Fukuoka, Japan

May 4th
Fukuoka, Japan

Today, like a week ago, was all about tennis. I left the ship with my tennis partner, Jersey, around 3:30, the soonest we were allowed off. From there we followed much of the same route from a week ago, just this time with out the third wheel, ha. Upon arriving at the first park, we found out that the same scenario existed as last week, everything was booked. So we decided to set off for the courts on the complete opposite side of the city again, but this time, we knew how to get there. So we set off for the tennis complex, but while riding though the city, we found ourselves in the middle of a parade. It turns out this week is “golden week” in Japan, meaning the city, if not the country, is filled with festivities. Like I mentioned, we came across a huge parade with dozens of marching bands, along with a beautiful park area filled with vendors selling street food. Needless to say, we put tennis on hold to check out the event. We video taped many of the bands as they passed, along with walked the gauntlet of street vendors. We each ended up buying this delicious crepe thing, mine was filled with cream, a banana, and caramel sauce - perfect tennis food. Next thing I knew it was 5:45 and we were quickly running out of time to play tennis. We had about an hour long window from 6:30 till 7:30 that we’d be able to play before needing to ride back to the ship, but that meant hustling the entire way to the courts from where we were. Well, we grabbed our bikes and went for it, determined to get one more set of tennis in.
Now let me remind you that Jersey is a Polish trombone player in his 60’s. He’s not heavy, but at that age, “fit” might not be the first word that usually comes to mind, especially when juxtaposed against a trim 22 year-old, but let me tell you, this guy is unbelievable. I knew where I was going and was well aware of the time restraints we had, so I made sure to keep a strong pace the entire way. Jersey never fell behind, I was impressed. We talked to the office and reserved an outdoor court starting at that moment and began to play. I can’t believe I’m actually writing this, but I lost the first set 6-0, not so good for a trim 22 year-old. For whatever reason couldn’t hit a forehand, so maybe I’m out of practice, or maybe it’s the mental game that seeing an old guy across from you plays, but that set was not my shining moment. The second set was going better but got cut short by our pressing time restriction to return back to the ship for a show we had that night. But the truth is, even though I was losing, I was having a phenomenal time. I was just happy to be playing tennis against a friend from the ship in Japan. The energy was good, and we had some nice points, but it was amazing just to be doing what we were doing where we were. There’s no point in getting upset over a score, not when there is so much more to be thankful for.
Anyways, we hopped on our bikes and started our sprint back to the ship. I figured Jersey would have a harder time keeping up with me on the way back, but no, again he kept up and even would pass me to show he was faster. We needed to be back at the ship by 8:30 so we could get to our show by 8:45, maybe cutting it a little close, but it’s worth it for tennis. We rode back extremely quickly, despite the lack of light, and right as we came up to the ship, I decided to stop at a vending machine to enjoy one last moment in Japan. In Japan, they have vending machines all over the streets, most of which just serve bottled drinks. We ended up each getting some Tea for $1.50 because it seemed slightly healthier than the Coke option. Well, my tea was the worst I’ve tasted, Jersey had a similar reaction, so I guess farewell to enjoying one last moment in Japan…that stuff was garbage.
We made it back to the ship soon after with some time to spare, returned the bikes and got ready for the show. Tonight was Los Gauchos, the only show we actually play on stage and one of the few shows I always enjoy playing. For the second and final show of the night, I told Andres (the main performer and friend of mine) that I wanted to take some pictures. As I think I’ve described in a previous post, he likes to do this thing where he brings the entire band forward with his group so the audience can take pictures. I brought my camera so that I could do the same when we all went forward, so as the audience slowed down a bit, I took a step forward and shot a picture of the group to the amusement of the crowd. Andres was nice enough to then introduce me and say it was my last show before flying home, so that was kind of cool and really appreciated. I’ll miss that show, but was certainly happy to be apart of it while I was here. I’ll try to post the pic I took when I get back home. And then that’s about it for the day.
Before I conclude this post, I want to reflect on one thing, more so for myself when I go back and read all these entries many years later. Riding my bike back from the courts was one of the more enjoyable experiences of my life. Just being there in Japan, exhilarated by the exercise, and excited for the situation, offered such a wonderful sense of feeling alive, it was unbelievable. I couldn’t have been in a better mood than when I was on that bike. Even over the worry of a car coming out of a driveway in front of us and the hazards of cab drivers, there was something in that moment for me that was truly great. Now if only I had had some good tea to top it off with! Anyways, thanks for reading and have a great day!