It's been one month to the day~ since we got back from this awesome trip!
See, we were there until the Children's Day celebrations on 3/3.
We had one day to open our suitcases and begin to get over our long flight. The following day was ONE big day! In the neighboring town, Zen's team Levanga had it's first of two games. Vs. Aishin (they call themselves "AISIN" but it's a misprint. It's pronounced AISHIN)
We lined up, Levanga fans on one side, Aishin fans on the other. Our lines were almost as long!
Food tucks outside helped
Mini basket ball team came in force and with signs for Zen!!! "Welcome back"! And old and new friends, and students! Yatabes (You can't see Sage behind Yoshie-chan)... across the way Tatsuro, and Sheon's long time friend Namiko and daughter in pink... the Inagaki clan... on and on. How many people for Levanga- and Zen?!
On his way into the game (above)...and when he's sitting with his team mates is even great for me to see. Can you see Ischin and Masumi sitting two rows behind Zen? Also, on the row behind them, all the way to the left past the masked woman is Zen's Coach, Sugiura-san from when Zen was little. 
The first game went into over time and lost by so little. 101-99
February 14th, 2016. Same place, versus Aishin again.
("Pocari Sweat" not made with perspiration, but obviously a popular sports drink!)
This Valentine's day game, Taka and I sat on the other side. Looking up to see a bunch of our friends, and this time all in white, were the older Mini-basket players. (When leaving after the game, a couple passing me did figure me out and say "Zen's Okaa-san?" )
But, Anita, Aya, Midori, Mihoko, Rikako and Jennifer there. Along with Chihiro and Stephen from Nagoya. I heard how some had never watched basketball, or it'd been quite awhile, yet they got the game quickly enough and cheering them on came easily. How cool is that!
(Anita's smiling for me! I love you woman!!!)
When I went upstairs at halftime to hang out with everyone, I took this pic of everyone behind the bench. Taka next to his dad... Shinji two rows behind sitting next to Kahori, and between Sayoko and Kahori two of Sayoko's co-workers. On the otherside of of Sayoko, two of Zen's childhood teammates from the Shooting Starts! Miura and Shohei!. AH and behind them, Yoshie's son Sage returned for a second game cause the first day was so fun, and next to him, Yari and Kana with baby.
This game Levanga won! The score pretty different from the day before. 68-61.
I loved seeing this one particular big baby of an Aishin player, #32, get passed by in
these few photos I took. See Zen make the play, and #32's eyes watching? Beating #32 (JR something or other) was one of the best parts of winning this game, in my simple mind!
I got a telephoto lens, and though I'm still not good at it, I get some fun shots anyhow! This was standing where Aishin was making a free throw. See the "fun" in it?! : )
These series of shots below, was when the team all noticed Motohiko dancing and enthusiastically celebrating the team's win. As usual, he's great entertainment too!
APPLAUDING Levanga!!!
And once again we get to see the players bow to everyone, their thanks.
I've missed this custom bowing, when watching basketball to the States
After the game Taka caught up with old friends of Zen's and team mate Tillman, getting this photo for them. Next to Zen is sister's good friend Namiko and her friend. Then on Tillman's right are two more great old friends of Zen's. The two boys came up to me during the game and
at first I couldn't recognize shy Daisuke! Shy no longer! Gamano, baller, yes, I knew him! I came up one these guys and the first 'mate of Zen's I got to be introduced to.
We had a week in Nishio after this to enjoy.
Ischin, he's so busy at Cafe Ocean most of the time, and wife Masumi, busy at her nursery school work, and growing their baby! Sometimes I am good at photographing, other times I'm lazy. I hate I didn't get better photos of these two!!!
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Ischin is not only a well known pizza chef, but now he's baking cinnamon buns for customer's "tea time"!! On one of his days off, Taka and I went to Kota to see him where his buns sold out~ at a little farmer's market of sorts, 100 buns sold!
He showed me this container he had build especially for carrying along the buns. Ohhhh, how I wanted to lick off all that sugary, cinnamon-y, nutty leftovers on the trays left behind in there!
Otherwise at Cafe Ocean, Ischin's pizza
continues to keep him full time busy. I'm so grateful to his co-pizza maker dear woman (I'm sorry, please tell me your name again!) (she went to one of Zen's games too!!)
This photo isn't mine, above, but the new construction for the pizza shop in front of the Dome restaurant, is such BEAUTIFUL wood set into the walls that now along with the new windows helps to keep out the cold bay winds! SO lovely!
I got to catch up with an old friend Hiroko-san! I got to introduce her to Sayoko-chan and Cafe Ocean. Hiroko reminisced about when Ischin was a 3 or 4 year old boy!
And then, by
Ischin's house is behind our most loved ramen shop GONKICHI! THREE times we got to eat there the eight nights we were in Nishio. This time with probably our longest lasting student at my english school, Rikako! Oh dear Rikako!
She used to teach piano to Naomi and Sheon back in... the '90's!!!
And together with Hiromi, another amazing old friend and was manager of our school!
AND crazy for basketball woman! Hiromi!!!
Oh, and then there's this one more long time student friend Kazuko!
