WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23RD – THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24TH: CAMP COURTNEY FESTIVAL, OKINAWA WITH COOPER ALAN:
Had a 6 am flight out of Nashville to Minneapolis and then on to Tokyo and ultimately Okinawa. Those flights are hard because I have to get up at 2:30 to depart to the airport at 3:30. Just did not even go to sleep last night. Cooper’s group is flying on United Airlines via San Francisco and I’m flying on Delta. The flight connections on the United flights were just too short for me to consider. Hopefully they will make all their connections.
I had my travel agent check my flight yesterday because I received an email from Delta stating that there would not be any WiFi available on the 12 hour flight between Minneapolis and Tokyo! I need to work on the flight and this was not what I wanted to deal with the day before flying. Delta flights have been very strange this year as far as having WiFi. They have these big advertisements stating that WiFi is “Free on T-Mobile”. In actuality, WiFi has been free for T-Mobile customers for years. Delta is just now “supposedly” making it free for everyone. All my international flights this year have charged me $20-$25 per flight for WiFi even though the advertisement is there for free T-Mobile. There’s just no way to connect to the “free” WiFi they supposedly are offering. I’ve called T-Mobile and they have refunded the charges to me. I’ve called Delta and they don’t understand why I can’t connect. Well, today, I got to the “real truth”.
Yesterday Delta assured my travel agent that they had looked at the “tail number” for my type of aircraft for the flight today and I would have WiFi the entire trip. I was going to change my flight to be able to get on a flight with WiFi but decided against it when I read the message from Delta assuring me I would have WiFi. About an hour before I was going to board, I got another email from Delta saying I definitely would not have WiFi on the Minneapolis to Tokyo flight. I asked the agents in Nashville and they had no clue why I wouldn’t. I asked the Lounge agents in Minneapolis and same story. I asked the gate agents in Minneapolis and again, no clue. Finally, I asked the flight attendant (who remembered me from a previous flight!) and he was able to explain it.
Supposedly, Delta is switching out the equipment to connect to T-Mobile satellites. None of their flights between the USA and Asia currently have WiFi connection! He said that I would have WiFi until we reached Alaska which was about 5-6 hours from Minneapolis and then I would not have it again the entire flight. Definitely not what I wanted to hear.
I worked non-stop until we reached Alaska but at exactly 3 hours and 50 minutes into the flight – NOT 5-6 hours – we lost Wifi permanently. I decided to get some sleep since I never went to bed last night. I thought I would pass out immediately but only slept restlessly for a couple of hours. Guess I was too angry about the WiFi situation to relax. So, now I’m working offline which isn’t very productive because I can’t get to my emails.
The ”newly configured” aircraft aren’t very passenger friendly. Imagine that! The overhead space above my seat is too small for a rolling bag. The overhead across the aisle is so far away that I would have to step into the person’s seat across from me to access it. It has been a challenge to find somewhere to store it and still be able to access it during the flight. The only “storage” space is directly behind the seat which also makes access difficult. The restrooms are very difficult to access. There is one in the front where you have to literally climb over the flight attendants to access. The other is all the way in the back and seems to stay full because the coach passengers also share it.
I’m sure Delta spent millions on the dollars with the upgrades and will get so many complaints in the next few years that they will have to do the whole process over again. That’s what usually happens.
We landed on time but of course Delta was “out” of the forms we needed to complete for landing. They have been “out” for at least two years now. Odd! I was able to fill out the landing card while in the very long line for Immigration. And, of course, everything on the internet said we no longer need a QR Code but once we landed, we did need it! Had to fill out yet another form for Customs.
The first group with Cooper had made it to the ANA check in counter by the time I exited Customs. They left for their terminal while I was checking in for my next flight. Cooper and his second group landed but 3 of their bags were missing and it took them an hour to fill out the paperwork. I was surprised they were able to fill it out in Tokyo because we have always been told we have to wait until we reach our final destination. I had to leave for Terminal 1 because I was afraid I was going to miss my flight. JAL wouldn’t let Cooper’s group check their bags in Terminal 3 where we landed but made the get on a shuttle bus and take them to Terminal 1 to check. I really didn’t think they would make our flight. But, the flight was delayed and they made it!
They definitely have angels on their shoulders because if I had been on any of those flights, I would not have made it. I talked with them for a few minutes and he is really a nice guy. He’s looking forward to performing for the military and they are going to love him.
