Soul Searching (by soul searching, I mostly mean trying to avoid being deported) in Seoul - Day 1

Hey! I've got a whole lot of blogging I am going to catch up on in the next few days. I figured I'll start with the South Korea trip while it's fresh in my mind. I may not be elaborating QUITE as much because I'll be attempting to dish a lot of entries quickly.

Some quick background...Chris and I needed to leave Japan for a few days at some point during our trip because we legally can't stay in the country for more than 90 days without being deported. SOOOO...Coz decided that the best place for us to go for a short visit would be Seoul, South Korea. He was taking us...so it sounded good to me! :)

The cast of characters...Su San (a mother on Aikiyo...former baton champion, back in the day...does lots of sewing for Aimachi), Yoshea (head colorguard instructor...also happens to speak excellent english...she's really the only person on Aikiyo with true authority that can understand us, so she's a big help), Coz, Chris, and myself. Here we are at the airport...though, we're not quite there in my telling of the tale yet.



We left Aikiyo at 7:30AM on Monday. Chris and I had slept approximately two hours the night before. The day before was semifinals (we won...but we won't see most of the challenging competition until finals in mid-January). After the show, Chris and I went for some food and drinks with Takeshi and a few guys from the low brass section (that will be another blog entry).

We got back to Aikiyo at about midnight...but then we gave in to our newest addiction...the television show "Prison Break." The show is amazing...and a few guys on Aikiyo have been renting episodes on a regular basis from the video store. They watch it in Japanese and then give it to us to watch in English. Finally...at 4:30AM, I went to sleep.

We got to the airport and had a littttle bit of trouble dealing with immigration. They didn't understand why I was leaving Japan...but then coming back (after I had been here for two months). They wanted proof that I would be leaving Japan again at some point, but of course I didn't have my January 17th flight info with me. They pretty much told me (through Yoshea) that if I didn't have proof of departure when I got back from Korea, they wouldn't let me through immigration upon return to Nagoya.

Ok ok, I get it, no problem. I'll print it out.

The flight was pretty good...Korean Airlines treats you pretty well. A meal on an hour and 45 minute flight is always welcome!



There were also about 25 "on demand" movies to choose from. I started "You, Me, and Dupree" but I couldn't finish it before the flight was done (I finished it on the way back).
Alright, so we get to Seoul and I make my way through customs with no real problem. I have 30 days to leave before I'm deported...no problem, we're only staying for three.

We're greeted by a woman who calls us over and Coz starts talking to her like he expected to see her. There are about five other people getting of the flight and coming over also. I then use my stunning intellect to deduce that we are actually part of tour group run through the hotel we're staying at.

She takes us over to currency exchange where I have my yen converted to wan.



In Japan, currency conviently works out so that 100 yen is close to 1 dollar (actually closer to like 89 cents or so...but Chris and I round up to discourage us from buying everything we see). In Seoul...during our stay, 912 wan was approximately 1 dollar. We rounded down to 900...but still...what a pain in the ass. So everytime I needed to convert, so if something costs 35,000 wan...divide 35,000 by 900 and you're close. Of course, when you're haggling for prices at a market (as is common in South Korea)...and you have no idea what the man is saying to you (he punches the prices into a calculator and shows you)...and lots of people are bumping into you...and you don't even know if you really want the damn sneakers...it's hard to divide 35,000 by 900.

Another problem suddenly occurs to me. What language do I speak? Korean is obviously not an option. Should I use Japanese greetings and numbers during conversation...or english?? What do they understand? At the airport I'm having a tough time even telling if the employees are speaking Korean or Japanese. Oh boy, oh boy!

We get on a shuttle bus and, after an hour and 15 minute nap, we're at the BIWON Hotel in Seoul. We check in, go to our rooms for about 15 minutes, and then meet back in the lobby to go someplace for dinner.

We ended up going to a Yakiniku restaurant in Myung-Dong (one of the most famous areas in Seoul for nightlife). Yakiniku is a famous type of Korean restaurant that we've had a few times while in Japan (for example, the first day at the airport). There is a grill top on your table and the servers bring you many types of meat and seafood in small slices. You put them on the grill and wait for them to finish.



