Thanks to my friend the International Date Line, I get to do May 22 twice! Talk about time warps.
Oh, last night was interesting. I ended up going back to the To-ji temple, and exploring the grounds not being used as a market. To-ji has the tallest five-story pagoda in Japan, but I couldn't go inside to see the view from the top. Oh well. I found the Kyoto Tower right across from the train station (when I went back), but didn't feel like paying 1400 yen just to visit the observatory. Seemed like a ripoff.
I had more conveyor belt sushi at the train station- sat next to a guy from Switzerland who must have eaten ten plates MINIMUM. He had the world's smallest camera with him, and was pretty friendly. He was also the first European guy I've met who didn't like soccer. Hm.
By the time I was on the train back to Tokyo, I had decided I'd be spending the night in a manga cafe. Lonely Planet recommended a few in Shibuya, so I figured I'd try to find one of those. The subway to Shibuya from TYO station was the last one that night...good luck for me, which was nice, because after that I was not feeling the luck for about 4 hours.
Thank you, thank you, taxi driver who found me a cafe after I had spent way, way, too long wandering lost through Shibuya, laden down with Stuff. I am horrible with directions, which was only compounded by it being dark and me dragging my backpack, tote, duffel bag, and camera case around. I wish I'd thought to grab a taxi sooner.
There's a lot more to this story, but I can't even begin to get into all the details. Suffice to say that Citibank is my best friend, and it's absolutely shocking that I could be in this situation (that is, walking around lost in a huge city between 1 and 3am) in the first place withOUT feeling too sketched out or threatened. It says quite a bit about Japanese society. I could never have done that in New York.
Manga cafes are a strange thing. A great deal for people like me who can't find hotels late at night, but do people actually spend hours there just watching anime DVDs in their little cubicles? I guess they must, or there would be no business. I wish I had a better picture of the inside of the place....
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
21 May 2007- 3:20pm: Kyoto
Tigers won. And did a VICTORY balloon release! It was so cool. The memory card filling up halfway through the game was not cool, though, damn it. I guess I got good shots, just not as many as I wanted.
Afterwards I got stuck in the absolute worst post-game foot traffic ever. Worse than Kenmore post-Fenway by a lot. So bad I had to wait ten minutes en masse just to cross the street to get to the train station.
Laura and I went to dinner at a ramen place. Yay and yum! I reorganized all my crap once home...now it fits into just 4 bags (as opposed to 5). My shoulders hate me for carrying everything around.
I'm in a park inKyoto right now, trying not to get POd at my guidebook, which is all uppity about spending an "absolute MINIMUM of two days in Kyoto" and how the city is a "TOP PRIORITY" for any tourist. Blahhh blah blah. I mean, if I HAD the time, I WOULD be here for a week or so, gladly. But I have an afternoon. And my book will not give me any suggestions for a mere afternoon. Thus I am in a field, relaxing and writing postcards, and I think this is still a pretty good deal. I stumbled into this temple (To-ji) earlier; its grounds were being used for a giant outdoor market that takes place on the 21st of May and January. The market just kept going- paths and stalls everywhere. I couldn't find the actual temple buildings at first, but now I can say that I've been to one.
I'm trying to decide what else to do here. I want to go find a carp pond in a garden, or a Zen garden. My shinkansen leaves at 8pm; it's 3:30 now. I figure I'll spend an hour and a half at the train station before leaving, because I'm not enthused about roaming at night. I like not having to rush around to all the temples here, though. If I come back, I'll spend more time doing that.
I'm sad to be leaving- there's so much that I didn't get to see. But the baseball has been great, no question. I loved Koshien- real grass is the way baseball should be played.
I can't wait to actually go through the photos! Yay! Hopefully tonight with Tegan. It's nice that she'll likely not get bored just seeing baseball baseball baseball. Same for my parents, and Lorna and Jeffrey.
Afterwards I got stuck in the absolute worst post-game foot traffic ever. Worse than Kenmore post-Fenway by a lot. So bad I had to wait ten minutes en masse just to cross the street to get to the train station.
Laura and I went to dinner at a ramen place. Yay and yum! I reorganized all my crap once home...now it fits into just 4 bags (as opposed to 5). My shoulders hate me for carrying everything around.
I'm in a park inKyoto right now, trying not to get POd at my guidebook, which is all uppity about spending an "absolute MINIMUM of two days in Kyoto" and how the city is a "TOP PRIORITY" for any tourist. Blahhh blah blah. I mean, if I HAD the time, I WOULD be here for a week or so, gladly. But I have an afternoon. And my book will not give me any suggestions for a mere afternoon. Thus I am in a field, relaxing and writing postcards, and I think this is still a pretty good deal. I stumbled into this temple (To-ji) earlier; its grounds were being used for a giant outdoor market that takes place on the 21st of May and January. The market just kept going- paths and stalls everywhere. I couldn't find the actual temple buildings at first, but now I can say that I've been to one.
I'm trying to decide what else to do here. I want to go find a carp pond in a garden, or a Zen garden. My shinkansen leaves at 8pm; it's 3:30 now. I figure I'll spend an hour and a half at the train station before leaving, because I'm not enthused about roaming at night. I like not having to rush around to all the temples here, though. If I come back, I'll spend more time doing that.
I'm sad to be leaving- there's so much that I didn't get to see. But the baseball has been great, no question. I loved Koshien- real grass is the way baseball should be played.
I can't wait to actually go through the photos! Yay! Hopefully tonight with Tegan. It's nice that she'll likely not get bored just seeing baseball baseball baseball. Same for my parents, and Lorna and Jeffrey.
20 May 2007- 3:30pm: Koshien continued
One of the Tigers has a Backstreet Boys song for his entrance music.
Oh hey! Tigers scored! (bottom of the 4th)
The stadium is packed, and pretty much everyone's into cheering- not just the crazies. It must be ridiculous in crazy-land, if they're so into it here in humble grandstand-land.
Squat toilets in the bathroom. Ew.
Is Andy Sheets related to Ben?
Somehow I filled a CF card at the Carp game. AAA. Annoying! I need balloon release pics from here, though. Otherwise, I've been getting good stuff, I think, and can deal with the full card.
Desert Storm- No. 4 hitter
Oh hey! Tigers scored! (bottom of the 4th)
The stadium is packed, and pretty much everyone's into cheering- not just the crazies. It must be ridiculous in crazy-land, if they're so into it here in humble grandstand-land.
Squat toilets in the bathroom. Ew.
Is Andy Sheets related to Ben?
Somehow I filled a CF card at the Carp game. AAA. Annoying! I need balloon release pics from here, though. Otherwise, I've been getting good stuff, I think, and can deal with the full card.
Desert Storm- No. 4 hitter
4:40pm
How many pitching changes have the BayStars had? This must be their fourth guy...
Wow, amazing balloon release, and pretty much out of nowhere. Not like at Fukuoka.
"hitta-homran-Aannndee"
look up--> Daisuke-Asahi
8th inning- Tigers...2 on, one out. bunt time!
20 May 2007- 1:20pm: the one and only
Oops, I didn't finish yesterday's game. So after the 4th inning, I left my real seat, and went wandering around.
The Carp were pretty much getting owned due to a 6-run inning by the Buffalo. The fans just kept cheering, though. They had this funny up-and-down move that I took a video of.
Anyway, I got up to where the smoking areas are, and discovered udon bowls! You get a ticket from a vending machine, then give it to the ladies behind the counter, who make your bowl. I spent 15 minutes trying to figure out the characters on the machine, eventually narrowing it down to 2 (because the others, I deduced, said "meat"), then gave up and guessed. But I guessed tofu! So it was all good. And when I was eating my excellent udon, it occured to me that I needed a picture of it, so I asked the couple next to me if they could take one. They did, and right afterwards this guy came up to me and asked if he could take a picture of me and my udon (with my camera). Oookay. He then started practicing his English on me (he was at the game with his "subordinates"), and got my e-mail before leaving. It was a bit strange. Meanwhile, during all of this, I got more balloon release pictures. Yeah!
After the game, I made my back to Hiroshima Station, and called Laura to tell her the change in plans before getting on the shinkansen.
Laura met me at her subway stop in Osaka- she's REALLY friendly, and easy to get along with. I'm very glad Lisa had this connection for me. We ate conveyer belt sushi (!!!!) for dinner, which was excellent. I am sleeping on Laura's counch, in her tiny tiny apartment. My feet hang off the armrest of said couch, but hey, it's a free place to stay, so I'm not complaining at all. I should buy Laura a scarf or something while I'm here.
Today...KOSHIEN! You hear all about this stadium, and how nice it is...all true. It's a lot like Fenway. The strangest things here make me happy- like seeing grass mowed in an actual pattern-grid thing (not to mention seeing the grass itself). There's still dirt in the infield, which I still don't get, however.
The tiger mascots look like mice.
This is such a beautiful stadium. The concourse is old and not that impressive, but it's way better than Hiroshima and it's noncoucourse (noncourse). I love the ivy-covered walls all around the outside. I still can't find a stadium teamstore, but there are a bunch of stalls outside, and I'll hit those up. It's my last game! So sad...
It's interesting that this stadium is in a suburb, not Osaka proper. It's about a 15-20 minute train ride out of the city. I was trying to think of an equivalent in the States, but could't. Shea? Oakland? Don't know.
The team anthems are all majestic!
The Carp were pretty much getting owned due to a 6-run inning by the Buffalo. The fans just kept cheering, though. They had this funny up-and-down move that I took a video of.
