Showing posts with label Judo Tournament. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Judo Tournament. Show all posts

Tokyo Grand Slam 2015 - On the Other Side
December 24th, 2015

Last year in September, during the All Japan Junior tournament, I had the chance to go see one of my senseis, Akinori Hongo, who had come to Canada to learn English and French. During his time here in Canada, I met him a few times, and even participated in one of the camps he directed. 

Now last year, I had gone to speak to him alone, this being only a week after I had landed in Japan, thus I didn't know much Japanese. Yet I knew his English was very good and so I was not afraid to approach him. At that time, we had spoken simply about my trip, and what were my plans from now on, and the entire conversation took place in English.

This year, at that same tournament, there he was again, and I took the chance again to go see him. Having learned a lot more Japanese by then, I was confident I would be able to handle a conversation in Japanese. After about 5 minutes of talking, he told me he was really surprised with the level of my Japanese, and suddenly asked me if I'd be interested in working a part time job at a major tournament. I told him I would be very interested, although deep down I didn't believe myself able to. He went and checked with a man working there, and came back and told me he would contact me later on if the position was open. We exchanged contact information, and I returned back to my teammates to keep cheering our team on.

About a month later, a message came saying that there would be a job for after all me at the 2015 Tokyo Grand Slam, as an interpreter. My heart sprang out of my chest. I believed this kind of opportunity quite the honour, especially considering that I have only been in Japan for one year. He then asked me if I could come in for an interview, just to get in contact once at least before I started working. We arranged a date to meet, and I then told my parents about the news. They were really proud of me of course. 

Then I started preparing for it, and that's when fear kicked in. What was I thinking? I do NOT have the skill set to translate that fast or well enough to work at such an event! What if they asked me to translate live? I would never be able to handle that. I have reached a very good level of Japanese, but I am far from mastering it. After speaking again with my parents, I decided that I would just see how things are. I verified with my boss what exactly I would be doing and it didn't seem like it was something I couldn't handle. All I knew was that this was not going to be an easy task.

Before I actually started working, I was asked to participate in two different meetings, during which we went over the plan of the tournament and how it was to be run. There were people from TV Tokyo, one of Japan's biggest television companies, people from construction companies, people from electric companies, and people from the All Japan Judo Federation, for which I was working. I didn't understand everything, but I got a general idea of how many things had been planned in order for this tournament to happen.














The week of the tournament, we started the preparations. I went many times back and forth from the AJJF to the Kodokan to the Tokyo Gymnasium (location of the tournament), and started to get familiar with the place. All I did most of the time was simply fill in cards in card holders for all the coaches, athletes, VIPs and etc. I also tried to listen in as much as possible to all the conversations, gathering even more information which would be necessary to perform a good job.

The two days before the tournament, the people from the IJF (International Judo Federation) started arriving at the site. This is when I came in. I was asked to transmit messages here and there, back and forth from Japanese to English and vice-versa, mostly verifying information. I got to meet many people, and surprisingly a lot of them spoke French. 



The day before the tournament, something I was not expecting happened. I was simply talking with one of the IJF staff members, when I was called over in hurry to the main room. I walked in to discover that the tables had all been moved, that the IJF members were all sitting facing the rest of the Japanese organizations. My boss showed me the seat next to him, and I sat down, feeling like I had made everyone wait. My boss, Mr. Takemura then told me that he would need me to translate for him to the IJF, and back to him what the IJF was saying. Without any further information, he then started the meeting.

My heart stopped. For about ten seconds.

What did I get myself into this time...? 

Throughout the meeting, I translated my best what I could from Japanese to English, and then back to English, and I found out that I was the interpreter for the WHOLE meeting, and so I was not only speaking and translating for my department, but for everyone in that room. There were many moments where I didn't understand my own boss' explanations, not just due to my level of Japanese, but more so that I didn't understand the functioning of the tournament in general. But I managed to help them communicate and most of them were kind enough to me with their explanations.









