All Day Erryday!

Probably the biggest outdoor basketball tournament in Japan is the All-Day tourney, sponsored by Nike. The 1st one I played in back in March sometime. The scenario was less than optimal, as I was slated to play with a team that last it's 1st game, hence preventing me from joining them on day 2 (when I had the day off.) As it turned out, a youngin asked me to run with him and his boys the night before and I accepted. We faced an early exit, as we ran into the eventual champions "Underdog" in our 1st game.

As the days turned to weeks turned to months, I amassed a good number of basketball friends by way of 'gettin it in' at every open run I could get to. As the 2nd All-Day approached, I received a few different invitations to run. After some intense deliberation, I decided my 1st choice was to join "Underdog" the very team I'd lost to that went on to claim the title in the last tournament. I'd much rather beat em than join em, however, in this case, Underdog's roster consisted of all the fellas I'd gotten to know well by way of the Rising Suns experience.

The guys were gracious enough to offer me a spot, so we laced em up, and got it on! Our opening game was versus a squad called 1st step. Apparently they had 3 or 4 guys on their roster that play/ed pro ball out here. If that's the case, we all should've been offered contracts when it was said and done, cause they never really contested us. I think we bounced em by double digits.

Game two~ The Semis of the tournament (we had a 1st day bye on account of being the previous champs) matched us up with a team called 420. Which is absolutely hilarious because ganja is HIGHLY illegal out here. As in you can get 5 years for a spliff.

Anyhow, we went ahead by about 9 or so on em with about 5 minutes left in the game. But they mounted a comeback and got it down to a one point game with about 40 seconds left. We were at the line shooting 1 and 1. I snatched up the miss and threw it out to our point guard, who proceeded to throw a cross court pass that sailed a good 5 feet over our player's head. TURNOVER.

There was about 20 seconds left when they came down court, penetrated, shot a jumper. And that's when my biggest moment of the tournament came as I outjumped 4 others to come down with the rebound. They fouled, we converted, game over!

Honestly, I didn't really contribute much to our teams' success throughout the tournament, but like my daddy used to tell me, "Just be there when I need you!"

We ended up manhandling a team called Proline in the finals. Winning by about 15 or so. My man, ST was the MVP. And Each of us got a free pair of kicks for bringing home the title!

I've been in this country 9 months, and I've already got 2 new pairs of shoes from hooping. Why can't life always be like this!!

Pictures can be found at http://alldaymag.com/photo_gallery/19th-allday-photos-day2-part2.html

The Saga Continues

I Love my brother to death. But if he stays out here much longer, I just may see that day a little sooner than anticipated! We have been going hard every night. Endulging in Adult Beverageness and soaking in as much as possible.


The beauty of Tokyo is it just doesn't stop. There's always a place to hang and always some people ready to get wild for the night. Whether that entails only 4 people in a club and a DJ to ourselves, or wall to wall folks, there is no shortage of opportunity to be out til sunrise.


In contrast to life in America, when you catch the train here at 5am you don't find winos passed out drunk on the seats, but rather suited up salary men. It's truly a phenomenon. There are 2 waves of alcoholism which present themselves on the train. The 1st being "Last Train." This ranges from anywhere between 11:45-12:30 depending on one's destination. It is very common to see trains packed to the brim and many a salaryman in rare form. The 2nd wave is "1st Train" which usually starts off around 4:30-5:00. This one is guaranteed to be entertaining! Japanese, being as humble and mild mannered as they are, certainly come out of their shells at 5AM and this is always a sight to behold. For me it's quite refreshing, because it reminds a lot of New York in terms of volume and absurdity. A shy New York that is!

Interestingly enough, nightlife is catered to the train schedule. So there are places that are targetted toward last train, and other events for 1st train. Staff transport also plays a role, hence, many a restaurant does not hesitate to PUT YOU OUT in order for them to wrap up business and get all the employees a chance to get out in time to catch their trains'.



Being the die-hard baseball fan that my brother is, we headed out to Roppongi last night to catch the All-Star Game on tape delay. Afterward, we sat out on a staircase sipping Chu-hi's and overseeing the games of the street as they played themselves out right before our eyes. I tried to convince the hookers walking by that my brother was in dier need of a "Massaji!" But he just never seemed to cooperate.


Needless to say, by the time we awoke this morning, neither of us had much energy or ambition to do anything. However, with Bub's days slowly winding down, I tried to light a fire and get us up and out at around 5:30. The move was forced. And it flowed as such for the next 2 hours as we dragged our feet through Shibuya.


