Honshu and Okinawa

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I am back. I spent 10 days in Japan, 5 days for work on the main island of Honshu and 5 days of solo adventure in Okinawa. Travel is so invigorating dispite the uncomfortableness. Jetlag, anxiety, crowds, and other discomforts aside, it is mind-expanding and rewarding. Work went well. I flew a new airline (Skymark) from Tokyo to Naha. I am always wary of strange discount airlines and all the traps they set. However, I had a great expereince with "Sky". I was actually shocked. Super easy checkin at the airport, no extra fees even with extra luggage. The primary mission in Okinawa was to visit the Peace Park and the suicide cliffs of Okinawa. From what I understand, at the end of WW2 the inhabitants were encouraged to commit suicide rather than surrender to the Americans and get tortured and eaten. Besides other types of suicide, they jumped off the cliffs at the Southern end of the main island. If you have seen the original color footage taken at the time, I am sure you ...
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I am getting used to the physio-altitude here. Avoiding coffee and alcohol really makes a difference when your body is trying to create more of the good stuff that moves oxygen from your lungs to your body. I walked around a bit last night but I also had to work. I am on call 24/7 here and I am responsible for all the radios systems, analog and digital telephone systems, air-nav equipment. I am also the guy who works on the web cams including the one that appears on the USAP website. Yesterday I had to splice a recently un-buried telephone cable, reset the the TACAN (air-nav beacon) and get one of the channels of the trunked UHF radio system working. I am also trying to clean up the shop and get some of the lower priority work done too.

The picture shows me at the entrance of the dome. Originally it was build at ground (ice) level but the polar plateau slowly (but surely) engulfs everything with the unrelenting cover of snow, which turns hard enough to use an excavator to dig things out. The other picture shows the beer can. It is an enclosed open staircase at least 6 stories high. It goes several stories under ground (well snow). There are interconnected tunnels down there over to the dome, a bar (the old gym) and the power plant.

I work on the 1st floor of the new station. I eat and sleep on the second floor.

I am planning to go out to the webcam approximately 55 minutes earlier than this post tomorrow. So that would be noon Wednesday on the east coat of the US. I apoligize if I am not there because I had to do something for work. Somebody take a screen shot for me please.

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Honshu and Okinawa

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I am back. I spent 10 days in Japan, 5 days for work on the main island of Honshu and 5 days of solo adventure in Okinawa. Travel is so invigorating dispite the uncomfortableness. Jetlag, anxiety, crowds, and other discomforts aside, it is mind-expanding and rewarding. Work went well. I flew a new airline (Skymark) from Tokyo to Naha. I am always wary of strange discount airlines and all the traps they set. However, I had a great expereince with "Sky". I was actually shocked. Super easy checkin at the airport, no extra fees even with extra luggage. The primary mission in Okinawa was to visit the Peace Park and the suicide cliffs of Okinawa. From what I understand, at the end of WW2 the inhabitants were encouraged to commit suicide rather than surrender to the Americans and get tortured and eaten. Besides other types of suicide, they jumped off the cliffs at the Southern end of the main island. If you have seen the original color footage taken at the time, I am sure you ...
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