Iwakuni by Luck

When flying Space-A, a girl simply crosses her fingers, watches the flights like a hawk, and puts bets on luck to get where she is going. Space-A is a military term for Space Available. The purpose is for empty seats on flights to get filled by passengers wishing to travel... somewhere. There are flights all over the world, but the most common from Oki include mainland, Hawaii, and Guam. I already took a Space-A accidental adventure to Hawaii with my Oki bestie, but this time I was traveling alone. 

Heather visited us in Oki when Avril was in town!

Heather lives in Iwakuni. That is on mainland Japan. Did I just blow some minds? No, we do NOT live on mainland. Here is a map to help those of you out who don't pay attention to recent blogs explaining where we live. :) 

After arriving at the Air Force Base airport bright and early, I was chosen (through a strenuous, not-that-fun-to-explain-but-if-you-are-interested-in-more-details-because-you-want-to-try-and-travel-for-free-and-are-a-military-spouse-then-email-me process) for the flight to Iwakuni! I was boarded on the plane four hours later and told that in 1 hour and 20 minutes I would land in Iwakuni where I could rush into my mainland BFF's arms. All went off without a hitch and I landed safely in Iwakuni for- wait for it- exactly $0. Pretty good deal, right! 

Well, I am hanging out here for a few days and attempting to head back in about a week from now. The beauty in the process is that I have to wait for a flight returning to Oki in order to return home for another big, fat $0. One of the bonuses of military life. 

Enjoy some pics from our adventures so far. 

"Eddie" short for Edamame.

The mountains of Iwakuni are reminiscent of Kentucky. *sigh*

Kintai Bridge, meant to separate the royalty from commoners in olden days. Of course I am on the royalty side!

Soy Sauce tasting.. Yes, it is as exciting as Heather makes it look!

The giant goldfish mascot of a local city called Yanai.

Sanzoku, or The Chicken Shack

That fish stared at me for the entire meal... creepy!

Outside seating where a cool waterfall flows in the background. It is pretty chilly here, so the underneath of the tables are heated!

A little hike around the Shack led us to some sweet sites.

Tune in soon and I am sure there will be more updates. :)