Iwakuni or Bust!

Well, last weekend we accompanied the District President and other District leaders to attend and participate in a military Branch Conference at Iwakuni.  We were especially excited to tag along since Iwakuni was the city in which we lived over 40 years ago when Elder G was assigned to Search & Rescue (helicopters) for the Marine base there.  We really had fond memories of our 2.5 years there:  our two boys were 6 months and 2.5 years old when we arrived and almost 3 and 5 when we left; we traveled greatly throughout the Orient while there, and both our parents and one grandmother came to visit; we also had a Japanese maid, which made it possible for me to attend various classes--ikebana (flower arranging), oshie (padded picture making), Nihongo (Japanese), and English, which I taught to a young family.  We were anxious to return to our "old haunts" and check out the Japanese house we first lived in, the American trailer-house we bought for $4,000 and sold for $5,500 two years later, the "Yellow Sign" cafe (so named by the Americans because no one could read the Japanese) off base where everyone went to buy awesome yaki-tori (teriyaki chicken on a stick), and maybe we'd even get in a visit to some of our favorite tourist sites.
We were really stoked up for the trip!

So much for stoking!  Actually, the trip was well worth the time spent, but just not all the expense!  First of all, our combined round-trip tickets on the numerous trains it would take to get us there totaled over $950, but we figured that was worth it all to return to Iwakuni and also to visit the new temple in Fukuoka.  I believe we had at least 5 train changes (all prior to boarding the Shinkansen) throughout the 7-hour one-way trip.  The most exciting of all this was riding the Shinkansen, or Bullet Train, which can go up to 200 mph!  The interior is much like an airplane cabin with rows of two and three seats, tray tables, and "stewardesses"  constantly coming down the aisle selling refreshments.  (Each time the attendants would leave our particular car, they would turn, face the passengers, and bow--very formal.)  It was definitely a top-knotch way of traveling, which cut off hours that would otherwise be spent on trains,
many of which we rode having to stand.

The first "hitch" came when we boarded a second Bullet Train leaving Hiroshima,
which we thought was headed towards Iwakuni.

Shinkansen - Bullet Train

Bullet Train and Fuji-san

The trouble was this train bypassed Iwakuni and went straight to Fukuoka!  This was not like on a bus when you can pull the cord and ask the driver to pull over!  Once we discovered our error, we had no choice but to ride the train all the way to its next stop.  Of course, as we were exiting the depot in Fukuoka, our Iwakuni tickets signaled the officials there that we hadn't paid enough for that long of a ride.  Our District President tried to explain our mistake, but they were unforgiving and said each of the six of us now owed $60 more.  They did, however, tell us that if we would get back on the train in the morning (It was now 11:30 p.m. and trains were no longer running.) and return to Iwakuni, they would "forgive" our debt and let us out of the depot for "free."  Unfortunately, our plans included attending the temple in the morning and riding back to the Iwakuni Branch in the two vans already rented by the Branch.  Needless to say, we told the truth, paid the fees, and went on to find a nearby hotel for a pricey $150 per room.

The visit to the temple was very enjoyable.  We took the subway from the hotel, pulled our suitcases along sidewalks for about a mile, and still made it in time to meet the Iwakuni members who had driven there.  Although the session was in Japanese, there were earphones in English for us "gaijins" (foreigners).  The temple is a very small one, but very attractive and nestled against a pretty forested hillside right in the middle of Fukuoka, a major city on the island of Kyushu.

Fukuoka Temple

More of the temple

By the time we drove back to Iwakuni, our first time of touching the soil there once again, it was after 6 p.m and dark!  We were both soooo disappointed!  Then, to top it off, we learned that we were being picked up at 9 a.m. to attend (and speak at) the Branch Conference.  I really had a hard time dealing with this disappointment, so I devised a plan.

The next morning we were dressed and out front of the base "hotel" by 7:30 waiting for a cab driver. (It was still dark prior to that.)  For another $60 we were able to get a 60-minute drive out to one of the local attractions, Kintai Bridge, a 340-year-old bridge, formed in 5 arches, built entirely of wood.

Kintai Bridge in Iwakuni - Iwakuni Castle on hilltop

Elder Galbraith on the bridge
I got one picture of Elder Galbraith before my camera batteries died.  (Murphy's Law, anyone?)  

The cab driver then took us back to the base where nothing at all was familiar as our old trailer-house area had been leveled to make room for high-rise barracks, and Elder Galbraith's Search & Rescue operations had been relocated.  Sadly, nothing was familiar.

We attended and also spoke at the Branch Conference.  (The Church meetings are held off-base in a chapel that was once a car dealership!)  Afterwards, the Branch treated all of us visitors and themselves to a Subway sandwich lunch and Baskin Robbins ice-cream cake!  It was really enjoyable visiting with young military couples (like we once were) and discussing the gospel as well as their activities in Japan.  For all the people we met there and also those we traveled with, we are very grateful for having made great new friends.  Some of these District leaders will be here in February when our Yokota Branch holds its Branch Conference, and we look forward to renewing these friendships then.

With lunch out of the way, we were then on our way--back home to Fussa/Yokota Air Force Base.  Farewell Iwakuni!  It was nice seeing you for--let's see--an hour or so?  Needless to say, we're still glad we did the whole trip as it will definitely be a never-forgotten memory of
great new friendships made and certain trains to avoid!

Kintai Bridge at night