The flight from Haneda to Okinawa was two hours and 45 minutes and I worked the entire flight because THEY HAVE WIFI!!!
All the bags arrived this time and Allison was waiting for us with the other guys who had arrived about 30 minutes earlier. We had a local Nashville entertainer named Kaitlin Walker on the bus with us with her band. She’s performing at the festival on Saturday and Sunday. We dropped her group off at their hotel on our way to our hotel. We also stopped and picked up the food that we had “pre-ordered” on Camp Foster.
The hotel is really nice but it is also REALLY Japanese. No English speaking TV channels. All the controls in the room are in Japanese. I had to take photos of the air conditioner, TV remote, light switches, etc. and translate them using Google Translate. I’m going to suggest that if they want to lodge us off-base (which I would much rather stay on base!), then it needs to be at a Westin, Doubletree, Hilton, Best Western, etc. that cater to Americans. It will be an “experience” for the guys.
I have an 8:30 am lobby call for an AFN Interview with Cooper so I’m going to bed soon and work on all the hundreds of emails tomorrow. It’s almost 1:30 am now.
Jude
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25TH – AFE INTERVIEW AND SUSHI, SUSHI, SUSHI!!!
Four good solid hours of sleep last night and 8:30 am lobby call to go to AFN. Everyone was early – which I LOVE! Al from MCCS picked us up and I love him, too. All the folks at MCCS are so great to work with…Dureil, Mika, Al, Allison, Tony and Jackson! They know how to get things done efficiently and professionally. They have a festival here pretty much every month and I have been blessed to bring entertainment to all of them throughout the years.
Al drove us over to AFN and while we were waiting for Cooper to go on air, the staff gave us a tour of the facility – which I have never been offered before. I was amazed to find that there is a room with “bunks” where the staff sleeps, a full kitchen, gym, laundry – everything they need to “live” there. When they are on duty, it is 24 hours a day – another fun fact I did not know.
The lady who did the interview was great and very engaging. Cooper is a “natural” behind the mic and it was an interesting but fun conversation. If people don’t come out for his show Saturday night, they are really missing a treat. Al and I fought hard to get him here so hopefully we will have a big crowd. Looks like the weather is going to cooperate.
Al said that Gary Sinise was sponsoring something on the island. I asked him to get me the information and it is one of Gary’s programs called “Serving Heroes” where he provides a meal to bases and first responders around the world. Camp Hanson was one of the many recipients this weekend. No one does more for our “defenders” than Gary Sinise! So blessed to have him in my life.
I have bragged about HamaZushi to everyone this entire trip, so I have a LOT to live up to tonight when we go there for dinner!
I had about 4 hours of “down time” back at the hotel after the interview. I walked over to the grocery store and Family Mart to buy some food for the room. I don’t eat breakfast but did walk in and talk to some of the guys as they were eating this morning. The buffet looked amazing and the guys confirmed that it was.
I purchased the AMAZING sandwich from the Family Mart – my favorite Egg Salad Sandwich. The bread is like eating a cloud! Then I worked until time to meet the group at 4:00 pm to go eat at HamaZushi. We had to take 3 taxies for the 9 of us and evidently the taxi drivers didn’t quite understand “where” we wanted to go even though the Concierge at the hotel explained it to them. They took us to the wrong place. I got out and went up to the doors to look inside and it was definitely the WRONG place. Nick pulled up the address on his phone and directed him to the right restaurant. About halfway there, the driver said “Ahhh….HamaZushi” like a light bulb had just gone off in his head. LOL.
I have to say, the sushi did not disappoint. Everyone loved it – even the ones who don’t eat sushi. There is something there for everyone whether it is soup, noodles, sushi with hamburger or chicken, etc. And, the guys are so incredibly nice. I sat with Nick, Cooper, Hally (Cooper’s wife) and Scotty. At one point we started talking about my tours into Iraq and Afghanistan and they were fascinated. Cooper said he has always wanted to perform on a military base so this is a dream come true for him. His Grandfather served in the military. I am definitely going to use him on more of my tours for the bases.
Now, the other great part about eating here is the cost. I picked up the check as a “thank you” to the group. This is my absolute favorite place to eat in all of Japan/Okinawa. You sit at a table and order the items you want from an iPad. Then the iPad notifies you when it’s coming out on the conveyor belt. But, it also “stops” at your table when your item comes out. So efficient!