Anyway, I got up to where the smoking areas are, and discovered udon bowls! You get a ticket from a vending machine, then give it to the ladies behind the counter, who make your bowl. I spent 15 minutes trying to figure out the characters on the machine, eventually narrowing it down to 2 (because the others, I deduced, said "meat"), then gave up and guessed. But I guessed tofu! So it was all good. And when I was eating my excellent udon, it occured to me that I needed a picture of it, so I asked the couple next to me if they could take one. They did, and right afterwards this guy came up to me and asked if he could take a picture of me and my udon (with my camera). Oookay. He then started practicing his English on me (he was at the game with his "subordinates"), and got my e-mail before leaving. It was a bit strange. Meanwhile, during all of this, I got more balloon release pictures. Yeah!
After the game, I made my back to Hiroshima Station, and called Laura to tell her the change in plans before getting on the shinkansen.
Laura met me at her subway stop in Osaka- she's REALLY friendly, and easy to get along with. I'm very glad Lisa had this connection for me. We ate conveyer belt sushi (!!!!) for dinner, which was excellent. I am sleeping on Laura's counch, in her tiny tiny apartment. My feet hang off the armrest of said couch, but hey, it's a free place to stay, so I'm not complaining at all. I should buy Laura a scarf or something while I'm here.
Today...KOSHIEN! You hear all about this stadium, and how nice it is...all true. It's a lot like Fenway. The strangest things here make me happy- like seeing grass mowed in an actual pattern-grid thing (not to mention seeing the grass itself). There's still dirt in the infield, which I still don't get, however.
The tiger mascots look like mice.
This is such a beautiful stadium. The concourse is old and not that impressive, but it's way better than Hiroshima and it's noncoucourse (noncourse). I love the ivy-covered walls all around the outside. I still can't find a stadium teamstore, but there are a bunch of stalls outside, and I'll hit those up. It's my last game! So sad...
It's interesting that this stadium is in a suburb, not Osaka proper. It's about a 15-20 minute train ride out of the city. I was trying to think of an equivalent in the States, but could't. Shea? Oakland? Don't know.
The team anthems are all majestic!
19 May 2007- 1:04pm: stadium
Back at the Carp stadium. Not ONLY does this one have a fence, it's an actual metal one, not mesh like the others have been. AAAAAA. But I do have a good seat in general, so that's nice. They're really not that expensive- 40 yen for 1st baseline, second tier? That's reasonable.
I dumped my stuff at the train station before coming here, then went on a souvenir binge. Oh dear. So much stuff.
They just played the Indiana Jones theme in the crazies section. There are a LOT of them here. Maybe because it's Saturday. Regardless- lots of crazies.
This stadium has a strange setup. There doesn't seem to be a concourse- you just go in through your gate,and boom you're at the seats. There's a little bento place before you walk out. But where are the other food places and the gift shopts? OH NO. I need a shirt for Daddy!
Geez, the Carp really do look like the Reds. Is the "C" exactly the same? It has to be.
I just realized something. The Japanese will get loud and cheer/roar in key situations, but nobody ever gets to their feet. Ever. People stay seated unless they're in the outfield seats (where I don't think you're even allowed TO sit). They don't stand to cheer on excellent plays, either- just cheer and smack the sticks together.
This fence is ridiculous. What is not ridiculous, though, is that this field is real grass AND outside. So many extra points! There's no grass in the infield, though, which is weird. I don't think I've ever seen that before.
Also weird- it's 15 minutes before gametimes, and there aren't any cheerleaders or pregame stuff. They seem to be doing the Carp anthem right now. There are a lot of flags here- even in my section, and I'm nowhere near the outfield.
Oh, this goddamn fence. It feels like the players are all in a cage, like an exhibit at a zoo.
It's beautiful outside. Nice and sunny.
They're playing LL Cool J!
I don't think they have cheerleaders here. The mascot dude is doing stuff in the outfield (oh, he's hitting a punching bag), but no cheerleaders on the scene. Fine by me; I don't see baseball as a sport needing them anyway. I don't remember if I got a picture of the SoftBank cheerleaders.
The mascot looks goofy.
They had a fan throw out the first pitch! Whoa dude! And there's a Carp player wearing his socks old-school (it's the shortstop). I like it.
RF just made a great jump snag to end the 1st.
There's a drum in my section, too! The crazies are all over the stadium- how strange.
I dumped my stuff at the train station before coming here, then went on a souvenir binge. Oh dear. So much stuff.
They just played the Indiana Jones theme in the crazies section. There are a LOT of them here. Maybe because it's Saturday. Regardless- lots of crazies.
This stadium has a strange setup. There doesn't seem to be a concourse- you just go in through your gate,and boom you're at the seats. There's a little bento place before you walk out. But where are the other food places and the gift shopts? OH NO. I need a shirt for Daddy!
Geez, the Carp really do look like the Reds. Is the "C" exactly the same? It has to be.
I just realized something. The Japanese will get loud and cheer/roar in key situations, but nobody ever gets to their feet. Ever. People stay seated unless they're in the outfield seats (where I don't think you're even allowed TO sit). They don't stand to cheer on excellent plays, either- just cheer and smack the sticks together.
This fence is ridiculous. What is not ridiculous, though, is that this field is real grass AND outside. So many extra points! There's no grass in the infield, though, which is weird. I don't think I've ever seen that before.
Also weird- it's 15 minutes before gametimes, and there aren't any cheerleaders or pregame stuff. They seem to be doing the Carp anthem right now. There are a lot of flags here- even in my section, and I'm nowhere near the outfield.
Oh, this goddamn fence. It feels like the players are all in a cage, like an exhibit at a zoo.
It's beautiful outside. Nice and sunny.
They're playing LL Cool J!
I don't think they have cheerleaders here. The mascot dude is doing stuff in the outfield (oh, he's hitting a punching bag), but no cheerleaders on the scene. Fine by me; I don't see baseball as a sport needing them anyway. I don't remember if I got a picture of the SoftBank cheerleaders.
The mascot looks goofy.
They had a fan throw out the first pitch! Whoa dude! And there's a Carp player wearing his socks old-school (it's the shortstop). I like it.
RF just made a great jump snag to end the 1st.
There's a drum in my section, too! The crazies are all over the stadium- how strange.
18 May 2007- 10:17pm: hostel
It was only kind of raining out.
So anyway, I went to Miyajima and (it's the general trend of the trip) REALLY wish I had given myself more time there (or not gone off lost in Hiroshima...). I didn't even get to the actual shrine, only the torii. It's huge. I don't know how they built it. It was actually nice that it wasn't in "floating" mode, because I liked going down and walking around it, on the mudflats. But I wish I'd seen the shrine.
My timing was further not helped by rain that came up, and made me hole up in a storefront (can't get the camera wet).
But I am glad I got to see the torii and the deer.
By the time I FINALLY got back to Hiroshima proper, it was a) still raining and b) half an hour past game time. Streetcars are NOT as awesome as Japanese subways/trains. They have to roll with traffic. Boooo. And once I got to the stadium, I discovered that the game had been rained out. After standing around for a while, I found a guy who brought me to some upstairs office, where they gave me a full, 4000yen, refund. Good deal!
But I want to go back and see tomorrow's game. It's at two, so I could definitely still see it and then go up to Osaka. I would miss Himeji Castle, but I can see that another day. I'm for baseball. And I want to see the Carp.
So anyway, I went to Miyajima and (it's the general trend of the trip) REALLY wish I had given myself more time there (or not gone off lost in Hiroshima...). I didn't even get to the actual shrine, only the torii. It's huge. I don't know how they built it. It was actually nice that it wasn't in "floating" mode, because I liked going down and walking around it, on the mudflats. But I wish I'd seen the shrine.
My timing was further not helped by rain that came up, and made me hole up in a storefront (can't get the camera wet).
But I am glad I got to see the torii and the deer.
By the time I FINALLY got back to Hiroshima proper, it was a) still raining and b) half an hour past game time. Streetcars are NOT as awesome as Japanese subways/trains. They have to roll with traffic. Boooo. And once I got to the stadium, I discovered that the game had been rained out. After standing around for a while, I found a guy who brought me to some upstairs office, where they gave me a full, 4000yen, refund. Good deal!
But I want to go back and see tomorrow's game. It's at two, so I could definitely still see it and then go up to Osaka. I would miss Himeji Castle, but I can see that another day. I'm for baseball. And I want to see the Carp.
18 May 2007- 7:50pm: rainout
Well, I've been doing splendidly as far as planning and "making itineraries" goes, and today I shattered my nice record. Oh well.
I started off going back to the park to visit the museum. It makes you think, that's for sure. I was particularly impressed by the objectivity of it, coming from a Japanese beginning. The displays on conflagration and its effects were horrifying- I'm glad I hadn't had anything to eat beforehand, because my stomach was turning as it was. What bothers me most about the incident was the complete lack of warning given. I understand the reasoning behind the dropping, I suppose. I don't understand Nagasaki, and I firmly believe there should have been warning for Hiroshima. It seems like, even with warning, even with evacuation, the Japanese would have realized the potential of the atomic bomb...there didn't need to be the huge loss of life.
Anyway, the musuem was sobering and somewhat depressing, but again, seeing Hiroshima now is just amazing. It's because of how well the city has recovered that I'm glad they preserved the A-bomb Dome; otherwise, you would truly have no idea of the destruction, and no reminder of why it can't happen again. The Dome is a shredded concrete skeleton among all the new buildings- the contrast is even more stark if you stand across the river and compare the present Dome to the picture of what the building looked like before the bomb dropped.
After the museum, I went to the stadium, andbought my ticket for the game before setting out for Miyajima.
What I SHOULD have done, and what I actually meant to do originally, was take the JR line down to the port area. But I took the streetcar (no subway here, god damn it), got off way too early (typical), then spent an hour wandering random Hiroshima before coming to my senses and getting back on the streetcar. The rest of the trip (to the port) took a long time, so had I kept walking I'd have really been screwed.
I got to the docks and took the free JR ferry (rail pass perks!) over (10 mins), realized the torii wasn't going to be floating, as it was low tide, and stepped off the docks to find all these DEER just chilling. Awwwww. They let me get right next to them. I think I was very Flame-sick at the time. I miss my Flamey.
