Its been over a month since I last posted anything and I guess that is a sign of how full on life has been for me. A lesson I will take from this is don’t leave it so bloody long to post stuff cause it all backs up…I’ll try after this post to keep the updates shorter….there’s a lot to pack into this one so please forgive me for the length.
It’s nearly 7pm on Boxing Day night. It’s cold but dry outside, I’ve got a rather large (and strong) White Russian for company and my head is swimming with memories and thoughts of the past month. Earlier today I pushed 10 miles and now feel somewhat redeemed for indulging joyously over the past few days. It’s been a quiet Xmas but I have nonetheless enjoyed it. Shit we did some eating though. Maybe more on that later, we’ll see how we go.
The last time I posted I was about to head back to NZ for 10 days. This was a bittersweet experience for me. I had a wonderful time with friends and family but I did have to question my decision a few times. I know that the decision to leave is a good one but when it came to the crunch of saying goodbye it was really hard man. There were many a lump in my throat and tears of course but hey, I’ve done this before and I know the pain of saying goodbye is short lived and people just get on with their lives. I wonder how many people don’t make the most of life because of the fear of saying goodbye?
I guess this is why I’m doing this blog. I know it was hard for my closet friends and my family to say goodbye. This blog is my way of showing them, and you, that I am making the most of this opportunity and that it’s not just a whimsical decision. I owe it to you all to do this well and so far I think you will agree that it’s going pretty well.
Apart from visiting friends and family I went back to NZ to perform at the Attitude Awards. I’ve never “performed,” before so I was kinda shitting myself. 4 other Wheel Blacks and I were to open the night with a Haka. For the past 2 years the girls opened the night with stunning displays of their abilities. This time it was the boy’s turn. All this was featured in a documentary and will hopefully be up on the Attitude Pictures website soon.
We had 8 weeks to rehearse and I reckon by week 4 we had it down. The next 4 were aimed at perfecting it and trying to look mean. I spent quite a bit of time in the bathroom mirror trying to look ugly and mean, without looking stupid. In the end I decided that whatever I did I just had to do it with 100% commitment cause even if I look weird people will know how serious I was about the performance.
Ok I’ll be honest with you; I’m a white, pasty, redhead doing a war dance that’s usually down by fierce Maori warriors. I didn’t wanna f@#k it up in front of 500 people. I’ve never performed before and I really wanted to show everyone that the Wheel Blacks are the real deal. I guess I wanted to show myself that getting out of the comfort zone is really important now and again too. Below is a sample of what we did and the meaning behind it.
We are chiefs Tenei Nga Rangitira
Emerging from the dark Whakaputa it e Po
Challenging the world Werohia it e Ao
For we are force to be reckoned with Tutaki mai ki o tatou Kaha
With our Heart and Soul Toku Manawa Toku Wairua
We are as one Kotahitanga
We are Warriors Toa
Beware! Kia Tupato Ra
Emerging from the dark Whakaputa it e Po
Challenging the world Werohia it e Ao
For we are force to be reckoned with Tutaki mai ki o tatou Kaha
With our Heart and Soul Toku Manawa Toku Wairua
We are as one Kotahitanga
We are Warriors Toa
Beware! Kia Tupato Ra
I just want to say a huge thanks to Ramon Tewake for being an angel. But the biggest thanks of all go to the boys Marino Taiatini & Parai Sweden Parai. These guys choreographed the haka and have become like family to me. I love these guys and wish them all the best with their latest gig – J Geek & The Geeks. Check them out on You Tube. Maori Boy I’ll never forget the deep words of advice Mudz gave me…”Aw bro don’t worry about the actions so much just work on being ugly!” Chur my bro Blew!!!!
The night was a massive success once again. Everyone was not only blown away by how ugly I was but the achievements of the finalists were sublime. You can check out the show at the Attitude Pictures website.
So from there it was merely a few days before I headed to Japan for the real start of my adventure.
The worst part about saying goodbye is turning around and walking through the Immigration gates at the airport. I hate it. I know my parents wouldn’t have it but I’d prefer to say the goodbyes elsewhere and go to the airport on my own. It’s such a bizarre feeling. You sneak a look back and they all walk off back to their lives and I sit on a bloody plane for 9 hours thinking about it.
The flight to Narita was awesome. Air New Zealand is world class when it comes to the comfort of their passengers. The food was superb and the having your own TV in the back of the seat is honestly, invaluable.