But just when the night had seemed it was all going to waste, a glimmer of hope presented itself. Some friends of mine mentioned a festival jumping off in Iidabashi. We maintained our groggy state until we knew were nearing the grounds. Magically, we both took that breath of cleansing, where everything within said, "Alright, we're gonna give this one last shot.... ALIVE!" And just like that, we pepped up. Convo got lively. And so did the environment surrounding us.

Both of us had "Wow!" on repeat for the next 10 minutes as we made our way toward Yasukuni Shrine. There were endless lanterns, and steam filled food stands wafting a myriad of aromas on both sides of the walkway. There were some of the typical American staples of a festival, i.e. Cotton Candy, and Candy Apples. However, their version of candy apples were miniature. But such is the way in Japan. As for the rest of the vendors, they were, shall I say, Exotic. Fish on a stick getting cooked by hot coals. Some waffle balls thing, that smelled delicious. You could catch your own goldfish with a flimsy net that you were only allowed to use until it broke. And an array of other entertaining sights that each captivated both my brother and I time and time again.





As we neared the center of the grounds, there was a pavilion of sorts. Round in shape, with a statue's foundation shooting up the middle of it. A group of Japanese people were dancing around the pavilion as music played. This was accompanied by some well adorned people who poured their hearts into a traditional drum. There was one drum and approximately 8 drummers. Each drummer rotated mid song without missing a beat. It was a thing of beauty. This was without question the most authentic Japanese feeling I've experienced since coming here. The majority of women wore kimonos and the dance was a seemingly simple combination of gestures, claps and steps which flowed ever so pleasantly. Bubba studied their movements and later confessed to be prepping himself to join the outer g of group of people who were circling aound the pavilion. It was such a culturally beautiful sight to see people of all ages swaying around and very light heartedly moving together to traditional sounds. Bubba and I simultaneously acknowledged how happy we were that we dragged ourselves outta the house.

Eventually, we made our way up to the actual shrine. It was an impressive sight for sure. But the magnitude of the festival and setting gained significance when 2 japanese girls stopped to explain the history behind the shrine. It is a WWII Memorial. The place where the top generals who perished in the war are either burried or at least commemorated. We also learned that the countless lanterns were in memory of each person who passed. It was powerful. Especially when I compare it with the anticlimactic exercises we have in America to commemorate our fallen heroes. Needless to say, this left quite an impression. One I'll savor for as long as I can.

And day by day, I continue to discover more about this majestic country. I must confess, having my brother here to share it with me has not only fueled the entire journey, but also ignited a passion to see and do more with my time here. "That's what friends are fooooooor!"

Love

Departure/Arrival

Alas, the time to leave had come! However, there were still some fireworks to enjoy before departure. I met with our point guard ST at Gallery 2, the lone basketball gear supplier here in Tokyo, and picked up our newly tailored Jersey's.
As you can see, the jersey's are hot! White joints, Jordan Brand, with the Rising Suns logo on the front. This created a nice little buzz as I commenced to packing my things. Big ups to Gallery 2 for the sponsorship!

A few hours later we all met up in Narita Airport. 1/2 excited about the destination 1/2 dreading the actual journey to come. In total we flew for 15 hours. 3 to Taiwan, and 12 to Paris. Factor in the train rides to and from the airports, and you've pretty much got yourself a full day on mass transit. But when it's a free trip to Paris on the line, somehow, ya just don't mind such trivial things. As a unit, we all remained pretty upbeat and excited. Crackin jokes and laughing throughout almost all of our waking hours. And I stress waking, because I timed my fatigue up just right. Staying awake for the 3 hour flight and then passing out from right after the 1st meal to just before the final meal on the the 2nd flight.

I've never been one to criticize plane food. 9 outta 10 times, it's delicious. I don't know if it's because I'm now traveling in Asia or if the airline was just too cheap to invest in such things as legitimate chefs, but 2 of the 3 meals we ate were tasteless. The worst of which was when I asked for the "Chicken."
I was utterly displeased when I pealed back the foil to see some ground beef looking like stuff atop my rice. I asked the stewardess..."Uhhh, Miss? Is this Chicken?"
She said "Yes.." (as if I was an idiot)
Well, "What's this brown stuff?"
"Gravy"
All of my cultural inhibitions and attempts to be considerate flew out the window as my Japanese teammate, Atsushi, looked at her and said "GRAVY??!"
I hollered, "THANK YOUU!! I was over here thinking maybe I'm some kinda ignorant American who doesn't know anything about Asian cuisine, but you confirmed...this is NOT Gravy!! Thank YOU!"
We laughed, I ate, and it certainly lived up to expectations..nasty.

