Three Lehigh University wrestlers: Mitch Minotti, Laike Gardner and Mason Beckman, are in Ajinmoto learning and working out at Japan's National Training Center. They will be providing a daily blog to FLO documenting their trip and experiences. It all began from JFK airport in New York to Seattle to Tokyo-Haneda Airport.
August 6th: Check In, Dining, First Session (by Laike)
Thankfully after going through customs in Tokyo-Haneda Airport, we were greeted by a very nice, cauliflower-eared man who was easy to spot with his Asics Japan wrestling T shirt. He understood English, led us to an ATM, and even offered us juiceboxes before we entered the van and headed to the NTC. It was approximately 1AM here upon our arrival and the center was less than thirty minutes away.
Things we took note of:
- Steering wheels are on the left side
- Many buildings and shops had english Names including japanese
- Their highways blow ours out of the water. So smooth.
- Room keys: you hold up to a sensor by the soor and it unlocks. Futuristic!
Challenges:
- TV is in All Japanese!!!!!!
- Air conditioner is hard to decipher
Breakfast & Lunch
The variety of food here is nice. Thankfully all of the food descriptions have english subtitles overhead, as well as on the menu pamphlet. Calories, Protein etc. are listed. For breakfast we stuck with bread, yogurt and fruit. The drink dispensers are ironically all MinuteMaid, and a lot of juices are present. Tabasco was the only American brand of dressing/seasoning on the table which I found funny. For lunch we were lucky and Ryuta (Dew) our new friend, and my first partner, guided us in our lunch selections and we ate with him and another wrestler. We bowed with our hands together before indulging and after we excused ourselves. Unlike Rathbone (Lehigh Dining Hall), you rinse all your dishes before setting them on the other side to be cleaned.
Good News- we are no longer jet-lagged
First Session
Mitch, Mason, and I just finished the first session at the National Training Center in Tokyo and we agreed wrestling is almost the only thing we understand in Japanese! The first session included a lot of technique.
Some of the moves we saw were:
New Front Headlock Finishes
Finishing Single Legs
Double/High Crotch Finishes
Even though we couldn't understand what the coach was saying we picked up most things just by watching. At the end of practice we were welcomed by the coach and the wrestlers. Luckily, we got paired with "Dew"; yes that is a nickname and self proclaimed to. His real name is Ryuta and speaks English fairly well. He is on Twitter so follow him like we did @Ryutawrestling. Right after practice we visited the spa at the training center, which seems to be a ritual. Dew showed us around the facility and we ate lunch with him. We gave Dew and his friend some Lehigh shirts and lanyards. They were ecstatic about that, hopefully we get some gear in return!
More Interesting Customs:
- You take your shoes off before you enter the spa or wrestling facility
- Before we got in the spa we showered WHILE SITTING DOWN!!
- The pillows are filled with beads
- We thank each other at the end of practice by bowing
- The wrestlers clean the mats at the end of practice (don't get any ideas , CoachHughes)
- Mitchell's Chew Can Count: 8 (this could get interesting)
August 7th: A Lot of Work, And a Little Play (by Mason)
Our second day at Ajinmoto only included one workout, but it was far from an easy one. Mitchell, Laike and I woke up a bit earlier this morning to eat some breakfast before our 3-hour practice that began at 9:30.
Practice started off with a simple warm-up consisting of jogging, stretching, and anything that each particular individual needed to do to get loose. We then drilled for about 30 minutes, after which we got a quick break and started wrestling live. The three of us have had success doing different things on the mat, but we have all noticed over the past couple of days that the American style/method of scrambling seems to be completely alien to these wrestlers. Techniques that are routine to us, such as sitting the corner on a high-crotch or using a cutback to defend a single-leg as your opponent lifts your leg, catch them totally off guard! They also seem to be shooting mostly high-crotches and double-legs. Single attempts have been few and far in between, but none of us are really sure why that is.
After a grueling 105 minutes of live wrestling, we ended the session with a bit of conditioning that included timed intervals of high-knees, burpees, and fast feet.
We said our thanks to the coaches and headed to the spa and to grab some lunch afterwards. I was even lucky enough to have a coach ask me to trade a team Japan wrestling shirt for one of my Lehigh ones in the process!
After lunch, we teamed up with a couple of the (somewhat) English-speaking Japanese wrestlers and headed to do some sight-seeing in Tokyo. After a small adventure that included a bus ride followed by 2 subway rides (which were far cleaner than U.S. subways) we arrived at our destination.
We got to see some picturesque Japanese buildings as well and artwork. We walked through a very popular market where many tourists buy souveniers, at which point we all started running from shop to shop like little kids (surprising, I know).
We each bought a few souvenirs and learned a few history lessons in the process. Afterwards, we walked down past the end of the market to see the most famous religious temple in all of Japan. Each of us threw a coin in to a sort of container and said a prayer as is customary.
We also went through the process of having our fortunes told by way of randomly pulling a numbered chopstick that corresponded to a box on the shelf beside it. Inside each box was a fortune, and I was lucky enough to draw the very rare "best fortune" that many people never get in a lifetime. Our two Japanese companions were going wild when they saw which one I drew! After the fortunes, we all decided that we had had enough of the heat (41 degrees C, or 105 F) and headed back to Ajinmoto. About 25 minutes later, we were all back in our rooms and resting up for tomorrow and whatever it may bring.
