#BowsInJapan Travel Blog: Kyoto In The Rain

Lyla 1 year ago

Follow the Rainbow Warriors during their foreign tour through Japan as they play a series of exhibition games against professional, semi-pro and amateur squads while enjoying the beauty and culture of the Far East. The tour will take UH through Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Nagoya and Chiba.

Stay up to date with the team all trip long through the official Hawai’i men’s basketball social media accounts on Twitter (@HawaiiMBB), Facebook (HawaiiBasketball) and Instagram (@HawaiiBasketball)

 

DAY 6

Tuesday, August 15, The Prince Kyoto Takaragaike Hotel, 9:00 a.m.
Typhoon 7 has been downgraded to a tropical storm but there is flood warnings throughout the region with plenty of wind and rain. Unfortunately, that means the team’s original itinerary of visiting the many beautiful shrines and temples and seeing the magnificent architecture of Old Kyoto has been scrapped. Instead, a team meeting is held to review the on the court performance thus far in Japan.
 

Nishiki Market,  1:00 p.m.
It’s still wet outside, but the worst of the storm has passed and its safe to go out. Strength coach Tanner Hull leads a group of about eight players to the indoor markets of downtown Kyoto for some lunch and shopping. The group hits up Nishiki Market where they indulge in such delacacies as unagi, wagyu beef, crab tempura and yakitori chicken.
 



DAY 5

Monday, August 14, The Prince Kyoto Takaragaike, 8:00 a.m.
With a full itinerary of activities the ‘Bows haven’t practiced much on the court during this trip but they have been keeping their bodies fit as nearly the entire team engages in a voluntary workout at the hotel. In less than six hours, UH will play its second game of the tour against FE Nagoya.  
 

Nagoya, 1:45 p.m.
The team takes a two-hour bus ride up to Nagoya, stopping for a quick bite to eat before an early afternoon tip against FE Nagoya. The Fighting Eagles play in the B.League, the top tier of professional basketball in Japan. The game is classified as a closed scrimmage and due to league rules the score and stats from the game won’t be publicized. However, it’s safe to say that the scrimmage was a well-matched affair with each team enjoying some big spurts. After the game, UH heads back down to Kyoto and ponder what tomorrow will bring with a typhoon set to make landfall in Japan. The ‘Bows have plans to visit Kyoto’s landmark temples and shrines but that might all change depending on the severity of the storm. 


 

DAY 4
Sunday, August 13, Tokyo Station, 8:30 a.m

Bullet train time. The travel party checks out of its hotel and heads to Tokyo Station to catch the shinkansen to Hiroshima. The train goes at a speed of more than 200 mph and it’s a scenic four-hour ride ride that passes through Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka and Okayama before reaching the final destination of Hiroshima.

 


Hiroshima Train Station, 12:30 p.m.
UH arrives in Hiroshima to 94 degree weather and enjoy a bento lunch at a local restaurant The highlight of the meal is the okonomiyaki, a savory pancake dish served on a bed of yakisoba and topped with okonomiyaki sauce, mayonnaise and nori flakes.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial, 2:30 p.m.

The team’s lone purpose for making the four-hour trek to Hiroshima is an important one — to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. A landmark moment in World War II, more than 140,000 lost their lives  in Hiroshima with the dropping of the atomic bomb. Now designated a World Heritage Site, the memorial proves to be a profound experience for the team.

Kyoto, 7:30 p.m.

The team rolls into Kyoto where they will call home base for the next four nights. It’s been a long day of travel with nearly six hours spent on the bullet train and the team gets in a good dinner before settling into the hotel.

 


 


DAY 3

Saturday, August 12, Sheraton Miyako Hotel, 7:30 a.m.
It’s just over 12 hours since the ‘Bows first game in Tokyo but there’s no rest for the weary. The team has an early lift and stretch session with the strength coach Tanner Hull in the hotel fitness center for maintainence and recovery following the humid and hot conditions of yesterday’s game. 
 

