheaper! As we kept shopping we noticed a number of baskets with doughnuts & bread. It was in just about every cart. OMG! Then when we got back there in the bakery corner it was a true jungle of Japanese everywhere! Duh! It hit me...they don't have ovens in most Japanese homes, so baked goods are a real commodity. 

You will park & then take these flat escalators into the store with your cart. The cart is got some magnetic locking device that it stays in place on these belts. 

But really caught us off guard was the interest in hot dogs. Yes, you read me...HOT DOGS! There is an entire cooler isle of hot dogs in every flavor you can imagine. I suppose most of Asia got spam...Japan got hot dogs! There is even Fish hot dogs! Gross!! And some hot dogs, like the fish ones, don't need refrigeration. You can locate them in the regular isles! 

Their meat department of course is mostly fish. There is also a whole cooler of sushi. However, if you can withstand the madhouse, there is the traditional pizza & dog joint inside up by the registers. I say stop there first & get yourself a beverage...you will need it as you move at a snails pace throughout the Japanese jungle called Costco. 

Wal-Mart? Where?

Ha! We were out shopping the other day at the Livin Store here in Yokosuka, Japan, & stumbled across these wonderfully colored Wal-Mart bags for about $0.99 each! WOW! 

Wait? Where is Wal-Mart in Japan? There isn't one!!! There is a Wal-Mart in China, but Japan hasn't bought into the whole Wal-Mart propaganda as of today. So where did all these Wal-Mart bags comes from? Who knows! Probably some buy off from a mix up. 

But what is more important here is, why aren't these colorful Wal-Mart bags not being sold in the States at Wal-Mart? Who wouldn't want some of these brightly colorful, cheerful bags? I haven't seen them before I left at the end of May. Have you seen these bags?

No! There Is Really Only 1 Rule...

My hubby keeps telling me that I have too many rules that I try to live by. I suppose that is because I seem driven by this odd code of ethics that makes me do some...ok...a lot of things that may be most people walking down the street wouldn't care to think about.

However, there is only one rule that I live by: "DO THE RIGHT THING!" If you do the right thing then you have covered all your bases. No one can come back on you, you wouldn't have failed, you can't be called lazy, & you sure as heck can't get in trouble later on down the road. Plus it is just good for your chi & your karma.

Sure, there are days that I forget or fall short & pretty much don't care. They are called "My Time!" However, for the most part, I leave a place cleaner than I found it, help the elderly, refold the shirt I was just looking at the store, & even wipe up excess water around the public sink I use.

It is hard to do the right thing, because let's be frank, doing the right things sometimes sucks & isn't what you want to do at all! And the right thing for me might not be the right thing for you, but I am positive that the right thing will save you tons of time, heartache, & trouble! Promise!

Like picking up your dirty underwear off the floor & putting it in the hamper will keep you from getting yet another of the same old lectures from your spouse. It is the right thing to do; it shows your spouse appreciation & respect. DUH!!!

Maternity Care in Yokosuka, Japan

I had my first official OB appointment today with the doctor. I was a bit hesitant at first because I have heard a number of stories from those who aren't as pro-active as me & those who are. Some have been good while others have been horrible.

I wanted to clear up any hesitations that you might also be having about delivering your baby in Yokosuka, Japan. Maybe I just had a really great OB today, but I find some ease in my future care. I have had every questioned answered & then some. Let me try to break some of your hesitations or myths you have heard:

I Get NO Say In My Care: FALSE! Actually, I was told today that NOTHING is mandatory. You have the right to refuse any care or procedure. However, the OB also has the right to walk away from your care & hand your case to another physician if they feel that they are risking themselves professional or morally. That's fair, right? I thought so! So I now back into the scale to avoid having to see what my weight is as a compromise between what I want & what they need. And you are allowed to question any & everything. Just be sure when you question that you keep your ears, mind, & heart open to what they are telling you. You might miss something that is "logical" & "medically necessary".
There is NO Intermittent Monitoring Available: FALSE! There is & it is available. It just depends on you, baby & where you are in the process when you check in. If you check in & there is no distress to either you or baby, you are actually encouraged to walk about & only get intermittent monitoring. Internal Monitoring is only performed when there is a medical necessity but it is not routine.

I Will Be Forced to Get An Episiotony: FALSE! No doctors here perform them as routine labor & delivery care. The ONLY time that an episiotomy is performed is if it is medically necessary to get a baby in distress out quickly in order to save the child's life. This practice supports many current (as in the last century) studies supporting that a "tear" is easier on the body & will heal faster than a "cut" through the entire muscle. Also, vacuums & forceps are not used either. There is only a few doctors who use one or the other, but some may have been trained but have never had to use either.