August 6th: Check In, Dining, First Session (by Laike)
Thankfully after going through customs in Tokyo-Haneda Airport, we were greeted by a very nice, cauliflower-eared man who was easy to spot with his Asics Japan wrestling T shirt. He understood English, led us to an ATM, and even offered us juiceboxes before we entered the van and headed to the NTC. It was approximately 1AM here upon our arrival and the center was less than thirty minutes away.
Things we took note of:
- Steering wheels are on the left side
- Many buildings and shops had english Names including japanese
- Their highways blow ours out of the water. So smooth.
- Room keys: you hold up to a sensor by the soor and it unlocks. Futuristic!
Challenges:
- TV is in All Japanese!!!!!!
- Air conditioner is hard to decipher
Breakfast & Lunch
The variety of food here is nice. Thankfully all of the food descriptions have english subtitles overhead, as well as on the menu pamphlet. Calories, Protein etc. are listed. For breakfast we stuck with bread, yogurt and fruit. The drink dispensers are ironically all MinuteMaid, and a lot of juices are present. Tabasco was the only American brand of dressing/seasoning on the table which I found funny. For lunch we were lucky and Ryuta (Dew) our new friend, and my first partner, guided us in our lunch selections and we ate with him and another wrestler. We bowed with our hands together before indulging and after we excused ourselves. Unlike Rathbone (Lehigh Dining Hall), you rinse all your dishes before setting them on the other side to be cleaned.
Good News- we are no longer jet-lagged
First Session
Mitch, Mason, and I just finished the first session at the National Training Center in Tokyo and we agreed wrestling is almost the only thing we understand in Japanese! The first session included a lot of technique.
Some of the moves we saw were:
New Front Headlock Finishes
Finishing Single Legs
Double/High Crotch Finishes
Even though we couldn't understand what the coach was saying we picked up most things just by watching. At the end of practice we were welcomed by the coach and the wrestlers. Luckily, we got paired with "Dew"; yes that is a nickname and self proclaimed to. His real name is Ryuta and speaks English fairly well. He is on Twitter so follow him like we did @Ryutawrestling. Right after practice we visited the spa at the training center, which seems to be a ritual. Dew showed us around the facility and we ate lunch with him. We gave Dew and his friend some Lehigh shirts and lanyards. They were ecstatic about that, hopefully we get some gear in return!
More Interesting Customs:
- You take your shoes off before you enter the spa or wrestling facility
- Before we got in the spa we showered WHILE SITTING DOWN!!
- The pillows are filled with beads
- We thank each other at the end of practice by bowing
- The wrestlers clean the mats at the end of practice (don't get any ideas , CoachHughes)
- Mitchell's Chew Can Count: 8 (this could get interesting)
August 7th: A Lot of Work, And a Little Play (by Mason)
Our second day at Ajinmoto only included one workout, but it was far from an easy one. Mitchell, Laike and I woke up a bit earlier this morning to eat some breakfast before our 3-hour practice that began at 9:30.
Practice started off with a simple warm-up consisting of jogging, stretching, and anything that each particular individual needed to do to get loose. We then drilled for about 30 minutes, after which we got a quick break and started wrestling live. The three of us have had success doing different things on the mat, but we have all noticed over the past couple of days that the American style/method of scrambling seems to be completely alien to these wrestlers. Techniques that are routine to us, such as sitting the corner on a high-crotch or using a cutback to defend a single-leg as your opponent lifts your leg, catch them totally off guard! They also seem to be shooting mostly high-crotches and double-legs. Single attempts have been few and far in between, but none of us are really sure why that is.
After a grueling 105 minutes of live wrestling, we ended the session with a bit of conditioning that included timed intervals of high-knees, burpees, and fast feet.
We said our thanks to the coaches and headed to the spa and to grab some lunch afterwards. I was even lucky enough to have a coach ask me to trade a team Japan wrestling shirt for one of my Lehigh ones in the process!
After lunch, we teamed up with a couple of the (somewhat) English-speaking Japanese wrestlers and headed to do some sight-seeing in Tokyo. After a small adventure that included a bus ride followed by 2 subway rides (which were far cleaner than U.S. subways) we arrived at our destination.
We got to see some picturesque Japanese buildings as well and artwork. We walked through a very popular market where many tourists buy souveniers, at which point we all started running from shop to shop like little kids (surprising, I know).
We each bought a few souvenirs and learned a few history lessons in the process. Afterwards, we walked down past the end of the market to see the most famous religious temple in all of Japan. Each of us threw a coin in to a sort of container and said a prayer as is customary.
We also went through the process of having our fortunes told by way of randomly pulling a numbered chopstick that corresponded to a box on the shelf beside it. Inside each box was a fortune, and I was lucky enough to draw the very rare "best fortune" that many people never get in a lifetime. Our two Japanese companions were going wild when they saw which one I drew! After the fortunes, we all decided that we had had enough of the heat (41 degrees C, or 105 F) and headed back to Ajinmoto. About 25 minutes later, we were all back in our rooms and resting up for tomorrow and whatever it may bring.
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