CULTURE SHOCK
There’s nowhere quite like it. Enjoy!
THE World Cup buzz has really cranked up around Japan. Baseball is the country’s No 1 sport but now rugby is everywhere and people are really getting behind it. They’ve just released a movie about our victory over the Springboks in 2015. That game was massive for the popularity of this tournament.
Off the back of that, there’s a lot of expectation. Everyone knows the World Cup is coming and local fans are expecting Japan to reach the quarter-finals. Our old full-back Ayumu Goromaru is the No 1 rugby star in Japan by a long way and Eddie Jones is No 2.
WEATHER
PACK your shorts. Early on, it’ll be quite hot and humid. It’s early 30s in the day and cools down a bit at night. It gets cooler the further north you travel. The humidity takes it out of you. Most teams have done their homework; everyone’s been doing heat camps. With the amount of sweating there will be, the ball can become very slippery.
WHAT TO EAT
SUSHI — you can eat a piece of tuna for $1 or $200. The dollar piece is as good as anything you’d get in England… or better!
Yakiniku — a BBQ on your t able where you cook your own meat. It’s really social and really traditional. Ramen — a noodle soup that you eat at the end of the night instead of a kebab!
Wagyu beef — famous and very expensive, but you can’t eat a lot of it because it’s so rich. The farmers massage the cows to keep the meat tender!
… AND DRINK
HIGHBALLS –— A mix of whisky and soda which is more popular than beer in Japan. You can find all-you-can-drink bars which cost about £30 for two hours. The word for this is ‘nomihodai’. Sake — Traditional rice wine which can be drunk neat or with l emonade or r aspberry s oda. There’s a similar drink called Shochi which is a bit stronger and widely available. P.S. I have never seen cider on sale in Japan. People who order cider have been known t o end up with a drink that tastes like bubblegum!
WHAT TO SEE
TEMPLES — Kyoto is f amous f or its beautiful temples and shrines.
Peace Memorial Museum — Located in Hiroshima, and quite extraordinary.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building — Get the lift up to the 40th floor for 360-degree views of Tokyo. It’s free.
Sumo — Competition does not start until later in the year but you can visit sumo houses to watch the guys training.
LOCAL CULTURE
YOU will notice that Japanese people are quite reserved and polite. They don’t shout down the street and public transport can be very quiet. That doesn’t mean they don’t want to talk to you! They give you as much as you give them. Spark up a conversation in a restaurant and you’ll make some good friendships. There are also a few local customs to look out for:
Bowing — If people bow, then bow back. You’ll probably come home with a bent neck!
Shoes off — Some restaurants ask you to take your footwear off when you walk in. They’ll put them away in a cubby hole for you and give them back when you leave.
Tattoos — Japanese people have their own way of looking at tattoos. Foreign players in Japan don’t cover up their tattoos so I wouldn’t stress too much about it. But if you go into a public bath, they might refuse you entry. It all goes back to links to the Yakuza mafia.
TRANSPORT
THE train system is great. If you chuck your destination into Google Maps it tells you exactly which train to catch and which platform to head to. Just make sure your watch is set to the exact second because they arrive on the dot and leave on the dot! Taxis are everywhere too.
OUR NEXT STAR
KENKI FUKUOKA. He’s a left winger who could light up the country. He’s lightning quick and scores some amazing tries. He’s only 27 but, after next year’s Olympics, he plans to retire to become a doctor.