When Green Meets Blue

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(VIDEO AT THE BOTTOM)

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It was a heavy week of training, but not for the usual reasons. The Beleza team was laden with injuries and influenza, and as the numbers at training dropped the tension mounted. Scheduled to play the number one team in the league on Saturday, it was a hard week to be short players. It all started a month ago when midfielder, Yayoi, first injured her knee. Everyday she works hard to help the healing process, completing a full page of exercises and receiving acupuncture treatment regularly. Then, two weeks ago, Sawa strained her right quad muscle. Playing in pain until her body finally said, "enough". This week she was sidelined and forced to rest. Next, Naga (lone forward in a 4-2-3-1 formation), came down with the swine flu, and her younger sister, Asano (right midfielder), was also forced to be absent until Naga recovers.

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Jo and I wished we could dress with the team. It would have been awesome to play with the Beleza women in Saturday's big game. However, not permitted on the field, we put on our team jerseys and stationed ourselves in the middle of Beleza's die hard fans. Doing our best to chant, jump and cheer Beleza to victory, we enjoyed watching our friends do battle. Young players gave everything they had to fill the big shoes of missing legends like Sawa. The game ended in a 1-1 tie, and as the players lined up and bowed in gratitude to their fans, I could see the disappointment in their eyes. They were missing key players, but had come for a win anyway, and were disappointed with the tie.

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After the game we had big plans. With four tickets to see the Blue Man Group (thanks to Kelly, who I will stop introducing and re-introducing since we have referred to her a half dozen times in the blog already --- http://www.magnifeco.com/ --- check it out), we were so excited to spend the afternoon with the Tako Tomodachi. With only two short weeks left with our Japanese teammates we are acutely aware of how finite our time here is, and we are so grateful to Ganchan and Mai for being such good friends and helping us make the most of our time in Tokyo.

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Armed with enthusiasm for Blue Man, we hurried to the train station. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and jumped on a train to Roppongi. Dashing through rain drops, Mai wheeling a suitcase full of game day equipment, and checking our damp and fragile map for directions, we slipped into our seats right before the doors closed and the show started. We were glad we didn't miss anything, and twenty minutes later, we found out just how glad we really were.

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Around that time, it was the middle of Blue Man's third skit, a couple walked in and everything stopped. A spotlight shined brightly in their faces, illuminating them as they went to their seats. A camera followed them as they walked on their tippie toes, shoulders hunched and hands covering their faces. The image was projected onto a big screen TV for the whole audience to see. Through the sound system a big, booming voice sung out, "you're late, you're late, you're late", in Japanese. We laughed with the rest of the audience, but man were we glad we weren't those people!

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During the show we wore our white paper headbands, indicating to the Blue Men that we wanted to be called from the audience to join them on stage. When they climbed on chairs and marched through the aisles looking for a volunteer, we raised our hands and cheered (Ganchan even held up baby oranges, hoping that might tip them in our favor - unfortunately, it didn't work). When, alas, they picked the little old lady next to us, we couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. Five minutes later, she stole the show, and we forgot our qualms with the Blue Men.

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Riveted by bright colors and black lights, drum beats and live music, and, of course, the theatrical performances of the Blue Men, we watched the show from the edge or our seats, slack-jawed, and turning to each other in between bouts of laughter with confirming looks of bewilderment. It was an awesome performance and even cooler to experience in Tokyo with the Tako Tomodachi. After the show, the producer came to give us a tour of the backstage. He explained how they do some of the stunts in the show (we can't tell you these important secrets, but we can recommend seeing the show in person - it's AWESOME).

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The highlight of our tour, however, was playing the PVC pipe drums with the Blue Men. The drum itself was pretty cool, a huge set of twisted PVC pipes, intertwined to look something like a cross between intestines and the brain. The end of each pipe, left open, faced upward. Different pipes were responsible for different notes. The sound was elicited by banging a flat, semi-soft, paddle on the open end of the pipe (see picture for further explanation). We banged on the pipes, making a mess of the musical notes that followed and smiling from ear-to-tone-deaf-ear, until the Blue Men joined us for our much anticipated photo op.

