Giant Pride!

We enjoyed a night at the Yomiuri Giants baseball game and let's just say it was a SPECTACLE! From the crowd chanting in unison for entire innings (home & away fans) to the entire level of "foods and goods" , to the beer stewardesses, a Japanese baseball game is definitely something to experience!

The game itself was something you are definitely familiar with, Avid Reader. However, the elements surrounding the game were so completely different that I don't know if I caught more than four batters. Not going to lie, I was mesmerized by the flourescent-clad snack and beer servers who walked up and down the aisles. They carried five-gallon beer kegs on their backs or toted the most unusual snacks, like "beer snacks"... or, more precisely, "beer snack-u" in Japanese.

Additionally, all of the stand vendors were women and all of the ticket takers and ushers were men. Interesting gender assignment. As mentioned, the aisle vendors wore the loudest flourescent outfits, perfectly coordinated from head to toe. And speaking of heads, they all wore their baseball caps bobby-pinned to their heads! Regardless of hair length or style, the Bobby Pin Effect was all the rage!

I've also noticed a theme emerging here in Japan on this trip -- this is a cash culture. Where have you heard this before, you ask? Well, you heard it not 24 hours ago in my subway adventure! Turns out, baseball games are no exception -- no debit/credit cards accepted ANYwhere! Worse, in as many retail opportunties as there were, there were also no ATMs anywhere in the stadium. I am not joking. Lesson: bring cash or get SQUAT.

The cab ride home with colleagues proved to be exciting as well, with trapses through Harijuku and Shinjuku -- both well-known fashion & shopping areas in Japan. It was certainly as "loud" as Times Square from a brightness perspective, but you wouldn't hear a car honking to save your life. Awesome.

4:30 adventures at the famous Tokyo fish market in the morning. CrAzY, I know, but why not?! And, Avid Reader, we just booked a Romatic Get-Away for four at some traditional Japanese Inn/Hot Spring outside of Tokyo. It was the only package we had left, so that will be the blog of a lifetime! More to come!