I made it through that meeting and the rest of the tournament. I was told to translate a speech from Japanese to English and another one from English to Japanese (before it was performed of course), as well as ask many questions about presentations, and the running of the tournament. I was also asked to help with the medical department at one point where an athlete suffered a concussion. At that time, I met the doctor that had helped me with my knee injury back in January, Mr. Miyazaki, which made it even more interesting.



Over all, I must say it was a great experience. I went through many tough times, but it allowed me to see a whole other side of the Japanese. It has also placed me in a much better position when it comes to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, during which I wish to work, and also to most of my friends and teachers of the Judo club who saw me working.


Another big thank you to Mr. Hongo and Mr. Takemura for the opportunity.


(Kotaro and I from the other side.)









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Tokai Tournament!
December 31, 2014

So school ended on December 22nd, and as it was our last day of school, a lot of the other international students had a fun time that night. But not for me. The next day, there was a tournament for the members of the judo club. 

Not all the members were participating. I think they had the choice to participate or not and also the strong fighters obviously didn't participate. So in total, there were about maybe 50 fighters. I offered my friend to help him warm up that day so I showed up at 9:00 with my uniform. After a few uchikomis, grip fighting, and some throws, we discussed the techniques of his first opponent. At 9:30, the tournament started. It was really interesting to watch the once friendly club members become enemies. In that moment, friendships were forgotten, as each member fought for themselves. My friend lost his first and only match but he was against a much bigger opponent. This tournament was all weights, so -66kg fighters could fight -90kg fighters. 

(The warm up!)

(The boys were ready!)

(Of course they also had to referee.)

(Fubuki getting ready for his fight.)


The tournament lasted about two hours and a half, and from what I could tell there were two winners from the two pools, cause the winners never fought. That or I messed up haha. After the tournament, Agemizu Sensei gave us all a long speech, mostly about the holidays, and what not to do, and then after that it was time to clean up the club.

They already had separated the members into three groups so I just pick number two and sat down as the captains decided which group would clean what. Our group was the winner, thus we has the easiest task: the dojo area. We cleaned the windows, the lights, the mats, and the mats again. It was pretty slack I found, and most of them didn't really clean it as well as they could. We could have finished in like 30 minutes but instead it took one hour and more. 

(Sweep, sweep, and sweep again. But this time, not foot sweeps.)

(This is the only time a big dojo is not appreciated haha.)


After everyone was done, they took out all the forgotten items of the past year and laid them out on the floor. Now this took for EVER. No one did anything. Most were too shy to take their things, so they just sat down and talked. About one hour later, we were finally allowed to go eat lunch, but we only had thirty minutes. I rushed back to the dorm, made myself the best sandwiches ever. 

(Want one?)

When I got back to the club, no one was there. I called my friend and he informed me that the meeting was in a completely different building. At that point, I should have realized that it was not going to be the usual meeting, but no, I went over there blindly. Oh and did I ever have the surprise of my life, I walked into the classroom of building 7 and sat down with every pair of eyes on me. And my embarrassment didn't stop there. As I looked to the front, I noticed everyone had pencils and notepads and they were recopying what was written on the board. I wish I could tell you what was written, but unfortunately, it was all written in kanji, and not the cleanest writing either. As they all recopied onto their papers, I sat there trying to find/recognize one kanji that I knew. By the time Agemizu sensei started talking, I had found three... Even while he spoke, I could only catch words here and there, and so I felt out of place.

I noticed the time for me to leave was coming soon and I stayed as long as I could, but I unfortunately had to leave to prepare to go visit the Iwasa family. Once more, I left the room with everyone watching. From now on I'm going to make sure to know what I'm getting into, although I was glad to see what kind of class the other members have to go through.
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One by one
(All Japan University Judo Team Competition Oct 25-26, 2014 in Amagasaki) 
October 28, 2014


 This past weekend, I had the chance to go to Amagasaki, near Osaka, with the Tokai team to watch the All Japan University Team Competition. It really was an incredible weekend and I am so grateful to have been able to experience such an adventure.