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Not wanting our Blue Man Group experience to end or the memory to fade with time, we bought matching Blue Man Group T-shirts to commemorate the night (promising to wear them when we climb Mt. Fuji together in the future). Afterward, the Tako Tomodachi headed to a delicious yakitori restaurant down the street (more on dinner delicacies in the next blog). Although Jo and I told Mai and Ganchan that they were not allowed to pay for anything, Mai slipped off under Ganchan's cover and paid the entire bill before the end of dinner. We tried to fight with them, but unable to express ourselves in Japanese, we were left, yet again, thanking Mai and Ganchan profusely for their never ending generosity.

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We are so grateful and so lucky to have made such good friends in Tokyo. I hope they will come visit us in the U.S. and give us the chance to repay their generosity.

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Even More Hakone Open Air Museum Pictures

More Hakone Open Air Museum Pictures

Hakone Open Air Museum Pictures

Hakone Open Air Museum

These are pictures from the Hakone Open Air Museum. We spent about 2 hours, on a beautiful, clear day, enjoying this museum. Unlike most art museums where you are only permitted to look but never touch, the Open Air Museum offered many exhibits where climbing in, around, on, and through the sculptures was not only allowed but encouraged (under the age of 13 but Becca and I missed those signs). My kind of museum.

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My most favorite piece had to be the "Woods of Net" (picture in the next blog). Imagine a gigantic lincoln log igloo with huge wooden beams layered in a staggered pattern that created an airy enclosure, home to a web of technicolor nets. This gigantic hammock, suspended from the ceiling, was comprised of many smaller hammocks that were sewn together to create a series of netted passageways. In order to reach the top, one had to circumnavigate these littler hammocks, squirming through holes made for 13 year olds and pulling oneself to the top. (I would like to point out here that Becca wrote the entire explanation of the "Woods of Nets" because her knack for detail is far greater than my own. I don't think, in my entire life, I have used the word circumnavigate. She is very smart and I am officially impressed.)

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Once I reached the top, I did as any 13 year old would....I ran around in circles, climbed all sides like a little monkey, and slid down on my butt. So much fun.

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When we weren't breaking the age limit rules, we stared in awe at the size, detail, and variety of the other works of art. There were massive sculptures made of bronze, steel, and metal, original works from Pablo Picasso, colored murals, warm foot baths, and so much more.

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Becca did an incredible job of photographing most of the pieces which we share with you in this blog and others.

More Fuji Pictures

Hakone and Fuji Pictures

Kawagoe Matsuri Festival Videos

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Kawagoe, Hakone, and Mt. Fuji

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Hello again. A lot has happened since our last blog and in an effort to please our faithful readers in a limited amount of time, this is one of those entries where I take a back seat to the wonderful and interesting pictures and videos. I realize that many times, pictures cannot do justice to something you have recently experienced and words tend to be even more tedious, but I am hoping, with the right combination of words, pictures, and streaming video, you will be transformed to the outskirts of Tokyo living each moment with us.

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Let's begin. The weekend started on Saturday. Beleza had a match in the southern part of Japan so this gave us the opportunity to have three days off from soccer to adventure and explore. Our first journey took us to Kawagoe, Japan ("Little Tokyo") and the Matsuri Festival held there every third weekend in October. The festival was every bit as interesting as it was described by the New York Times (we read the article before we left). There were floats (and not your normal Homecoming Parade floats.....these were made of much sturdier materials, taller, and thinner, used year after year to honor this storied occasion), dancers, drummers, foods of all fashions from octopus balls (Takoyaki) to chocolate covered bananas, and games for kids including fishing for many types of prizes (turtles, fish, rubber balls, toys). Each float was followed by paraders in traditional Japanese garb holding ropes connected to the movable, spinable structure. There were people everywhere...on the streets, sidewalks, in beer gardens, eating, drinking, taking pictures, dancing.......it was sensory overload.