It's kind of a fun way to eat because there is neverending flow of food for a little more than an hour. In the end you might not be eating as much as you would at like...Outback Steakhouse...but you're full because of the time it takes to go from selection to selection. I've never had tapas, but I think it's the same type of pacing (though, obviously, different types of food). Besides the meats, there is also an onslaught of side dishes served.



Salads, vegetables, and the Korean-staple...kimchi. We were warned that every single time you eat Korean food, kimchi would be served with it. We were not lied to. For those that are interested, kimchi is a vegetable (usually radish, cabbage, or cucumber...fermented in a mixture of green onion, ginger, chili pepper, and garlic). I'd like to thank www.wikipedia.org for helping me decipher and define what I was eating for three days.

After dinner, Chris and I break off for the group for the night and take to the streets of Seoul! Unfortunately, our stay is a Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday...which aren't really the best times to experience nightlife. HOWEVER...it turns out Seoul is a pretty lively place all the time.



I don't have much prior knowledge of Korean culture, so I ignorantly expected Seoul to feel similar to Nagoya. Actually...Seoul is pretty much the exact opposite! It's actually feels a lot like New York City...except...with kimchi instead of pretzels.

In my opinion, Koreans are actually more like Americans than they are like Japanese. The difference was SO apparent. In general, the Japanese are SO polite. They are quiet, and reserved; they avoid while passing people on the streets.

Koreans are LOUD and outgoing. They bump into people and keep walking. Seoul is much livlier than Nagoya...but also much dirtier! In Japan, you can watch for hours and never see any type of public affection. You'll be lucky to see two people holding hands in Nagoya. In Seoul, it looked like EVERYONE had a significant other.

Seoul also happens to be the queen of food wagons. I half expected to turn a corner and see Hot Truck sitting waiting for me.



You couldn't go a city block without seeing one, two, or three food vendors at any time of the night. Of course, they weren't selling greasy sandwiches...they were selling greasy chicken on a stick, or noodles, or hot danishy-type things.

It felt like every road on Myung-Dong was an alley. They weren't actually...but the streets are just SO narrow. In New York, a lot of these types of streets are not open to traffic. In Seoul...watch out! The roads are war zone in which pedestrians, cars, and motorcycles are all trying to make their claim. The motorcycles are clearer the winner...they don't appear to have to answer to any type of traffic laws. They ride in the middle of the street, the right lane, the left lane, darting between cars, often they venture on the sidwalks and dart between innocent people. If you walk around with headphones on...you're probably going to die.

It was all worth it in the end, however. Chris rounded a corner...and that's when he saw the most beautiful union of the roman alphabet characters ever created. K-R-I-S-P-Y K-R-E-M-E!!!!

"Well...we had better get a dozen."

"Yes...we had better."

And did we ever. In fact we each got a free original doughnut on the line as well...so should add that to the total.

It was a three story establishment, so went up to the second floor and did some people watching at the bar overlooking the street. It wasn't until doughnut number five or six that I started to remember that hatred for doughnuts I used to have when I was working as a lad at Dunkin' Donuts.



It was about 10PM when we decided to check out another part of the city for a few hours. We decided to head over to a college town with a few universities located in an attempt to find a good bar.

By the time we got there, it was about 10:30...and, on a Monday night, we were having a tough time finding the kind of bar we wanted (one with beer and attractive women who liked foreigners, to be exact). After we tried a few places out, we settled on a spot.

Ray was our bartender and he seemed cool enough. He was trying to ask us where we were from and all of that...communication was pretty tough. Then, after a drink, we were ready to try somewhere else until Ray (definitely not short for Raymond) exlaimed, "WAIT WAIT...IN 10 MINUTES I DO SHOW...STAY IF YOU CAN!!!"



Hmmm...a show...in this small bar? Welp...ok, I'm intrigued, Ray.

So we stayed and all of a sudden his assistant server gets on a microwave and is transformed into a DJ. We had no idea what they were saying...but they were yelling stuff...music was loud...and the lights were flashing. Occasionally everyone would start clapping and they well point to us and say "Yell now!!" or "You clap now!!!" So we did!

