Japan: Day 3

 Today we do Bonsai.

 

One of my heads thinks Bonsai is deformed, stunted and unhappy plants. I prefer plants as an indispensable part of a sustainable environment. I love plants that provide safety and food for fauna. Plants that need fauna for food in order to reproduce.

My other head thinks of the people living midst of Tokyo. To them a potted bonsai is a thing of beauty and a connection with the natural environment.

 

We also visit a local shrine.
People wander in. No official day or time.

Guide: People go to shrine when they want help. Having exams or stress. Go and ask the Gods for help.
Family cemeteries surround the shrine.
Goes to oldest son. He maintains the family plot.
Shinto worship ancestors. Many have a shrine in their home. Every morning respects to ancestors before leaving home.
Most live as Shinto and die buried as Buddhist.

Japan: Day 2

 Our group consists of five Aussies, one American, two Londoners and a guide who regularly changes her persona.

 

Guide: At school we are always told to think of others. You don’t know what you want.

 

Harmony is praised above individual differences. 

 

Me: Do you think of other people?

Guide: Yes 

Me: Do you think of the environment? 

Guide: Yes keep it clean. Don’t leave any rubbish. 

Guide: School kids have to clean the toilets after school. Car owners all clean their car at the end of every day.  

 

Tokyo is devoid of rubbish. No rubbish or rubbish bins.

 

One of us Aussies uses the word bogan which leds to quizzical looks from non-Aussies.

 

We have to define the bogan.

 

Me: For a bogan their favourite food is pizza and chips. Pizza and salad if you are an intellectual.
Tourist: I have both.
Me: That’s called fusion.

Tourist: Confusion.

Me: A bogan has tatts. A gluten-free vegan, new-age intellectual has body art.

Me: A bogan wears black singlet and jeans. A teal-coloured, sensitive woke wears organic natural happy pants.

Japan: Day 1b

We wander around Tokyo and serendipitously arrive at the National Museum of Modern Art.

Replete with exciting, interesting modern art.

Japan: Day 1

 

Today we begin our group tour by having a day off.

A free day.  We spend the day experiencing Tokyo.

Japan: Day 0

 

After flying through the night and sleeping on the plane we arrive in Japan.

We spend the day tired and half-comatose wandering around Tokyo.

 

No road rage in Japan. I hear one driver use his horn. Just to make sure it still works.

Birds of Tokyo. The story is their name comes from the time the chart-topping group was in Japan. Somebody told them there are no birds in Tokyo. They said we will be the Birds of Tokyo. After wandering around Tokyo aimlessly I see very few birds or animals of any sort. I see occasional stray birds and a few toy dogs.

Tokyo is an endless mass of buildings and people.

How do the people survive? They need food, shelter, jobs, money and happiness.

The days of blindly following the Emperor are gone.

The days of following their job are going.

We see young people filling the streets waiting to enter Western fashion shops and spend money.

Late afternoon we meet our guide and our hotel.

 

These posts about Japan are not all grammatically correct. They were written as postcards. Scribbled in situ.  They are all idiosyncratic impressions of a visitor to Japan. 

The Cornelian Bay Boathouses say g’day mate.

The Cornelian Bay Boathouses

say g’day mate.

How you going?

The Cornelian Bay Boathouses

say g’day mate.

You can make this pebble dance.

I’ll show you. Give you a chance.

This pebble looks good. Throw it like this.

Wow four times. That was a good throw.

What color will I draw them? You said.

Orange blue, brown, black, green or red?

I’m drawing the great big  yeti

That lives under the jetty.

My aim is to throw this metal tube as far as I can...

 

Ancient Olympic Games:

Two javelin events. Distance and accuracy.

The javelin was thrown with a thong. Spinning javelin.

 

Modern Olympic Games

1908 Olympics: Javelin began for men.

1932 Olympics: Javelin began for women.

 

Initially the rules changed continuously.

Two handed version. Thrown with each hand and two throws added together.

No run-up version.

No holding javelin at centre of gravity.

Javelins made of wood with a steel tip.

 

1986: IAAF announced modern javelin rules.

1991: Modifications using holes, rough paint or dimples), were forbidden.

Current IAAF rules:

Hollow metal javelin.

Nonorthodox techniques are not permitted. The javelin must be held at its grip and thrown overhand, over the athlete's shoulder or upper arm. The elbow must come through first. The tip of the javelin must hit the ground before any other part of the javelin. The point of impact must be inside the sector lines to be a valid throw.

The athlete is prohibited from turning completely around or starting with their back facing the direction of the throw.

The javelin is thrown towards a throwing sector that is centered on the center point of the throwing arc.  A throw is only legal if the tip of the javelin lands within this sector and first strikes the ground with its tip before any other part.

