Never Follow Suit

Första innebandymatchen idag, spännande tillställning som slutade 8-3 efter att jag personligen inledde målskyttet. Det var kul som bara den, även om det smolkades lite av att stället, Surugadai Universitetet, låg typ mer än 1 timme bort med tåg. Inte så kul, var tvungen att stiga upp i ottan för att hinna dit vilket innebar att det blev en tidig kväll igår. Konceptet var lite kul dock, alla matcher i ligan spelades på samma ställe och efteråt så “passade” det japanska innebandylandslaget på att spela en träningsmatch eftersom i princip alla var samlade där.

Gårdagen var kul, en svensk kille jag lärt känna här i Tokyo stack hem till Sverige så vi var lite folk som möttes upp i Yoyogi-parken för några öl i det sommarfina vädret. Dock dök inte Tomas, killen som stack imorse, upp utan han kom senare efter att vi brytit upp och stuckit till Koenji där Tony huserar. Blev gött käk i form av några grillade kycklingar bitar samt att jag fick storstryk i diverse super nintendo-spel innan jag packade ihop och stack för att sova…

The nightmare train

Yesterday I did something I have been longing for since I left Gothenburg for Lund a little more then 2 years ago. I played floorball.
It was really fun and the players were really good. Most of them play for the national team and has visited Sweden for different tournaments several times. It was interesting in many ways. How I found out about the club, getting there, and how most of them played with right sticks.

I found out about it through google, sent them a mail with a little help from Yuli and was invited to train with them even though I said I’m not good at all and just wanted to do some exercising. I mailed forth and back sometimes with the teamleader and we decided that I could come to yesterdays practice. Stick would be no problem even if I have a right grip. When I arrived I understood why right wouldn’t be any problem. Almost everyone played with rightsticks, the opposite of Sweden where most players play with leftsticks. I don’t know why it is like that because most people are righthanded here, as in Sweden.

When I was going there I once again experienced how incredibly crowded some Japanese trains can get. I came 3 min before my train was about to leave, 18.57, from Shinjuku (Keio-line) and saw a fully packed train with a line of people in front of every door with at least 6 people. I thought “shit, gonna be late” and parked my shoes at the back of a line just to notice after a minute that people came from the side to squeeze into tuna-jar-train. I realized that the people in the lines where waiting for another train and that the fully packed train was my train. I took some quick steps and heard the sound that announces that the door is about to close, panicked and tried to squeeze in through the closest door, but no space at all. Panicked some more and ran for the next door, hearing some Japanese older men in suit mumbling “Ganbatte” (=get ‘em tiger) and laughing a little. I squeezed as hard (really) as I could into the next door and moved my bag up over my head, balancing with my feet to just right inside the train, trying not to fall out. It was really though and the next second the door started to close, barely touching my nose and hitting my stomach while doing so. Right after the door closed most people let everything out and I got splattered to the door window. Felt really nice.

It doesn’t stop here though. At the next station (after 7 min, it was a rapid train so it only stops at few stations) the doors on the other side of the train opens and one person got off while at least 5 new ones stepped inside. Yes, it could fit even more! And yes, once again I panicked because I was to get off at the next station. But how? I was literally nailed to the door on my side of the train, and had to cross to the other side before next stop. I tried to move a little but quickly realized that it was going to be impossible. I started consoling with the idea that I might have to go quite far on this train before being able to turn back. But I was supposed to meet the team leader at the station and I didn’t have his phone number, what kind of impression would that give if I showed up more then 20 min late? I asked a gentlemen standing next to meet and he answered me with one word “..muri…” or as the English translation give:
“impossible”.

As we came closer to the station I heard the announcer say to make space for the ones who wanted to go off and laughed a little inside. We arrived at the station, the doors opened and – people started to pore out from the train! This was a much bigger station then the previous one which I should have realized by just reading the trainmap, this station had 2 more trainlines while the previous station only had Keioline.

Anyway, going off was also interesting. People started to push like crazy, like some animals trying to get a chunk off meat from a carcass that was laying on the platform. I was one of the last ones off and instead of getting pushed I got smashed by people again, that is the people that wanted to board the train!

I’ve experienced some really full trains here so far but yesterdays train won the prize. It was an amazing experience, and just thinking of next week will probably give me nightmares..

–

Enough about yesterday and some about today. I meet Ninda, a former classmate, today. We went to A-class Yoshida before Christmas together. Started off by walking from School (close to Waseda) to Kagurazaka to meet Ninda and her sister, a 20- 25 min walk if it wouldn’t be for my whiny classmates. Slow as hell and constantly complaining about how far off we were walking. Took more then 30 min instead of what it should have taken. When we arrived we ate some really tasty Sushi at pretty cheap place before heading for an Izakaya with 180 yen beer. My kind of beer deal that is. After a nice time we broke up and me, Mike Miller and The Singaporian Rockstar went home to the Rockstars place for some PS3 and Tekken 6. Nice place, as big as my hallway but at least he had a proper bed. Something I’m still lacking, but I have myself to blame in that case since it was my idea for my and Yuli to sleep on a futon. Said and done as you say in Swedish.

Sweet days in T-town, deshou!

Sumo

På söndag skall jag gå och se på Sumobrottning. Spännande värre kan tyckas, och var vad jag tyckte tills jag fick se tidschemat: börjar kl 11 och sista matchen kl 17, givetvis med reservation för förseningar.. Men man får iaf både ta kort och ta med egen mat så det känns inte så farligt, kan nog bli så att man petar ner en bok och DS:et i väskan med. 6h är en extremt lång tidsrymd med tanke på att varje match tar runt minuten.

Sumo har för övrigt varit ett ganska flitigt debatterat ämne här i Japan på sistone. Dels på grund utav att en av dom största genom tiderna, Asashoryu (artistnamn som betyder ungefär den blåa morgondraken) var ute och slogs lite på stan i januari och på grund av det så gick han igår i pension. Eller, han blev ombedd att tänka över sin framtid iom att han är en Yokozuna (ung. evig mästare) av det japanska sumoförbundet. Synd för mig eftersom han skulle slåss på söndag. Men ser fram emot det ändå, då en annan Yokozuna vid namn Hakuho Sho, den enda aktiva Yokozuna just nu iom att Asashoryu slutade igår.

Lär bli rätt stort iaf, Asashoryus pension har dominerat allt i media dom två senaste dygnen här i Japan.

Last supp.. floorball!

Just played floorball or innebandy in Swedish, and realized that among gifflar, coffee and european football in daytime I’m going to miss floorball too. I really like playing floorball, it’s pure joy to run after and then smack the ball as hard as you can with a plastic stick.

Got most of my things together now, just some small things to keep track on now outside the bags. Feels really nice actually and coming to Gothenburg has made me realize that I’m going to Japan, and that I’m going to live there for at least one year. When I was in Lund I mostly felt unemployed or something, there wasn’t anything to do really more than hanging around with my friends and…. watching football and read books. And of course some parties!!! Oh how I’m going to miss Lund, the last year has been so great and it’s not going to be the same when I come back since most of the people I’ve met during the year were exchange students or japanesestudents and they (I hope!) will probably go for an exchange year in Japan while I’m coming back.

But I’m also looking forward to Japan. Yuli fixed the apartment now, going to live in Mejiro (in the middle of the map) from middle of october. Also looking forward to see the people I know in Japan! Hopefully it want feel all to weird and crazy even if it is my first visit to Japan.