A WEEKEND IN THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN

While I was at Notre Dame, I spent two seasons as a Student Manager for the Notre Dame Men's Lacrosse team. When I found out in April that they would be making a trip to Japan in June to play the Japanese National Lacrosse Team, I immediately contacted several travel agents to see what kind of deal I could get on flights. I was worried because flights from Korea to Japan tend to be pretty expensive. I ended up lucking out, and got a really good deal, and flight times that fit my schedule perfectly. Since I don't get off work until 7:00pm on Friday nights, and the trip to the airport is usually 1.5 hours on a good day, I knew that I wouldn't be able to fly out on Friday night. But, I was able to get a 9am flight to Tokyo on Saturday morning, which was perfect. I was a little worried going into the trip because I had the name of the stadium where I was supposed to meet the team, (they had a scrimmage the afternoon I arrived) but the only directions I could find online were in Japanese. Luckily, when I arrived at the airport, the woman at the information desk spoke flawless English, and gave me better directions than what I had. Because cabs are expensive in Tokyo, I decided to go by subway. The only problem was that the stadium was about a 15-20 minute walk from the subway station. I figured that I would just ask around when I got there, and find it on my own. My luck continued, because halfway to the stadium a group of high school age boys hopped into my subway car. I noticed one of them was carrying a lacrosse stick. I asked them if they were going to the stadium and it turned out they were headed there to watch the scrimmage. I followed them them there, and they were so funny. They didn't speak the greatest English, but they kept asking me questions and a bunch of them asked me to take pictures with them (I've become used to this, thanks to my blonde hair which is uncommon in Asia). Thank God I found them, because there is no way I would have found the stadium on my own. There were so many twists and turns. The boys had a map with them, and they even had to stop and ask a police officer for help.

In flight meal...this doesn't look very appetizing, but it was definitely the best airplane food I've ever had

 The kids who helped me find the stadium

Subway stop where I had to transfer

Saturday was a pretty laid back day. That night, the the guys on the team were doing home stays with Japanese families. My friend Mandy, the team's athletic trainer, is awesome and let me crash with her for the weekend. She was staying with the an assistant coach and his wife at the apartment of a German race car driver. Apparently, he is a friend of a Notre Dame alum who was helping the team get around Tokyo. Because he was in France training for some big race, he offered to let the team's staff use his apartment. The apartment was in an area called Roppongi, and it was AMAZING. Very modern and fancy. The second night, we moved to the Tokyo Prince Hotel, and our room had a view of Tokyo Tower, which was also pretty cool. On Saturday night, we also went to a small party at the the home of another ND alum. We had a little trouble finding their apartment, and spent some time walking around their neighborhood trying to find it. But, I actually really enjoyed it. There were several Embassy's in the neighborhood, and it was a nice night, so I really enjoyed the walk.

Apartment Pics

Tokyo Prince...picture obviously stolen from the internet

Usually when I travel, I am such a tourist. I love going to all of the historical sites and tourist traps. Because my time was short, and the purpose of my trip was centered around lacrosse, I didn't really have much time to see the sights. However, Sunday morning before the game, I did look around Zojoji Temple which was near our hotel. We also walked to Tokyo Tower (but didn't have time to go to the top) and walked around a park. Also, because I flew in and out of two different airports, I was able to see different parts of the city while taking the subway. On the way in, most of the train ride was above ground. I actually saw rural areas on the outskirts of Tokyo, so that was cool. On the out, I saw more of the city. The team also played in a suburb called Edogawa City, so I saw some sights on the bus ride as well.

Outside the temple

Inside the Temple (Tokyo Tower in the background)

Boy scout group visiting the temple

Inside the temple, there were all these little baby statues. People had dressed them, and put decorations around them. I'm not really sure, but I'm guessing the babies are supposed to represent Buddha. When I was in a temple in Thailand, people were buying robes outside and then laying them at the foot of Buddha. So I'm guessing that maybe the clothes are considered some sort of sacrifice or worship for Buddha. But, I really don't know. Anyway, the statues were cute :)

Tokyo Tower (obviously, they copied the Eiffel Tower)

Poster for a Michael Jackson exhibit at the Tower

Believe it or not, these pictures were taken the middle of Tokyo . We notice a lot of small parks throughout the city, and decided to walk through one.  It was gorgeous, and I really liked how many green spots I saw throughout the city.  I felt like it was a much nicer city than Seoul.

View of the city from the bus

The lacrosse game was a really cool experience. The Japanese Lacrosse Association had set up "Friendship Games" between Japanese and American teams. The University of Loyola Women's Lacrosse team played the Japanese Women's National team before our game. I think there were also a couple of traveling teams from the US playing, but we didn't watch those games. There were also opening ceremonies before the games, which were awesome. There was a band, and a cheering section of young Japanese students that were pretty into the game.

ND players taking pics with the Japanese  fans before the game

A lot of the players traded shirts with the people they stayed with during their home stays.

I hung out on the sideline for part of the game. It was fun to be back there! Here is a pic from the game.

Japanese team and ND team after the game

Here are two videos from the game. The first is from the opening  ceremony. This shows the playing of the Japanese and US national anthems. One social difference I noticed was that at sporting events in America, when the anthem is played, pretty much everyone stops what they are doing, and it's definitely a time to be respectful. But in Japan, I noticed a lot of people were talking or walking around during their anthem, and a lot of the kids were being crazy. It was just a funny thing to see, since we aren't used to seeing this in America. Also, I was suprised to see that the Japanese kids knew the tune to The Star Spangled Banner and were humming and dancing along with the song. It was cute haha.
The second is a video of the fans cheering. They did this cheer after every goal. They were pretty fun to watch.

Sunday after the game, I went out in Tokyo, which made it really fun getting up to catch my 9:00am flight. I have never been so close to missing a plane. I didn't anticipate how slow security would be....there was only one security checkpoint open, and it took forever. As soon as I made it through the line, I immediately boarded my plane. Upon arriving in Seoul, I took a bus back to Beomgye, the area I live in, and got to work about two hours before my afternoon classes. Teaching that day was brutal, as I was so exhausted. However, the trip was definitely worth it. 

I really loved Tokyo, and wished I could have spent more time there. It was so nice to see familiar faces, and get to hang out with people from home. While I won't be able to make it back to Japan while I'm living in Asia, it is definitely a place I would love to come back to someday.