THEN...Ray started tossing bottles in the area. Bottles of beer, bottles of vodka...bottles of anything he could find.



Then he started using the alcohol to blow fire out of his mouth. All of this with a strobe light going on. I'm not sure exactly what I did...but I won a free shot to go with my beers...so all was well. We also each got a bracelet that looked like the "Live Strong" bracelet except it says, "It's Miller Time." Lance Armstrong would be proud.

We had heard that the subway cars starts getting pretty scarce a little after 12:00...so we said our goodbyes after midnight and made our way back to BIWON. Our stop was about a five minute walk from the hotel...this ended up taking about 45 minutes because we made stops at a 24 hour McDonalds as well as just about every piece of sidewalk art the city tempted us with. Many pictures were taken...for example...



And...yes...there is a similar hole in the butt-region of the rabbit. And...yes...I took some similar pictures in the butt-region of the rabbit.

For you drum corps people who keep asking where the Hainesaw is going.

The choice was between Cadets, Crossmen, and Troopers. As of today, I've made the decision to go with The Troopers. They've hired a really strong design staff (a combination of current Bluecoat designers and a Cavie designer or two)...and I feel like my passion is with taking a project from the start and (over the course of a few years) turning it into something amazing.

Crossmen and Troopers both fit that bold...the beauty of The Cadets would have been...well...it's The Cadets.

Anyways, Troopers. Chris Gow is a definite with me...nothing else is positive as of this very moment.

If you're looking for someplace to march or know of someone who is, start talking to me. :)

You heard it here first...just as promised in August! Fred Morris will put a release out about it soon...but, until then, don't go posting this on drum corps planet or anything, ok? Thanks!

I am dying.

I am so sick. But I'm getting better...so I think it's just one of the 24 hour things. It happened last night (Thanksgiving) during rehearsal...and so I went to bed feeling awful...woke up...and it was awful.

To quote Dane Cook, I felt like a "vomit breathing dragon." In fact, I'm going to find that link tonight and post it on here because it's a really funny skit...and SO true (it chronicles what you feel like when you are about to - and are - throwing up).

Talking about it is making me sick, though...but the good news is that since I can't really do anything except sleep (though I am going to try out rehearsal tonight)...and I've already slept about 16 hours today...I should have some time to blog tonight.

Until then, goodbye. Hope your Thanksgiving was great!

"I am the suck."

After a game of baseball, Palm (from Thailand) - who struck out four times that game - was in the bathroom. He was a little more quiet than usual so I asked him what was wrong.

"I am the suck."



I share with you that story because some would say I should be declaring "I am the suck." after my recent spell of infrequent blogging.

I'm sorry, baby.

You accept...let's move on.

I have lots to catch you up on with pictures and what not...but first...here's a few interesting conversations I've had recently.

One day Chris, myself, and Mitchi (23 years old...lives on Aikiyo...lots of pictures of him in my blog) got onto the topic of World War II.



It was kind of one of those topics we weren't sure how to approach. I love history...but I, of course, realize that American history books might be SLIGHTLY biased towards...well...America.

So when it comes to Pearl Harbor and the dropping of the nuclear bombs on Japan...I always wondered how much of the story I was getting.

Ok, so we were talking about World War II and I was explaining how I would be really interested to having him kind of help me translate that part of a Japanese history book so I could see what they had learned. Eventually Chris just asked him, "So...based on what you know, what do you think of Japan and America in World War II?"

Mitchi thought for a few seconds and replied, "It is hard for me to say what was good and what was bad then...or if the (nuclear) bombs were all a good thing or a bad thing...but Japan and America have a great relationship now and that is a great thing."

A few days ago I asked Hatchan if she knew of anyone I could talk to about World War II.



I told her I understood if it was a touchy subject and I didn't want to upset anyone, but if someone was interested in talking to me about it, it would mean a lot.

She said she thinks she could find someone and that she would love to hear the conversation and could be the translator. Hopefully that will pan out.

