We started out the day by meeting at McDonalds for breakfast at 6 am. Personally, McDonalds wouldn't be my first choice for breakfast, but the one we went to is apparently open 24 hours a day. Also, the serving sizes are ridiculously small compared to in America. My coffee was smaller than a tall at Starbucks and my "breakfast sandwhich" was probably about half its usual size, but maybe that's a good thing.
Two trains and a bus later, we arrived in sunny Osaka. The school the tournament was held at had an amazing turf field, which was a big improvement from our piece of dirt that we practice on at Nara. There were three university teams and three high school/middle school teams. The two divisions played round robin style one after the other. Our first game was at 11:00, but we had an opening ceremony at 9:30 where all of the teams lined up and the organizers gave speeches. From 10:00-11:00 we were given time to warm up. Then, our first game started. I didn't play in the first half, so I got to watch and take pictures. I really like the fact that Japanese teams bow to eachother and the referees before the game. They also bow after the game to the other team, the referees, and both benches while saying "thank you very much."
Anyway, the first game was extremely close. We scored first, and then the other team scored twice so we were down by one at half. I was able to go in during the second half and played pretty well for being somewhat rusty and out of shape. We scored again to tie the game 2-2 and went straight into PKs once regular time ended. Unfortunately, we lost the PK shoot out so that was a bit of a bummer, but everyone still had a positive attitude.
We had a break while the other teams played so we ate lunch and generally just sat around talking. Miyuki, the top scorer on our team, is from Osaka so she speaks in "Kansaiben," which is the Kansai dialect. Kansaiben is difficult for even many Japanese to understand (think of the most horrible southern accent in the U.S. and that's probably close to what it's like for the Japanese). So, while we were sitting around, Miyuki taught me a bunch of Kansaiben sayings (basically Japanese slang.) The whole team was laughing as I tried it out, and even I ended up laughing about it.
Our second game was at 2:00, and we did much better this time around. I played the entire time as middle defensive back and did much better than when I was playing midfield in the first game. Our team scored three times while the other team ended up scoreless. It was really fun to shout directions to my team mates in Japanese. I am picking up on the common commands pretty quickly so I am completely comfortable being on the field. The entire day was a real bonding experience for me and my teammates. I actually feel like a member of the team now!
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| Miyuki! |
After we won our second game, there was another match before the closing ceremony. A lot of pictures were taken, and each team was awarded a certificate along with a box of chocolate desserts (oishii!). They were gone before we got on the bus. Inbetween train stations, I had the chance to eat out with some of my teammates. I had ramen (again) and fried chicken and shrimp along with the most delicious rice I've eaten since I've been here. Then we boarded the train for to Nara. It felt so good when I finally got back to my dorm and was able to take a shower! It was a pretty hot day and we were outside the entire time so I am thoroughly exhausted.
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| We will play for chocolate! |
My team taught me a lot of new things today, not only about Japanese language, but about Japanese soccer and group dynamics. I think I am beginning to understand more and more everyday the concept of "harmony" that the Japanese value so much.
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