My Japanese teammates, Hikaru and Kenichi, took me to my first Japanese Hot Spring Spa experience. I've heard from many different people that I need to check one out while I'm here and I'm gad I did. One of the famous Hot Spring Spas in Sendai happens to be a team sponsor, so we went on our day off this week to recharge our bodies. If you're not familiar with traditional Japanese baths, they are all nude. So its not your average YMCA hot tub. Here we are in our Japanese spa garb. Please note our authentic wooden thong sandals. They were just as uncomfortable as they look. Not pictured was our individual bag containing two towels. One was for drying off, the other, smaller towel we were told was for "covering ourselves." That towel was tiny...you get the idea! This was one of the outdoor hot springs. As you can see, it wasn't too big. It felt boiling hot. Later we read that they keep it at 122 degrees F. We couldn't sit in there too long, but it was very relaxing. This one was indoors, but just as hot. The wooden square in the picture is a floating net with full lemons in it. It was very relaxing, despite the creepy other naked guys who were a little too enamored with seeing pro ball players! These shower stations were used before and after the hot springs. They were shower stalls, but you sit down on a small wooden stool instead of standing. It was different to shower sitting down, but rather more relaxing than standing I have to say. I might get a shower-safe stool to use at home! All in all, it was a cool experience, and I'll certainly go back!
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I can't help but to brag a little about my husband! He has had an amazing season with the Sendai 89ers.
He had two amazing games this past weekend versus the Akita Northern Happinets, scoring 31 points and 10 rebounds on Saturday, and 28 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals on Sunday. So far this season he has had four 30+ point games and is averaging 18.6 points per game leading his team and top ten in the league. Not only that, but he is number one in the league in three point makes! He also made the top ten in Asian Basket Top Performer of the Week! I am so so proud of him! This year, our friends Marty and Kyoko invited us to a Super Bowl party at their home in Sendai. With the time difference in Japan, the party and game began in the morning at around 9am. We enjoyed a great breakfast buffet and a champagne toast with some teammates, team management, and some other friends around Sendai. Thanks Marty and Kyoko for having us! It was a good close game, and we had a great time feeling like were back in the states. Although I did lose 1,000 YEN to my teammate Johnny betting on the Patriots!
Living in Japan I have noticed some very interesting fashion trends. At first glance I fell in love with Japanese fashion, most clothing colors are nature based, organic, soft palettes, and high quality! Over the last three months I have realized there are distinct trends that seem to be everywhere. Yes, there are those that dress in crazy harajuku style but most women in Sendai seem to harmoniously blend together. There is that collective society yet again! This does not mean I still don't adore some of their outfits and the heels they seem to wear all the time! I think I just expected Japan to be more fashion forward and outrageous. The first and most notorious trend is Louis Vuitton purses! You can't walk down a street and pass 5 women without seeing at least one Louis Vuitton. I heard that every 3 out of 5 women in Japan have a Louis Vuitton and those purses are authentic! No fake ones here! That's one trend I could get used to :) The plaid scarves, on the other hand, I am not sure about! I have seen a lot of students wear them. They are not the Arab Shemagh plaid scarves that were popular in Europe and the States a few years back, these are authentic plaid scarves that your grandpa still might have in his closet. Another use for them can be a picnic blanket. :) The main fashion trend that seems to go right over my head are shorts with tights. I have loved all the interesting selection of tights in Japan, anything from colors of the rainbow to warm wool tights that can be worn with long sweaters. However, shorts and tights to me (and most of my US counterparts) just don't go together. Dresses and skirts with tights, sure! Any day! But shorts are meant to be worn in summer! Maybe we are the ones in the wrong and this style will eventually make its way to the Western world, but for now its one that I will stay away from. I have fully embraced rabbit accessories though! Never in my life did I think I would own real fur but in Japan it seems to be everywhere. Rabbit scarves, rabbit earmuffs, rabbit coats and even rabbit scrunchies! PETA would go after me but I decided to buy a rabbit scarf/cover up. And I absolutely love it! Letter Jackets: Mmmm a trend I never thought would make it past high school but the amount of letter jackets I have seen in Japan has been astonishing. Maybe I should bring my old high school jacket and try to sell it! (It hasn't seen sunlight since 2003.) This trend seems to apply more to males than females but old school jackets as well as sweaters are definitely in. One more fashion accessory that I thought would never make it past the 1980s are scrunchies! They are definitely back in and in full force! Did we seem to forget the whole anit-scrunchie "Sex and the City" moment where Carrie dismisses them forever? Didn't we realize those neon fluffy things do nothing for our hair appeal?! Ekkk! Regardless of what us, and other westerners, might think of those hideous fluffy things they are invading Asia by storm, even American Apparel is starting to sell them again. I will definitely stay away from this fashion disaster but I am interested to see if it will make its way overseas, only time will tell.