Ok, now completely unrelated...I was talking to Kimio (a snare drummer who marched Cavaliers in 2002) for awhile last night. He was saying how nice everyone thinks Chris and I are and how it's such a change from some of the Americans that came last year. He said that they always seemed so selfish.

I had heard that a bunch of times since I have been here, so I said the same thing I said every other time. "Everyone is SO nice to us and always trying to care of things for us, I don't understand how someone could possibly be selfish under those conditions. Chris and I feel like that everyone is always thinking of us, we are trying so hard to find ways to help out our give back to all of you."

One of the really cool things I'm learning here is that, even though it's the other side of the world, and even though a different language is spoken, or they sit on the ground sometimes when they eat, or they dance when they pray and we sit...it's all the same. We choose a different method of doing something...but what we're trying to get done is always the same.

When I said that to Kimio, he pointed out something that I feel IS a difference. Now remember...this is life on Aikiyo as part of the Tenri religion and not Japan as a whole. Also...just like this is a subculture of Japan, there are subcultures in America that share similar values.

He said, "Matt, that is such a Tenri way to think of things. All we have is eachother. We HAVE to take care of one another. We're all a family."

On Aikiyo, this is such a primary value in my life. In America...it's a sign of weakness. On Aikiyo, they hope to live on or within a bike ride of Aikiyo for the rest of their lives. In America, when I lived at home between the end of tour and before leaving for Japan...anytime someone asked me "So where are you staying right now?" I was almost embarrassed to say "At my parents house." And I ALWAYS had to qualify it with "But it's only for five weeks until I go to Japan...it wouldn't make any sense for me to rent a place for five weeks. Did I mention I'm moving to New York City all by myself when I get back?"

I'm not trying to say one way is better than the other, because I don't believe that. I like being on my own! It can be an exciting way to live! The Tenri people seem to have a way that works too, though. :)

An excuse...and then a very quick entry about the 3, 5, 7 tradition.

Hey! I've got a ton of stories to catch you up on...but alas, we are getting ready for semifinals in a week and we've been upping the rehearsal time.

I've been to Italian Villages, Japanese ports, aquariums, mastering the Nagoya subway system, out drinking and eating ridiculous amounts of Korean food while screaming for chocolate cake on a friday night, and a bunch of other adventures.

Unfortunately, I'm too busy to do those stories justice. Here's a quick one...a Tenri tradition is to have a celebration and prayer service for children who turned 3, 5, or 7 years old...as well as adults who turned 70. I just happened to be awake early one morning when I noticed that everyone was running around in kimonos and suits and ties and whatnot. So I asked what was going on and Caizo Son told me the ceremony.

This was actually a good opportunity to bring my camera inside the church (I'm always nervous about taking pictures during the actual prayer services...so now you can see a picture or two of the inside where all of the services at Aikiyo are held.

Anyways...I've got to run back to rehearsal, stories and LOTS of pictures to come soon, I promise!

Soccer and Beer

I think we've all heard the saying, "Those who laugh last, laugh most." I learned that lesson on a beautiful Monday in Handa City, Aichi, Japan.



We started off the day by erecting a scaffolding for the ladies to use for trimming the trees.



This was not just ANY day, however. Today was the big Nippon (Japan)-vs- International (United States of Thaimerica) rematch. In case you missed the previous entry about this, in Game 1, Thaimerica beat Nippon by a score of 5 to 0 on their home turf. We spent every moment possible reminding them of this...as well as reminding them that the losers agreed to buy the winners ice cream.

Perhaps our first folley was that today was the day we were getting the ice cream. We were cocky and we were enjoying our food. Nippon saw this and I'm sure vowed to never lose again in such a way.

Here's a picture of the back two thirds of the vehicle on our way home. There are three more people in the front, as well. It didn't start off with so many people...but as we drove back from C-Festa, school was getting out and we kept finding people from Aikiyo walking back. Naturally, we picked them up...it got a little out of hand by the end.



I spent most of the rest of the day in the cafeteria...reading, writing, and hanging out with whoever was in there. At one point, I turned into an art teacher and taught the kids how to make turkeys by tracing their hands (Thanksgiving is even less known here than Halloween, obviously).