So after having packed everything I thought I needed, Friday evening at around 9:15 I walked over to the judo club, where the buses were parked. My friend Kōtaro was waiting anxiously for me, and had even saved a seat for me! I walked in, with most of the faces of the Tokai team looking at me with surprise, and sat down in my seat. No foreigner ever goes on the bus with the team. This is where being half Japanese and speaking Japanese gives me the greatest perk! Soon, the bus filled up, and we were on our way!

(Fubuki, Taisei, Kōtaro, and myself on the bus.)
Kōtaro introduced me to the teammate I was sitting next to. I also talked a little bit with those around me, showing them how I DJ off my phone, my mixes and my music. We would pass out, then the bus would stop so we could go to the washroom and buy some snacks! I didn't get too much sleep which showed its cost the next day. You see, we rode the bus during the night, which means when we arrived, we bought breakfast and headed to the tournament site. And Tokai was the first university in line! We changed into our formal clothes, and then sat down to chat. 

 Soon, other universities showed up as well, and two hours later, we were all jammed against the gate. There were a few announcements to tell us to enter slowly, and I didn't quite understand until the time to enter came. Everyone rushed to the doors. It was crazy. I wasn't expecting it, and nor did I understand why... until I got inside the venue. Limited space. Every university wants to get the best spot as possible to watched their teammates fight! Tokai is a fairly big university and so is its judo club. Therefore, we take up a lot of space! Saving seats is crucial to allow everyone to sit together. 

(We've been waiting for a little too long I guess. Look how many people are in the back...)
While waiting for the tournament, I must have slept for at least 20 minutes. Once it started, I got to see Tokai's women team win against their first opponent. For the men, I would say there were over 50 universities competing. Every match, 7 fighters would fight each other, therefore it took a while before the Tokai men's team fought. Their first opposing team was Tenri University, which is a fairly well known university in the world of judo. But Tokai defeated them 5 wins to 1 loss and 1 tie! During that time, the whole team cheered on each player! "Kengo ikeyo" they would shout when Kengo Takaichi, 2nd in Japan in the -66kg category, was fighting. It was crazy to feel part of this team. Saturday was just the preliminaries, therefore they only fought once. We left the tournament, and Kōtaro and I were off to Osaka. Oh, did I mention that I was like two feet away from Anai Takamasa, who graduated from Tenri University? That was pretty cool!

(How they keep track of the fights. People are behind these and are flipping the board with the new information.)
Before we made it passed the gates into the station, I realized my bag was leaking. Great... Haha. Kōtaro had drank from my apple juice bottle and I forget to tighten the lid before putting it in my bag. Luckily, nothing important got wet, but my one bag and sweater now carried the smell of apple juice. But that didn't stop us one bit.

In Osaka, Kōtaro took me to see the Osaka castle! It was such a beautiful scenery. Peaceful, calm, and massive. See for yourselves.

(Osaka castle)
After that, we headed back to the train station to go to Namba, the shopping district in Osaka. There, we walked in the streets filled with shops, and restaurants. We met up with Kōtaro's girlfriend, who was about to eat with her parents in a restaurant. This was the first time for both Kōtaro and I to meet her parents, and I think he was... a little nervous haha.

We then found a small little shop where we ate tonkatsu and some miso soup! After that, purchased some Takoyaki balls from a small outdoor vendor. Everyone's recommendation was to get Takoyaki. Apparently it is Osaka's specialty food! It was very good, no surprise there, and we enjoyed it in Starbucks, with a few other snacks. I also got to taste my first green tea frappachino haha!

(Osaka's famous Takoyaki balls.)
After having rested a little, we headed to an electronics store, where we both charged our phones a little (mine was at 7%...), and purchased a cheap phone battery! I also found a hair straightener that is VERY cheap compared to those in Canada. 

With our bellies and bags a little heavier, we headed back to the station, picked up our other bags from the coin lockers, and were off to meet our teammates. 

Once with them, we walked in the streets to find a place called: "Internet cafe". This was also a first for me. Internet cafe isn't a hotel, but it's a place where you can sleep. You get this little cubicle, in which there are plugs to charge anything you need, there is a computer as well as a light. The only thing separating you from those next to you is a wooden plank! We paid for a shower and had access to it for 30 minutes. We also had access to a drink bar. The room's walls were covered with manga books of all kinds. This is like the Japanese place to come and be a nerd haha! After my shower, I called my friend for a bit, in Japanese, and once I found out that were going to wake up at 5:30, I hurried into bed, and fell asleep without any difficulties after that long day! 