Our Facebook Album "Funny Europe" took months before we could post it, however our Japanese edition only took a couple of weeks. There are so many poorly written English phrases everywhere, especially at our local 100 yen shop. Not only that but food items are completely foreign to us! So sit back, enjoy, and take in some Japanese flavor. Happy Valentine's Day from Japan!
Much like other adapted Western holidays this one is celebrated differently in Japan. It is customary for WOMEN to give presents, mainly chocolates, to men. Since many Japanese women are shy, this is the only day a year they can express their true feelings for ones they love. Men are supposed to return the favor on March 14th, a Japanese holiday called White Day. Let's see how many chocolates Dan receives today at their open practice! Apparently there are two types of chocolate gifts, "giri-choco" (obligation chocolates) which are given to co-workers and "honmei-choco" which symbolize love. I am hoping Dan will receive more of giri-choco than honmei-choco! haha! Have a wonderful Valentine's Day! My teammate Hikaru and I went on NHK Sendai, Japan News for a live interview during the sports segment. It was a lot of fun and will be a great memory for me. It was interesting to see a Japanese TV show production from both in front of and behind the camera. Below is the link to the segment. It's obviously all in Japanese, so our translator was to my left translating everything for me. They spoke a little bit about both of us as players, and then a little bit about our personalities. They asked us to describe each other in one word and tell us why. Hikaru chose to describe me as a "gentleman." He was pretty complimentary of me, being the nice guy that he is! My word for Hik was "positive," explaining to them that he never has a bad day, as a player or as a person. He is always productive every practice trying to be the best player that he can be. I admire that about him, and he is the best kind of teammate I could ask for. They also asked him if I had any flaws...Hik responded saying that my "high five" is too hard! So, we had to demonstrate it for them. I told him I get a little intense right before and during games, sorry Hik! My motto for the rest of the season is to "Stick Together," making sure we can make a strong push for the playoffs. Check it out... an interesting article about a basketball fan who is raising funds to provide junior high schools, that were damaged by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami, with basketballs. He is dribbling a basketball from Tokyo to Sendai, approximately 245 miles, and ending his journey at the Sunday Sendai 89ers game versus the Chiba Jets.
Here are a few interesting fun facts about Japan, some of which we wish we would have Googled prior to living here for four months:
Dan competed in the BJ League All-Star three-point contest held in Saitama, Japan. Saitama is about 1.5 hours south of Sendai and about 45 minutes north of Tokyo. The event itself was very nice! It was a huge production with lots or pre-game activities, contests, a basketball clinic for kids and a variety of live performances. I was definitely glad I could come, but come on BJ League, a wife has to pay for her own ticket?! I thought a marriage certificate would seal the deal but apparently the quote "happy wife, happy life" doesn't apply to the Japanese ;) Don't get me wrong I had a wonderful time, but I have to remember "we're not in Kansas anymore." Saitama Super Arena - maximum capacity is 37,000. The arena features a gigantic moveable section of seating which can reduce capacity for smaller events, for the All-Star weekend it was set up for 14,000. It is also the only Japanese arena equipped especially for American football. Our great friends, Jeff and April along with their three kids came to visit us in Saitama. We met in Germany when Dan and Jeff were teammates at Ratiopharm Ulm and now they live in Tokyo. Who would have thought that we would hang out in Ulm, Germany - Milwaukee, Wisconsin - and now in Saitama, Japan! Gotta love this lifestyle! To read about Dan's experience at the All-Star weekend, please check out his blog on Cracked Sidewalks.
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