And then...it was time for the big game. While Nippon was using all of their warm up time to practice, Thaimerica was basking in the glory of their previous victory. He we are being jubilant.



The game was hard fought. I'm not telling a lie when I say that both teams played with heart and gusto.



About two thirds of the way through the first half, Chicara of Nippon drew first blood, scoring on the previously unshakeable Palm of Thailand. Nippon celebrated and the crowd chanted "NIPPPPONNNNN, NIPPPPPPONNNNNNNNN, NIPPPPPPONNNNNNNN!!" (There really was a crowd...the colorguard came in to sew flags).



At the end of the first half, Nippon remained ahead 1-0 and your dejected hero retired to the team locker room (aka the cafeteria).



After halftime I delived a speech to Thaimerica, compareable to the great monologues of William Wallace or Aragorn of Arathorn. We were pumped! We knew we were going to have to play hard and that it was going to hurt (the Japanese had two more people than us, so they had the luxury of making substitutions at their leisure).

We entered the final half of the game with a "1...2...3 (counted in Thai, I can't remember what that is right now)....SAYOONARA NIPPONS (Goodbye Japan)!" We were pumped! We could smell their fear.

The battle was a bloody one, elbows were flying, people were on the ground. The last thirty minutes were exhausting. FINALLY...with 15 seconds left in the game, a shot taken by yours truly deflected off of the hand of Mako (a Nippon midfielder). This resulted in an indirect kick from just inside midfield. There were literally about 10 seconds left...so I let it fly...JUST OVER THE HEAD OF TEAM NIPPON'S YOUNG GOALKEEPER, YUTAKA!

We celebrated!!!! Thaimerica piled on top of me at midfield!



Unfortunately, what I have failed to mention is that before I scored that clutch goal...Japan scored 6 other points in the half. That's right, we were DESTROYED 7-1.

Killed...demolished...obliterated. Here is Kio of Nippon reminding us of this.



Here's a photo of the two teams...the smiles on the Thaimericans are all fake. We were ashamed.



And when you're ashamed and embarrassed...there's only one thing to do next. Drink alcohol.

Thankfully, Thaimerica had already planned a victory celebration or a "drown your sorrows" event afterwards and had bought some beer from C-Festa. Check out the bottle opener I bought when we went to the Kamikoche Mountains a few weeks ago!

A Run-In at the Osu Kannon Corral...err, I mean Temple

Today Chris and I went to Nagoya. I'll take you on that journey later. However, before you read about it in all of the big magazines and see it on all of the big new stations, I wanted my faithful blog-checkers to hear about it HERE FIRST.
The Obu Kanna temple was the sight of my life and death struggle with hundreds of wild, blood-thirsty pigeons.

"Ooooo look at all of these wonderful, hungry pigeons."

*Pigeons act in unison, as if controlled by one Alpha Pigeon. Do not blink. Cock head to one side. Still do not blink. Beady eyes fixed on me. Not blinking. Single chirp. Cock head to the other side. No sign of blinking.*

"Ooooooooooo a bird seed stand, let me get them some food."



Your hero opens the bird seed window. Pays 50 yen. Reaches for food. All hell breaks loose.

Enjoy the show...

"That's @#%#@$ Teamwork!"

A day and a half ago Chris had a few hours free time before rehearsal so we decided to go on a little adventure. We want to be able to travel around Aichi (the prefecture - like a State in America- that Handa City, Nagoya, and many other towns and cities reside in) without relying on Coz and the rest of Aichiyo to drive us around. So we needed to find the train station...this was a team effort.

Chris got online and googled for a map of Handa City. It was all in Japanese, but he was able to deduce the station, as well as a few landmarks.

Our next tool was in the form of my knowledge of a portion of the city (this comes from all of the running around I do here most days). He showed me the map and I knew exactly where I several of those landmarks were. Unfortunately, they were a pretty long ways away. FORTUNATELY, Michi said we could borrow bikes whenever we needed to.

One more "unfortunately." In our experience, it only rains in Aichi twice a month. Of course, we've only been here one month, so there is some room for error in this result. :) In any case, we happened to be in the middle of one of those days.