There were 9 people and we drank and ate more food and beverage than should be humanly possible in one meal. Ready for this – the total cost was $86.51 USD for all 9 people! And the sushi is fresh, unique, and delicious. The Yen is terrible to the Dollar right now, so that helps too. I am pretty sure Nick is going to eat every meal there while we are in Okinawa. LOL.
We got an update on the 3 missing equipment cases just as we were finishing dinner. They had found 2 of them earlier today and just located the 3rd piece. They were supposed to arrive at the Okinawa airport tonight. Al had been helping with this and he was trying to convince JAL to deliver the pieces to our hotel. Otherwise, the person who checked the piece has to go to the airport with their ID to be able to retrieve it!
After eating, we walked over to American Village so they could see what the attraction was there. Restaurants, clubs, hundreds of shops, etc. are located there and many are “American Items”. It’s the favorite spot in Okinawa for the men and women serving in the military here. Dureil had hoped to join us when he finished working but unfortunately he had to work late on festival business. We found Sweet Potato Ice Cream (my favorite) and then headed back to the hotel. The group is suffering from jet lag but trying hard to get on this Time Zone. They went across the street to have a drink and I went to my room to work.
It’s almost 2 am and I’m going to bed. Big day at Camp Courtney tomorrow!
Jude
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26TH – PERFORMANCE AT CAMP COURTNEY FESTIVAL:
Everyone has been talking about how great the breakfast is, so I got up 30 minutes earlier to try it. The eggs were really good and so was the fruit. But, I think I would rather have slept that extra 30 minutes.
We left for sound check at 9:10 am and they, of course, had the stage set and waiting for us. It is incredibly hot and humid today. I walked around and took some photos of the stage and then Hally and I walked over to the base exchange and commissary to find the different kinds of Kit Kat while the guys were doing a sound check. No luck.
Sound check ran a little bit late but the festival staff was okay with it. We returned to the hotel after sound check and only had a little over 2 hours before we needed to go back for the show. I walked down to 7 Eleven in search of the Kit Kat bars. My google maps said it was a 6 minute walk but after walking for blocks and blocks, I finally found the store but it was at least 20 minutes from our hotel. And, then, they didn’t have the Kit Kat bars in a hundred flavors! I was almost late for lobby call after the long hike back.
Lobby call was 4:15 for the show and the first item on the schedule was a Meet and Greet. There are 75 people who win a contest and they get to take individual photos with Cooper. The line moved really quickly and we had time to kill before he took the stage at 7 pm. I went out front to listen to Kaitlan’s show and while I was out front, “Taps” began playing. Everyone is supposed to stop talking and turn towards the flag. I guess Kaitlin didn’t hear the music or didn’t know about the custom because she played right through it!
I was telling Jackson about our mission to find Hally some Kit Kat and he suggested going to Don Quixote Mega Store. I didn’t know they had one in Okinawa and after googling it, I learned it is only about a 10 minute taxi ride from our hotel. We will hit it up tomorrow. I went to one in Tokyo several years ago and it is so massive, it is overwhelming!
The Command Sargeant Major and Base Colonel came back to say hello to Cooper and made an announcement before bringing the group on stage. I met them last year and both are really nice, very supportive, guys.
Chase took the stage on time and delivered an amazing, high energy show. He and his band just “rocked” the entire time. There was lots of audience participation and there were quite a few children in the audience singing along. Lots of people in front of the stage had their children on their shoulders and then there was a big tent off to one side where lots of people were sitting and eating while he performed. Nice to see so many smiling faces and people really enjoying themselves with a “little bit of home” for them.
After the show, the General’s wife came backstage with a lot of her friends to have photos made with Cooper while the musicians and crew were packing up. We said our goodbyes to the amazing staff, loaded the bus and were back at the hotel by 10 pm. We had ordered “to go” food from the festival vendors and I had a beef bowl for dinner that was outstanding.
I AM going to bed by midnight so I can get up and run before we try to go to Don Quixote, the Peace Museum and HamaZushi (again)! So much for having an entire day off and getting caught up on work.
Jude
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27TH – DAY OFF IN OKINAWA:
A “RARE” day off in Okinawa. When the date is booked, we always build in a “rain day”. Thankfully it didn’t rain yesterday, so today was a day off. I planned to sleep until 7 am and then go jogging. Instead, I got a phone call at 5:30 am and could not go back to sleep.
