World Series Champs and the Yule Tide Blues

Last weekend my favorite baseball team won a very unexpected world series. During the playoffs and during the world series I had my work computer set at ESPN.com reloading the scoreboard checking the scores. Each time we won and got a little closer to winning, I got more and more excited until finally I sat at home on Saturday afternoon and watched the game cast. We won and I was happy.

I have been a Cardinals fan ever since I can remember. I was born in St. Louis but I have only lived there for a small portion of a part of my life I cannot remember. However, my mother is a St. Louis native and my father grew up a Cardinals fan. Moreover, my mom's side of the family are huge cards fans. Needless to say, even though I never really lived in St. Louis, the Cardinals spirit has surrounded me my entire life. As a child I received signed baseballs and other priceless memorabilia from family members as gifts. Those are gifts that I plan on passing on to my children and grandchildren as heirlooms as well (I may possibly sell them if I ever get addicted to drugs or something like that).

However, while this weekend was great it was rather sad in a way. I have waited my entire life to see my team win a world series, and the year they actually do (a year that nobody had even thought they would at that) I happen to be in a place with no cards fans. Even though I lived in Seattle the two years before coming to Japan, my cell phone had free long distance and I could call my family and friends back in Missouri to bank in celebration. I wasn't able to do that this time. Instead, I sat in my messy room watching a bunch of x's and o's on my computer screen while drinking canned lattes. The Cardinals won, I made lunch by myself, and returned to my empty room. Honestly, it was more fun keeping track of the world series and having the anticipation and hope that they would pull it off. Once they finally did pull it off I had nothing to look forward to.

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In other news, I made the decision to stay in Japan for the holidays. Honestly, I really wanted to go home, but the price of tickets, length of travel, and lack of holidays kept me in Japan. As much as I hate Japanese Christmas and wished they didn't celebrate it (they celebrate it weird) I wish the day meant a little more to them so I could have that time off to go home and see my family.

Now I have to figure out something to do for my week off. I really really really don't want to stay in Gunma prefecture the entire week, so I'm thinking about places to go and things to do. I have a few options right now but I'm not sure how much I'll be able to afford. Here's a list, after number one I really have no preference to which one I decide on.

1) Sapporo and Hokkaido. This would be ideal. Hokkaido is the only main island I have yet to visit. Moreover, I like spending the holidays in a cold climate and this would be perfect...lots of snow and cold beer. However, Hokkaido is pretty hard to get to when you're on a budget, especially around the New Years holiday when airline companies jack up their ticket prices. Looking at prices, I'd have to pay over 50,000 yen for a round trip airplane ticket. Probably not happening.

2) Kanazawa. I've heard and read a lot of good things about Kanazawa. I like going to old Japanese cities, temple hopping, and absorbing the local flavor. Kanazawa doesn't seem too expensive but I don't know if I'll be able to spend more than 2 days there without getting bored.

3) Kansai. The area of Japan where I used to live. A trip to Kansai would be spent visiting old friends and hanging out in Kyoto a lot. If I do go down to Kansai though I'm going to make sure to visit the Bridge of Heaven--one of the three most scenic views in Japan! it's a really long land bridge that penetrates the sea and is surrounded by pine trees. At the top of the mountain you look upside down, with your head between your legs and the view is supposed to be amazing. I can totally see some old monk hundreds of years ago telling Japanese travelers to do that just to give him some cheap laughs back at the temple with his buddies. Anyway, The issue with Kansai would be too much time and money.

4) Skiing. I'm not a very good skier but I enjoy it. Also, one of my host families goes skiing in Nagano every January and I don't live very far from Nagano right now. It's quite possible I'd be able to meet up with them in the mountains and ski for a couple of days. It would be nice too because they still treat me like their own child and would probably pay for my hotel, lift passes, dinner, and even drop me off some place where I can easily get back home from.

5)Asia. I haven't looked into this very much but I recognize it as an option. However, the airline companys would have to be retards if they didn't jack up their international flights during the New Year holiday. But, if it's cheap enough and I can get a visa in time I may go to China, Hong Kong, Thailand, or Malaysia.

6) Tokyo area. Maybe stay at a hostel in Tokyo for a night or two, head to Kamakura for a night, and then tour the Izu Peninsula. These are both places I have designated as weekend trips; but with 10 days off I could do it all. I want to see Kamakura for similar reasons that I want to see Kanazawa...it's an old historical Japanese city. This means that there will be lots of souvenir shops and chances to take my picture.

7) Mount Fuji. I don't know if you can climb it during this time of year but it's something I want to try. I know January is probably hell; but a lot of people climb Fuji san...to say you climbed it in the worst of the seasons may sound crazy, but I think it could be something to brag about.