Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Hotels and Sightseeing/Baseball

I'll be in hotels for the next few weeks with my family. We've been sightseeing, and plan to do plenty more. So far I've taken them to Nijo Castle, Gion Corner, Kaitenzushi (sushi on a conveyor belt), Okonomiyaki, Takoyaki, Mr. Donut, and numerous breads, coffees, and mochas.
The first thing we did that I had never done before was go out to Osaka and watch a Hanshin Tigers baseball game! It was really fun, very different than baseball in America. Fans have organized cheers and chants, and every player on the Tigers has his own chant for when he is up to bat. Because of this lively atmosphere, it was very easy to stay interested in the game the entire time, though it was unfortunate our Tigers lost. The three of us swore our allegiance to the Tigers before the game, so we're willing to stick out a few losses. There is also a more friendly atmosphere than in American baseball. Both teams' mascots were friends, and when a player on one team got hurt, even a player on the other team would check to see if he was okay, which I feel like I rarely see in American baseball. There was a little bit more of a Disney-type of feeling with the whole fans/mascots thing, but that's somehow justified by the fans' diehard attitude in supporting their team. Most people were chanting, most were wearing some kind of awesome combination of jersey or hat or towel. They either wear the towels around their necks or around their heads as bandanas, which I think are really cool. Having fans so into it made it a lot easier to have fun, maybe I can bring some of that atmosphere back to America!

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