Sports day!

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Today, after a rather hilarious attempt to hoover the apartment, Nate and I left for the local swimming pool. The swimming pool was definitely an experience; after figuring out the strange voucher system, I got changed into my swimming costume and compulsory swimming hat (the only time I’ve ever worn one before was during a year seven school swimming gala) and then had my first ever journey in a glass elevator wearing only a swimming costume.



Once I arrived at the swimming pool, I was greeted by a lifeguard (as usual there was lots of bowing) who spoke very quickly in Japanese. Seeing the confused expression on my face, he stopped talking and signalled that I wait to one side for my friend. When Nate arrived, the lifeguard was relieved to find that he spoke Japanese, I tried really hard not to laugh as it dawned on me that all he was doing was explaining how to use a swimming pool! After yet more bowing, I headed for the walking lane; an entire lane dedicated to people just walking up and down the pool and it was surprisingly busy. Two of the other lanes were for people swimming laps (pretty slowly I might add) and in the fourth the old dears appeared to be doing a very tame form of aqua aerobics but all I could pick up was “itchy, knee, san, she” (1,2,3,4… no doubt with major spelling errors.) There was also a net in the corner to keep children from escaping into the main pool and a Jacuzzi with an amazing view over Tokyo (although I may be slight bias as I thought I could see my name in lights, turns out it said LAB1 and I just couldn’t see the L).



After lunch at a lovely Russian restaurant, I fell asleep on the way home on the train. Naptime was soon over and we headed to a school at Ebisu for our next sporting activity of the day- Frisbee. Now you’d think that this would be a pretty simple game but apparently not; not only did it take me quite a while to master throwing and catching the darn thing but the rules were much more complicated than I had expected, something to do with shouting “school” or “tree” depending on which side you’re intending to defend and “stacking” in the centre. Although I was definitely the worst player there, I had so much fun running around the pitch and trying to look like I had half a clue as to what I was meant to be doing. In addition, there were a few people from the UK there and I was able to chat to a girl who had studied Japanese at Durham and now worked in Tokyo recruiting for Goldman Sachs and a Japanese girl who had graduated from Cambridge last year and now studies medicine at Kings’ College and had been to Jesus may ball- it’s a small world after all!

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