I couldn’t wait for my plane to touch down in Tokyo. Japan has always been one of my favorite stops on the World Cup Tour. I find the Japanese people so kind and welcoming. It is so much fun to navigate through a spoken and written language that I unfortunately don’t understand. Doing simple things like taking the subway becomes an adventure when you can’t read your ticket or the subway signs. The technique of holding out my ticket and asking someone to point me in the right direction seems to work every time.

We arrived a couple of days early to get over our jet lag. Between naps and sipping coffee to stay awake we visited Yokohama City. The first day we took the subway to Japan’s largest Chinatown where we stopped for lunch. It was a beautiful day and many people were eating outside including the couple in the photo below with their dog. From there we wandered to the harbor and watched a street performer entertain the crowd. We walked all along the sea wall and stumbled upon a miniature car race. Despite the tiny engines these cars reached incredibly high speeds as they raced around the track steered by remote controls.

The following day I indulged in a little shopping. The choices and styles in stores were endless. I even had time to enjoy a traditional Japanese spa before catching the train to the competition site. I soaked in natural spring water, herbal steam rooms, and a salt sauna. My trip in Yokohama left me refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to go for the World Championships this weekend.

Cheers,
Jenn

(click on the image to enlarge)