In fact, here I am navigating my through Handa City in the rain via bicycle.





At one point, the rain was getting a little heavy so your heroes opted to duck for cover under this bicycle parking area.

It turns out that the aforementioned bicycle parking area was outside of this small grocery store. We decided to check it out where we were greeted by an abundance of free samples and an ample supply of baked goods.

Here is one of your heroes now, stuffing his face with this cake/banana/whipped cream creation.

The women at the bakery started inquiring "Oishi? Oishi? Oishi? Oishi???" Thankfully that was one of the few words I know (Delicious? Delicious? Delicious? Delicious???) and I was able to respond (once I finished chewing) with a swiftly executed, "Hay! Honto oishi cata! Arigato gazeimastus!" (Yes! It is very delcious! Thanks you so much!). They nodded approvingly.

When the rain slowed, we were back on our merry way. After a stop at a sports store (I'm on the prowl for a Japanese National Team or Nagoya J-League Team soccer jersey as well as a Nagoya Dragons 2006 Division Champions baseball hat) we found our destination...the Handa City train station!

Here's part of the inner shop and ticket counter area. Chris is taking a picture of a map (mostly in Japanese, of course) we can figure out what lines we need to take to get to wherever we're looking to journey.

We spent a few minutes looking from store to store when we came to this beauty. I hadn't eaten in awhile, so naturally I made a few purchases here. Four, to be exact. At the bottom front of the picture, you will see one of my favorite danishes. It is the one with a "sunny side up" egg on top...the bread itself is sort of like a piece of french toast. Honto oishi cata.

After leaving the train station, we ventured around for a little longer. I was trying to find a bookstore in Handa City that sells novels in English, but haven't been able to yet. I've been to two in Nagoya...but that's not very convenient to get to. I've read two books and have almost finished a play since I've been here...so my supply of literature in english is dwindling.

We found a few bars which we didn't go to...but definitely took note of. Found a curry house...and then went into one more sports store. They did have the jersey I was looking for...but it was so much money. Junt says that when he goes back to Thailand he can get me a good Jersey from any country with my name on the back (in whatever language I want) for 10 bucks. He said he can get me a crappy one with the same feature for 2 bucks! The Thais often tell us about all of the unauthentic stuff you can get in their home country. "Fake rolex...5 US dollars!"

Welp...that about wraps it up for now. I'll leave you with this nighttime shot of a street in Handa City during our ride back.

News From The Home Front

Yola.

So obviously, just because I'm not there, doesn't mean that things at 'ol 74 Live Oak Drive just cease to progress.

First some sad news. We had to put Quirk to sleep. :( It happened on Halloween...mom said Quirk was having a great day in her costume...but sometime in the latter part of the day was having a REALLY tough (for anyone who has seen her lately, walking was already getting difficult) moving around the house. So they brought her to the vet and eventually made the tough decision to put her to sleep. At just over 15 years old, I'd like to think she lived a pretty great life!

Here's a few pictures I had on my computer of 'ol Quirk. The first one is from about a year and a half ago, while the second one is a few weeks before I left for Japan. Unfortunately, I don't have any from when she was a little puppy -- feasting on her own feces like any precious, disgusting puppy dog. :)

In better news, I went from wondering if I was going to be teaching drum corps this summer, to all of a sudden having three really nice offers in front of me. They're a wide range of placing corps...so I just need to quickly figure out what I really want out of this summer (and hopefully several summers to come). I think I know what I'm going to do...but not EXACTLY sure yet. Announcements coming shortly.

Seeeeeeeeeeee ya!

A Visit with the Colonel

A few days ago word had leaked that Chris and I were missing American food like crazy. It was pretty much obvious by the frequency in which we were talking about baby back ribs, bacon cheeseburgers, and chocolate cake...or maybe it was the way we drooled over pizza coupons like most men look at porn.

We went with Mitchi, Kio, Umeo, and the Thai guys. While the menu was very different, and the biscuits had maple syrup instead of butter on them, there was one think that was the same...Original Recipe.





