Oh, I Think So

Close-up of a sumo, pre-tournament match American football is considered the national sport of the USA.  It used to be baseball but several years ago, football took over for the sheer spectacle, the force, the length of season, the size of the players, the passion of the fans and owners.  A few years ago, I drank the Kool-Aid and enjoyed football a lot.  I still do like it but no longer have the same fascination.  The radio's as good as the TV for play-by-play and evening-news or internet highlights are another good option should I be participating in life as we know it. In  Japan, the national sport is sumo wrestling.  Not baseball, which came to Japan when it was invented, long, long ago, but sumo which came to Japan even longer ago.  When I was on vacation, I went to a tournament.  I am someone who can enjoy a competition with specific rules so I totally understand the fascination. The actual matches don't last more than a few seconds...

View from my hotel room:  Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building with Mt. Fuji to the left Meiji Shrine, viewed from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building:  Dense, old growth forest and city surrounding it Mums for sale:  By the kilo at the fish market Hanazono Shrine at night Near Isetan Department Store, the gate to Hanazono Shrine:  At night, which is 7pm in September, it is dark . I live in Chicago; I hoped it was okay. (Perfectly okay.) Kyoto wedding: Everyone in their Japanese finery but the bride went Western Meiji Shrine wedding:  Totally Japanese wedding It took 20 minutes for the photograher, 3rd from left, to set up this shot to his liking. Tokyo Tower Before you enter a Shinto shrine, you rinse your left hand, right hand, pour water in your left and rinse your mouth (spit water on the ground).  The dipper never actually touches you. This gentleman said he is the oldest travel guide in ...

I made the very good decision of booking a day trip to Kyoto out of Tokyo.  They are nowhere near each other so it really is an all-day affair if you want to see anything at all.  The train ride is two hours with a top speed of 243 kilometers per hour.  Within city limits like Tokyo, the train can't go that fast but out in the countryside, it's a like a bullet.  On the trip to Kyoto, there was daylight and a lot of curiousity on my part, Japanese countryside, some views of the sea, and using the restroom in a train going 243 KPH.  The train is pretty damn smooth.  Trains in the USA -- Amtrak and commuter trains -- do a lot of jostling along, probably due to the condition of the rail and the age of the train cars.  (Commuter and subway trains in Japan?  Also pretty damn smooth.) We have a pretty good view of Chicago from the office where I work.  It's an unobstructed north and northwest view of the city.  A few years ago, a really power...

I have a friend who used to work booking VIP travel for her employer.  Whenever one of the higher-tier or supercool hotels was having a party, she was always invited.  Occasionally, she would invite me along. At one of these parties, we met a man who was invited because he was flat-out stinking rich and because he booked enough rooms at this particular property to warrant an invitation.  He sat at our table and talked about how he went to Cuba every year at a time when Cuban travel was not allowed and the only way to get there was via Mexico or Canada.  The man was so tan he was purple, a most unattractive shade on a human.  He'd been everywhere several times, too, and he had opinions. The man asked me where I'd always wanted to go.  I said, "Tokyo."  He said, "You don't want to go there.  You want to go to Kyoto or Kobe or Nagoya.  You don't want to go to Tokyo."  I told him, "I said I wanted to go to Tokyo because I want to go to T...

I am in the throes of practice packing for my vacation, trying to determine if I should just buy a new damn suitcase.  Frankly, I should have just bought the new damn suitcase and been done with it.  I've taken a break to come here so I can clear my mind before getting back to the packing.  I think it will be fine and I've acquired one of those handheld suitcase scales. I will be back to the blog on Sunday, September 20, and there will be many pictures including those of people taking pictures of people.  I look forward to sharing them! 

There have been three pre-season games for my team, the Chicago Bears.  Here is what I have gleaned from the little attention I've been paying: 1.  Pre-season play is foolhardy! How many players have been injured in these three games, including Jimmy Clausen, the second string quarterback.  (Insert sigh of relief here:  he did not suffer a concussion.)  Also injured in this game were cornerback Tracy Porter, defensive tackle Jeremiah Ratliff, nose tackle Eddie Goldman, and running back Senorise Perry.  How is any of this okay?  Just have lots and lots of practices -- hard practices on the actual field against the practice team -- but don't risk the season for games that don't count.  Injuries that count and can affect someone's future are not worth sustaining in pre-season play. 2.  Jay Cutler is not just a non-top-tier QB he really dances below the middle tier and down around the bottom.  He is not going to improve enough to be a to...

In preparation for my vacation in 2 weeks and 2 days, I am taking a vacation today. Do you miss me?  Nah, probably not.