I Found WalMart!!!! (Well, kind of)

Today I decided to go to the 100 Yen store and pick up a few things. I have yet to venture outside the main gates of the base on my own without getting lost so this trip was a big deal for me. We are expecting a blizzard tonight and tomorrow. Between 5 tonight and 6 in the morning we are going to have 8 to 12 inches of snow! So....Joey and I get in the van for one quick trip out in town before the weather gets bad.
We had been told that there was no WalMart here in Misawa and the one that was close to us was down past Tokyo (only a 9 hour drive). I love WalMart. I miss WalMart. Well....WalMart (like the cooperation) bought a local Japanese chain of stores called Sanwado. On our way to the 100 Yen store, we pass Sanwado so I pulled into the parking lot to see. Then reality hit me. I'm in Japan. Sanwado was nothing like WalMart. They sell small appliances, working boots, 2x4's, and gardening stuff. They do have a small section of "bulk" items like rice but I don't need that much! I walked back out to the van a little sad (well more like skated, the parking lots are solid sheets of ice out in town). Joey and I made our way to the 100 Yen store and picked up the few goodies we needed and then were going to drive back to base.
Did I tell you all I can't seem to go anywhere without getting lost? Well, we did it again. Somehow I ended up on the other side of town near the train station and our church. It turned out great though. A friend had told me she goes to a local market in this area to buy apples. The apples here on base are WAY TOO EXPENSIVE! You pay about $1.30 an apple. These are not the huge apples, just the little ones about the size Joey wants. This little market sells apples by the crate for about $12.00 my friend told me. I never could seem to find it but today while I was trying to get unlost, I found myself in front of a store with crates of apples sitting on the sidewalk. After about another 15 minutes of trying to find a place to park (the small stores have no parking, you are supposed to just pull up on the sidewalk) Joey and I went in. We were able to get this big box of apples for only $12.00! There were at least 40 apples in there! The man wanted to be sure I was happy with the type of apple Joey picked out (they had all sorts of apples) so he cut a slice out of one for me to eat. It was about the best apple I have ever had! It was cold and crisp and juicy! Joey also bought two bags of the little Japanese oranges. They have a name, I just don't know what it is. They are yummy too.
As the man was packing my apples into my van, I remembered, "Wait, I'm lost!" I looked at the man with what have been a very puzzled look and without me having to say a thing he asked, "Misawa Base? Hi! I show you." Then he climbed into the van. Um, ok. I thought maybe he was just going to show me on my navigation system (which would have done me no good, its all in Japanese) but know he indicated that I should drive. The shop turned out to be only about 1km away from White Pole Road (the one way road that goes directly in front of the base) so he directed me (by pointing) there and then said his goodbyes. Its rather rude here in Japan to offer to tip someone for their services so we thanked him, "Domo" and Joey gave him a spider man sticker.
Guess getting lost in Japan isn't so bad after all.