The torii is apparently one of the three most-photographed sites in Japan. Obviously, it's more photogenic when the tide is high, and it thus looks like it's floating, but I was impressed nonetheless.
I am going to leave my cafe place now and see if it's still pouring out.
I started off going back to the park to visit the museum. It makes you think, that's for sure. I was particularly impressed by the objectivity of it, coming from a Japanese beginning. The displays on conflagration and its effects were horrifying- I'm glad I hadn't had anything to eat beforehand, because my stomach was turning as it was. What bothers me most about the incident was the complete lack of warning given. I understand the reasoning behind the dropping, I suppose. I don't understand Nagasaki, and I firmly believe there should have been warning for Hiroshima. It seems like, even with warning, even with evacuation, the Japanese would have realized the potential of the atomic bomb...there didn't need to be the huge loss of life.
Anyway, the musuem was sobering and somewhat depressing, but again, seeing Hiroshima now is just amazing. It's because of how well the city has recovered that I'm glad they preserved the A-bomb Dome; otherwise, you would truly have no idea of the destruction, and no reminder of why it can't happen again. The Dome is a shredded concrete skeleton among all the new buildings- the contrast is even more stark if you stand across the river and compare the present Dome to the picture of what the building looked like before the bomb dropped.
After the museum, I went to the stadium, andbought my ticket for the game before setting out for Miyajima.
What I SHOULD have done, and what I actually meant to do originally, was take the JR line down to the port area. But I took the streetcar (no subway here, god damn it), got off way too early (typical), then spent an hour wandering random Hiroshima before coming to my senses and getting back on the streetcar. The rest of the trip (to the port) took a long time, so had I kept walking I'd have really been screwed.
I got to the docks and took the free JR ferry (rail pass perks!) over (10 mins), realized the torii wasn't going to be floating, as it was low tide, and stepped off the docks to find all these DEER just chilling. Awwwww. They let me get right next to them. I think I was very Flame-sick at the time. I miss my Flamey.
The torii is apparently one of the three most-photographed sites in Japan. Obviously, it's more photogenic when the tide is high, and it thus looks like it's floating, but I was impressed nonetheless.
I am going to leave my cafe place now and see if it's still pouring out.
17 May 2007- 10:20p: Fukuoka-Hiroshima train
I saw a real, totally sweet balloon release! They started getting ready in the bottom of the 6th (by the way, the game slowed down a LOT- both teams had to change pitchers (Hawks twice)). I wish I could take a video of the actual release, but I'd rather get the still pictures. I do have video of the yellow sea of balloons that appeared seemingly out of nowhere, though. Why didn't they do this at the other stadiums? Do they reuse the balloons? Seems like a waste of rubber if they don't.
I'm spending so much on souvenirs...
I'm spending so much on souvenirs...
17 May 2007- 5:45pm: Fukuoka
Soo here I am in the Fukuoka Dome. Some white guy is introducing stuff in a typical American announcer's voice. In English AND Japanese. Odd. "Max, 9999." Who is this person? He's got a good Japanese accent. And is rallying, etc. But there really aren't many people here to rally.
The cheerleaders at this place seem most like the dancers at NBA games. They're dancing to a hip-hop mix, and moving as one might expect. Shakira backup dancers.
ANOTHER Hawks game! I've seen this team play three times so far.
Hey, there's a flower presentation ceremony during the national anthem! I did not know that. Here's this Max guy again, announcing. This is much more the announcing style I'm used to.
Adam Hydzu! He played for the Sox!
And this pitcher is their famous guy, Wada.
I hate these fences! They're so annoying. I just want pictures, damn it.
They actually have guys doing the vendor roaming-of-the-aisles thing here. And they all have amazing calf muscles. Whoa, very nice.
I went to Peace Memorial Park and the A-bomb dome today. Hiroshima as a whole seems like a modern-day miracle to me. It was devastated, and wiped out completely in '45...but you would never know that by just visiting the city. I can't really describe what it's like to see Hiroshima now, and to then compare it to the panoramic photos taken in October, 1945. This city is the one that should be named Phoenix.
Meanwhile, Fukuoka is very pleasant. It reminds me of SW Florida, like Olde Naples, somehow.
This is the first game I've actually had to walk up and buy a ticket for, like a real person. Hm.
I wonder if people are going to fill all these seats in front of me. If not, I want them. I need to shoot through this FENCE. Argh.
This dome is not as cool as Tokyo's. It's bigger (maybe not in terms of seats, but pure size-wise, definitely), and the roof is retractable. I wish it was open. It's beautiful outside.
You know, the Fukuouka crazies are almost all music. They don't really have the cheers Chiba or Chunichi or Tokyo do. Just drums and trumpet, and, of course, "Dinah, Blow Your Horn" (which they play most of the time).
There aren't a lot of Orix people here.
Oh, the crazies are chanting (figures). But not the same as at other places.
They have the graphics screen here, with English run-of-the-mill phrases flashing all over it. Maybe it's Max's doing.
So they have these special Coke-sponsored seats in front of the fence. Stupid fence.
Max is back, in the stands with people. This guy is like a team mascot.
Do 1st names go on jerseys? Adam Hydzu's says "Adam," but some other American (Walton?), who was at Chiba, had his last name. I guess it's easier to have one or the other here. Yay Adam Hydzu!
#46 hit a homer. Or an RBI double. Not sure which.
It's 1-0 Hawks; this is a total pitchers duel between Wada and Davey.
1.5 hours and we're already in the bottom of the 6th!
I found Tuffy Rhodes. He's number 8.
Are the people in the Coke seats wearing batting helmets as a safety thing or a promo thing?
The cheerleaders at this place seem most like the dancers at NBA games. They're dancing to a hip-hop mix, and moving as one might expect. Shakira backup dancers.
ANOTHER Hawks game! I've seen this team play three times so far.
Hey, there's a flower presentation ceremony during the national anthem! I did not know that. Here's this Max guy again, announcing. This is much more the announcing style I'm used to.
Adam Hydzu! He played for the Sox!
And this pitcher is their famous guy, Wada.
I hate these fences! They're so annoying. I just want pictures, damn it.
They actually have guys doing the vendor roaming-of-the-aisles thing here. And they all have amazing calf muscles. Whoa, very nice.
I went to Peace Memorial Park and the A-bomb dome today. Hiroshima as a whole seems like a modern-day miracle to me. It was devastated, and wiped out completely in '45...but you would never know that by just visiting the city. I can't really describe what it's like to see Hiroshima now, and to then compare it to the panoramic photos taken in October, 1945. This city is the one that should be named Phoenix.
Meanwhile, Fukuoka is very pleasant. It reminds me of SW Florida, like Olde Naples, somehow.
This is the first game I've actually had to walk up and buy a ticket for, like a real person. Hm.
I wonder if people are going to fill all these seats in front of me. If not, I want them. I need to shoot through this FENCE. Argh.
This dome is not as cool as Tokyo's. It's bigger (maybe not in terms of seats, but pure size-wise, definitely), and the roof is retractable. I wish it was open. It's beautiful outside.
You know, the Fukuouka crazies are almost all music. They don't really have the cheers Chiba or Chunichi or Tokyo do. Just drums and trumpet, and, of course, "Dinah, Blow Your Horn" (which they play most of the time).
There aren't a lot of Orix people here.
Oh, the crazies are chanting (figures). But not the same as at other places.
They have the graphics screen here, with English run-of-the-mill phrases flashing all over it. Maybe it's Max's doing.
So they have these special Coke-sponsored seats in front of the fence. Stupid fence.
Max is back, in the stands with people. This guy is like a team mascot.
Do 1st names go on jerseys? Adam Hydzu's says "Adam," but some other American (Walton?), who was at Chiba, had his last name. I guess it's easier to have one or the other here. Yay Adam Hydzu!
#46 hit a homer. Or an RBI double. Not sure which.
It's 1-0 Hawks; this is a total pitchers duel between Wada and Davey.
1.5 hours and we're already in the bottom of the 6th!
I found Tuffy Rhodes. He's number 8.
Are the people in the Coke seats wearing batting helmets as a safety thing or a promo thing?
16 May 2007- 11:46pm: Hiroshima hostel
My subconscious is a lot smarter than I am. When I got to Hiroshima, I immediately decided to splurge on a cab rather than try to figure out the streetcar system (why isn't there a damn subway?). The taxi stand was also the first thing I ran into upon exiting the station- much more convenient. Anyway, once I was IN the cab, I realized that it was raining. So. Good call, me. I like how I get so excited about making smart travel decisions and doing little things like making the train.
I'm going down to Fukuoka tomorrow, to add one more stadium- AND the Orix Buffaloes- to my list. YES.
Called my parents from the hostel, and that was good. I shouldn't have missed Mother's Day, though...
I'm going down to Fukuoka tomorrow, to add one more stadium- AND the Orix Buffaloes- to my list. YES.
Called my parents from the hostel, and that was good. I shouldn't have missed Mother's Day, though...
16 May 2007- 7:56pm: victory
Ha-HA! Success twice! Mostly because the conductor nicely told me which track the Hiroshima train was arriving on, so I didn't have to frantically look around in panic mode.
Shinkansen are CRAZY. I am in car 5. There's a little painted square on the platform that say "5" on it. So you line up right at that tile, anddd the train swishes in...once it stops, the door for car 5 is RIGHT at your feet. How do they do that? I wish we had a good train system like this in the States. So much easier than driving.
Shinkansen are CRAZY. I am in car 5. There's a little painted square on the platform that say "5" on it. So you line up right at that tile, anddd the train swishes in...once it stops, the door for car 5 is RIGHT at your feet. How do they do that? I wish we had a good train system like this in the States. So much easier than driving.
