Opposites Attract (Pt.1)

"And we back

And we back

And we back"

That's the opening to the song "All We Got" Chance The Rapper off his latest project Coloring Book. Overseas With A Carry On is indeed back with another brief look into the day-to-day life of playing hoops across the waters!

Sticking with the music theme, if you don't know who these guys are you're:

A) Too young to have heard their music growing up. 

B) Not a huge fan of old school rap

C) Too old to recall 

Whichever sad excuse you chose (oh yes, I do mean sad), allow me to introduce you to Kris Kross. As a late 80s baby who grew up in the 90s, Kris Kross to me was what Kylie Jenner is to the teenage population today....... Okay maybe not to the same extent, but you see where I'm going with this.

They were young, they were hip, they had their own swag (that typically means style of dress for you Generation X folks) and simply put: you wanted to be like them. The baseball caps & jerseys along with the baggy jeans. Everything worn backwards or inside out - inverted.

Let's take a good look at that word right there, inverted...

invert
verb
past tense: inverted; past participle: inverted
ɪnˈvəːt/
put upside down or in the opposite position, order, or arrangement.

It seems "Kris Kross" was the perfect name for this dynamic duo and if there was any one word in the english dictionary to describe the Japanese way of life, it would without a shadow of a doubt, be inverted.

Uniforms

Let's start with our home and away game uniforms; by looking at this picture, can you identify in which frame my team was 'home' and in which my team was 'away'?

If you guessed left was home and right was away..congratulations. You played yourself. 

In just about every other country, the home team is the lighter coloured jersey (usually white) and the visiting team is the darker coloured jersey. Well, not here in Japan! On the left of the photo above, my teammate #20 Richard Roby is donning our white uniforms but we are the visiting team. Conversely, on the right #47 Tasuku Namizato in our red unis is the on the home team. I still have yet to get a clear cut reason as to why this is, but it is what it is.

Each player on this team is in charge of his own jersey; that means washing, packing for home/road games, etc. My biggest fear is that after all these years of white jerseys meaning home and coloured jerseys meaning away, one day I'm going to lazily pack for a road game and bring my red jersey and be SOL.

Editors Note: I'm currently typing this post as I pack for a road game. No need to worry, I packed my whites.

Driving Ms.Daisy

This is what driving looks like over here. Everything is flip-flopped. 

• We drive on the left side of the road and the steering wheel is on the right side of the car. 
• The "slow lane" is the left and the passing lane is on the right. 
• Left turns are short turns and right ones go against traffic.

This is my 3rd year in Japan and just earlier this week I found myself nonchalantly making a right turn out of a parking lot into the right lane. Luckily I caught myself before any on-coming traffic could sense that it was I, a gaijin (Japanese for 'foreigner') behind the wheel.

I couldn't imagine trying to drive a stick-shift over here. Hitting the clutch with one foot, while manning the gears with the opposite hand. All that "left-brain, right-brain" stuff would cause an accident for someone not able to process the changes quick enough. Not to mention, your blinker is on the right of the steering wheel and your windshield wiper is on your left. On the bright side, at least the brake is still the left pedal and the accelerator is the right one.

I hope I've shed a bit of light into the quirky daily experiences that often fall on deaf ears. No one speaks about these minute details, we all tend to focus on the obvious cultural disconnects. I've got a few more things that I find backwards that I'll reveal in the next update! Stay tuned!

As always, please drop a comment if you have any questions or topics you'd like me to discuss. Feedback is always welcome.  If you're enjoying the journey Overseas With A Carry On, tell a friend to tell a friend. Until the next time my fellow followers, wherever you are in the world, keep on keeping on.

#OWACO

To be continued...

P.S. A part 2 of this will be the next follow up..This should be dropping in the next week or so. :-)

Relax your mind, let your conscience be free...

Hey you - yes, you.  Bienvenido to Overseas With A Carry On. If it's not your first time, thank you for returning.

I've got something I need to get off my chest......

*Dramatic Pause*

Japanese hotels - why must everything be so small!? I'm totally one for efficiency and being compact but at 6'6",  I think it's fair to say I don't fit the average one-size-fits-all. I like a little elbow room; a little space to maneuver. I guess it's safe to say you won't find me driving a Smart car.

If you click here, you will be directed to a breakdown of the many types of hotels and accommodations offered here in Japan. Contrary to the NBA, we do not stay at the Ritz-Carltons, the Four Seasons or any other luxury suites. One would say we're on the modest side of things. According to the link above, we frequent what you would call a "business hotel." Convenient. Practical. When it states it's "small" and "no frills", believe me, that is no exaggeration!

If you're above average height then you know exactly what struggles I'm faced with each road trip. Showers that never reach eye level, door frames that force you to duck or most importantly, miniature sized beds.

I think the perfect bed size for me would be a queen. If I wasn't being bashful, maybe a king...this looks to be about a full. When I slept sprawled out, my feet definitely hung off the edge of this bed. Luckily for me (I think) the majority of the time, I sleep in the fetal position. I mean, how do you really know what you look like when you're asleep?

On the contraire, for those who are (how do I put this nicely) height-challenged, it is everything you want in a hotel. All rooms come with the usual amenities that you'll find at your standard hotel but, many of these business hotels have one perk that (no pun intended) trumps your Holiday Inn Express...

   

My oh my, what do we have here!? This is what the Japanese call an onsen, otherwise known as a hot springs. If you don't care to know the difference, well then, you'll simply call it a hot tub. Traditionally, onsens were used as public bathing areas. The water would be heated geothermally due to, in most cases, the presence of volcanic activity and thus readily heated and available. So in the truest essence of the word, onsens are found outdoors. Pictured above is a makeshift indoor replica that I'm 99% sure didn't receive its water from a natural geyser. 

Just as within the Nordic countries where the sauna culture is very prevalent, onsens are a staple in Japan. A crucial reason for having these public baths at business hotels is due to the Japanese work culture. Simply put, they work tirelessly! Many begin work before 9am and finish much later than 5pm; according to some, leaving "on time" can be a sign of disloyalty. With such hectic work hours, a place to sit back, relax and bask in the ambience of heated waters and peace is more a necessity than it is a luxury. There's nothing quite like sitting in one of these chest-deep and walking out feeling like a new man(or woman); rejuvenation at its best!

What's in store for the next post you ask? Hmmm, who knows, perhaps we'll dive into sushi, or driving on the opposite side of the road.  Maybe, just maybe, I'll teach you how to speak Japanese...Okay, I went a little too far with that.

In any case, peace and happiness until we meet again.

If you enjoy the OWACO blog, please feel free to drop a comment, share it via your social media or just continue to support and read. 

Thank you joining the journey and walking with me Overseas With A Carry On!

#OWACO