The Swallows swept the Baystars this week. That makes it four wins in a row for Yakult, and five out of the last six (we'll just forget about that nasty, lop-sided loss to the Giants at the dome last Saturday).
On a sour note, it appears as though Iwamura is injured. He pinch-hit last night, but he didn't start. Ramirez, on the other hand, continues to be a consistent bright spot for the club. He has hit home run after home run for the past month. It also appears that someone in the front office has lit a fire under Suzuki. This man is well-known as the laziest first-basemen in the world. This Wednesday he actually stole second base!
For some reason TV Asahi wanted to interview me before the game yesterday. I told them that I don't speak much Japanese, but they either didn't believe me or didn't care. They physically blocked my path to the stadium, and I ended up answering some questions about the strike and baseball in general. I wasn't able to say everything that I wanted to, but I got a few of my ideas across.
Labels:
baseball,
Tokyo Swallows
Japan is a granny and gramps country. The aged are everywhere, and they enjoy the quiet life that can be found here on this set of islands. Earthquakes come and earthquakes go, and so do the old folks on bikes. No wonder they live for so long--they ride their bicycles until they're well into their 80's!
They don't get a whole lot of respect here from the young though. I recently went back to Korea for a short visit, and I noticed a huge difference in attitude. On the trains, for instance, the seats reserved for the elderly, injured or pregnant are usually filled with people at all times of the day here in Japan. Young people rarely think twice before popping a squat. In Korea, however, people will often stand rather than occupy a reserved seat, even if there doesn't happen to be anyone around who might need to sit down.
The influence that Confucianism has on Korean society is well documented, and this is just one reflection of it. Despite the amount of pride taken in the longevity of Japanese seniors, it is interesting to witness the indifference to their comfort that exists here within the younger populations.
Labels:
culture
