Well we called the number and nothing happened. We called again and nothing happened. Finally we asked around and were told that you have to use a green phone to call the phone company. We discovered that there are five different phones on this island. How many does one island need? Here and there on the street corners are phone booths. Each phone booth contains a different colored phone. The green phones are for local calls and only take ten yen 10 coins. The yellow phones are for long distance calls and will handle nine 100 yen coins only. The pink phones are usually in or beside restaurants, night clubs, or coffee shops and are for customers use. They will only accept one 10 yen coin and allow you only a 3 minute phone call. (I guess if you stop for a drink on your way home you can call home and tell them you are going to be late.) The red phones are sometimes found in the booths with other phones and are for emergencies. The cost of the call is free but they only call the police or the fire department. When you use the pay phones you lift the receiver, deposit the total number of coins the phone will accept and dial the number. The charges begin when the party you are calling answers. If you don't use all the money during your call the change due you will come out the coin return box when you hang up. The fifth type of phone is found in people's houses, which was exactly what we were trying to get.

On our way off the base one day, we happened upon a green phone. It was like we had found a Christmas present. We both said, "Hey, a green phone!" We stopped the car and discovered it was time to learn how to use the parking meters. Pulling into a metered slot went fine. The meter took 200 yen for 60 minutes. Well we figured we didn't need but a few minutes so we put in a coin. Nothing happened. The meter didn't register any time. After kicking the meter a few times and discussing what we should do next we put in 200 yen. Nothing happened. I decided to stay with the car while Richie went to the green phone to call the phone company.

Richie finally got an answer at the number the housing agent had given us but, you called it, they only speak Japanese. Near by was a store we recognized. Early in the week we ordered a discount calling service to the States from a booth outside the commissary. The store was the calling service office. Richie went in while I stayed with the car. The meter was still not registering any time. The calling service helped us out and also told Richie that sometimes the meters work and sometimes they don't. You have to put in 200 yen for the full 60 minutes to get them to register. If you pull into a spot and sit in your car for ten minutes before you put money in the meter the meter will only register 50 minutes. Once you occupy a spot the laser beam on the meter starts ticking. If you want to park in the same stop for more than 60 minutes you have to pull your car out of the spot and pull back in again.

We finally got the information we needed to have our phone hooked up. We now have a home phone. I would give you the number but I have no idea how you would call me. We also have an Internet service that is unlimited from 11pm to 8 am our time which is daytime for most of you. I will probably be sleeping days and e-mailing at night. So if you want to send an e-mail to our house our new address is rptwo@rapid-link.ne.jp. I will still be checking my Yahoo account if you are using it.

Most of the Labor Day weekend we spent buying all the things we got rid of before we left Virginia. Isn't life GRAND?! I think we have everything we need for a while except for a potato peeler which I forgot to buy. I guess we will have to eat rice for a while longer. Our furniture is military issue. Some of you will be familiar with that fancy decor. I was really expecting the worse so anything else would be ok. Well it is not too bad. It is kind of like being young and starting out when you get your parents to give you the stuff they don't want or use anymore. I call it Early Attic.

I couldn't believe the small men who carried the furniture, refrigerator, washer and dryer up to the second floor on straps they slung around their necks. I don't think they have heard of moving dollies or hand carts in this part of the world. It must have been 110 in the shade and they just hauled this stuff like it was nothing.

The first day in our new place we discovered that all the local villages have special tunes they play on loud speakers at 7 am and 7 pm. The morning tune is to call the school children to rise and shine. The evening tune is to tell the children it is time to go home. They also have another tune that is played during the day before a woman's voice comes over a loud speaker to give the days announcements to the farmers. Like the mainland of Japan, there are no zoning codes on the island so businesses, stores, apartments, houses and farms are all interspersed thought out the villages. The farmers don't have phones or TV's so the announcements keep them informed.

Labor Day Richie had class so I decided to go with him to the base so I could use the computer lab. We were so busy over the weekend moving in that we hadn't checked our e-mail. We left our house in Kitanakagusuko and followed the only road we know to get out of our place. Now you need to know about the roads on this island.

There are two main roads that run north and south. They are two, and sometimes three, lanes each side. The two main roads have route numbers and are very much like you would see in the States except the maximum speed limit is 60 kilometers or about 36 miles per hour. Off the these two main roads are a few roads here and there running east and west. They also have route numbers and are similar to the roads in the States. Then you have the rest of the roads on the island that really get you to where you want to go. They are narrow roads, many times there is barely enough room for one car, yet all are two way roads. They curve around and go up and down the hills with mirrors on some curves so you can hopefully see if a car is coming around the other way. Some of the narrow roads have concrete ditches on both sides to let the water drain down the hills off the roads. The ditches are about a foot wide and three feet deep without any side wall or rail. You have to be very careful not to get a tire stuck in one of these ditches. The smaller roads do not have route numbers or names. People give directions by telling you the land marks. One of the major land marks are the vending machines that are found on the small streets. The machines sell bottled water and all kinds of wonderful tasting teas. Now and then you can find a machine with soda. Local drivers will stop right in the middle of the road to purchase from the vending machines or run into a local market.

Well we were on our way to Richie's class, half way out of the road to our place when we came upon a road barricade blocking the road. The sign, of course was written in Japanese. It did have a picture of the road and a side road with an arrow pointing to our right. So we figured we go right. The road to the right went straight down a rather large hill. It had ditches on both sides and beyond that sugar cane fields. It wound around the fields and came out in the middle of buildings. It was like being in some back alley and not knowing which direction would bring you back to civilization. We chose a direction and headed up a hill nearly scraping the buildings on either side. The main road was up ahead. We had made it out but, would we remember how to get back when we returned in the dark?

Stayed tuned!