16 May 2007- 6:33pm: SHINKANSEN
On the (bullet) train to Hiroshima, via Okayama. I'm going to have to do another one of those 5-minute changeovers. Oh god. Let's see if I can do it again. Aaaaa.
I don't know what to do my last day here. Everyone says Kyoto Kyoto Kyoto,but I feel like that's somewhere that deserves a LOT more time than a day. I'd rather go back to TYO and find Charles; I feel bad about losing track of him after that first night. I don't know. Plus, I still want to get to the Hall o' Fame, and I could probably pull that off if I were in Tokyo to begin with.
OHH the five-minute thing. I don't know if I can repeat my luck. I have so much more STUFF now...shit.
I don't know what to do my last day here. Everyone says Kyoto Kyoto Kyoto,but I feel like that's somewhere that deserves a LOT more time than a day. I'd rather go back to TYO and find Charles; I feel bad about losing track of him after that first night. I don't know. Plus, I still want to get to the Hall o' Fame, and I could probably pull that off if I were in Tokyo to begin with.
OHH the five-minute thing. I don't know if I can repeat my luck. I have so much more STUFF now...shit.
16 May 2007- 12:23pm: sumo stadium
I am at a sumo tournament right now. I like it so far, even if I don't fully understand all that's going on. First a guy comes out and sings (chants). Then two sumo wrestlers get up, and start stamping around the ring. They don't have fluid motions at all. It's STAMP, then kind of squat...but not all in one motion.
It's interesting to see these large wrestlers in comparision to, say, the slim Japanese salaryman in his dark suit.
Wow, this (comparatively) little guy just threw a much fatter person out of the ring. Tricky!
Ohh okay. The singing guy at the beginning is singing out their names. And then the wrestlers can step up to the ring. They're only stamping on one side of the ring. The program says they stamp to drive bad spirits away; aren't there spirits on the other side, too?
Another smaller guy just owned a big one. This is like almost-ballet, something that's almost-choreographed, but where the players are just a little off from one another. It's definitely ritualistic. So how do you tell what wins here? Bigger bodies, or bigger brawn? You wouldn't think a smaller but muscle-ey person could stand a chance against sheer weight, but I keep seeing it happen.
I'm tired. I was up till 3 burning my photos to CDs, then I woke up at nine. Meanwhile, I still can't get hold of Charles! :( Argh.
It's interesting to see these large wrestlers in comparision to, say, the slim Japanese salaryman in his dark suit.
Wow, this (comparatively) little guy just threw a much fatter person out of the ring. Tricky!
Ohh okay. The singing guy at the beginning is singing out their names. And then the wrestlers can step up to the ring. They're only stamping on one side of the ring. The program says they stamp to drive bad spirits away; aren't there spirits on the other side, too?
Another smaller guy just owned a big one. This is like almost-ballet, something that's almost-choreographed, but where the players are just a little off from one another. It's definitely ritualistic. So how do you tell what wins here? Bigger bodies, or bigger brawn? You wouldn't think a smaller but muscle-ey person could stand a chance against sheer weight, but I keep seeing it happen.
I'm tired. I was up till 3 burning my photos to CDs, then I woke up at nine. Meanwhile, I still can't get hold of Charles! :( Argh.
15 May 2007- later at night
TO DO:
check InDesign Prices
re-burn CDs
buy Hiroshima ticket
Baseball Hall o' Fame tomorrow
sumo?
fish market?
Shinjuku?
bah
POSTCARDS to peeps
call Mom
check InDesign Prices
re-burn CDs
buy Hiroshima ticket
Baseball Hall o' Fame tomorrow
sumo?
fish market?
Shinjuku?
bah
POSTCARDS to peeps
call Mom
15 May 2007- notes from photog well
perfect sac bunt in the 2nd at bat by Seibu, number 4 (the thirdbaseman?)
oh, sac bunt for naught...Cabrera struck out
the announcer for the Lions is a woman
oh my god. these other cameras are RIDICULOUS. I have camera envy.
leadoff double for Chiba. sac fly (surprise!) by #2 hitter
Chiba scores!
the crazies go crazy
they're playing "Lose Yourself"!
no, the announcer for all of the players is a woman. got it.
OMG I HOPE THESE PICTURES COME OUT...I trust you, digital rebel xti!
this notebook is handy
I have so much camera envy right now
10:35pm, postgame- the TYO Disneylandstop (Maihama) cracks me up.
oh, sac bunt for naught...Cabrera struck out
the announcer for the Lions is a woman
oh my god. these other cameras are RIDICULOUS. I have camera envy.
leadoff double for Chiba. sac fly (surprise!) by #2 hitter
Chiba scores!
the crazies go crazy
they're playing "Lose Yourself"!
no, the announcer for all of the players is a woman. got it.
OMG I HOPE THESE PICTURES COME OUT...I trust you, digital rebel xti!
this notebook is handy
I have so much camera envy right now
10:35pm, postgame- the TYO Disneylandstop (Maihama) cracks me up.
15 May 2007- 5:39pm
Never mind. Here I am in the photographer's well. SWEET! And I got a photo of me and Bobby Valentine (I probably look weird). At least I HAVE one, so I can show the fam and the friends.
I can't wait to put this thing together. It will be very fun. Yayyy....oh my god, Valentine is giving a promo for hypertension screenings. This man can sell anything.
I hope my battery doesn't die. It shouldn't; I was here for 3 hours before sin problemas, but you never know.
There aren't a lot of outfield crazies today. Maybe because it's a weekday. There are still fifteen minutes till game start, so they might still fill in. Oh boy. The Seibu crazies ARE here. They're loud, even if there are only about fifty of them.
These blue/orange seats really do look like Shea.
Ah, there are more Chiba crazies now.
They DH in this league.
They're announcing the starting lineup with a male voice. And techno music. We'll see how they do those player-by-player announcements.
Ohhhh I hope I can make a good essay. If I had InDesign, that would be amazing.
I can't wait to put this thing together. It will be very fun. Yayyy....oh my god, Valentine is giving a promo for hypertension screenings. This man can sell anything.
I hope my battery doesn't die. It shouldn't; I was here for 3 hours before sin problemas, but you never know.
There aren't a lot of outfield crazies today. Maybe because it's a weekday. There are still fifteen minutes till game start, so they might still fill in. Oh boy. The Seibu crazies ARE here. They're loud, even if there are only about fifty of them.
These blue/orange seats really do look like Shea.
Ah, there are more Chiba crazies now.
They DH in this league.
They're announcing the starting lineup with a male voice. And techno music. We'll see how they do those player-by-player announcements.
Ohhhh I hope I can make a good essay. If I had InDesign, that would be amazing.
15 May 2007: the press room at Chiba Marine
[while waiting for Larry Rocca]
They really don't get a lot of non-Japanese covering these games. Maybe 30 people in here, and just me who's not Asian.
I love my AP pass. I wonder if I can use it at Hiroshima or Koshien.
I can't believe how many people smoke here. Who knew?
They had a high school band outside. SO MANY PROMOS and stuff. The teams here are individually all run so differently- I can't imagine the Fighters or the Giants doing this.
Randomly, returning to that Giants game- I understand why the one shop at Tokyo Dome would have memorabilia from all the team, but INSIDE the Dome? To sell Dragons and Tigers merchandise? And to have both Coke and Pepsi offered- I swear that's one of the weirdest things about the sport here. It makes sense-some people like Coke, some like Pepsi- but you'd never see that in America.
So far the home team has lost every game I've been to. Let's hope that changes tonight. Who are they playing, anyway? I think it's the Lions. But I don't remember. I wonder if I will actually get to the
They really don't get a lot of non-Japanese covering these games. Maybe 30 people in here, and just me who's not Asian.
I love my AP pass. I wonder if I can use it at Hiroshima or Koshien.
I can't believe how many people smoke here. Who knew?
They had a high school band outside. SO MANY PROMOS and stuff. The teams here are individually all run so differently- I can't imagine the Fighters or the Giants doing this.
Randomly, returning to that Giants game- I understand why the one shop at Tokyo Dome would have memorabilia from all the team, but INSIDE the Dome? To sell Dragons and Tigers merchandise? And to have both Coke and Pepsi offered- I swear that's one of the weirdest things about the sport here. It makes sense-some people like Coke, some like Pepsi- but you'd never see that in America.
So far the home team has lost every game I've been to. Let's hope that changes tonight. Who are they playing, anyway? I think it's the Lions. But I don't remember. I wonder if I will actually get to the
14 May 2007- 9:55pm: my feet hurt
Well, here I am back at the hostel and not in a pod like I originally was supposed to be. I'm going to have to eat my $34 on that one. Honestly, though, I wandered around Akihabara for 2 hours trying to find it. No good. I KNEW the sign was in characters, because I remembered that from hostelworld.com. But I didn't have a map, and the only directions I had were "4 mins from JR Station." Which could be in any direction. Yeesh. And I asked three different metro people, who tried to tell me, but I really couldn't get it. And eventually my feet hurt far too much to keep wandering, and I was tired, so I just came back to the hostel. I'd already paid for tonight, since I sure as hell didn't want to drag all my stuff to the capsule, and I'll be here tomorrow night anyway. Oh well. At that point it was so much easier to get back here and crash in THIS bed. More homey-like.
I never got ahold of Charles today. Hm. I guess I'll try him again tomorrow, but I am definitely going to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Natnl. Museum of Art. On Wednesday morning I want to go to the fish market and maybe sumo! It would be so great to see sumo in Japan, and there's a tournament on right now.
I went to Korakuen Gardens today- gorgeous. So much green, and so peaceful, and so right in the middle of Tokyo. I really do like this city a lot. I can't believe how many people seem to be salarymen. Do they look down at the trash people, etc? How is there no trash on the streets here, anyway? Considering you can't find a trash CAN anywhere, it's a very strange phenomenon.