 

Tokyo Olympics

Men:                    87.58

Neeraj Chopra              India                             Gold

Jakub Vadleich             Czech Republic             Silver

Vitezslay Vesely           Czech Republic             Bronze

 

Women               66.34m

Liu Shiyina                    China                   Gold

Maria Andrejczyk         Poland                 Silver

Kelsey-Lee Barber        Australia              Bronze

 

World Record

Jan Zelezny                             Czech Republic            98m           1996

Barbora  Spotakova              Czech Republic            78m           2008

 

When Jeff Thompson, the famous fast bowler, was young he was a champion javelin thrower. He won NSW under age titles.

My aim when I throw the javelin is to imagine I am bowling a cricket ball.  Bowling I understand and are familiar with. 

I do a few practice throws. A lady, Nic, says: You have to throw the javelin. Not bowl it. Carry the javelin with a straight arm and throw it with a bent arm. Cary the javelin with your hand at eye level. Imagine you are throwing a cricket ball. Not bowling it.

I try and carry and throw as Nic says. I have trouble running and holding the javelin with a straight arm. Nic says okay carry the javelin with your hand at eye level with a bent arm and straighten your arm the last few steps before the throw.

I throw as Nic says. My conclusion. She knows what she is talking about. She is helping me throw the javelin further.

Nic is one of a group of people trying to throw a long piece of metal further. I love this group of people. I love the fact their aim is to throw a javelin as long as possible. You could say their aim is pointless or the javelin is pointless but I disagree.

They are all healthy. Physically, emotionally, socially and mentally. They all have time to stand around.  They all have time to waste.

They all throw completely differently. The throws vary considerably. From long to quite not as long. From a beautiful landing to flopping and skidding. From in the throwing sector to foul.

Also everybody has a different back story. Some have thrown the javelin forever. Some threw when younger, had a break and returned recently. Some are like me. My back story is at the age of 64 I decided to throw a long piece of metal as far as possible.

In the process I have learnt much about myself and encountered an amazing group of people all with the same aim. Of learning more about themselves by trying to improve their javelin PB.   

 

 

 

Hobart half Marathon

 I wake up. 

Beside my bed my running clothes and shoes wait.

I fumble in the dark. Now dressed for running.

“Can you drop me off as close as possible? A lot of the roads will be closed.”

Goodbye and good luck.

It’s cold. Below 10 degrees. I put on an old shirt. To wear for the last time. I walk behind a couple of young runners. Dressed like me.

“The marathon. Full or only half?”

“Half.”

“It’s not only a half. It’s a lot.”

“Yes.”

As we wander more and more people join our peloton. Which eventually becomes a crowd of people mingling on the docks. Runners wandering meet and greet. Volunteers stand in colorful jackets behind tables waiting. The start line is large and ignored.

Who can I talk to?

Talking happens when a man reads my bib and reads my name.

“Where you from?”

Most of the people are from Hobart or Queensland.

The banana benders are expecting a hard hilly course.

The announcer speaks and a crowd of jostling stretching anxious runners is formed and listens to the countdown. I head for the back. For me running to learn something. Not running to win. I can learn better if I am calm and relaxed. And completely aware of my surroundings and myself. Legs and chest feel good.

The front runners start running. Watch and wait for the millipede of running legs to flow back to me. I’m off.

Around Evans Street. Easy. Now up by the circus. Onto The Domain. Past my tennis club. Up a road. I know every bend. Every tree. Every bird. This is easy. I know where we are going. Around my deserted parkrun track. No flags or volunteers standing.

This is the highest part of the run. All downhill from here.

I seem to be running at the same speed as a guy in a wheelchair. I pass him uphill and he asses me downhill.

I say to him,” You’re going well. Keep it up.”

Perhaps they are right. There are a few hills.

Water cups and volunteers appear. I take two cups of water.

“Thank you.”

I pour one cup over my head and down my shirt.

Stay nice and calm and relaxed. I am not going to look at my watch until back at the docks. Until halfway.

My race begins at the docks. I have maps in my pocket of everything from the docks past the casino to the turnaround point.

Run past the 10k runners limbering up. A push bike and the leading 10k runners race past me. They are on another planet.

Gradually the 10k runners don’t seem to be running past me as quickly. I try and keep with them. They cause me to run faster. I am reminded of yesterday’s match. Surrounded by teammates playing well gives you confidence. You then play better and you give them confidence.

I run faster because I am surrounded by slightly faster runners.

I run next to a guy I talked to at the start.

He says, “Hilly course.”

I say, “See that mountain. Heard of the Point to Pinnacle. Now that’s a hilly course. That’s the meaning of the word hilly.”

We get distracted by our talk and The Docks appear. My prize is my wife and some relatives are by the finish line. The biggest cheer comes from my grandson.

I wonder if the winners got a prize as big as mine.

I search for a clock that tells me my time. Better than I thought. I must have done something right.