Before I talk about sport, I can now report that summer has ended. Such relief. It was the hottest, longest summer ever recorded in Japan. The temperature gauge read 35C-38C everyday, but it is difficult to understand the effects of the humidity without experiencing it first hand. The local weather report gave a sweat index, often translated as,"you will squirt today". This literally means that you will have beads of water jumping off your head and a mini creek running down your face. The Japanese carry a small towel, some wear nappy like bandannas and the women walk with parasols to help reduce the temperature. The surprise for us was that the temperature didn't drop much at night, certainly not enough to stop sweating. Four and a half months of sweat-ugh! But now, the weather is perfect, it is 25C and no wind. As of October 1st all school students across Japan changed to their winter uniform, the temperature is irrelevant. The swimming pools have closed and the office workers have packed away their short sleeve shirts for another year. It is a great time to travel to Japan.
Sport
No one in Japan knows anything about AFL, neither the expats nor the Japanese have ever heard of the game and have no desire to know more. "Is it like rugby?", they ask. Cricket seems to get a better response, at least the Japanese have heard of it and many of the expats play it in their home country; the Caribbean, England, India, Pakistan. We did have a bit of luck in the park one day with our cricket, providing curious
entertainment for the locals and with some brave Japanese boys joining in. But when in Rome, one must do as the Romans do and that is definitely Baseball with a capital B. It is huge here in Japan, bigger than sumo wrestling and soccer. Worried that he might lose his cricket swing or bowling technique, you know who had to be dragged along by his peers to sign up for the team. Changing the swing to horizontal took some practice, bowling from a mini mountain seemed impossible and trying to catch the ball with that ridiculous over sized glove was stupid. However it is now apparent that cricket is a great training ground for baseball. When he lined up in the B team to bat against Osaka International School he drove the ball through the covers and with the whole of Nagoya International School cheering made the only home run for the day, his first hit in competitive baseball.
Now he is in the A team, placed in the outfield, he throws twice as far as those with a background in baseball. Playing cricket is a great way to prepare for baseball. He has been described as a natural athlete by his coach. Thankyou NIS.