I am so tired. Oh man. My feet need a long massage. They're callused to the point of feeling slightly like hooves. Maybe I should find an onsen, or something.
Tomorrow I need a photo with Bobby Valentine, or I will never forgive myself.
I never got ahold of Charles today. Hm. I guess I'll try him again tomorrow, but I am definitely going to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Natnl. Museum of Art. On Wednesday morning I want to go to the fish market and maybe sumo! It would be so great to see sumo in Japan, and there's a tournament on right now.
I went to Korakuen Gardens today- gorgeous. So much green, and so peaceful, and so right in the middle of Tokyo. I really do like this city a lot. I can't believe how many people seem to be salarymen. Do they look down at the trash people, etc? How is there no trash on the streets here, anyway? Considering you can't find a trash CAN anywhere, it's a very strange phenomenon.
I am so tired. Oh man. My feet need a long massage. They're callused to the point of feeling slightly like hooves. Maybe I should find an onsen, or something.
Tomorrow I need a photo with Bobby Valentine, or I will never forgive myself.
14 May 2007- 12:05pm: another hostel
Yeah, Tokyo! I don't know what I'm doing today; I'd like to find Charles so we can do touristy things, etc. I'll try to call him again.
I did buy some blank CDs for my photos, as I filled up the memory card (2gb!) by the end of my Chiba tour yesterday. Wow. 600 some-odd pictures, not including the ones on the little camera. I haven't sorted them yet, but still.
I did buy some blank CDs for my photos, as I filled up the memory card (2gb!) by the end of my Chiba tour yesterday. Wow. 600 some-odd pictures, not including the ones on the little camera. I haven't sorted them yet, but still.
13 May 2007: from the Tokyo Dome
[more notes!]
I'm sitting next to a middle-aged guy from Ireland. He's been to more US ballparks than I have.
There are two guys next to him, from LA. You can tell all the gaijin got our tickets from the same place...
middle-aged guy is as POd as I am about this stupid mesh fence
he's off to find more photo ops...I'll do the same later
the gate guy is wearing a batting helmet. is the fence not enough protection?
the crowd roar here is unlike anything I've heard before- louder than a closed-roof Minute Maid during the playoffs
this is a more 'baseball' oriented dome than Sapporo's is
the pitcher (#21) has a good fastie
are all the vendors girls?
Eye of the Tiger! (natch)
Dragons- 1-run double by Lee in the 5th
they like the opening riffs of "Hollaback Girl" and "Lose My Breath." but apparently not the rest of the songs.
bottom 7th- no outs, 2 men on- sac bunt (I called it)
then 2 runs score- yay
Chunichi scores top of 8th, puts them ahead...fans go NUTS and start running around clapping the stick things with neighbors (and this is NOT in the outfield crazies section, either)
wow, Chunichi fans are intense
Dragons win
I'm sitting next to a middle-aged guy from Ireland. He's been to more US ballparks than I have.
There are two guys next to him, from LA. You can tell all the gaijin got our tickets from the same place...
middle-aged guy is as POd as I am about this stupid mesh fence
he's off to find more photo ops...I'll do the same later
the gate guy is wearing a batting helmet. is the fence not enough protection?
the crowd roar here is unlike anything I've heard before- louder than a closed-roof Minute Maid during the playoffs
this is a more 'baseball' oriented dome than Sapporo's is
the pitcher (#21) has a good fastie
are all the vendors girls?
Eye of the Tiger! (natch)
Dragons- 1-run double by Lee in the 5th
they like the opening riffs of "Hollaback Girl" and "Lose My Breath." but apparently not the rest of the songs.
bottom 7th- no outs, 2 men on- sac bunt (I called it)
then 2 runs score- yay
Chunichi scores top of 8th, puts them ahead...fans go NUTS and start running around clapping the stick things with neighbors (and this is NOT in the outfield crazies section, either)
wow, Chunichi fans are intense
Dragons win
13 May 2007: afternoon, back from Chiba Marine Stadium
The film guys [NYU grad students filming a documentary on Bobby Valentine] pissed me off. A lot. I really can't believe they asked me if I'd heard of ESPN. Ouch! But seriously, why the hell else would I be in Japan for the BASEBALL if I didn't like baseball in the first place? This makes zero sense.
I am glad to be going back to the stadium Tuesday, to actually watch a whole game with my new soon-to-be-bought camera body [actually, I didn't get around to this...]. It will be sweet.
The Marines are very, very, exceptionally fan friendly. I like that their ballpark is outside. I guess the only one "higher in status" (well, according to Larry Rocca, and he's kind of biased) is Koshien. I gather that Koshien is a lot like Fenway and the Tigers like the Sox.
Where am I going to find a memory card? Maybe what I can do is find some blank CDs and burn a bunch instead. That would work. And be cheaper.
It should be interesting now to go to the Tokyo Dome and have no press access to anything at all. God, I'm tired.
I am glad to be going back to the stadium Tuesday, to actually watch a whole game with my new soon-to-be-bought camera body [actually, I didn't get around to this...]. It will be sweet.
The Marines are very, very, exceptionally fan friendly. I like that their ballpark is outside. I guess the only one "higher in status" (well, according to Larry Rocca, and he's kind of biased) is Koshien. I gather that Koshien is a lot like Fenway and the Tigers like the Sox.
Where am I going to find a memory card? Maybe what I can do is find some blank CDs and burn a bunch instead. That would work. And be cheaper.
It should be interesting now to go to the Tokyo Dome and have no press access to anything at all. God, I'm tired.
13 May 2007: morning, from the Tokyo/Chiba train
[more randomness from the back of an old e-mail....]
I really like Tokyo. It's without a doubt the biggest city I've ever been in, and it's SO...open. Bustling, but calm; it doesn't seem as frenzied as New York does. And there's so much neon and so many skyscrapers. I love it.
I'm amazed Charles found me at Tokyo Station last night. It was RUSH HOUR on Saturday, for crying out loud. Pretty awesome. I guess I expected to see more non-Japanese people in Tokyo- and I have, but nowhere near what I thought the numbers would be. I still stand out like a sore thumb. I AM glad that I'm short; tall foreigners must have an even harder time here. I wonder if Japanese visiting San Fran or New York have a weird culture shock at seeing all the diversity.
I'm in love with the Japan train and subway system, especially since I keep comparing it to the Spain one. There is really no contest. At all. I actually DID end up setting my watching by the train arrival times, and it hasn't let me down yet. And it shouldn't. There is no reason a train system should have delays- it's not like you have to worry about traffic on the tracks or anything. But anyway, it's very easy to find your way to and from trains. In Tokyo Station it's kind of harder because that station is just so BIG- but eventually you find what you're looking for.
My rail pass is wonderful, speaking of trains. I should try to figure out how much I have saved by buying it (it cost me $378, and I get unlimited train travel for two weeks). I'm PISSED that they took my shinkansen ticket tonight, though! It had so much souvenir value!
Today I get to go see part of a Marines game and a Giants game. I need to buy Liza a Giants souvenir, and Steve a hat.
Oh! We just went by all these practice fields with little kids running around playing baseball! Cool!
I wonder if it's hard for Charles here- if he's still treated like a dumb American even though he's lived here 7 months. He took us (me, his friend Boris, and his gf) to this omelette (not really omelette, but that's the closest approximation) place last night. I can't handle omelettes. Seriously, Spain destroyed my appetite (which wasn't huge to begin with) for them. I mean, I ate it, because it's horribly rude to not clear your plate here, and it was waaaay better than tortilla espanola, but oh man. No more omelettes.
I wish I had more time here. This is such a speed trip. Granted, I'm pretty much here with one purpose, but I wish I had more time in Tokyo, in Hokkaido, in Kyoto especially (and I haven't even been there yet!). I guess I'll just have to come back- probably after I learn some Japanese. I'm amazed Charles thinks it's this huge deal that I know 5 characters. I personally think it's pathetic.
I have to get a new camera body. I don't care if it's $500 or whatever. I can't have it like this. [note: on day 3, the LCD screen on the back of my brand-new camera cracked...so for the rest of the trip I was shooting pictures while completely unable to see what they looked like, whether they should be deleted, and how much space they were taking on up the memory card. It was less than fun]
I really like Tokyo. It's without a doubt the biggest city I've ever been in, and it's SO...open. Bustling, but calm; it doesn't seem as frenzied as New York does. And there's so much neon and so many skyscrapers. I love it.
I'm amazed Charles found me at Tokyo Station last night. It was RUSH HOUR on Saturday, for crying out loud. Pretty awesome. I guess I expected to see more non-Japanese people in Tokyo- and I have, but nowhere near what I thought the numbers would be. I still stand out like a sore thumb. I AM glad that I'm short; tall foreigners must have an even harder time here. I wonder if Japanese visiting San Fran or New York have a weird culture shock at seeing all the diversity.
I'm in love with the Japan train and subway system, especially since I keep comparing it to the Spain one. There is really no contest. At all. I actually DID end up setting my watching by the train arrival times, and it hasn't let me down yet. And it shouldn't. There is no reason a train system should have delays- it's not like you have to worry about traffic on the tracks or anything. But anyway, it's very easy to find your way to and from trains. In Tokyo Station it's kind of harder because that station is just so BIG- but eventually you find what you're looking for.
My rail pass is wonderful, speaking of trains. I should try to figure out how much I have saved by buying it (it cost me $378, and I get unlimited train travel for two weeks). I'm PISSED that they took my shinkansen ticket tonight, though! It had so much souvenir value!
Today I get to go see part of a Marines game and a Giants game. I need to buy Liza a Giants souvenir, and Steve a hat.
Oh! We just went by all these practice fields with little kids running around playing baseball! Cool!
