Trooping: Saitama Refugee Center

[Mutt-san on the trike in the back; not sure who the trooper on the pogo-stick is...can't tel the JG folks apart when in armor yet...give me time.]

On a sweltering Saturday in July, members of the 501st Legion’s Japanese Garrison wok up early and headed out to an old, shut down high school that now serves as a home to many Japanese families who were forced to evacuate their homes in light of the Fukushima nuclear disaster of 2011.

[Front to back, it's Yumi-san, Two-san, ii-san, and Jae-san heading down six flights of stairs in armor...amazing.]

Armed with some toys, a giant bag of snacks, and a collective sense of humor, Lord Vader and his troopers headed out into the courtyard for some afternoon fun.

Men and women, encased in plastic, played epic games of frisbee in the sun while other troopers kicked a soccer ball around with the kids.  Poor Jerms taught the kids how to drive the remote-controlled mouse droid, and then repaired it after repeated crashes at the hands of young student drivers.

[TK-snack]

Troopers handed out candies and tasty traditional Japanese snacks to children in the common area before calling it a day and heading back upstairs, probably one or two kilos lighter from water loss.  And then we all headed off to the hot springs for some well-deserved R&R!