We touched down in Paris at about 6:30 AM. We were all happy to be there, but you would never had known it had you looked at our faces. However, things started to shift when a Frenchman approached, accompanying Jason, (our organizer) shook my hand and said, "I'm Fred...You're Driver!" I said, "Wooord?!? I like the sounds of that?" And this was just the beginning, as we stepped out of the airport and saw the official Quai 54 van there to pick us up. And in an instant things went from what was previously a dream, to a very very pleasant reality.

Just our luck, as timing would have it, we got stuck in rush hour traffic on our way into the city. A trip that should take 20 minutes was shaping up to be and hour and a half. But this was destiny! (or something like that) Fred decided to take us through the city instead. What a blessing in disguise.

As soon as we exited the freeway, I could feel the shift in energy. The 1st wave to hit me was just how edgy Paris is as a city. The streets had character, but even greater, the people have got SOUL! And it was oozing from their walks, clothes and antics. 5 minutes in and I was suddenly aware of just how docile the city of Tokyo is. And that's not a bad thing whatsoever.

I was steadily trying to make every light post or tall structure into the Eiffel Tower as we drove, but to no avail. But all those ambitions withered quickly as we drove across the Seine River and got our 1st glimpse of NOTRE DAME. Absolutely Breathtaking. From near and far a truly magnificent piece of architecture.

This got the ball rolling for us, as we continued to pass relic after relic with seemingly every block. The Pantheon, where many of the "greatest" thinkers and artists are commemorated. And countless other monuments and statues which attested to the rich history that characterizes Paris.

The moment we got to our hotel, I set out to find a patisserie for my 1st of many rendezvous' with the true love of my life "Pain Au Chocolat." I must say, French people got it right...They eat Chocolate for Breakfast! All the pastries and desserts looked incredible too. It was around this time, that I realized I could be a very happy man if I lived here.

Soon after, we walked over to the park to get our 1st glimpse of where the tournament was being held. They were still in the process of painting the court and putting the finishing touches on it. Even still, it was an impressive sight.

But not nearly as impressive as it was to see the pair of Limited Edition Quai 54 Air Jordan's awaiting us when we returned to the hotel. That was a stunner for all of us. But we were all smiles when we saw those boxes. I've seen prettier J's, but somehow, when they're free, they just look and feel a lil nicer than they would have.

After a lil rest, we hopped on the train to go play ball at a park across town. 5 minutes into our train ride a real cool guy sat between Atsushi and I and delighted us with stories about the city and insider's information. Our conversation was perfectly timed because it immediately put to rest any preconceived notions that French people are ill-willed or mean-spirited. Most notably to Americans. It was clear, this guy had such a good heart, and we'd soon see, so do his fellow countrymen. (and women)

Our basketball adventure got cut short, as the rains dowsed us early and often. We shot around in the rain for a bit before eventually making our way to our French guide/coach's neighborhood to eat a nice greasy dinner at the local sandwich shop. That's one thing I didn't realize I missed until I had it. A nice greasy sammich! But this one prolly clogged the arteries up good enough to last me til my next trip abroad!

Unlike Japan, it doesn't start getting dark til about 10 o'clock out here. So we were all in disbelief when we had to rush to catch the train before 12:30 to get back to the hotel. As fate would have it, I stepped down off of a cement structure and rolled my ankle on the curb. Talk about scared, I was speechless for the next 10 minutes. All I could think of was, "Damn! What if I came all this way, to end up not playing at all?" But about an hour later everything was cool.

And just like that...our 1st day in Paris was in the books!

Countdown No More

We`re leaving out tomorrow. And there was only one glimpse of exhileration.... as I clocked out from work for the last time this week!! Don`t get me wrong.. I Love My Job! But somehow, it just doesn`t size up to playing in one of the biggest basketball tournaments on Earth.

If you haven`t recently, you should check the Rising Suns website. There are some cool videos up, that will give you an idea of what we`re getting into. Of course I`m doing every last push-up, pull-up, and sit-up I can squeeze in before departure. But ultimately, it will boil down to that moment when the jump ball goes up and where everyone`s heart is.

It was dope, my `best friend` from the neighborhood is a guy named Katsu, who works at the Yakatori stand down the street. He speaks no English, and I no Japanese. But through our telepathic powers, (the website) I managed to convey to him what we`re getting into. As I left his stand today, he gave me that stern look, pumped his fist, and said Gambatte! Which translates to Good Luck and Fight Hard. (Or something along those lines) And the look in his eyes was one I will carry along with me to Paris. Cause I could see in him a great deal of Sincerity and Pride. As if he said, Represent!

Only time will tell what becomes of all of this...but one thing is for sure... We`re Ready!