I love Japan. Japan loves baseball. Baseball and me are on good terms. Almost the perfect recipe for good times.
And so it came to pass that today was a day in which Japan, baseball and I came together in a glorious way. This was not the bright lights and big city of the NPB. No, this was manning up, staring the heart of nuclear disaster in the face (okay, from 150km away, but close enough for me) and watching BC league baseball in Nozawa, Fukushima prefecture.
Nozawa, a joint so high in the mountains we could see snow despite it being 28 degrees!
If this were any team we were following, we may not have bothered. But this is the Mighty Niigata Albirex, so we were always going to make the effort. Nigel saw a meter long snake; we didn't slow (except to try and take a photo, obviously). We were warned about vicious, man eating bear attacks on our route to the ground; didn't give them a second glance (except to take a photo of course). Giant ants - the queen of those ants must've looked something similar to that which Sigouney Weaver went postal on in 'Aliens'. Would've taken a photo but was worried they'd take offence and smash my phone. What I'm saying is these be big ass ants.
As for the game - my God these boys came to play. A 4 run 1st inning, 2 in the second and 3 beers later a 5 spot were too much for the previously unbeaten Fukushima Hopes. An 11 - 4 win for the Albirex against the front runners.
'Hopes' dashed, be-atch. *drops mike*
*picks mike up again as there's more to this*
Cool stuff that happened. Whilst trying to buy beer (poorly but 100% effective), one of the Fukushima stall manning... erm... men starts chatting to me in English (to put Ol' Yella down, in effect). However, it turns out he used to be trained by a bloke I'm currently training with!
It's a small world, after all. *cues music* *runs*.
Minnasan, ja mata ne! Later everyone!
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