This morning was a little sad. Our host families came to see us off and I got to see Hiromi-san, Naho-chan, and the boys for the last time. I gave the boys one last piggy-back ride and twirled them around until none of us could stand up. Before too long, it was time to load up the bus. We said our last farewells, gave out a few hugs and handshakes, and waved a lot when we left the bus. Our last view was of Kajihara-san waving a final good-bye.
The trip back to Kameoka was quite a long. Fortunately a few of us decided to stop in Osaka to see a game of soccer. The match was Cerezo Osaka vs. the Yokohama F Marinos (and I still have no earthly idea what that is). Of course none of us had a stake in the game, we just wanted to have the same experience and scream and yell a little just as we had at the Hanshin Tiger’s game. When we got there, Rebecca freaked out because the team colors were pink and blue and she is a Kappa Delta whose colors are pink and green.
The stadium was a fairly large one with a capacity of 50,000 or so. Today, it was at most about a quarter full. We sat in the home team section a couple of sections down from the hard core fans. They didn’t seem as excited as the Hanshin Tiger’s fans. Of course, soccer is different than baseball. In baseball you know when your team is up and you can organize group cheers a little bit better. There was one cheer that was familiar though. Whenever there was a kick off or when they had to throw the ball back they would make the “whoo” sound and even raise their hands just like the Hog Call. When the ball was put into play, everyone when “hey!”
I kind of wish we had sat with other team, they had a great team spirit. It seemed as if they were cheering and jumping up and down for the entire game and they usually were louder than the local fans.
It seems like we are the harbinger of doom for the local teams. As with the Hanshin Tigers, Osaka lost 0-1 to the Yokohama team just like the Tigers. Maybe we’re just good luck for Yokohama.
After the game we worked our way back to Kameoka where after a little laundry we played a little poker. Not a good night for me though, I swear I never got anything better than a 4 of clubs and a 9 of hearts. Maybe next time.
Tomorrow, down on the farm Japanese style.