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Broadcasting to an audience of three (and a goldfish)...
Comment, ramblings and musings... life through the eyes of a Japanologist...
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Saturday, June 15, 2002 |
 Well, one step closer to the final...
The commentators mentioned this, but it really does look like the vast majority of the Japanese people were supporting England, complete with shirts.
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Furthermore, absolutely the first thing that was said when the players came back on to the pitch was, 'It's standing up!'...
Can a hairstyle really be that interesting?
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The support from the commentators is so enthusiastic, I get the feeling that England is almost regarded as the second Japanese team
Of course, this is probably because of Beckham's hair. During the interval, the topic of conversation was the hair as much as the play. Indeed, at one point, it seemed that the commentators were trying to get the phrase 'Beckham hair' into every sentence!
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I've just had a telephone call from a friend in the Naval Base, down in Kagoshima! He's on duty, apparently, but I could the television in the background...
It's very pleasant when friends are anxious to remind me they're rooting for England, but more than that, I'm really glad that this tournament is becoming an opportunity to renew friendships.
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I wonder if it's safe to be confident of going through to the quarter-finals?- goal number three!
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It had to come!- the commentators have just mentioned that the rain is so heavy that Beckham's hair has 'fallen down' a little...!
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The rain is now a real downpour- it's like a screen of interference on the television. The players look like drownled rats. It's a little early for the rainy season that far north, I'd have thought, but I always wondered about the wisdom of holding the World Cup in japan at this time of year.
Beckham must be worrying about his hair at the minute...
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The conditions must be nightmarish, though. It's raining up in Niigata, and so it really will be like playing in a shower.
Still, for that sort of money, I'd stand- or even run around- in a shower for 90 minutes...
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The second goal!
I think the commentator was probably the most excited man in Japan, too, with a 'Yeah!' that lasted a good ten seconds! Owen scored, and of course the 'Wonderboy'- or, more correctly, 'wandaaaboi'- epithet was brought out- is he only called this in Japan?
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Of course, there's another reason for watching this match.
If England lose, I'll never be able to go to Andersen's Bakery in Hiroshima again!
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The two commentators are going on about 'Seaman hair' is popular among young people in Britain. Can this really be true? I mean, Seaman seems an excellent goalkeeper, but he can hardly be up there with the greats in terms of hairstyle...
Can he?
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It must be really difficult to commentate on a game where Denmark are playing. Or, I suppose, really easy. It seems that every player's name ends in 'son' or 'sen'...
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It must be psychologically very helpful to have a goal so early into the game, and I have to admit that even I feel a little euphoric- and that's without having opened the ice-cream.
But, having settled down a little, I want to mention a 'Japan moment' I experienced on the way back from Poplar. I rode past the kominkan, where the kagura practice could be heard, and there, on a completely still night, with no cars or other noise, and a beautiful crescent moon in a midnight blue sky, I could hear a single fue warbling its melancholy tune. It could have been Kyoto, a thousand years ago.
Of course, the fact that I knew who was playing- and what they were practicing- spoiled the image, but still...
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Actually, I missed the kick-off, and it wasn't entirely my fault. I was working on a report, and when I glanced at the Mac's menu-bar clock, it was 8.18. Well, one thing I've learned over these past two weeks is that football isn't football without beer and ice-cream (the latter being very marginally more important than the former), and so I grabbed my wallet and biked to Poplar as quickly as possible. I'd have been back in ample time, too, had it not been for the couple in front of me who took ages and ages to choose what box of cigarettes they wanted- and then another age to work out with what combination of coins and notes they should pay. I nearly told them I'd go first while they decided how much tar they wanted in their smokes- quite apart from anything else, the beer cans were cold and were making my hands numb- but the two looked slightly scary in a vaguely yakuza-sort-of-way, and so I stood and waited. And waited. They finally managed to work out that for a bill of 3218 yen, 3170 yen wouldn't be enough, and I got to pay, and raced home.
I walked in just seconds- literally, seconds- before the first goal!
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The excitement's building here now; the Denmark and England match is starting soon. I suppose it's in the back of my mind that there are no more chances if the team fails here...
Anyway, kagura practice is from 7.30 on Saturdays, but I'm missing it tonight. I'd only be there for 45 minutes, and the first thirty of those would be 'smoking time' anyway.
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Not like tsuyu
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Mull Historical Society
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Retaking South Georgia
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England Boys
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© Copyright 2003 Nathan Duckworth.
Updated: 8/1/03; 8:08:17 pm.
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