This Halloween, Our Little Garden Gnome Asks You to do the Mash

Thanks Uncle Bob and Aunt Patti for my Monster Mash. I LOVE it, and play it over and over, at least six times a day. The Monster Mash must be in my genes.

Cardboard Racers - Start Your Engines!

Our friend Jeremy always said, "Of all the toys kids have, the cardboard box is always the most fun." He's a smart guy.

The Sushi on the Belt Goes Round and Round

Looking up at the sign on the second story, it looked ominous. Watching the elderly men and women climb the stairs to Sushido looked like they were on a mission, so focused to get to the summit like Fuji-san. One step at a time. A little dramatic for a 2nd story entrance, but who am I to put a timer on the 80+ year old Japanese man taking his time up the stairs. Good sushi will be there for him too... when he reaches the top.

Sushido didn't have the same impact it did two and a half years ago, when my boss took Michelle and I there for the first (and only) time on our first trip to Yokosuka. The second trip meant so much more. After eating our fair share of sushi the past few years, it was nice to get back to the place that was our first sushi-go-round experience in Japan.

Jon, Lloyd, Ron (not pictured) and I had a total of 40 plates (10 each). Jon and Lloyd come from Hawaii to help me out with some big upcoming contracts for work.

You have to be on top of your game, constantly checking the belt, otherwise it could be another five minutes before the next piece of fatty tuna comes arounda gain. That black bowl on the belt was all the little packets of wasabi... and I let it go by (we had enough wasabi on our table already).

Forty plates, 5500 yen, and a post lunch snooze, it was back to work. Wait, I had a daydream about the post lunch catnap, but it never happened.

Okinawa vs. Weber

After 29 months in Okinawa one block from the seawall, this is all that was left of our Weber grill before the garbage man picked it up last month. Poor guy's legs gave out after we tried to bring it in the house from the patio to prevent it from becoming a flying object as a typhoon was projected to hit Okinawa last month.

No Fear

She doesn't even shy away from an alligator...

Ein Prosit, Ein Prosit, Der Gemütlichkeit!

This German was not about to pass up an Oktoberfest, especially not one that advertised 22 brews, an Oompa band, and most importantly: singing German songs.

I was going to Oktoberfest no matter what, and was pleased to find that the new guy in Yokosuka was up for a good time in Yokohama. On the train ride there, I discovered that Sonny was coming from Naples, Italy, and was interested in finding out how an Oktoberfest in Japan would compare to the one he'd been to in Deutschland.

We joined the entrance line that wrapped around the festival, about 15 minutes, 100 people and ¥200 ($2) later, we were in. With my German weisen and four sausage platter with sauerkraut in hand, we hunted for a table before sitting down to enjoy our feast. This is the obligatory food picture for Grandma Kann, Michelle, and Tammy. We were joined by two other gentlemen looking who occupied the open seats next to us. Turns out they were friends from New York, one an Air Force pilot and his buddy who teaches English in Tokyo. One was of Korean descent, the other of Vietnamese descent. Add in my friend Sonny, who emigrated from Thailand as a young boy, and the token German (me), and it sounds like the punchline of a joke is coming (thanks for pointing that out Somchai).

While I don't have a punchline, I soon realized that I appreciated how Oktoberfest has moved beyond Munich. I was grateful to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the introduction of beer to Yokohama too.

We soon learned that even with the German enthusiasm and an Oompa band, German Oktoberfest songs are not to be sung at a volume louder than Lutherans sitting in the back of church. But if you'd like, you can join the masses at the top of your lungs with "Achy Breaky Heart" and other "American" songs all night long! I just don't think they (Japanese) understand (the words and how to sing the German tunes) - Billy Ray Cyrus is my secret favorite (only joking).

Oktoberfest was much bigger than I anticipated, and there were as many people inside as there were outside. As the sun went down, it cooled off quickly outside since Yokohama is right on the water, and many people moved inside. As you can see, it was a family affair, this picture was taken at about 8:30pm.

The beer drinking was a classy affair, you paid a ¥1000 (about $10) deposit for your glass, and another ¥1000 for a beer. This was not your classic plastic cup college kegger. I had the pleasure of trying the Weisen, Oktoberfest Weisen, and Rauch. Three down, 19 to go... So much good beer to try, so little time. Happy Oktoberfest!