I wonder if it's hard for Charles here- if he's still treated like a dumb American even though he's lived here 7 months. He took us (me, his friend Boris, and his gf) to this omelette (not really omelette, but that's the closest approximation) place last night. I can't handle omelettes. Seriously, Spain destroyed my appetite (which wasn't huge to begin with) for them. I mean, I ate it, because it's horribly rude to not clear your plate here, and it was waaaay better than tortilla espanola, but oh man. No more omelettes.
I wish I had more time here. This is such a speed trip. Granted, I'm pretty much here with one purpose, but I wish I had more time in Tokyo, in Hokkaido, in Kyoto especially (and I haven't even been there yet!). I guess I'll just have to come back- probably after I learn some Japanese. I'm amazed Charles thinks it's this huge deal that I know 5 characters. I personally think it's pathetic.
I have to get a new camera body. I don't care if it's $500 or whatever. I can't have it like this. [note: on day 3, the LCD screen on the back of my brand-new camera cracked...so for the rest of the trip I was shooting pictures while completely unable to see what they looked like, whether they should be deleted, and how much space they were taking on up the memory card. It was less than fun]
10 May 2007: notes from Sapporo Dome
Whoops. I forgot about these- random notes scribbled all over the back of printed-out e-mails.
important players- Morimoto, Darvish
cleanliness!
turf!
not much advertising (comp. to USA)
seating- there's a lack of nosebleed sections
JR advertising
stadium's six years old
this is a lot like a college football game
probably because of the trumpets and drums in the outfield
2nd inning- SWEET CAROLINE!!! on the organ. AWESOME.
cheap beer- 500 yen!
top of the 3rd- they're playing "Hot Hot Hot"
and now they're playing the "Charge!" rally thing
7:16pm- I AM WAY TOO JAZZED UP FOR THIS
no announcement of player names!
never mind, they do. but it's not very powerful or sonorous or anything
crowd's chanting player names constantly
bottom of the 4th- We Will Rock You
commercial with Ichiro- mid 5th
#8's song is "Bad Day." Weird.
6th inning- YMCA craziness
aaaa Rock and Roll Part Two hahahahaha
jumbotron montage for Hawks fans!
important players- Morimoto, Darvish
cleanliness!
turf!
not much advertising (comp. to USA)
seating- there's a lack of nosebleed sections
JR advertising
stadium's six years old
this is a lot like a college football game
probably because of the trumpets and drums in the outfield
2nd inning- SWEET CAROLINE!!! on the organ. AWESOME.
cheap beer- 500 yen!
top of the 3rd- they're playing "Hot Hot Hot"
and now they're playing the "Charge!" rally thing
7:16pm- I AM WAY TOO JAZZED UP FOR THIS
no announcement of player names!
never mind, they do. but it's not very powerful or sonorous or anything
crowd's chanting player names constantly
bottom of the 4th- We Will Rock You
commercial with Ichiro- mid 5th
#8's song is "Bad Day." Weird.
6th inning- YMCA craziness
aaaa Rock and Roll Part Two hahahahaha
jumbotron montage for Hawks fans!
10 May 2007: notes from Sapporo Dome
Whoops. I forgot about these- random notes scribbled all over the back of printed-out e-mails.
important players- Morimoto, Darvish
cleanliness!
turf!
not much advertising (comp. to USA)
seating- there's a lack of nosebleed sections
JR advertising
stadium's six years old
this is a lot like a college football game
probably because of the trumpets and drums in the outfield
2nd inning- SWEET CAROLINE!!! on the organ. AWESOME.
cheap beer- 500 yen!
top of the 3rd- they're playing "Hot Hot Hot"
and now they're playing the "Charge!" rally thing
7:16pm- I AM WAY TOO JAZZED UP FOR THIS
no announcement of player names!
never mind, they do. but it's not very powerful or sonorous or anything
crowd's chanting player names constantly
bottom of the 4th- We Will Rock You
commercial with Ichiro- mid 5th
#8's song is "Bad Day." Weird.
6th inning- YMCA craziness
aaaa Rock and Roll Part Two hahahahaha
jumbotron montage for Hawks fans!
Monday, June 11, 2007
11 May 2007- 6:46pm: le hostel part three
Here's a list of the people who have practiced their mad English skills on me thus far:
the guy on the Tokyo Narita Express- incredibly friendly and helpful. surprised I'm traveling by myself. absolutely perfect English without any sort of accent. I think he was a businessman.
the guy at Odori Station in Sapporo- I'm still laughing about this one.
him (runs up to me and shakes my hand): hello!
me: hi...
him: you are English?
me: um, yes
him: you are...college student?
me (bowled over because nobody in AMERICA thinks I'm a college student): yup!
him: you are...twenty years old?
me (thinking 'wow!): right. twenty years.
him: you were born in...*thinks*...nineteen-eighty...six?
me (amused): yes, in September
him: *nods* okay, goodbye! *leaves*
guy at the beer museum- again, friendly to the max. took a picture of me after he saw me setting up a self-portrait (I should have brought a tripod). knew where Connecticut was!
asparagus boy at the fish market- apparently the word 'asparagus' was all he knew. he kept pointing to them as I walked by the stall, and saying the name.
the guy on the Tokyo Narita Express- incredibly friendly and helpful. surprised I'm traveling by myself. absolutely perfect English without any sort of accent. I think he was a businessman.
the guy at Odori Station in Sapporo- I'm still laughing about this one.
him (runs up to me and shakes my hand): hello!
me: hi...
him: you are English?
me: um, yes
him: you are...college student?
me (bowled over because nobody in AMERICA thinks I'm a college student): yup!
him: you are...twenty years old?
me (thinking 'wow!): right. twenty years.
him: you were born in...*thinks*...nineteen-eighty...six?
me (amused): yes, in September
him: *nods* okay, goodbye! *leaves*
guy at the beer museum- again, friendly to the max. took a picture of me after he saw me setting up a self-portrait (I should have brought a tripod). knew where Connecticut was!
asparagus boy at the fish market- apparently the word 'asparagus' was all he knew. he kept pointing to them as I walked by the stall, and saying the name.
11 May 2007- 6:46pm: le hostel part two
Today after I woke up, I showered (about damn time), and went to the Sapporo Beer Musuem (I should note that last night was the first in 2 days that I'd slept in a real bed). The city's easy to navigagte; it does the grid thing, and the subway lines use romanji. The Beer Museum was good enough- it was free (if I'd had to pay, I would have been sad), but all the signs were in Japanese, so I mostly wandered around looking at the displays. There was a great one of 'how to make beer' that was a series of diorama. Little elf-monkeys were making the beer- cute. I hit the museum store, too (natch).
I wanted to visit the Salmon Museum, but was afraid that by the time I got there it'd be closed. So I tried to find Hokkaido University, failed, and then decided to visit the fish market. That was probably my favorite part of the city. The TV tower (I'm not sure what exactly its purpose is) is there, and a lot of malls, etc. After seeing the fish market, I came back, as my feet were killing me.
I want to write more about the non "What I Did, blah blah" things, but right now I should go to bed. So here's my list (for later): jet lag, lack of Japanese skills, other people practicing English on me, the side of the road thing (driving and walking), squat toilets, homogenity and me standing out, the trains/subways, Dice-K, being alone, why I like long train rides, door locks, and the benefit of the doubt that comes with being foreign.
I wanted to visit the Salmon Museum, but was afraid that by the time I got there it'd be closed. So I tried to find Hokkaido University, failed, and then decided to visit the fish market. That was probably my favorite part of the city. The TV tower (I'm not sure what exactly its purpose is) is there, and a lot of malls, etc. After seeing the fish market, I came back, as my feet were killing me.
I want to write more about the non "What I Did, blah blah" things, but right now I should go to bed. So here's my list (for later): jet lag, lack of Japanese skills, other people practicing English on me, the side of the road thing (driving and walking), squat toilets, homogenity and me standing out, the trains/subways, Dice-K, being alone, why I like long train rides, door locks, and the benefit of the doubt that comes with being foreign.
11 May 2007- 6:46pm: le hostel
Oh WOW. The last 24+ hours have been wonderful.
I got to Sapporo Station at 3:30, and immediately shoved my two bigger bags into a coin locker before running off to the Toho line and Fukumazi Station. It was about 4:15-4:30 (I think) when I got to the Dome. Unreal. You're walking along through Sapporo, which is not by any means supermodern, and then BOOM out of nowhere there's this huge shiny silver Thing up on a hill. It's very futuristic. There were already fans going into the stadium, and I was religiously following Ken Iwamoto's directions, so I did NOT follow them, and instead went around the back way to the press entrance (so cool! The funny thing is I had to show the College AP pass (from the Thresher) to get back there in the first place, even though I would get my Fighters pass later).
Then I didn't speak Japanese (shocker), and basically managed to get across to the press people what I was doing by hopefully pointing at Mr. Iwamoto's name and number at the bottom of my printed-out e-mail. And some guy took me to him, and then we went to the manager's office. It was all so surreal; I still can't believe how helpful and friendly everyone was. So. Then I met Trey Hillman, who's from Texas. Texas! And he manages a Japanese baseball team. His family lives with him in Japan. God. I would marry a baseball manager if I could. He was so laidback, and really just superfriendly. I guess not a lot of Americans come to Japan doing what I'm doing. I got a few quick interview questions (hardhitting? Nooooo not so much. Ah well)- which was sweet for more than one reason. First, I had JUST bought the batteries for the recorder at Fukuzumi Station, as I was running around, and second, because I figured out how to work the thing without problemas. Clearly the interview thing was meant to be.
I didn't get his autograph, which was silly of me, but I do have a picture of me with Messrs. Hillman and Iwamoto. AMAZING. So then I whipped out the granddaddy telephoto lens (which might be the single greatest purchase I've made in my life), and Ken Iwamoto then took me around to all these crazy places- first, the field. I have never seen a stadium with turf, let alone a dome. That by itself was nuts. The dugouts aren't dugouts; they don't even have benches! (chairs, instead). Advertising's much more subtle out there (this might be because characters still look to me like pretty sketchings, and not words). Anyway, I also saw the indoor (!) bullpens (and the video in the dugout so you can see what the pitchers are up to), the swing room (exactly what it sounds like), and the 'hero board.' Then Ken I. gave me a bag of free Fighters stuff (still floored), and sent me off with one of the events people for a complete tour. And that was incredible.