(My cozy little cabin for the night!)
(Net Cafe: Only in Japan can you have such a place.)
(The shower room which holds pretty much all your needs.)

Sunday morning, Kōtaro woke me up, and by 6 o'clock, we were off to the station, at which we met a lot of the other Tokai teammates. Once off the train, we walked to the convenience store, grabbed breakfast and snacks, only to head back to the tournament. I helped this time to save some seats for the team. This time, Tokai fought very early. Once again, the team, including myself cheered them on! They won most of the matches and were through the next round. Having only 9 hours of sleep in the past two days, I then fell asleep for one straight hour. I was woken up by some teammates telling me to move over so that we could watch Tokai fight again. Once again they won, but you could tell their opponents were getting stronger. But nonetheless, both the men's team and the women's team were through to the semi-finals. 

Walking around the venue during the short break, I walked into one of the alumni from Tokai, whom I had met two years ago when he came to Vancouver to compete! He had known my sister and therefore we got introduced. I was very surprised that he even recognized me since I now look nothing like I did back then, but he has been following me on the social media. We chatted a little, with the little Japanese that I know. It's weird how this judo world is like a family in a way.

(Shigeyuki Uehara and me watching the tournament.)
(Bottom left corner, Tokai men. Bottom right corner, Tokai women. Semi-finals: Tokai ikeyo!)
Unfortunately, the women's team lost their next contest, placing them in third place. But the men's team made it through to the finals, their opponent being the Nihon University, another well-known university for judo. Kyles Reyes was actually fighting for that university that day. They rearranged the mats for the finals and about one hour later, it was time for the last contest of the day! 

One by one, the fighters stepped up to the edge of the fighting area, bowed, and fought their hearts out. The team cheered on harder than ever as we watched our teammates win their way to the 1st place. They won every match except for one which ended in a tie, hikiwake, something I had not seen yet. One by one they bowed off, kneeled to Agemizu sensei, one by one their training proved its strength and worth. 

("Tokai iizo!")
After the awards ceremony, everyone from the team gathered on the mats and launched Agemizu sensei as well as a few others into the air in celebration! It was quite the scene to see and it felt good, even though I didn't do anything, to be there with them.

The team gathered outside, where the students from Tokai's affiliated high school handed us beer and tea. Sato sensei made a toast and soon we had our hands in the air, cheering in thanks of the successful day. I then took the time to tell the fighters that I had come to know "otsukare sama desu.", which can be translate as: "Thank you for your good efforts." After that, it was time to get back to the bus.

On the way back, we stopped at some service center to grab supper. My stomach wasn't feeling too good, so I only purchased some "omiyage". During this time, I got to talk to some teammates to which I had not yet spoken. This whole trip, I tried talking to them, but it's quite hard and intimidating, mostly because I usually don't understand what they ask me or tell me once we start talking. But I really have to thank Kōtaro who really indirectly got others to talk to me. I don't know if he was doing this purposely, but it seemed like he would tell them something interesting about me, and then let them come ask me more about it. Or when he was with others, he would call me over to either include me or get me to talk to them. Thank you Kōtaro, it really means a lot to me.

(Kōtaro is a pretty sweet dude!)

After that, we rode the bus back, during which Kōtaro showed me his music. I think I'm going to look a little further into Japanese music. And I really want to make more music. But that means I need to be really focused, but I think I might have reached that state. But that will be for another blog post, haha, this one is long enough.
Before we left, the last practice before the tournament was Friday morning. I was soo tired and I had a test that day, so I almost didn't go. Thank God I did because I saw something incredible that morning. After doing a few uchikomis, the practice ended, but this time, we all formed a circle, wrapped our arms around each other and waited for one of the seniors to start. To start what? Apparently this is a tradition within the club. The senior shouted out something and then everyone started bouncing their torsos up and down. It lasted for maybe 5 seconds until the senior shouted out again after which we all replied with a "SHAA-!". After that, the fighters left the mats while the rest of us grouped up to perform yet another surprise. They started this cheer, which basically consisted of them shouting "TOKAI!" and then clapping at a certain rhythm. We repeated that 4 times, and gave one last shout, and that was it. But it was directed to the fighters, it was a message that the club was behind them and that they were all proud to be part of this group. I am proud to be part of that group. Thank God I went that morning.


