Hawks Vs. Lions

Tonight I got to attend a baseball game. It was an awesome experience. The second I got to the game I was pulled in. In some ways it is very similar to the baseball games in the United States. In other ways it is very different. I got a jersey of the home team and cheered for them. I got a couple beers, a hamburger and some fries. How is it similar? There are food booths everywhere. There are lots of beer stands and there are people that walk down the aisles selling food and beer. Just like in America the beer is a popular item at the games. People get excited about their home team just like in the states. There are a variety of food types. There is burgers, pizza, japanese (that could be expected), and even KFC. All of the rules seemed the same as far I noticed.





How are they different? This is where it gets interesting. First off the atmosphere is more positive. This is not to say that the environment isn't positive in the states. It just is more positive here. I paid attention closely and noted that there was no "booing" at all. I tried to hear if there was a Japanese version of "booing" but I heard none. Even when the opposing teams pitcher was removed the fans clapped for him. Also, the cheering was much more structured. Pretty much the entire game there were fans doing the "bump bump" thing with their feet. But it was always done in Unison and always appeared to be orderly. At some point near the end of the top of the 7th the stadium handed out a bunch of balloons. I started to notice that balloons were beingblown up all around the stadium. Before I knew it they were everywhere. I kept thinking to myself "how is it that no one is letting these go? I soon learned why…







The Japanese 7th inning stretch is awesome. First off cheerleaders for the home team go to the first and third baselines. While they are dancing all of the fans are blowing up balloons. The fans are all cheering and excited and then a count off begins. When I was first experiencing this I had no idea what was going on. Then all of a sudden I saw the clock hit zero and all of the fans let their balloons go. It was awesome. Balloon Video here A few other things that stuck out to me is that there were tons of different mascots all around the stadium. Most of these seemed to have no relationship to either team. They simply were entertaining to the children. Some other interesting things: All Japanese teams have American mascot names. I don't know why this is. The names are written in English not Japanese. The games themselves are a mix of Japanese and some English. There are times I looked at the scoreboard and would see the statement in English "Let's Go!" only to be followed by Japanese symbols. At the end of the game the Hawks (which was the hometeam) beat the Lions 2 - 0. What blew me away is that people don't leave at the very end of the game. The key players stayed out and interviewed while nearly all the fans stayed. Then at the end the scoreboard said "are you ready for fireworks?" and then the entire stadium went dark. And then some fireworks went off and it was time to leave. It seemed like a very big celebration for one game.

Training with Suganuma Sensei

Today I had the opportunity to train in Fukuaka city. The class was lead by Suganuma Sensei. Suganuma was the last student to be an Uchi Gaeshi for O'sensei. I will give a little background. O'sensei is the person that created the art of Aikido. O'sensei's name is Morihei Ueshiba. O'sensei died in 1963. An Uchi Gaeshi is a student that lives inside the dojo. The student trains much of the day. When they are not training they are doing whatever the sensei asks of them (often cleaning, running chores, etc). So Suganuma Sensei was the very last student to be an Uchi Gaeshi (live in student) for O'sensei. Suganuma is very well respected in the world of Aikido.

The training today was excellent. I was brought to this dojo by a friend of the hostel receptionist. I had spoke with the receptionist yesterday about Aikido. He called his friend and his friend picked me up this morning. We then went to Aikido together. When I entered the dojo all of the students looked toward me and bowed at me. This is a way of welcoming me to the dojo. I felt very welcomed. At the same time it was a little bit intimidating having everyone in the dojo bow toward me (there was about 20 students). This is the only Aikido dojo I have ever been to that while we were doing stretches (the first 15 minutes of class) all students stretch the left side at the same time and the right side at the same time. In most Aikido dojos we all do the same stretches but which side you do is not relevant. In this dojo it mattered. I know this because I got corrected. This shows the intensity and structure of the training at this dojo.

The training itself was excellent. It was very fast paced. This is the most fast paced training I have done. After we did a technique the sensei would quickly say "HI!" then immediately start modeling the next technique. He did not wait for the students to take position. He also only did the technique 4 times. Then we bowed to a partner and trained. There was no talking on his part when he showed the technique.

When it was time for me to leave the dojo I went to bow out and once again every student in the dojo (about 20 students) turned toward me and bowed. I felt honored but a little embarrassed by the attention. I didn't do anything to deserve this. I guess this is how they treat guests at their dojo. It made me feel very welcome.

When I got down to the changing room I decided that I wanted to give Suganuma Sensei a postcard from my hometown. In Japan, gift giving is a very big deal. It is much more common than in the states. I thought this would be a good way to show my appreciation. I wrote on the back "Thank you for letting me train. I enjoyed it very much. -Izmael Arkin"
He did not speak any English but I knew that someone there could translate it for him. I went up and bowed to him and handed him the postcard. I think that he appreciated it.