I would never have had any clue about the observatory, or the fact that the Sapporo Dome converts to a soccer stadium (with a pitch of real grass, no lesss, or who knows what else. The best part is I can now SHOW other people this, because I have a promo video of my very own.
It's a shame that Lonely Planet doesn't mention the Dome at all- I checked the Let's Go they have at the hostel, and it definitely gets its little blurb. I personally think baseball needs more attention in the guidebooks, because games are different-yet-same enough to really be interesting to the casual fan.
Okay, so I got the tour of awesomeness. Then the game started! Nippon-Ham Fighters vs. Fukuoka Hawks. After all that craziness and excitement and just being wowed by it all, I was so antsy through the first inning that I had get up (from my seat that I didn't have to pay for, btw) and roam around some more. I got this noodley seafood thing for dinner, was impressed that the bathroom had Western AND Japanese style toilets, and then tried to go sit still again. I also had to call my hostel, who'd been expecting me about-oh-four hours before.
All the Thresher baseball photography this past semester has made me see all games pretty much through a lens. Not that this is a bad thing, and I think it also has a lot to do with me being alone at these games- if someone were here with me, I'd be much more inclined to pay attention to the game without looking for photo ops. At any rate, I loved the whole thing. I made little notes about all the nifty things going on, so I'm not going to rewrite them here. Around the 6th (?) inning, I met Trey Hillman's wife (because I stand out like whoa as an American/English/decidedly NOT Japanese...so she just walked up to me and struck up a conversation), and that was pretty nice. The Fighters were down 8-2 in the top of the 9th, so I left (feeling very lame for doing so, but I had told the hostel people I'd be there at 10:30, and as it was I got there at 11), checked out the gift shop (where they were having a love affair with the Mariners), and got in the crowd o' people going to the subway. Just like at Fenway.
I had to go out of my way BACK to Sapporo Station, to pick up my luggage- and I found my lockers, which I thought very impressive. And I stumbled down from Shiroishi Station the 5 blocks to Ino's Place. I like it here very much. It reminds me of a camping lodge. The owners speak English, which is helpful, and there's Internet (yay!).
I got to Sapporo Station at 3:30, and immediately shoved my two bigger bags into a coin locker before running off to the Toho line and Fukumazi Station. It was about 4:15-4:30 (I think) when I got to the Dome. Unreal. You're walking along through Sapporo, which is not by any means supermodern, and then BOOM out of nowhere there's this huge shiny silver Thing up on a hill. It's very futuristic. There were already fans going into the stadium, and I was religiously following Ken Iwamoto's directions, so I did NOT follow them, and instead went around the back way to the press entrance (so cool! The funny thing is I had to show the College AP pass (from the Thresher) to get back there in the first place, even though I would get my Fighters pass later).
Then I didn't speak Japanese (shocker), and basically managed to get across to the press people what I was doing by hopefully pointing at Mr. Iwamoto's name and number at the bottom of my printed-out e-mail. And some guy took me to him, and then we went to the manager's office. It was all so surreal; I still can't believe how helpful and friendly everyone was. So. Then I met Trey Hillman, who's from Texas. Texas! And he manages a Japanese baseball team. His family lives with him in Japan. God. I would marry a baseball manager if I could. He was so laidback, and really just superfriendly. I guess not a lot of Americans come to Japan doing what I'm doing. I got a few quick interview questions (hardhitting? Nooooo not so much. Ah well)- which was sweet for more than one reason. First, I had JUST bought the batteries for the recorder at Fukuzumi Station, as I was running around, and second, because I figured out how to work the thing without problemas. Clearly the interview thing was meant to be.
I didn't get his autograph, which was silly of me, but I do have a picture of me with Messrs. Hillman and Iwamoto. AMAZING. So then I whipped out the granddaddy telephoto lens (which might be the single greatest purchase I've made in my life), and Ken Iwamoto then took me around to all these crazy places- first, the field. I have never seen a stadium with turf, let alone a dome. That by itself was nuts. The dugouts aren't dugouts; they don't even have benches! (chairs, instead). Advertising's much more subtle out there (this might be because characters still look to me like pretty sketchings, and not words). Anyway, I also saw the indoor (!) bullpens (and the video in the dugout so you can see what the pitchers are up to), the swing room (exactly what it sounds like), and the 'hero board.' Then Ken I. gave me a bag of free Fighters stuff (still floored), and sent me off with one of the events people for a complete tour. And that was incredible.
I would never have had any clue about the observatory, or the fact that the Sapporo Dome converts to a soccer stadium (with a pitch of real grass, no lesss, or who knows what else. The best part is I can now SHOW other people this, because I have a promo video of my very own.
It's a shame that Lonely Planet doesn't mention the Dome at all- I checked the Let's Go they have at the hostel, and it definitely gets its little blurb. I personally think baseball needs more attention in the guidebooks, because games are different-yet-same enough to really be interesting to the casual fan.
Okay, so I got the tour of awesomeness. Then the game started! Nippon-Ham Fighters vs. Fukuoka Hawks. After all that craziness and excitement and just being wowed by it all, I was so antsy through the first inning that I had get up (from my seat that I didn't have to pay for, btw) and roam around some more. I got this noodley seafood thing for dinner, was impressed that the bathroom had Western AND Japanese style toilets, and then tried to go sit still again. I also had to call my hostel, who'd been expecting me about-oh-four hours before.
All the Thresher baseball photography this past semester has made me see all games pretty much through a lens. Not that this is a bad thing, and I think it also has a lot to do with me being alone at these games- if someone were here with me, I'd be much more inclined to pay attention to the game without looking for photo ops. At any rate, I loved the whole thing. I made little notes about all the nifty things going on, so I'm not going to rewrite them here. Around the 6th (?) inning, I met Trey Hillman's wife (because I stand out like whoa as an American/English/decidedly NOT Japanese...so she just walked up to me and struck up a conversation), and that was pretty nice. The Fighters were down 8-2 in the top of the 9th, so I left (feeling very lame for doing so, but I had told the hostel people I'd be there at 10:30, and as it was I got there at 11), checked out the gift shop (where they were having a love affair with the Mariners), and got in the crowd o' people going to the subway. Just like at Fenway.
I had to go out of my way BACK to Sapporo Station, to pick up my luggage- and I found my lockers, which I thought very impressive. And I stumbled down from Shiroishi Station the 5 blocks to Ino's Place. I like it here very much. It reminds me of a camping lodge. The owners speak English, which is helpful, and there's Internet (yay!).
10 May 2007- 11:14 am: same train
This is a serious tunnel system. Hot damn. We have been cruising along (underwater!) for quite some time.
I'm finishing up the Ichiro book, and am now convinced that I have really (or am really) going to offend the Fighters people by being late. I have a full TEN minutes (yay!) to change trains in Hakodate, so maybe I can call ahead. Oh dear god. So many faux pas.
I'm finishing up the Ichiro book, and am now convinced that I have really (or am really) going to offend the Fighters people by being late. I have a full TEN minutes (yay!) to change trains in Hakodate, so maybe I can call ahead. Oh dear god. So many faux pas.
10 May 2007- 10:03am: another train
It's really the little things that completely, totally make my day. Like actually MAKING my connecting train at Aomuri, even though my tickets gave me five minutes (!!!) to do so. Man, what a good feeling, and infinity times better that the one I would have had if I'd missed it. I must thank immensely the Japanese guy with a backpack, because I figured out which way to go when I saw him go rushing by (thus he was clearly in the same situation as me).
The train system is pretty easy to figure out, though. The best part is that things are so PUNCTUAL (not like in Spain). Apparently you can set your watch by the train times. That's pretty impressive. I'm glad I picked up a timetable at the rail pass exchange place. I checked the map inside, and I guess the overnighter I was on went over to the Gulf side of Japan. Hm. We get to cross the water between Honshu and Hokkaido soon.
I learned how to say "which train" ("doko densha") today.
The train system is pretty easy to figure out, though. The best part is that things are so PUNCTUAL (not like in Spain). Apparently you can set your watch by the train times. That's pretty impressive. I'm glad I picked up a timetable at the rail pass exchange place. I checked the map inside, and I guess the overnighter I was on went over to the Gulf side of Japan. Hm. We get to cross the water between Honshu and Hokkaido soon.
I learned how to say "which train" ("doko densha") today.
10 May 2007- 7:07am: a train, somewhere
Ahh I am such a douche. I don't have any presents for the Sapporo people! Why didn't I buy some Rice key chains or something (anything) at the airport or whatever? I know they expect the Americans to screw up, but this seems like complete foot-in-mouth. Embarrasing (already!). What do I do? I could wrap up my Brown shirt, since it's never been word, and that would be a Rice thing, definitely. I don't know. I feel so stupid and self-centered. SO STUPID, IVY. I guess I can make up for it with a really well-done thank-you note, but not to my mind. I can't believe this.
I can't believe a lot of things. Somehow, last night, between sitting at Ueno station waiting for this train to come, and boarding said train for the first time, I lost my ticket. How this happened, I have no idea. So I had to run over to the ticket office, and be a total ass once more, trying to get a new ticket. And I did, but that's besides the point. I keep forgetting that I can actually write romanji, especially for place names. Ugh.
I guess the one good, intelligent thing I've done was buy tickets BACK to Tokyo. That was probably a good call.
I just feel so stupid. I memorized "excuse me" and "May," but not much else. Why didn't I teach myself more words? Such a dumb American.