Now this weekend just really opened my eyes as to how fortunate I am to be here. I have some strong teammates to train with, and possible some good friends to be made. Even though I'm injured right now, once I get back on the mats, I don't really see any reason to complain anymore. I only see more reasons to want to train harder.
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The Japanese Train System: My first Encounter
September 15, 2014

Last weekend, on September 13th and 14th, there was an all Japan tournament in Saitama, a city about 2 hours north of Tokai University.

Being a member of the judo team, I am pretty much obliged to go, even though I'm not officially part of the team. On top of that, I wanted to go. I hadn't yet had the chance to go see a tournament in Japan, therefore I opted to go.

I asked a few of the club members how I could get there, and soon, I was offered to have someone take me there. Now in Japan, everyone uses the train system to get there, but alone, without being able to speak or read much Japanese, one can easily get himself lost, and end up 5 hours away from the destination.

So on Saturday morning, I woke up early, got to the train station minutes before my teammate did, and we were off to the tournament. We only ended up taking two different trains, yet we had to transfer into a completely different company line, and then walk for about 30 minutes to get to the tournament site. All I had to do was tag along, and not lose sight of my teammate, which alone can be very difficult with the overwhelming amount of people there are in Japan.

Once at the tournament, I sat with the Tokai University team and began to watch the fight. First things first, as soon as I had seen my teammate at the train station, I noticed he was wearing dress pants, dress shoes, and a university polo shirt, while I was wearing a casual shirt, sweats, and high tops. At that point, I already knew I was going to stand out that day. And so I did, but that was the least of my concerns that day. The fights were quite interesting, considering these were the best of all Japan fighting. I really enjoyed the integration between the universities and the tournament. During the tournament, I spotted Akinori Hongo, a former judoka, one of Japan's best during his time, who had come to Canada for a few years to help coach our national team, during which time I had the pleasure to meet him many times. I wanted to go talk to him, but I was told by my teammate it would be very difficult to do so.

You see, in Japan, judo is run through the school system. By the time you reach high school, if you are serious about it, you are practicing full time at the related high school of the University at which you want to practice. Therefore, there is a big attachment to the team, and so everyone attends the tournament to help cheer on the teammates. Only the best U21 of each university were chosen to participate in this tournament, and Tokai is considered to be one of the strongest universities. (By the way, Yasuhiro Yamashita trained at Tokai during his time. He is now Vice-president of the university and I have met him many times already.)

(All Japan JOC Olympic Junior World Cup at the Saitama Budokan)

We bought our lunch from a convenience store nearby. I hadn't eaten breakfast that morning and so I devoured a huge plate of some kind of spaghetti as well as 2 litres of apple juice, and melon bread. MERON PAN and APPLE JUICE are my favourite snacks and I will probably write a post just about them haha.

During the tournament, my teammate who brought me there informed me that he was going to stay the night in Saitama with the rest of the team. Yet I had to return to Tokyo because I had a date with a few friends, which meant I had to either find someone else to help me, or return alone. Fortunately, a few members of the Denmark team, who are currently training at the university for a few days, were at the tournament that day, and so I asked them if I could tag along with them to get back home. They said of course, and I left the tournament with them, having no idea what was going to happen.

As soon as we got to the train station, I knew this was not going to go well. They had come to Saitama by a sky train. I asked them why they did, and their answer was: that's the only way here. Yet I knew that wasn't the case; I hadn't come by sky train. Yet, having no choice, I followed as they boarded the train. They seemed to have a good idea of where they were going. We chatted and joked around for a while, and soon we had to change trains. This is when it got complicated.