Got up and was ready to jog at 7 am. While it was a beautiful jog along the waterfront, it was NOT perfect weather. Already 80 degrees and 100% humidity at 7 am. But, it felt good to get outside and exercise instead of trying to work out in my room! I did stop and take some photos along the way but still got in my 3 miles. Showered and worked until I heard from Nick. He and I went to Don Quixote and bought lots and lots of weird flavors of Kit Kat. A lot of the others went to Parco Mall and walked around for hours.
Nick and I decided to go see the Japanese Naval Museum because it came highly recommended. Part of the experience is walking around in an underground tunnel that was used by the Okinawa Navy in the Battle of Okinawa. Honestly, until I started coming to Okinawa, I did not know anything at all about that battle. I never studied about it in History class and it was a very important, brutal part of the war! We watched a film that told the story and then walked through the main museum. The “highlight” was getting to go down into the tunnels. Nick is so tall, he had to bend over to walk through most of it. As we were walking into the first part of the tunnel, I decided to take a photo. Only my phone was missing. Talk abut a total melt-down! I thought back to the last time I had it and remembered I had shown the driver the directions to the museum. Nick called my phone and the Uber driver answered. He had my phone and was taking it to our hotel and leaving for me. I left him a really nice tip in a country that doesn’t accept tips!
Some of the group walked over to the Convention Center shops later that afternoon but I had to get some work done! Everyone except Cooper, Hally and “Little Jack” went to a Brazilian Steakhouse tonight. The food was great and we were back at the hotel by 10 pm. Cooper’s group has a really early departure to the airport tomorrow morning…6:00 am….for their flight to Australia. I don’t depart until around 11:00 am so I said my good-byes tonight.
Again, it was a great group of people to work with and a great show made even better by the fact that Cooper and his guys/wife truly love and support the military. First criteria for me when I book an entertainer to perform for the military.
Looking forward to seeing my “Kumamoto family” tomorrow…
Jude
MONDAY, OCTOBER 28TH – LEAVING OKINAWA TO KUMAMOTO:
Cooper and his group departed the hotel really early and were the first ones in line to check in for their flights once the counters opened. Even with that, they said they almost missed their flight because it took them so long to check in. I was more worried about the connecting flight from Tokyo to Australia but they made that one as well.
I got an Uber and departed for the airport at 11 am. I knew I would arrive way too early but didn’t want to pay the cost to stay at the hotel one hour later. I checked in and then found a place where I could eat Udon noodles for lunch. We boarded the flight on time but Air Traffic Control held the flight for 30 minutes past our departure time. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to meet Charlie on time at 6:30 pm.
We landed and my long time friend – Hiromi – was so sweet to pick me up. We had a nice chat driving for almost an hour to the hotel. I checked in and was rushing to meet Charlie at Angelo’s. This is the hotel where we stayed for the 31 years of Country Gold. So strange being back here without a lot of people with me. My room was a “double” and much too small for me to even open my suitcase! I asked the desk to change me to a Deluxe Twin because then I could put my suitcase on one of the beds and open it!
I was about 30 minutes late meeting Charlie. Angelo’s is an Italian Restaurant where we ate every year during Country Gold. It’s still just as good as it was 5 years ago. And Angelo and his wife look the same, only a little older! I had the mushroom soup (which comes in a copper kettle with fresh baked bread covering the top of the kettle) and Spaghetti Pepperoncino like I did for 31 years.
Charlie had to leave to open his club so I finished eating and then went back to the hotel to freshen up before walking over to his nightclub. I loved walking down the Ginza Area (shopping street) again after so many years. Lots of stores are no longer there but many are still the same.
Charlie had invited several people who knew me from Country Gold and his tours to the USA. It was so nice to see them but especially nice to see Seiya, Charlie’s son again! Hiromi also met me at the club. I stayed there listening to Charlie sing and talking to everyone until after 10 pm. One sweet man gave me a beautiful necklace inlaid with Gold that is only available in Kumamoto.
Tomorrow I am going to jog along the river and go see Toshiko tomorrow afternoon. So bittersweet being back here now that we no longer have the country gold festival.