Small problem when I got out of customs to meet my friend…he wasn’t there….oh shit! The winds were really strong and his train from Sendai was cancelled. So he sent his friend to help me out. Normally when I travel to Japan I’m sweet on my own but this time I had my massive bag with me + my rugby chair and a wheel bag. Thank goodness he sent a tiny wee Japanese girl who couldn’t speak any English.
Narita Airport is an hour or so out of Tokyo so you need to take a long train ride to get anywhere near close to Tokyo. Kinda inconvenient being so far out of town at a major international destination. Yoshimi got me to Tokyo Train Station then left me to tackle the 2-hour train ride on my own and Toru met me at Sendai with his wife and a few other helpers. I reckon next time I could do it on my own. I’ve been to Japan 4 times now so keen to give it a crack.
My purpose for being in Japan was to play wheelchair rugby for a team called Super Sonic out of Sendai in the North of Japan. This will be the 3rd time I’ve played for them. A great bunch of guys with a real family feel to the team. Wives and kids are an integral part of the team. We’re lucky enough to have a full stock of support staff too. It was really nice to have heaps of helpers on hand.
To prepare for Nationals a few days later Toru had organised an arduous training schedule starting the next morning at 0930. No time for any sort of sleep in. I guess it showed me how keen the guys were. That 1st session wasn’t so great for me but it got better as the week progressed.
In between training and dinner outings I didn’t do much at all. I knew Nationals would be tough so I decided to take it easy. Sightseeing was kept to a minimum. I’d already been to Sendai a few times before so nothing was really new to me. But I did find a few wee gems.
I wrote quite a few years ago about my time here and one thing I talked about was side street’s. They fascinate me. Sometimes you are on the main drag and you see a side street. Well sometimes it can just be a side street but other times a side street can open up to be a great little find. I have had my best meals, scored some great clothing deals a ended up extremely drunk down the most wonderful of side streets. Sendai was no exception.
One time I saw a second hand clothes shop I really wanted to go into. It was on the 1st floor with no apparent way to get in. quite proud to say that my diligence and lack of fear of side streets enabled me to find an entrance with a lift and I got to check out the shop. The Japanese are outrageously fashionable and some of the clothes in this place were pretty out there. What’s up with wearing glasses with no lenses in them or pink tight jeans? Good to see that my penchant for wearing flannelette shirts is common in Japan.
The other lil find I came across was a gem of a restaurant. It was freezing cold, starting to rain a bit and I found this cool place that served this awesome soup. By the end of the soup I was feeling like a shot of whiskey before heading back out into the cold. I asked for some Japanese whiskey and instead of a shot on ice she gave me a full glass of whiskey! I’m not a huge whiskey drinker but this was quite nice. Needless to say I was there a while but the only downside of getting drunk in a city you don’t know that well is trying to get back to your hotel without getting lost. Hehe it was kinda fun.
Side streets are where real life happens. I love the rough and ready side of it all. One day though I reckon I might turn down a street I probably shouldn’t go down. Actually I’ve been in that situation before but that’s another story.
The best thing about my times in Japan is hanging with Toru and his family. I met Toru back in 2001 in Christchurch. He hosts me every time I come to Japan and his hospitality is unmatched.
One night we had a family dinner with his brother’s family, his mum and a few friends. We all piled into Toru’s tiny apartment and had Okonomiyaki and holy shit was it delicious. I asked Toru’s 6 year-old-son to show me his toys in his bedroom but what he showed me was his mum and dads bedroom. I said nah nah show where your room is. He said I am, this is where I sleep, my toys are out in the lounge area…I’m like a bit confused at this so I asked Toru about it. Toru’s apartment is so small that he and his wife, Chiho, have to sleep in the same bed as Jake….imagine that. He paid good money for his place too. My impression of Japan is that the people are pressured to work way to hard and their living costs are huge.
Toru works his ass off. He’s a c5 quad and gets up at 5am every morning to be at work by 0830. He sometimes doesn’t leave until 7pm. He works at the tax office and in summer they have no air conditioning and no heating in winter. As a quad that’s tough conditions to work in man. But he’s got a family to provide for. Chiho is a nurse and works equally hard. They’re good people and I feel for them….it just doesn’t seem like living to me. What’s the point of it all????
By this time training was going well. I was starting to get to know some of the other lads. All good fellas. Getting to know the boys you find out their stories. One of the lads was a cameraman and was skiing one day shooting a guy on the snow. He was skiing backwards and slammed into a tree, breaking his neck and giving himself a good ole whack to the melon. But after asking him about his head injury he told me he didn’t have one…ooops I swallowed a bug. Nah but he said his coordination was affected somewhat…
Some of you will know about the Japanese mural I have tattooed on my back. This design was inspired after a trip to Osaka Castle a few years ago. While there I found a picture of a Japanese Samurai called Masumene Date – The One Eyed Dragon. To cut this story short he was called this cause he only had one eye that worked and he was a feared and brutal warrior from Sendai.