 
Tsukiji Fish Market, 10 a.m.
The team heads to one of the most iconic spots in Tokyo, the Tsukiji Market. The players and staff spend a short time at the crowded, shoulder-to-shoulder market, but make the most of it, stopping from vendor to vendor while indulging in in such treats wagyu beef, unagi (eel), toro (fatty tuna), and some fresh fruit.


 
Ginza District, 11 a.m. 
Immersing in the culture is an important part of the trip and entire travel part partakes in a 90-minute course on sushi making conducted by Kawaii Cooking. It’s a fun experience with some finished products looking better than others (we won’t name names).  

 
Shibuya, 2 pm 
In their final day in Tokyo before heading south to Hiroshima on Sunday,  players and staff have free time for the rest of the day to explore Tokyo. Most head to the Shibuya district to enjoy the incredible shopping and food of the area.
 

 

DAY 2

Friday, August 11, Meiji Jingu, 10:00 am
The team visits Meiji Jingu, the largest shinto shrine in Japan. Over the course of the first three days of the year, more than three million people flock to the shrine. The players, staff, and UH fans accompanying the team walk through the torii (traditional Japanese gates) and make their way to the temple where they purify themselves and partake in traditional prayer ceremonies.

After the shrine visit,  the team walks through the nearby Harijuku district of Shibuya known as the center for youth culture and fashion. The temperature is over 90 degrees and the humidity is skyrocketing,but it doesn’t stop the team from walking the streets and grabbing a quick lunch before today’s game later this afternoon.

 


Saint Mary’s International School, 3:15 pm
Time for UH’s first game of the tour as UH takes on the Tokyo Samurai in Setagaya City, about 40 minutes from the team’s hotel. The Samurai is a club team made up of veteran pro players and rising amateurs. UH come out flat and trail by as many as 10 points in the first half before storming back for an 11-point win. Noel Coleman leads UH with 16 points while Yokohama native Akira Jacobs scores four points in his homecoming to Japan. After the game, he is greeted by his  mother Kyoko and sisters Maya and Marie.
 

 


DAY 1 

Sheraton Tokyo Miyako, Thursday, August 10, 5:00 am
They don’t call it the Land of the Rising Sun for nothing. Sunrise in August comes before 5 am in Japan and it’s brilliant. Numerous members of the travel party are up well before then as their bodies have yet to adjust to the massive time difference.
 

Tokyo American Club, 12:00 pm
The team takes seven separate taxis for a 15-minute ride to the Tokyo American Club for its first practice of the tour. Prior to the practice the ‘Bows conduct a free clinic for more than two dozen local children. The kids have a blast and so do the players and staff. After the clinic the team engages in a brisk 90 minute practice in preparation of its first game of the tour on Friday. 

 

 


Tokyo Dome, 6:00 pm 
The first organized excursion of the tour is a baseball game between the Yomiuri Giants and the Hanshin Tigers. A near capacity crowd at fills the Tokyo Dome and creates an unmatched game atmosphere between the two rivals. With the waving of giant team flags, ritualized chants, and flapping Thunder-sticks the energy of the crowd certainly is wholly unique and different from American baseball. A great way to end the first full day in Tokyo. 

 

 

TRAVEL DAY

Honolulu, Tuesday, August 8, 9:30 am.
The ‘Bows depart lower campus on the way to Honolulu International for a 1 p..m. flight to Japan. A total 14 players, along with about 10 staff members make up the travel party, along with athletics director Craig Angelos. The coaches’ wives and children have also joined the trip, along with a handful of loyal supporters, making for a fun, family atmosphere.
 
 


Tokyo, Wednesday, August 9, 5:00 pm

Despite a 90 minute delay out of Honolulu, the team enjoys a smooth seven-hour flight over the Pacific and arrive at Narita International Airport to overcast skies and humid conditions. With a 19-hour time difference, they have found themselves in not only a new country, but an an entirely new day in a blink of the eye.  The team takes a 90-minute ride south to its team hotel in Tokyo. Once there, they get their first meal in at the hotel. The spread includes such Japanese dishes as sashimi, cold soba noodles, tempura and beef cutlet sandwiches.

 


#BowsInJapan

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