Guam and Gundam-My Golden Week-part one

Since we (my hubby and I) came back to Japan, our vacation schedules have almost been fixed.
Christmas; to my in-law's house in Mie.
Summer; to my parent's house in Hokkaido.
Golden Week(Japanese long holiday from the end of April to the beginning of May); to a tropical island-our getaway!

Last year, we went to Maui, and it was a perfect getaway.
This year, we chose Guam because it's closer, cheaper, and having less time difference than Hawaii.

Guam is not one of the 50 states of the Unites States, but an "incorporated territory" of the country, like Puerto Rico. Therefore, we thought, "Guam is the nearest America from Japan! Why didn't we go there?"
...However, the more we spent the time there, the more we were confused which country we were traveling!

When we arrived at the airport in Guam, we were very happy to see the sign of "Welcome to Guam!" The flight time was only three and a half hours, and the time difference was just one hour from Japan. We were less tired than traveling other areas.
But soon after that, we felt something weird there.
The airport was VERY quiet. The wide hallway was separated by huge partitions, but we didn't hear anything from another side. It meant, passengers in our flight were only customers right now, at the airport. There were many shops and restaurants at the other side from the partitions, but they were closed. Not "closed today," they seemed to have been closed for a long time.

We understood why it was later.
Maybe, Guam became less popular these days because Hawaii or other places have been getting more popular. Even though we found out that, this Japanese Golden Week season might be the most popular season in Guam...so, every local service people seemed desperate to catch (Japanese) customers during our trip.

Anyway, our "Isn't something weird here?" feeling still went on after we got in the bus to our hotel. The guide was a local Micronesian young guy, but he started to speak in fluent Japanese.
"みなさんこんにちは、ジョンといいます。　日本語を勉強しています。　今日はよろしくお願いいたします。(Hello, everybody, I'm John, I study Japanese here. Nice to meet you!)"

...Again, later, we found out that "the local Guam people may not be able to survive here unless they speak Japanese...because sightseeing from Japan is the principal industry there!"
When I went to a duty-free shop, I asked a Micronesian young female clerk,
"Where is the restroom?" Then, she answered to me in perfect Japanese.
"まっすぐ行って、突き当たりでございます。(Go straight, the end of it is the restroom.)"

We thought we visited "the nearest AMERICA!" But where is here? Even every sign was written in "Japanese" first, then in "English!!"

When we entered the hotel, we were not surprised to see almost every guests were Japanese.
We were supposed to have a "getaway," from our Japanese daily lives. However, people around us were all Japanese, and the official language seemed like Japanese.
Because Guam is easier to access than other foreign countries, many people brought babies there... So, we were surrounded by Japanese babies' crying voices all the time.
In the flights, restaurants, hotels, at the beach... I love kids, but honestly I thought, "Give me a break! I hear kids' crying all the time at school, so I don't want to hear them now, during the romantic?? getaway!!"
Of course, it was apparent they didn't have a fault.
I felt like I heard a voiceless voice..."If you want to feel like America, go to America! This is a "half-American, half-JAPANESE island!!"

...However, "very Japanese-like" was convenient to us sometimes.
When we played golf, (the golf course was also VERY Japanese. They displayed Japanese celebrities' autographs all over the walls! How does Miwa Akihiro play golf??? I was curious...) we had lunch there.

The menus were completely Japanese... I ordered Hiyashi Chuka(cold ramen, not with broth, but with sauce.) Then...I was surprised to see the one! Look at the photo!

It was beautiful, nutritious, and VERY delicious. I have never had such a wonderful Japanese dish abroad! (Oh, Guam was a half-Japanese to me, though.)

If you are interested in, check the golf course's Web-site. It's written in all Japanese...
http://www.starts.co.jp/guam/index.php

Even though Guam's economy relies on Japanese tourists nowadays, I couldn't forget we had a harsh history. When the Japanese army occupied the small island, in 1941-1943, I heard our ancestors did many atrocities like torture, rape, or beheading.