I Will Be Forced to Deliver On My Back: FALSE! The beds here are designed to adjust to allow you to deliver in any number of positions from all fours, to a sitting position. This is great news to support those who have done their reading & has arrived at the same conclusion in regards to the laws of gravity. They also have birthing balls, birthing poles/rods, mirrors, etc.

I Cannot Have A Written Birth Plan: FALSE! Actually, they again encourage you to write out your birth plan since you will be attended to whichever OB is on call when you enter that delivery room. All that they ask is that you first write it up weeks before your due date & go over it with your OB to make sure that what you are asking is allowed by the hospital or can be performed by all OB's. This helps prevent from any misunderstandings or misconceptions during your delivery by all parties involved.
They Will "Sneak" in Pitocin No Matter What: FALSE! Pitocin is tricky, but they will first consult you with the option & why it is being recommended for use. And as I mentioned before, you still reserve the right to say, "No!".

I Cannot Have A Water Birth: TRUE! There is no facility supplies here to have a water birth. Absolutely no tubs available. So this is true. However, there are showers, they just aren't in the labor & delivery room. Plus, once your water has broke, they don't want you in the water due to possible infection. Some OB's in the States may not have this concern, however, here the water is a little questionable at times.
If I Refuse Pain Medication I Then Have NO Other Options: FALSE! There are many options available besides the spinal block or epidural. They even offer hot/cold back therapies, breathing, meditation, narcotics, some nerve numbing shot, etc. You are allowed your own music even, but you have to supply the music & if it is an iPod, the ability to play that iPod as well.

There Are No Pictures or Videos: FALSE/TRUE! You are allowed to take photos & video. However, it is against hospital policy to video record any procedure & a vaginal birth is still considered a "procedure". Some OB's might allow you to video part of the birth from the mother's point of view but not from the doctor's point of view. You will also need to make sure all equipment is cord free in case their is an emergency that arises. They don't want to be worried about equipment in the midst of worrying about lives. In a corner you can plug something in to charge but you can't be using the cord to keep power to the equipment when you are using it.

I hope that this helps anyone like me who was really leery & hesitant of delivering their child in Japan. This is our first & I was very set on a home birth with a midwife. However, this is not an option here in Japan due to many issues including how the Japanese respond to 911 (119) calls for Americans.

The Healthcare Debate

So here is my problem with the entire debate: NO ONE has asked those who actually fall under the "government" health care that is use now.

I get the true Federal Government Health care Plan. IT SUCKS! As a military spouse (not active duty) I get what the government already has in action for taking care of my health care needs. Active Duty service members get completely different care, including pushing me out of the way so that they can be seen. It is called Tricare, for those of you who don't know.

For those of you who do know & have romantic ideologies that we get this wonderful care for free, you are sadly mistaken. Nothing is ever free & nothing comes "free" without risks. My family unit not only has to make many sacrifices like moving all the time, often times to places you don't want to be, to being separated over & over again missing every important event & holiday in our lives.

How this system works (though I hear that the Air Force is the exception to this rule) is that you don't get to see the same physician twice (unless they are a the only specialist). You may be assigned the Primary Care Physician (PCP) that you choose but then when you call to make an appointment when you need one, & he/she may be booked for months! So you end up seeing who is available, which may also be the one doctor you clash with.

Secondly, when you call to make that appointment for "sick call" because the flu snuck up on you, the untrained, regular Joe on the other end of the phone gets to make the decision if your condition is serious enough to get an appointment same day or if you need to call again tomorrow, & the next day,..until there is a free appointment.

You need to see a specialist, like the orthopedic, right? Your PCP gave you the OK to go see the one in the clinic. You call to make an appointment but none are available until 2 months from now. What? Why? Because your base/post also is a training facility & the active duty get the first appointments. Then conveniently when those appointments are finally free in 2 months, the orthopedic is taking his 2 weeks vacation! You then have to wait 2.5 months in pain, with no solution or answers, gradually getting worse day by day. What job let's you take 2.5 months off until you can get an appointment?

Forget trying to find an "alternative" route to your health care unless you want to pay completely out of pocket by seeing the physicians in town like Chiropractors. Only active duty get any coverage for this practice but only after they have a referral from their PCP & usually only if the on base/post facility has one contracted with them.

Dental? Not free. We still have to use United Concordia at a low rate. But they don't cover anything. You want anything outside basic care, you pay for that out of pocket too.

vision? Right! They will give you an eye & contact exam, but they don't cover those trendy new glasses or any contacts. You still pay for those completely out of pocket.

And let's not forget the numerous times that "they" loose your records! Though many are starting to switch over to electronic records system (which I support) but your older records aren't in the system & will get lost...at least 3 times in a year.