Jude
DAY IN KUMAMOTO, JAPAN:
Got up at 7 am so I could go for a jog along the river. It was beautiful weather. Very unlike the jog in Okinawa. Brought back so many memories jogging along the same path I jogged for 31 years…only I’m jogging much slower than when I was that young! It started misting rain right before I got back to the hotel and then turned into a steady rain all day. Has turned much cooler, too.
I had several hours to work after showering and Charlie picked me up at 1:30 pm to go see Toshiko. He definitely did not think she would recognize me. We were both so shocked and happy when she started smiling and laughing when she saw me. She tried so hard to talk but I learned that she had a stroke a couple of years ago and that’s why she is unable to speak. When Charlie sings to her, she smiles and tries to talk. I gave her the Goo Goo clusters and she smiled when she saw them. Last time I saw her 5 years ago, she was so excited to have a Goo Goo cluster that she ate it too fast and choked on it. This time we left them with the nurse and told her to cut them up before letting her eat them!
I met Hiromi at a store that sells Kumamon souvenirs but we didn’t find anything there. I told her my hotel has some things and I’ll just buy them there. I did find Zoe a necklace that I think she will like but that was at a different store. Hiromi and I had dinner before she had to go to work. She teaches English to High School students in the evenings.
I went back to the hotel for a few minutes and then walked to Charlie’s nightclub. There were two people there who hadn’t seen him in 40 years. They were in their 70’s and looked like they were in their 40’s. What is it with the Japanese that they can look so young forever? Maybe I need to eat more rice and soy!
I didn’t stay long since I have to get up at 5 am. My “goal” was to be in be by 11 pm but since it’s already midnight, guess I missed that again.
Got lots of great photos today that I will post on FB. What an amazing trip this has been. From the awesome concern by Cooper Alan for the men and women serving so far from home to my time in my “second home” for so many years …Kumamoto, Japan!
Jude
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30TH, LEAVING JAPAN:
5 am wakeup call and 7 am departure to the airport. Got there with plenty of time to spare. I wanted to shop for some more Kumamon gifts and, of course, Kit Kat! Counting on being able to buy lots of my Kit Kat at Haneda Airport. I have really long layovers everywhere today. 6 ½ hours in Haneda and 5 hours in Minneapolis. Made good use of the time by working. Really impressed by the renovations to the Kumamoto airport. They even had a “credit card” lounge. My Amex worked for free entry.
I can’t remember if I mentioned the special “Coke Zero” that they have in Okinawa. It has FIBER added which I suppose makes it healthier?
It was a short 1 ½ hour flight to Kumamoto to Haneda. Since I had plenty of time, I decided to try the monorail instead of the shuttle bus to go between terminals. It was twice as fast and so easy. Will be using that in the future between terminals.
My luggage was checked all the way through so all I had to do was go to the Delta checkin counter and retrieve my boarding passes. But I wanted to check for Kit Kat first because with all the gifts I also purchased in Kumamoto, thought I would buy a cheap bag and put everything in it and check it. I did find enough to justify an additional bag. Once I got it checked in, I went to the hotel that is located in Terminal 3. We have rooms there on the night of November 9th during the Chapel Hart tour and I wanted to “double check” our reservations. Everything was in order as I expected for Japan.
I went through Security and Passport control and headed to the lounge for the remaining hours prior until departure. They told us earlier that our departure to Minneapolis is delayed by 30 minutes.
It was only a little over 10 hours going home and I slept 4 of those. Of course we did not have WiFi until we were flying over the U.S. So frustrating.
There was a really nice purser on this flight. She has worked for Delta for 51 years! We chatted for quite a while and discussed the bad decision Delta made regarding the WiFi on their flights.
Landed Minneapolis about 30 minutes late and headed straight for the Lounge. I worked non-stop the entire layover. Flight to Nashville was on time and I think I slept most of that flight, too. Landed on time.
Such a great “short” visit to Okinawa and the amazing Camp Courtney Festival. Can’t say enough good things about Cooper Alan and his group. It was wonderful to see all the military personnel dancing, singing along and smiling as they enjoyed the concert. All the MCCS staff are so great to work with, too. And the quick side trip to Kumamoto was definitely a good decision. Wonderful to see Charlie, Toshiko, Seiya, and Hiromi again.
Home for a couple of days then back to Guam, Japan and Okinawa with Chapel Hart. No way I could have just stayed over there and missed the 16th birthday celebrations for Zac and Zoe!
Jude