Also, numerous Japanese soldiers suffered, died, or committed suicide in Guam, just before Japan surrendered to America during the World War Second.

The famous and the last Japanese holdout of the World WarⅡ,Yokoi Shoichi, had been hiding and secretly surviving in a small cave, in Guam, for 28 years because he thought the war was still going on!! (We visited the actual cave later. It was unbelievably small cave. However, even the historical cave became also a commercial spot...at the Yokoi shop, the local people were selling Mr. Yokoi's postcards to Japanese tourists!!)

At the first night in Guam, actually I couldn't sleep well because I thought about the war, tortured local people, and suffered soldiers. (Wasn't it a romantic getaway!?)

Then... someone opened the lock of our room, and came into!!

I screamed, "AHHHHHHHH!!!"

Then, I found out the "burglar" was a young hotel clerk. He said, "Sorry! I'm so sorry!" and closed the door again.

No wonder he could open the door because he worked for the hotel, but what was his business?? It was 4:00 a.m!! Then, I heard the clerk's voice, speaking in Japanese.

"こちらのお部屋は空いておりませんでしたので、コネクティングルームはお使いいただけません。向かいのお部屋をご利用ください。This room is taken, so you can't use it as the connecting room. I'm sorry, but you can use the room in front of."

OK, I got it... Some Japanese tourists arrived at hotels after midnight because the flights were cheaper... My hubby and I were supposed to stay at another room, but next to the room was a boiler room, so it was so noisy. Then, we asked another room, and moved...Maybe, the Japanese tour desk at the hotel didn't know that.
I thought, a ghost from the World War Ⅱappeared!! But, it was a long time ago, and I don't have a talent to see spirits. I realized, decided to enjoy the commercialized tropical island, then fell asleep soon.

(BTW, my hubby was completely relaxed & didn't notice the guy opened our room's door!

I was the one who talked with the guy!! Although it was supposed to be a "romantic getaway," "my husband is protecting me!" secure feeling was an illusion, that's the reality, baby...)

Oh, I think I should talk about "American side" of Guam.

The beach was beautiful! The sand was completely white, the sea water was very clear. We could see many small beautiful fish, and corals. At the hotel beach, we paid 40 bucks to local people to use beach parasols, floats, kayaks, and other small boats. As you can see from the photo, there were many boats...but most of them seemed like for children.

When my hubby and I enjoyed pedaling a swan boat, I saw a four-year-old boy ( maybe) and a mother were riding the same one, too...

No wonder there were so many kids! Even we went far away from the beach, the sea was very shallow. I have never heard somebody drowned in Guam,and I got it at that time.

Another "American-side" was the Lost and Found matter.

As I told you before, I often left something at a public place, like in a train or bus, but I always find them in Japan because nobody takes it.

But in America, we even could leave our old furniture in front of our house if we don't have time to take it to the waste treatment center, because somebody was supposed to take it!!

The next day I played golf, I noticed my patter (a kind of golf clubs) was missing.

Oh my God, I left it at the course! I called the course in English and asked to search mine, but they said there was not.

"OK, I forgot here is America, and I was careless as if I was Japan...but it's America! My patter doesn't come back!!"

I felt sad, but I found my patter was hiding in a small space in my golf bag, after I came back to Japan.
What I learned from this? Careless people are always careless wherever they are!!

Before we flied back to Tokyo, I was looking for a newsstand in the airport.

I wanted to buy some American magazines, but I couldn't find them around my hotel, maybe it was because Japanese tourists didn't buy American magazines!!

I found a small newsstand, and got some.

When I enjoyed reading In-touch magazine ( a weekly star-gossip magazine,) in my flight, I noticed... the issue was not the latest one! It was one month before's !!

...Didn't we go to America? or Japan?? I couldn't' stop being confused again, and laughing...