Mugwort Steamed Bun

Millinophile and Chickadee decided to try this green mugwort bun from a local bakery. Millinophile did not particularly like it, but Chickadee thought it was tasty! It reminded her of a spiced cake, though it doesn't really taste the same.

SpoCha

 Several weekends ago, Millinophile went to SpoCha with some work buddies. SpoCha is basically several floors of games that you can play (at this SpoCha, you paid for a time, like 9 hours). This picture has a foam ball game where you shoot at the other team.

 They had a bouncy house full of giant balloons.

 A fishing pond stocked with real fish.

 A mechanical bull.

 Ping pong tables, and so much more. Millinophile particularly enjoyed the tiny motorcycle racing track, where you could ride tiny motorcycles around.

 A mechanical horse racing track. These seem to be really popular at casinos.

And, if you want to play for your ice cream instead of just buying it from a vending machine, you can!

Millinophile said the only downside was that lunch was expensive and tiny (like 5 chicken nuggets for $5). Also, it was raining the day he went, so the outdoor sports (archery, batting cages, etc.) were closed.

Kannonzaki Park

Millinophile and Chickadee went to the Yokosuka Museum of Art several weeks ago. The museum has art by artists from the surrounding area, so most of it was weird modern art. 

After the museum, we decided to walk through Kannonzaki Park up to the Kannonzaki lighthouse (which we helpfully didn't take a picture of). This stone alley is on the way back down.

A battery we passed in the park.

Yokohama Chinatown

 This isn't actually in Chinatown. We pass this house on stilts on our way to church every Sunday.

 Yokohama Marine Tower. We didn't go inside, but we did sit in the nearby park and eat pastries.

 One of Chinatown's smaller gates. The bigger, fancier gates were all being renovated. Yokohama Chinatown is the largest Chinatown in the world. It was really busy when we were there. 

 The Kwan Tai temple, dedicated to the Chinese Imperial General Kwan Tai.

 Where else can you get a whole duck for $30?

 These and other similar tiles lined much of the sidewalk.

 The Mazu Miao temple, dedicated to the Chinese sea goddess Mazu. This is the largest temple in Yokohama Chinatown.

Leaving Chinatown.

Chickadee and Millinophile weren't very impressed with Yokohama Chinatown. Sure, it was big, but it felt very tourist-y, and all of the shops and restaurants seemed to carry the same overpriced things.

Birds!

These little guys are all over base, White Wagtail, Motacilla alba.

These birds are also all over base. Commonly referred to as "seahawks," they are actually kites. They're famous for swooping down and snatching food from unsuspecting Americans. Black-eared kite, Milvus lineatus.

 Kites in flight. They're brown, but the high contrast in these photos makes them look black :(.

Matcha Mochi

 This is a ball of mochi filled with matcha ice cream.

It's utterly delicious (at least Chickadee thinks so. Millinophile is inclined to complain that it's too bitter). 

Daruma Doll

This Daruma Doll was a gift from Millinophile's boss, who is leaving Japan. Daruma Dolls are good luck symbols crafted from paper mache. They're supposed to resemble Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism. You're supposed to make a wish or set a goal and color in one of the eyeballs. Once you've been granted your wish or achieved your goal, you fill in the other eyeball.