It might be very difficult to understand what it is to try to find your way in a Japanese train station when you can't read Japanese. Trust me, it's near impossible. Fortunately, the father of one of the Denmark teammate had brought along a list of which trains to take. Yet even with that, it's still difficult. We ended up taking the wrong train, having to come back a few stations, asking questions, taking another train, switching lines again, asking more questions, changing completely to a different station, asking more questions, all while I made sure we were on the right track by trying to read Japanese kanji.

(The Denmark teammates on the train.)

By the time we got on the last train home, it was already 7:45 at night. I was supposed to meet with my friends for supper around 7:30. Had I taken the same trains I had come to the tournament site by to go back, I would have made it back by 7:00.

The last train took me till 9:10 to get back to the train station near Tokai. The whole time, I knew that panic would arise among many people. First, my friends waiting for me. Natsumi was the one I had been in contact with and I knew that she would be very worried. She is a very close friend of my sister and must have felt responsible for my well-being. I knew she would have contacted my sister to inform her of me missing, as well as a few other teammates. Now one thing you might not understand is that I didn't have a phone on me. I had no way of reaching them. The last time I had spoken to them was 6 hours before through my teammate's phone.

I felt terrible for making them worried and frustration then started to build inside me. I hated the fact that my Japanese wasn't good enough. I hated that I couldn't yet read most kanjis. I hated that I didn't have a phone or a visa, I hated that no one spoke English, but mostly, I hated myself for not preparing myself enough for this.

I walked out of the train and I knew that Natsumi would be waiting for me at the entrance. As soon as I got to the gate, I saw her, as she smiled in relief. I apologized for making her wait as I tried to explain what had happen. She told me it was alright, of course it wasn't, and simply asked me to follow her to the restaurant where three other ladies where waiting there anxiously for me. Embarrassment filled me as I was told that the whole men's judo team had be notified I was missing as they tried to locate me. Not only had they posted on twitter, they had sent private messages to sooo many people. I felt very fortunate to have such attention from people I hadn't even met yet.

We ate supper together and laughed a lot as they explained what had happened, as I explained my side, and had just casual awkward English/Japanese conversations. I was glad to have them there that night even though I felt bad for making them wait.

(Me, Haruka, Saori, Natsumi and Megumi from left to right.)

They gave me some directions as to how to get to the tournament the next day, but more than that, they found someone I could follow in order to get there the next day. Our farewells were exchanged and I was off back to my dorm.

Sunday morning, I woke up early, did some packing, yet I ran into some problems while taking a shower. I realized that I was going to be late. I rushed to the station on my bike, where I parked it, and as I was running down the stairs to the dock of the station, I could see the train leaving already, taking my "guide" with it.

I then had two choices:
   1. Go back to the dorm.
   2. Get on the next train.

This is Mamoru Vincent Blais-Shiokawa we are talking about. So I got on the next train, with NO idea what THAT day had in store for me. Fortunately I had a picture on my tablet of which train to take. But as I mentioned previously, it is very hard, even with a map and schedule, to find the right trains to take.

I got to the 2nd station, where I had to change trains and lines, found the right train, or so I thought, and was about to get on when I had a thought: I didn't know how to get from the train station to the tournament site nor did I know the name of the tournament site. Slight panic overtook me. Fortunately, I had brought my tablet with me. I reached for it in my bag and searched for available Wi-Fi signals. I tried many, until I found one I could actually use for free. First thing I did, call Natsumi. No answer, she must have been at work. Called my sister, I had no idea was time it was in Canada, but I didn't have many options. Fortunately my sister answered. I explained the situation and my father and sister both helped me. Using LINE, Google maps, Facebook, Notes, screen shots and more, they managed to give me a precise idea on how to get there. It was bye for now since we had no idea if I was going to be able to find another Wi-Fi signal if ever I got lost again.

I was about to board the train, when I decided to ask one of the "train people". Thank goodness I did, because he told me I was on the wrong docking station. This is one of the hardest things about the train system. Both signs for the docks have the EXACT same information, yet somehow they know which one goes where...