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Rebecca, our 4 friends, and I did our best to blend in....meaning.....we walked on the streets and sidewalks, we took pictures and videos, we ate, we drank, we fished, we bought toys, and we spent hours meandering around Kawagoe soaking in all the festival had to offer. This is the point where I will step aside and let the remaining pictures and videos give you the multi dimensional view of it all.........(this blog and the ones following). -

On to Sunday and Monday. We knew our trip to Japan would not be complete without an encounter with Mt. Fuji (Fuji-san) so we traveled 2 hours outside of Tokyo to the quaint and beautiful town of Hakone. Staying on the picturesque Lake Ashi, we thrilled in the opportunity to fill our lungs with the clean air of the country side, our minds with the slower pace of life, and our bodies with the comfort of real beds (after living in Tokyo for over a month you have a much greater appreciation for these things).

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With a travelers pass that allowed us to take boats, cable cars, buses, and rope ways (not to mention our aching feet), we traversed all over Hakone witnessing the spectacles it had to offer. I will give you a interlude into what we experienced and let the pictures do the rest.

1. Fields of sulfur hot springs

2. Amazing views of Mt. Fuji

3. Black hard boiled eggs

4. Open Air Museums

5. Original Picasso art work

6. Wooden igloos field with colorful, climbable nets

7. Sculptures from world famous artists

8. Greenery as far as the eye could see

9. Pirate ships and pirates

10. Natural steam baths

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It was a weekend that we would have happily turned into a week.....but alas, we have practice again today and another chance to improve our soccer skills with the most talented players in Japan coming off a big 1-0 win. Off we go!

Replays

Pictures (for further background see blog: The Facts of Life):

1. Fish at the Yoyogi Park picnic - yummy and no eyeballs!

2. Rebecca at the Yoyogi Park Meiji Shrine - dedicated to the last emperor

3. Woman stretching on the train - good form

4. Yoyogi Park lawns - so serene

5. Yoyogi Park rose gardens - roses are red

Video:

Soccer jugglers in Yoyogi Park

The Facts of Life

Pictures: Trendy pups, sunsets, and picnics in Yoyogi park - -

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"Fake it until you make it" -

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This is exactly what ran through my head (literally) after I got my new rock star haircut. With Becca back home on strict bed rest due to her battle with an unknown parasite living in her stomach and kept company by a very good book and Japanese cartoons on repeat, it was my duty to go explore the wilder side of Tokyo for the both of us. (-)

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The party started last Friday with a trip to a Pachinko parlor in Shinjuku with my friend Lynn. How to describe Pachinko? First, think of a large complex lined by Japanese slot machines that emit continuous, loud, and obnoxious noises. Second, imagine that complex filled with the stench of cigarette smoke. Third, picture people sitting immediately in front of these machines, staring into them. Lasty, imagine these people operating a mechanical hand wheel that steers tiny, silver, metal balls through a maze like structure filled with obstacles, trying to somehow get these balls to land in specific zones to win them prizes. Now, who wants to play?! I did, so in went an 100 yen coin (yes, I am not a big spender) and out pops 50 shiny balls. After 5 minutes of gazing into the machine and still having no idea what to do with each ball, I begin to turn this magical handle and surprise surprise, the balls begin to shoot down the obstacle course missing every winning zone possible. 50 balls in about 50 seconds, I had lost, and all I could show for my 100 yen effort was pure confusion, a dangerously high heart rate, and clothes that stank of old chimneys....but....the delight and laughter that erupted from my teammates at the thought of my dumbfounded attempts at finding lady luck.....priceless! (-)

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On to Saturday. After a long practice in the morning I headed to Yoyogi Park to meet up with some friends to have a picnic. Yoyogi park is now my favorite place in Tokyo. I would compare it to Venice Beach in Los Angeles. People of all races, ages, ethnicity's, sexes, religions, and interests seamlessly coming together in one location. You have punk rockers, skate boarders, musicians, sports aficionados, jugglers, performers, loungers, dog walkers, Frisbee throwers, runners, walkers, actors, people watchers......endless hours of free entertainment within gorgeous lawns of green grass, rose gardens, spouting fountains, and lakes. My picnic alone was evidence of the eclectiveness of the Yoyogi Park population. We had friends of all backgrounds: Japanese, Swiss, Swedish, British, French, American, Brazilian, and German speaking various languages and eating foods from all over the world. The weather was spectacular and the company even more incredible.