I don't get to choose my care or my physician. I don't get to be seen when I "need" to be seen but only when there is availability. I don't get completely "free" care, but have to pay a lot out of pocket still to get the better care, especially since I have glasses & contacts. I also don't get "personalized" care. Since I never seen the same doctor twice, I never get to build a rapport with the physician, which means each appointment I have to start all over from scratch! It gets old repeating yourself & your medical history.

I have to say the Laboratory of most all facilities have been awesome. You get orders in the system for whatever lab work you need. You go see them. They take the labs. You leave & they send the results back through the system. However, I have had labs lost for months before. 2 months to be exact!

By being pushed through a "system" often times things are over looked & misdiagnosed. I can't count the number of times I have been brushed off for long periods of time, suffering, before they finally take it seriously...usually because I am yelling at that point! I had a girlfriend who was misdiagnosed her entire pregnancy as having the flu for months when in reality it was preclamcia which resulted in an emergency delivery because she was on the verge of a stroke when they finally decided it wasn't the flu. I have another friend who had been trying to get care for 2 months but nothing was available for her & her "symptoms" didn't seem severe enough for same day appointment to find out that she had Stage III cancer!

If you think for a second that completely free & full coverage government health care is a solution, please, come take my care for a year & see how you feel then? When you need an emergency surgery & show up 30 minutes before your appointment time but don't get taken into surgery until 8 hours later, let me know how you feel?

3 Must Have Items for Japan

So you are moving to Japan! Welcome! However, let me be the first to prepare you for the reality of just getting here:

YOU WILL BE WALKING & USING PUBLIC TRANSIT for a while. Some make it in & out to driving in 2 weeks, while others find all kinds of various complications that will but you on your feet a little longer. (i.e. an international driver's license is not acceptable here in Japan. You will need a Japanese Driver's License before you can drive.)

Whether you are moving here or just visiting there is a lot of walking still involved once you get your car or, no matter, if your friends have a car. Parking is scarce here & often a distance away from the actual place you want to be, so using the public transportation is very common, very acceptable, & very affordable.

Thus there are a few things you will want to bring with you on the plane so when you land you are set & ready to go:

1. A really, REALLY, great pair of walking shoes. You might think you will make it in flip-flops (which some younger people can) but take my word when I say a great pair of closed toe walking shoes will be a blessing about day 3! You will work you way back into a pair of flip-flops in due time.
   
   
2. A sling bag or backpack no matter your gender (plus you will look like a local). NOT A PURSE! Ladies, listen closely: with all the hiking about & shopping, the last thing you want is trying to keep a purse up on the already sore shoulder. It took me about a week & I converted to a "bag" over a purse. Make sure it is something that you can disburse the weight more evenly across your body.
   
   I personally feel in love with the $41 Coleman sling bag I got at the Dai mall outside the main gate. It even has a place a beverage to keep it cold/hot!
   
   
3. One Trip Grip Handles! Yes, there are a number of variations. Yes, these were a compulsive buy at the Bed, Bath, & Beyond before we left the states. Yes, they are life savers! They are so sturdy & strong! Other variations have broken or bent.
   
   We have been able to get many heavy bags on one handle. It really helps save your fingers & arms, & prevents you from having your bags falling all over the bus, train, or taxi! You can load, crap & go! People stop to ask us where we got them all the time. We haven't seen them here, so be sure to stop & get a pair before you take flight!
   

Ulta Beauty Online Shopping

Shopping in Japan for American products isn't impossible, but it is tricky. You usually have to really study those products on the Japanese shelves to distinguish if the product is even close to what you buy in the States. they packaging is really different made for easy recycling. Then you add the limited English words on the packages...you will often have to buy & try & repeat until you find what you are looking for.

Yes, there is the Commissary & the Exchange, but often times they don't carry the products you have grown to love in the States & the few of them they do, often end up sold out quickly...especially if all the fleet is in dock!

So many of us foreigners end up shopping online. I am one of those many Americans who still shop online for many of my favorite, recently found, beauty & personal products until I find a replacement on the Japanese shelves (which takes time with trial & error).

Ulta Beauty is one of those online sources I would recommend again & again. Some of you might be lucky enough be living or have lived next to one of these stores. It is full of all kinds of products from the Wal-mart store shelves to the Salon shelves. There is nothing you can't find here!

Ulta was the only online source that I found that could ship my L'Oreal EverPure Shampoo & Conditioner (& 4 of each!) to an APO/FPO address. Even DrugStore.com couldn't ship these shampoos & conditioners to me!

The added bounus is that it took less than a week to get it in the mail via priority mail. And they were even smart enough to tape the caps shut on the tubes as an extra step to help prevent leakage!

If you are need your beauty supplies that you can't find in your overseas duty station or not close to an Ultra store, try Ulta.com!