Tuesday
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You choose
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I'm back! I don't think I've been this tired in a long time. Football plus long days in Japan can really drain you. Plus we're having to adapt to 85 degree days with 70-80% humidity. It's pretty awful at times as we walk slowly to the train station at times and break into a sweat. Even the Japanese players tell us that the rain season is no bueno. Oh well you adapt and move on. Today was the first day of practice at the football facility. It's located on a university campus close to the hotel and has a turf field which is nice. The facility is very basic but that makes sense because they guys were telling us that football in Japan is still growing and the money isn't there yet for grand locker rooms like you see in America.
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| Cason modeling the shelf lockers |
We got to the locker room before the Japanese players did and we settled in with all of our stuff while also taking a quick look at the field. It was very hot and humid and thankfully we were in shells (helmets/shorts) for the first two days of practice. When the other players arrived they began getting ready and put tape on their helmets with their name. Another interesting thing is that in every room in Japan you're expected to take your shoes off but I don't think we'll be breaking our home locker room customs any time soon. One problem I've realized while here is that my name doesn't really have a translation in Japanese. Names like Matthew, Jacob, and Cory are a little easier to say and spell using Japanese characters and for the purpose of my helmet I just went with HOOD.
The first day of practice was really fun. We got to do a lot of coaching within our respective position groups. Cory and Cason did an overhaul of the DBs techniques while Matt helped out with the O-Line and blocking. Jacob went down with the D-Line and helped out there along with long snapping and I imparted my knowledge on the receiver core.
The practice went by quickly and before you knew it the day was done (well practice at least) and we headed back to the locker room after a quick debrief from the coaches.
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| I can dig the single digit |
The way this week is set up is that after each practice a different team, the japanese team is comprised of several different Japanese schools, takes us out to dinner. It was a little confusing because we thought we would be going back to the hotel with the driver we came to practice with but we rolled with the punches and we were soon on our way with some of the players from _____ school. We walked from the locker room to the parking lot and saw a pretty amazing skyscape (just made it up). It's the rainy season here but we had been lucky to avoid the rain thus far. The clouds were rolling in and mad for a cool effect in the sky with the colors and brightness combined.
We set off with the players in their cars and arrived at a nice looking restaurant. When you first walk in there are lockers that you are to put your shoes in and they use a simple key system. Each key is a unique block of wood that slides into the locker and I thought that was pretty cool.
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| Sign outside the restaurant. It was delicious! |
When we got to the dining room a mix of emotion including fear and excitement rose within us. The food looked amazing and we were so hungry that we could've eaten the entire menue. If fact we practically did but more on that in a sec. The fear part came from the fact that the tables were about a foot off the ground and we are no where near as flexible as the Japanese players so sitting cross legged was a bit out of the question. We ended up making due with a variety of seated positions as the meal went on and luckily the food was so good it took our minds off the soreness.
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| Ultimate test of flexibility? |
The apprehension continued as we began to cook the first dish. The setup in Japan is really cool in that at the restaurant you are provided with a pot that has two sections and is heated. Each section holds a different sauce that you are to put the slices of meat in. One of the players showed us that while the meat was cooking in the heated sauce, we were supposed to beat an egg in a small bowl. After the meat was done cooking he took a piece of meat from the dish, dipped it in the raw egg, then proceeded to go to town. As you can imagine we were all a bit skeptical at the thought of raw eggs but we all took the leap and it was amazingly good. The sauce itself was enough to warrant a perfect score on Zagat but then the addition of the egg took it to another level. I'm actively pursuing the names of the sauces used so as to find it somewhere in America. After that it seemed as though the whole menu had been prepared for us and a conveyor belt was bringing each item to our table.
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| Before the first bite |
Kasner demonstrates the art of the egg immersion
The food items included meat, pork, tempura, and crab. The waitresses kept bringing out the food and it seemed endless. All of the items tasted fantastic though as each brought its own magnificence.
We pretty much had the entire menu brought to us in some form or another. I didn't think that it was possible to get through so much food and still be hungry at the end but with these small portion sizes it's easy to lose track of how much you've actually eaten. Plus after a long day of walking around and practicing nothing suits you better than a fantastic meal.
It was a great way to end a pretty awesome day. It's been cool getting to see a different culture up close and personal. The guys from the Japanese team are really cool and friendly. Despite the language barrier we still managed to have a good time and make some new facebook friends. The week is just beginning and I'm sure there will be more fun to come. This trip has been eye opening beyond belief and it's only just beginning. Now for some sleep! Been up all day and still have to rest up for tomorrow's practice. Till the next time
P.S
There are no washing machines in the hotel or locker room so it's back to doing laundry the old fashioned way. If only our moms could see us now.
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