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After about 2 hours in the park, I thought it best to travel home to rest up for my long awaited Saturday night. Ever since I have gotten to Tokyo, I have made a list of things that I must do. Going to Japans largest club (and rumored to be the largest club in Asia) was on that list....fake it until you make it.....I was on schedule to be a rock star for the night. The destination, Ageha, a dance club in the Eastern part of Tokyo. The performer, Paul Van Dyk, one of the world's top house DJ's. The time frame, 9:30pm until at least 5:30am when the trains start running again.

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9:30pm, my friends and I meet in Shibuya, best known for being the social scene for foreigners that take residence in Japan. With a group of about 7 of us we toured around Shibuya bumping into new friends, visiting the nightlife hot spots, and taking in the energy of a city that had come alive. Although I often feel unique as a foreigner playing for a Japanese soccer team, in Shibuya, I felt anything but. You couldn't turn your head without spotting someone of a foreign background and you couldn't escape the sound of the English language being spoken all around you. A difference from my daily routine that truly made me realize Tokyo's international appeal.

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We boarded a bus around 12:30am that would take us directly to the club. Sitting next to my friend Lee (originally from Taiwan but now lives in Japan) and our new friend Andy (from England) we watched on screen, video clips from previous parties at Ageha. As we sat discussing the fun that lay ahead, we drove over the Rainbow Bridge and past Odaiba Beach and its massive mall complete with simulated sunsets and ferris wheels.

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We arrived at the club around 1am. The club was, to say the least, large. There was one main dance floor below the DJ stage. Two large video screens, lasers, fog machines, and hundreds of people dancing. Outside, there were two other dance floors, one located next to a pool and the other next to a garden. Inside, it was dark, with the only light projecting over the dance floor hailing from video screens, lasers, and glow sticks. Paul Van Dyk came on at 3am. Inside and outside, everyone danced....until the wee hours of the morning to the heart thumping songs that only a world class DJ could mix. Russians, Brazilians, Americans, Japanese, Canadians, people from any and every nation all under one roof.

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I felt like a rock star, and at 6:30am after dancing poolside as the sun rose over Tokyo, I decided my legs had had enough. Tired, exhilarated, and extremely content, I said goodbye to my friends and boarded the train home to get some much needed rest.

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On to Sunday. Becca had won the parasite war and was feeling better than she had in days. We had to celebrate. We thought of no better way than to spend the next 2 days relaxing in various parks (Toyosu and Yoyogi), attending our friends rock concert in Shibuya, and learning many new things about Tokyo that we would like to share with you......

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1. Japan is so trendy that even the dogs here dress better than we do. For example, dogs don scarfs, skirts, t-shirts, and best of all....side ponytails! (see picture)

2. Space is of a premium in Tokyo (large dogs just don't fit in) and so the American norm of men walking rottweilers and pit bulls just does not exist here. With that being said, it is not uncommon to see men walking high priced toy poodles in trendy clothes.

3. The sun rises very early in Japan. Around 5:15am.

4. The sun sets very early in Japan. Around 5:15pm.

5. Watching the sunrise and set in the same day makes you feel incredibly alive.

6. There is no daylight savings time.

7. Baskin Robbins has only 16 flavors of ice cream.

8. Streching on the train using the handrails can look really funny (see picture on next blog)

Back on Track

I must apologize for my blogging absence. I have been recovering from an evil sickness since last Tuesday and did not have the energy to write until now. For the last six days I have been reduced to riding the couch, reading books, watching Japanese cartoons with subtitles, sleeping long, restless nights, and making many trips back and forth from the bathroom. Needless to say, there is little worth sharing about my experience, so I will spare you any of the detail. Let me instead take you back to the two days before I came down with the most evil, non-swine flu (I know this because I got tested) virus I've ever had to fight (I lost many battles, but I think I have finally won the war). -

Joanna left you on Sunday night with two plugs, one for the most incredible pizza in Tokyo, and one for her amazing rock star haircut (thanks to teammate Toyoda). Let me elaborate. -

We usually have Mondays off from soccer, so by Tuesday we have already begun planning for the following Monday. We love our days of soccer and lessons learned on the field, but there is something special about a day off in a foreign country where your stay is finite and the number of opportunities to see and do things is fixed. So, this Monday we had plans to meet Kelly for dinner somewhere in Tokyo that we had never been before. We picked Naka-Megura. It was a new part of town, and it was where Joanna's haircut would later take place. -

Kelly met us at the metro around 5:00pm, plenty of time to walk around, catch-up, and have a nice meal before Joanna's haircut at 8:00pm. We agreed it would be best to locate the salon first just to make sure we knew where it was. Then we could eat dinner carefree. It was a rainy night in Tokyo, and the sun set around 5:30, so after a coffee at Starbucks, we began our salon search in the cold, wet, dark streets of Naka-Meguro.