Chris was incredibly excited...he thought we were going to have a taste of home! In this instance, I was the realist. "Chris, remember what happened with Denny's? We thought we were going to have bacon, eggs, waffles, bacon cheeseburgers, ribs, etc etc...but instead we got sushi and omelettes with brown gravy and pork (it was good...just not...what we expected).





Well...this American is SO happy to report that the Original Recipe is the same, regardless of what side of the world you're on.





Chris and I were pretty much flipping out..."THIS IS IT, THIS IS IT!!!!!" My biscuit with maple syrup was good too...but the original recipe stole the show!!





Umeo looks longingly at the picture of The Colonel on the billboard.











We grabbed a few menus to bring home, but here's a picture of the some of the value meals and combos. Pot pies, soups, and some of the previously mentioned items. No mashed potatoes or mac and cheese.

Apparently the Japanese are confused. Santa Claus and Mr. Sanders have some similarities (glasses and white hair)...but c'mon guys...Santa Claus is from the North Pole and The Colonel is from Kentucky. Jesus. Also...it's early November (and I'll have you know that he had been dressed like this since we got here in October). ALSO...most of the Japanese aren't even Christian...most are Buddhist! I don't think Buddhists believe in Santa Claus OR Colonel Sanders.

Anyway...here's Santa San (read about Chris' new nickname in the entry "Cute Little Buggers") and Colonel Santa (witty, I know) stealing a moment for themselves on this hectic day.

Sayoonara Nippon, Fast Cars, and Vinegar

Yesterday we went to two museums. Apparently Handa City is world renowned for its vinegar. In fact, this vinegar factory has companies all over America.

I seriously went into this one thinking there was no way I wouldn't be bored out of mind. But then something magical happened...I was hearing English. There was a movie on "The Mysterious Powers of Vinegar."

Right now, I'll bet you're asking, "What ARE the mysterious powers of vinegar, Matt?"

1.) Preservation and Bacteria Control.

2.) Increases Appetite.

3.) Reduce Salt Intake

4.) Calcium Absorption

5.) Recovery from Fatigue

6.) Naturally Reduces Blood Pressure

7.) Reduction of High Levels of Blood Chloresteral

Mysterious, indeed.


Here are a few of us walking through the museum. Our guide is on the right side of the picture. The white paper she is holding is her english script which she referred to often. I didn't mind though, I was just happy to know what the hell was going on for once. :)



We also went to the Toyota Museum where I saw a whole lot of cars ranging in date of creation from 1903 to the present. We got a headset that allowed us to hear about everything we were looking at in English...very nice. It was cool...learned a lot about car history in Japan, Europe, and the US of A. They talked about culture in these areas and how it related to the production of these cars...I'm pretty much a genius now.

Here's the team with our tour guide outside the Vinegar Museum.

Here I am with one of Ford's Model Ts from back at the start of the 20th century. Brings back memories of high school history class. By the way, I look like the ultimate tourist with my museum audio guide and headpiece on. :)

I'm sure none of this is especially interesting to you...BUT I have not mentioned the most exciting part of the day, yet. Fridays are big soccer days for the guys at Aichiyo...this Friday was no different. After a few scrimmages, we decided to put a wager on the game.

We split up the teams so it was Japan -vs- Thailand and America (The United States of Thaimerica as we referred to ourselves). The terms: The losers by the winners ice cream from Baskin' Robbins. The losers get to "wash the stones" (note: reference to earlier blog entry) while the winners eat the ice cream in front of them.

We were outnumbered and the Japanese had more skill...but we played with passion and reckless abandon. Fueled by alternating chants of "Sayoonara Nippon" (Goodbye Japan) and "I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For Ice Cream," we routed the more refined Japanese by a score of 5 - 0!!!!! The Aichiyo Gym was electric as we passed and weaved like warrior poets.

While we were playing, members of the colorguard were practicing some work on the side to the music of "Wind Beneath My Wings." So during the game, we heard this song approximately 50,000,000 times. Thus, on this special night, it became our theme song. We plan on taking footage of the game, adding "Wind Beneath My Wings" as the audio track, and putting it on youtube.

The Japanese have requested a rematch this Monday...The United States of Thaimerica will honor that request. Ice cream and national pride will be at stake.