Out and about in Japan

Hi everyone! I'm back in Japan and will be here for a few weeks before going back out to sea. While I'm here I will eventually see Tokyo, but for now I have mostly just seen the base at Marine Corps Air Station, Iwakuni, Japan. Today a couple of the other pilots and I ventured out into town. We stopped by the Kintai Bridge, which is a local attraction near the base. The bridge was originally built in 1673. It's been restored some since then, obviously, and I thought you all might like to see it. After we walked across the bridge, we ended up in a historical park. Entering the park was like walking back into time. I could imagine the Samurai warriors gearing up for battle right there where I was walking. It was a fun, interesting experience. Here are some pictures.

This first one is a shot of me in front of the bridge. Pretty cool for a wooden bridge that's over 300 years old, huh?

This one shows a statue in the historical park that's across the river.

Wouldn't it be cool to live here? The hill in the background is a good representation of the land features in the area. Outside the inner part of Iwakuni you'll find a spectacular countryside. Imagine the Texas Hill Country, but more like a forest.

This used to be someone's house. Isn't that incredible?

So the entire historical park was overrun with stray cats... I am not a cat person at all, but I couldn't help but take a picture of these two cat-napping.

That's all, folks. Hopefully you enjoyed seeing a little bit of the things that I've seen lately. I miss everyone back home and look forward to seeing you all again soon!