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With a hand-sketched map drawn by Jo and three fully functioning brains, we set out in search of the salon in the complete wrong direction. And, by complete wrong direction, I mean we left the metro walking a full 180 degrees away from the salon. After a few short turns, we realized our mistake and made a few more turns to get back on track, or so we thought. Now pointed only 90 degrees in the wrong direction we were getting closer. A few more twists and turns and we headed back to the metro to reorient ourselves and to start again. -

This time we used the landmarks on Jo's map to point ourselves in the complete opposite direction from the way we first set out, and we were now sure we were headed in the right direction. We walked and walked, encouraging ourselves with statements like, "maybe it's on this street up here," or "if we just go a little farther, I bet we'll find it." The neighborhood was becoming more and more residential, which isn't always a thing of significance in Japan. Stores and restaurants often appear mixed in with houses, and this fact only added to our uncertainty about whether or not we were headed in the right direction.

"Sumimasen," we were back at the metro, map in hand, asking a stranger to show us the way. He pointed on the big map to the place we needed to go. We had been right (the third time), and we set out retracing our steps yet again. Forty five minutes of circling and re circling, we finally stood looking into the salon. It was 6:45. We had worked up quite an apatite. And having walked by "the best pizza parlor in Tokyo" twice as we circled Naka-Meguro train station looking for the salon, we headed there once again. This time to eat.

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Ironically, as we walked away from the salon, a nice woman speaking perfect English asked if we were lost and if she could help us. We looked at each other dumb founded, looked back at the woman, and said thank you, but no thank you, we had just found what we were looking for. Laughing to ourselves we asked the rhetorical, "Where was she 44 minutes ago when we really needed her?"

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The pizza parlor didn't disappoint, and we relaxed our wandering legs over slices of sausage and mushroom pizza and margherita pizza. At about ten minutes to 8:00pm we wrapped up dinner, said farewell to Kelly, and started back for the salon. -

The salon closed at 8:00pm. Our teammate, Toyoda, had arranged with her friend, Shimoji, to cut Joanna's hair for free after the salon had closed. Shimoji was in training to become a hair dresser. She was polite and friendly, welcoming us to the salon, taking our wet jackets, umbrellas, and backpacks from us as we came in. We sat for a few minutes before Shimoji came back to find out what kind of haircut Joanna wanted. Knowing very little Japanese, we knew this inevitable question was not going to be easy to answer, so we came prepared. -

Folded in Joanna's pocket was a note laboriously written by Mai and Ganchan the night before. Sitting, legs crossed, on the display window outside UniQlo, Mai and Ganchan had listened closely to exactly what kind of haircut Joanna wanted, and had painstakingly written it down on a small piece of paper. At the top of which, Joanna had them write the most important instruction, "I want to be a rock star." Taking this paper out of her pocket Joanna, smiling, handed it to Shimoji, who nodded enthusiastically. We tried to mention a few American rock stars to help illustrate Joanna's desires, but we are not sure whether this part of the message ever got across.

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As Joanna moved from the hair washing station to the chair where, figuratively speaking, "all the magic happens", we were excited by a surprise visit from Toyoda and her two friends. They were all three going out to dinner to eat Japanese stew with Shimoji after Joanna's haircut. With four chairs assembled in a semi-circle around Joanna and Shimoji, Toyoda, her two friends, and I watched each cut of Joanna's hair. And, as her hair started to take shape, I encouraged Shimoji with words of affirmation like, "sugoi", "rock star", and accompanied by affirming gestures like the universally understood "thumbs up" and big toothy smile. -

When the whole production was over, Joanna looked like a rock star, and the six of us took pictures to document the event. We thanked Toyoda, Shimoji, and the other girls, and we headed home for the night.