I don't even know if Ken Iwamoto got my e-mail. What if I'm late, and he doesn't know why? Then I'll REALLY be the idiot.
I hope I get some damn good pictures while I'm here.
I can't believe a lot of things. Somehow, last night, between sitting at Ueno station waiting for this train to come, and boarding said train for the first time, I lost my ticket. How this happened, I have no idea. So I had to run over to the ticket office, and be a total ass once more, trying to get a new ticket. And I did, but that's besides the point. I keep forgetting that I can actually write romanji, especially for place names. Ugh.
I guess the one good, intelligent thing I've done was buy tickets BACK to Tokyo. That was probably a good call.
I just feel so stupid. I memorized "excuse me" and "May," but not much else. Why didn't I teach myself more words? Such a dumb American.
I don't even know if Ken Iwamoto got my e-mail. What if I'm late, and he doesn't know why? Then I'll REALLY be the idiot.
I hope I get some damn good pictures while I'm here.
09 May 7:18p: Tokyo-Narita Express
Okay, so it's now however many hours later, and I just left Tokyo Narita Airport. I have my rail pass and about 13,000 yen [$130]. I also have a bunch of reserved seats for this trip up to Sapporo.
My plane from O'Hare was delayed2 hours, which wouldn't be a big deal except it threw off my train plans. I'm now getting to Sapporo an hour later than I was supposed to BE at the Fighters stadium. Damn! I e-mailed Ken Iwamoto, and will call him sometime tomorrow (I'm guessing it's too late to call now...). I don't think it'll be a huge problem, and I at least will get there in time to see the game, which is all I really care about.
I was flipping out about 8 hours into the flight here (maybe that's the 'go insane' point. I wouldn't be surprised) because I somehow thought I was going to end up here on the TENTH. I forgot how the International Date Line works. Oops. The flight itself was fine. I wish I'd had a window seat, because we went basically right up over Alaska, across the Bering Strait, and down (which makes perfect sense; I just never thought of the trip that way before). It would have been amazing to see that landscape from the plane. But I had an aisle, right next to the galley and next to two Japanese people who probably thought I was ridiculously dumb (particularly when I was flipping out and constantly opening the overhead compartment to check what Lonely Planet had to say). A lot of Japanese people so far seem to have thought this, but I don't blame them.
I slept a lot (on the HOU-Chitown flight, I slept right through takeoff and woke up in the air, which was a little surreal). I watched parts of Happy Feet (when I go back, I'm going to watch The Prestige- I missed the start of it and didn't want to see only part of a movie...), and read the Ichiro book. I will probably do more of the same when I get on the overnight train. The woman thought I was nuts when I told here I was taking the train to Sapporo, but honestly, it was so expensive to fly one way, and I really want to see as much of the country as I can while I'm here. Train it is.
I decided that the point of no return (not to be confused with the go insane point) on those trans-oceanic flights is 6 hours.Before that I'm good, I'm sleeping, whatever. Afterwards, I get antsy and my leg gets twitchy and oh god there's another SEVEN HOURS on this thing. Naturally, the only thing to do is go to sleep again.
The food was very tasty on the way over. The first time, we had seafood curry and rice, a salad, and some Japanese cake thing. About 2 hours before landing, we got this alfredo/salmon pasta dish, another salad, and vanilla pudding.
It's so funny how much I stand out as foreign.
I think I might conquer jet lag pretty easily. I can't fall asleep till 10, when I get on the train (well, the first one). And 10pm is a reasonable American bedtime. If I sleep 12 hours (oh WOW that would be amazing), I still have 2 hours overlap, so I won't miss my stop. This seems promising.
These first few days are insane. INSANE. Tomorrow I have to look presentable (hahaha) to Important People, and put my journalist game face on (do I have one?). Also not get lost in Sapporo. It is crazy. Then I have to immediately plan the return to Tokyo- maybe I can do this tonight, at Ueno. I HAVE to be there the 12th, by 6 or 7 pm. That is not even up for debate. From Tokyo- Chiba Marines AND the Giants on the 13th. I think once I get to the 14th, I'll be fine. The schmoozing will mostly be done; I'll have seen 3 games, etc, etc, etc. So crazy.
So far I can read (well, remember) the kanji for "entrance." I felt that was a good thing to know. I can also say 'arigato,' even though I am probably butchering it. Mostly, I'm just smiling a lot, and saying OK.
Hey, we just went by the Chiba station! It's 7:47; let's see how long it is to Tokyo from here...
I cannot wait to get on that train. Maybe I can even change clothes, since I've been wearing these for a while.
Where is Tokyo? I want to see it and its awesomeness.
My plane from O'Hare was delayed2 hours, which wouldn't be a big deal except it threw off my train plans. I'm now getting to Sapporo an hour later than I was supposed to BE at the Fighters stadium. Damn! I e-mailed Ken Iwamoto, and will call him sometime tomorrow (I'm guessing it's too late to call now...). I don't think it'll be a huge problem, and I at least will get there in time to see the game, which is all I really care about.
I was flipping out about 8 hours into the flight here (maybe that's the 'go insane' point. I wouldn't be surprised) because I somehow thought I was going to end up here on the TENTH. I forgot how the International Date Line works. Oops. The flight itself was fine. I wish I'd had a window seat, because we went basically right up over Alaska, across the Bering Strait, and down (which makes perfect sense; I just never thought of the trip that way before). It would have been amazing to see that landscape from the plane. But I had an aisle, right next to the galley and next to two Japanese people who probably thought I was ridiculously dumb (particularly when I was flipping out and constantly opening the overhead compartment to check what Lonely Planet had to say). A lot of Japanese people so far seem to have thought this, but I don't blame them.
I slept a lot (on the HOU-Chitown flight, I slept right through takeoff and woke up in the air, which was a little surreal). I watched parts of Happy Feet (when I go back, I'm going to watch The Prestige- I missed the start of it and didn't want to see only part of a movie...), and read the Ichiro book. I will probably do more of the same when I get on the overnight train. The woman thought I was nuts when I told here I was taking the train to Sapporo, but honestly, it was so expensive to fly one way, and I really want to see as much of the country as I can while I'm here. Train it is.
I decided that the point of no return (not to be confused with the go insane point) on those trans-oceanic flights is 6 hours.Before that I'm good, I'm sleeping, whatever. Afterwards, I get antsy and my leg gets twitchy and oh god there's another SEVEN HOURS on this thing. Naturally, the only thing to do is go to sleep again.
The food was very tasty on the way over. The first time, we had seafood curry and rice, a salad, and some Japanese cake thing. About 2 hours before landing, we got this alfredo/salmon pasta dish, another salad, and vanilla pudding.
It's so funny how much I stand out as foreign.
I think I might conquer jet lag pretty easily. I can't fall asleep till 10, when I get on the train (well, the first one). And 10pm is a reasonable American bedtime. If I sleep 12 hours (oh WOW that would be amazing), I still have 2 hours overlap, so I won't miss my stop. This seems promising.
These first few days are insane. INSANE. Tomorrow I have to look presentable (hahaha) to Important People, and put my journalist game face on (do I have one?). Also not get lost in Sapporo. It is crazy. Then I have to immediately plan the return to Tokyo- maybe I can do this tonight, at Ueno. I HAVE to be there the 12th, by 6 or 7 pm. That is not even up for debate. From Tokyo- Chiba Marines AND the Giants on the 13th. I think once I get to the 14th, I'll be fine. The schmoozing will mostly be done; I'll have seen 3 games, etc, etc, etc. So crazy.
So far I can read (well, remember) the kanji for "entrance." I felt that was a good thing to know. I can also say 'arigato,' even though I am probably butchering it. Mostly, I'm just smiling a lot, and saying OK.
Hey, we just went by the Chiba station! It's 7:47; let's see how long it is to Tokyo from here...
I cannot wait to get on that train. Maybe I can even change clothes, since I've been wearing these for a while.
Where is Tokyo? I want to see it and its awesomeness.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
8 May 2007: from IAH
I really, really don't like packing. It's kind of fun on the small scale- packing for my actual TRIP as fine. Make a pile of stuff to take. Put the stuff in your suitcase. Easy. But large-scale packing- ie my room- is never pretty. Even when I try to plan my finals schedule around giving myself time to pack, I still wind up racing around at the last minute trying to make things work. This year was way better than last year, but that isn't saying much.
I seriously fucked up my sleep schedule the last couple of days, which is actually fine by me, since it was going to get messed up anyway with the 12-hour (I think) time difference. I hope I made myself tired enough to crash not only on the the Houston-Chitown flight, but the long trans-Pacific one, too. And on the Tokyo-Sapporo train. I'm craving sleep like some sort of Junkie right now. They should board the plane! Argh.
I'm excited about sleeping in a pod in Tokyo. And seeing the baseball! Mr. Iwamoto at the Sapporo Dome e-mailed me back today- I get a press pass when I'm there. I must be the most professional amateur ever. I feel like this trip is real-world time, which has its ups and downs (mostly ups/downs because I'm rarely comfortable outside my comfort zone).
The guy near me has the same cell phone ring as Niki! Heehee.
I seriously fucked up my sleep schedule the last couple of days, which is actually fine by me, since it was going to get messed up anyway with the 12-hour (I think) time difference. I hope I made myself tired enough to crash not only on the the Houston-Chitown flight, but the long trans-Pacific one, too. And on the Tokyo-Sapporo train. I'm craving sleep like some sort of Junkie right now. They should board the plane! Argh.
I'm excited about sleeping in a pod in Tokyo. And seeing the baseball! Mr. Iwamoto at the Sapporo Dome e-mailed me back today- I get a press pass when I'm there. I must be the most professional amateur ever. I feel like this trip is real-world time, which has its ups and downs (mostly ups/downs because I'm rarely comfortable outside my comfort zone).
The guy near me has the same cell phone ring as Niki! Heehee.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)