She got me for one morning. I followed her around hearing the tour guiding in English, about where Nishio Castle is memorialized. Not far from where we lived. It's been rebuild and Kazuko did well!
I've never been a studier of history. But I enjoyed hearing about how this castle stood in Nishio. How there had once been a large moat surrounding this area.
I enjoyed meeting the landscaper who was so inviting. And saw this little labeled green tea planter box! (Nishio is big time famous for growing green tea)
Inside Kazuko ordered for us to get to have tea and sweets served traditionally. Oh, my, it's been quite a while since I've even tried to partake in this ceremony.
It was fun and lovely though. I've always resisted doing things like this when we have to obey so many rules. But for the fun of it, I played by the rules here. The green tea was nice, and the sweets too. But this darn tradition they make us eat the WHOLE sweet before we drink ALL the tea to wash it down with. Rather than do what I'd love: nibble and savor some sweet, then drink a sip of bitter tea, a little more sweet, more of the yummy tea, back and forth. But this time I aimed to enjoy their way. Eat the whole sweet, drink ALL the tea. Then at the end, you have to worry about turning the cup around the right way. I did have the nice women serving those to us, along with Kazuko guiding me happily, so it wasn't stressful. Kind of a first honestly!
Kazuko pointed out so many things. This for one: each of the four door was painted with a season. And then those little handles to open those doors, were little birds!
I'll never stop loving like this below. I know how hard they are to take care of. I know how cold it gets in winter. And how easy it is to stick your fingers through that paper, then have to paste patches of paper to mend the holes. But I'll have loved living with them more than anywhere else in my life.
We left Nishio for HAKODATE, a weekend there to see two more Levanga games, but also Taka found the BEST HOTEL room I have ever stayed in with our own private bath which both of us could bathe in together! at YUNOGAWA ONSEN HOTEL SHOEN
Well, no, I am driven crazy by these single futons couples are expected to sleep in. And no, even if they are pushed together they slide apart on those tatmai mats if one of us rolls into the middle. Also one little futon cover does not cover both of us. So the hotel does need to get modern that way!
I got to see Zen after one of the games, and never had seen him with these ice packs before. Got his number on them even! Btw, I had gotten that wool sweater by 'net mail before leaving California. I was really worried about the snowy cold. 100% wool from Scotland, and without even being aware of it, that color green is one of Levanga's colors!
Levanga won two more games in Hakodate. Then we were on the train for Sapporo. Ohhhhh the SNOW! It was cold, but we were prepared for real. One of our first stops in Sapporo was the Shrine we had visited our last trip, last Fall. "Winter Wonderland" was what kept coming to mind.
Walking around, we had great gloves to make snowballs with too. Taka would walk ahead of me, and I'd aim over his head right in front of him. Or I tried to hit trees, but then felt sorry for the trees, as if they don't have enough to bear with all the snow to hold up. I aimed for signs after that.
The way Japanese support the trees, helping them to stand up, being protected, and just loved, was one of the most special sights!
We had time to take another venture to the town of Otaru one day, famous for old style beer, scallops, and glass making. (Sapporo Beer was more to my liking finally).
The icicles were just so beautiful, I couldn't stop wanting photos of them!
This young man was aiming to convince us to hire him to bike us around to visit the old town.
...but that wasn't what Taka had had in mind.
Back in Sapporo we got to the Sapporo Museum, which was unfortunately closed for renovations : (
We were in time for TABEHYODAI, and NOMIHYODAI at their restaurant having JINGISKAN- mutton, cabbage, and onions were all that we grilled, but dipped in the sauce, and along with beer, we got our lunch fill in the ninety minute time limit we had.
On the subways we kept seeing Levanga's poster up there! I really, really wanted to tell strangers that was my son up there, if I'd been in the States I do believe I would have!
In Sapporo we did get a bit of time to hang out with Zen. One more soup curry we had together, there's one of the best restaurants serving that right down the block from his apartment.
The last two games in Sapporo Levango also won, Unfortunately Zen got really sick after the Saturday game, and wasn't able to go to the Sunday game.
It was so not the same without seeing him out there with the team. It took him a few days to get over, maybe it had been food poisoning?!
Oh, the fans! The woman with this bag, with Zen's design on it, and she had already sewed on the patch of him, and had Zen's button on it as well. She had noticed me earlier and handed me another popular item, a kind of pin that blinks red lights, She'd gotten one of Zen, and gave it to me!
Another diehard fan! She always has seats by the basketball net. I wonder if her some of her photos are what Taka has seen posted on Twitter. She's wearing the same design "You Already Know" on her shirt.
The Saturday Game, Zen didn't look sick at all. The team always has to make the rounds high fiving people. Someone gave him that cute colorful bag of-most likely- snacks. He's not been much of a snack eater at all, so you can imagine how they've accumulated at his apartment!
Taka and I'd stayed at this AirBnB. Where we had stayed the first trip, was when we got to meet Emiri in the black vest below. She introduced us to one of her friends who lived near this BnB. Emiri went to the Sunday game too, sad to miss getting to watch Zen as well.
Last one for the road, another one compliments of a fan!
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