Hurry... HARD!

Hey guys!

So owning a computer hasn't helped my blogging habits any... gomen nasai (that means I'm sorry, one of about 10 phrases I've mastered in over two months living in Japan). Anyhoo, life is continuing to buzz by at an alarming rate here. I passed my probation period at work, which means I can now request shift swaps (and I also get paid an extra $200 a month!). I've been continuing to explore the massive conglomerate that is Tokyo and finding many interesting locales. Inokashira Park in Kichijoji is one of my favourites, it envelopes a large pond/small lake, is home to many swans, and reminds me greatly of the park in Stratford. Yesterday I wandered around Asakusa, a neighbourhood which has rather more pornographic billboards than I expected for a place that is widely renowned for its temples and children's amusement park.

My greatest adventure of the past 10 days or so was the one I took on Thursday. The previous Monday I had discovered that the Pacific Curling Championships were being held this week in Tokyo. Curling! In Tokyo! So Thursday morning I headed out for Higashi-Fushimi, a city that had the distinct feel of a North American suburb. It could have been Thornhill. Anyway, the rink was easy to spot from the train station and I revelled in breathing in the fresh, articifically chilly air and the smell of the ice as I entered. I joined about 200 Japanese curling fans, who, though considerably less rowdy than the typical Canadian curling crowd, seemed nevertheless quite knowledgable about the sport (at least they knew to applaud the achievement of a blank end). Teams from New Zealand, Australia, Japan, South Korea, China and Taipei competed for the chance to enter the World Championships later this year. The level of play certainly wasn't that of the Brier, and I think that even I might have been a useful addition to the Taipei team (who lost 10-1 to China in only 6 ends- ouch), but some decent shots were made, especially by the Kiwis and the Aussies, who actually aren't Kiwis or Aussies at all, but rather ex-pat Canadians and Scots. Figures. However, the greatest part of the day was the discovery that, like Coca-Cola and McDonald's, the phrase "hurry... HARD!!!!" has crossed the chasms that separate cultures and achieved universality. Regardless of whether they spoke Japanese, Korean or Mandarin, every one of the players on the ice had mastered the language of Curling.