The pre-game cheerleaders and rituals before the baseball game on Friday at the Tokyo Dome. The fans were loud and dedicated but also rather polite. The Hanshin fans quietly sat while Yomiuri was at bat and the Giants fans cheered their heads off. When Hanshin came up to bat, the Yomiuri fans sat down and it was the Tigers fans' turn. But despite their enthusiasm, I didn't really feel like they're any more passionate about their teams than American fans. I guess the giveaway was the total lack of correlation between their cheering and the magnitude of the play at hand. You wouldn't be able to tell if somebody just hit a popup in the first or a game winning grand slam from the sound of the fans. And you can't blame it on the beer either; the beer garden was DESERTED before the game (trust me, I looked long and hard).
The purportedly busiest intersection in the world in the Shibuya district (which I just like to say out loud: She-booyah!). I took this shot from the 2nd floor of the Starbucks in the building with the walking dinosaur from "Lost in Translation." The Shibuya district (you're saying it out loud aren't you?), is where the video arcades, neon lights, and pachinko slots are. Very fun but also VERY loud. So much so in fact that the dedicated pachinko players were wearing ear plugs. Sounds like a blast doesn't it!!
Speaking of "Lost in Translation," the Suntory whisky Bill Murray's character is in Tokyo to promote... yeah, it's a real whisky here. They also make beer (which is crap like all of the other beers here, by the way) and I just about died laughing when I saw this billboard. "For relaxing times, make it Suntory time." The locals standing next to me didn't get it...
Sumo from tonight! The wrestling started at 8:30 am this morning (!!) and went until past 5:30pm. I thought that was a little much for me so I didn't show up until 12:30 or so... and found an almost deserted stadium. The Japanese (who knew what they were doing) didn't start showing up in earnest until 3:00 or so and the place absolutely erupted when this guy in red came up (he won too). It was fun but I have to admit, I spent most of the time confused beyond belief. I'm sure the sake didn't help on that front...
Today was my last full day in Tokyo; I'm heading to Kyoto tomorrow and hoping to see Nara and Mt. Fuji along the way. And then Thursday it's more than 20 hours of air travel to get back to the Emerald City. All I have to say is that I see a burger and a good beer in my future...
P.S.
What trip to Japan would be complete without an earthquake? News Link It felt like someone was trying to wake me up by shaking my bed this morning. I was so concerned and worried about it that I rolled over and went back to sleep once the aftershocks tailed off. I didn't hear anything about it afterwards and started to doubt whether or not it really happened. But I guess when you live in Tokyo, it really is, "Wake me when it's at least a magnitude 6..."
1 comment:
Shibuya!! I totally said it outloud.
Post a Comment