Japan Invitational

Day 4

Early to rise.  7am call time to board the bus to the pool.  Two hour ride to get there.  The crew was busy enjoying the views as they caught a glimpse of Mount Fuji.  Everyone scrambled to take his or her photos.  Like the mountain was going anywhere.  Bodies getting crushed as the positioning wars began.  Front of the bus, out the side windows, other side of the bus as the road turned and all tried to capture the best views.  You would think no one had seen a snow covered mountain before.  However, Fuji is kind of the icon image of Japan.  Well, at least from the team you would think so. 

The Japanese countryside is very pretty.  Once outside of Tokyo, Japan is rural.  Farmland passed by as the team made its way to Tateama.  This resort seaside town hosts hot springs and I great indoor pool facility.   

The producer of the show greeted the team.  He was outside without shoes.  A big break in protocol for a Japanese person.  No shoes in most places in Japan.  It is not polite to wear them inside, but you are also not supposed to not wear them outside and then go back inside.  I think it has to do with how clean they like to keep things. 

The team secured shoe lockers and made their way you to the locker rooms.  The production was going to shoot some fixed shoots and then the athletes would have an hour to get ready.  Competition for television is a bit different than a regular competition.  Splits between athletes were longer than usual to give the production time to setup for each athlete.  This gave the athletes time to get to know their surroundings.  The production had those athletes that were not competing watching the other athletes on monitors and commenting on their performances. 

The results of the competition cannot be made public, but it was a lot of fun for all involved.  Japanese television tends to be full of fun and some interesting personalities.  Everyone was very friendly and the teams exchanged T-shirts and gifts after the competition was over. 

The team boarded the busses for the two-hour ride home.  The event was over, so beer was the order of the evening.  Small party to celebrate the conclusion of the competition.