For my tattoo I incorporated some of Masumene’s story into my own. You see (that’s a pun hehe) I only have one eye that works also. I consider some of the things I have overcome in my life victorious battles. I am by no means a fearful warrior but I have a spirit inside me that rivals anyone. We also have Sendai as a common theme. And so the scene on my back depicts Masumene in the throes of a battle scene in a way that I too have fought similar, modern day battles – my accident, losing the World Champs final in 06, break ups with fiancé’s, death of my Poppa etc.
We had a day off training so Toru and one of the lads, Kuma, took me to the Masumene Date Museum. It was awesome. They had wax statues of MD depicting his life story from childhood to death. I learned so much about him and totally reinforced my decision to get my tattoo. It was a great day.
That night I got to eat a delicacy know to Sendai, cow tongue! Can’t say it was my cup of tea but when in Rome I suppose. It was quite rubbery, fairly tasty but I was just the thought of it that put me off a bit.
Nationals were in Chiba, just out of Tokyo. It was a 5-hour drive to get there, through 5pm Tokyo traffic….and ah yeah. The weird thing about the drive was the lack of open space. In NZ or Australia when you drive form one town to the next there is often big wide-open spaces, farms and shit. But this trip saw very little of that. I mean it wasn’t just town and city the whole way but there was no feeling of wilderness or nature. I like a bit of nature.
We ended up coming 3rd at Nationals and I couldn’t be more proud of the lads. It was tough but I really enjoy playing with these fellas. They’re not the best in the world but there sure as hell keen. My part was to teach them a few things but I reckon they might’ve helped me more than they know.
Before I headed onto Austin, Texas, I spent a few days in Tokyo. Well the first day was a travel/hangover day so not much to report there. Spent 41 hours on trains but got to see Asakusa which is where some really big and cool temples are in Tokyo.
The next day I chilled out, watched the UFC and then went out on my own. I’m not great on my own I’ve discovered. I get bored of myself very quickly. Plus I was still hung-over. We partied pretty hard after Nationals and it honestly takes me 3 or so days to recover.
I stayed in a flash hotel in Ikebukuro, which is not far from Shinjuku and Harajuku. I’d been to both places before but I really wanted to check out Harajuku again. You might’ve seen the Harajuku girls. They dress up in crazy outfits and live a fantasy kinda lifestyle. They usually gather on Sundays at the train station. I missed that but if you take a stroll down Takeshita Street you are bound to get a taste of the stuff they like. It’s pretty out there but really cool.
Getting to Harajuku is no problem if you’re in a wheelchair. Just look confused and someone comes to your rescue. Train stations in Tokyo are intense so I just played innocent lil handicap boy and I was chauffeured to my train and met at the other end….ha-ha suckers…you see there are benefits.
My last day was spent with Nobu, Toru’s long time friend who lives in Tokyo. He picked me up from the hotel in his brand new Audi TT sports car. This car was so small I had to get my luggage couriered to the airport. This car was sexy man. Fast, powerful, cranking sound system, fast, and built for going fast…it was a fast car. Perfect for driving around the packed streets of Tokyo. We barely got over 50km/h. It seemed like a huge waste. This thing was itching to bust out onto a freeway or something and here we were, sitting at a sets of lights for 10 mins. At least Whitney Houston and Back Street boys made it easier to get through….yeah whatever. Ole Nobu had no other music apart from the Bodyguard sound track and Back door boys….but hey who can say they drove around Tokyo for the day in a super phat sports car!
Nobu was graceful enough to drop me off at the airport where my nightmare began. I won’t bore you with it but lets just say United Airlines has terrible service internationally and allow yourself more than 2 hours to transfer at San Fran airport. My bags never turned up in Austin. I didn’t care I just wanted to get home….they turned up the next day….Fuck United. I mean who doesn’t have TV’s in the back of the seats, serves dog shit for meals, there seats are so small even for me and I swear the airline staff average age was 71. United, that’s who.
The last 2 weeks have been a mix of training and drinking…not much to report there sorry. I will say though, Austin I love you.
Keep locked in peeps cause I have adventures in Dallas, Puerto Rico, Phoenix, and rugby 7’s in Vegas comin up…I’ll keep you posted.
Love your work. Oh Merry Christmas Y'all.
Peace!