After getting on the train, switching trains again a few stations later, I finally arrived at the right one and was on my way out when the gate stopped me for having insufficient fund in my PASMO card. I was rushed by so many people waiting behind me. I ran to the nearest booth, filled my card up, and out  the gates I was. But did I really make it out of there in one piece...?

I took a taxi to the tournament site by asking: "Saitama Budokan ni ittekudasai." Which means: "Please go to the Saitama Budokan." I paid him 1000 yen, around 13$ for a... 8 minute ride... But it got me there so I'm not complaining.

As I made my way to the Tokai's University's sitting area I tried to remember the name of the teammate I was supposed to meet that morning. I sat down, my teammates slightly surprised to see me. Quickly found out who was my guide and apologized for not making it there on time.

As the fights started, the intensity of the cheering was still there. One of the managers of the team, Gou-san, came to talk to me as well as Haruka Tachimoto's brother, Shoo-san (Haruka is very famous in Tokai since she is highly ranked in Japan in the -70kg category. My sister had the chance to train with her and they became friends. She was also at the supper with me the night before.). It felt nice to have some people talk to me, even though our discussions were limited, mostly me asking questions and them trying to find a simple answer for me. After a while, I looked around the different universities and noticed Kyle Reyes, one of the fighters from Canada, who trains at Nihon Daikagu, The University of Japan. I then went to go say hi even though I doubted he remembered me. After a brief talk, I was back to my seat when I was offered to go get lunch once again. No meron pan this time, but I downed another 2 litres of apple juice. As I sat back down in my seat, I thought it would be nice to take a picture with Kyle, so I reach for my tablet in my back pack... and found out that it was missing. Panic once again overtook me. My teammates tried to help me find it, asking me when was the last time I saw it. I then realized that it must have been when I loaded extra money into my card, since I knew I had it on the train, and I wouldn't have just left it lying around in the train.

This is where Japan shines. My friends called the station and, to my relief, they confirmed they had it. Now had this been in Canada, my tablet would have been stolen. But Japan is probably one of the safest place to lose something, if that even makes sense. But yes, they had it, and would hold on to it until I returned.

(My friend used his phone to take a picture of Kyle and me.)

As the tournament reached its ending, I decided to attempt to talk to Hongo sensei. I asked some of the staff and they immediately escorted me to the Joseki area, where I must have seriously stood out in my bright blue shirt. It was slightly intimidating. But I soon caught Hongo sensei's attention and I was glad that he recognized me. We discussed my stay in Japan as well as his new position in the Japanese judo community. We left on the promise to keep in touch and that we would most likely have dinner together some time.

Once the tournament was over, Yazawa-san and Shou-san walked with me on the way back and asked me to join them for dinner. We ate ramen in a small, authentic shop, discussed as much as we could about various things. The food was good and even though most of the time I didn't understand their discussion, it was still a pleasant time. We then made our way back to the station, and asked for my tablet. I had to fill out some papers but I didn't know the address of Tokai nor its telephone number so my friend looked it up online and wrote it down for me. We were then on our way back home.

(Shou-san, Yazawa-san, and me, eating some ramen.)

It had been a long day and so, on the train ride back, we were all falling asleep. Talking was minimal as we switched trains. Finally, we made it to Tokaidaigaku-mae, the train station near Tokai, said our farewells, and went on our separate ways. I unlocked my bike and rode my way back up the hill to my dorm.

What did I learn from this? Well, the one thing I learned is that, even though I tell everyone that I made it to the tournament site alone that day, in reality, I didn't. Natsumi, Haruka, my father, my sister, the people I asked, they all helped me make it to the tournament that day and without them, the chances that I would still be out there are not slim. Without the help of my teammates, I wouldn't have found my tablet. The one thing I don't really like is having to rely on people, but I think I learned my lesson today that I'm going to have to do just that for a while. Of course I can prepare ahead and do some research, as my sister suggested I do, but no matter what, I'm going to always be missing something. Fortunately, I am not alone.
9:25 AM | Category: , , , , , , , | 0 comments