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Airplane flying over lampposts (Jeju 제주, South Korea)
Planes were constantly buzzing overhead on the island of Jeju. However, whenever I was ready to take a photo of them up close there were none to be found. Later in the day I was up the road a bit so they weren’t as close, but the symmetry of these posts made this shot difficult to pass up.
Wladimir Balentien of the Yakult Swallows (NPB 2013 home run record)
Figuring out kanji used for baseball in Japan is a fun challenge. If you have a basic understanding of kanji you can literally read what Balentien (バレンティン) did on this evening before coming to bat for the fourth time. (遊ゴ = fun go, 四球 = four balls, 死球 = death ball) So what do these things really mean? 遊 is the shortstop (the funnest position?). goro (ゴロ) is grounder so he grounded out to short his first time up. Four balls is easy enough. He walked in his second at bat. But “death ball”? What could that possibly mean? He was hit by the pitch in his most recent at bat.
阪神タイガース
The Tigers made it to the Japan Series in 2014, thanks to a strange advancement past Hiroshima in the first stage of the Climax Series (equivalent to the division playoffs in MLB). They won the series by tying the Carp. By virtue of their higher seed, that was all they needed to advance. Ultimately, they lost to Fukuoka in the Japan Series (equivalent to the World Series in MLB).
Today’s photo comes from a game I went to between the Tigers and the Dragons in 2013. I am not a fan of either team, but I wanted to sit with the crazy Tigers’ fans. However, the Tigers’ fan section was sold out (even though this was a game in Nagoya, not Osaka). So I bought a ticket in the upper deck, behind the crazy fans of the Tigers as did others who couldn’t get the “real” cheering section tickets. The seats were mostly empty, and the fans weren’t nearly as interesting as those below, but they still showed their support in more subdued ways.
こってり 牛すじラーメン
Beef based ramen recommended by Kan Otake (大竹寛) of the Hiroshima Carp? Not for me on an extremely hot and humid summer day. In the winter or in an air conditioned restaurant, with freshly made ingredients, and I wouldn’t be able to pass this up.
BTW, koi (鯉) means carp in Japanese. KoiCourt is the food court at the stadium of the Hiroshima Carp.
Hell’s Belles – Amber Saxon (vocals), Adrian Conner (lead guitar)
@LiveAtTheArmory @HellsBellesUSA @AdrianGuitarImp @AmberSaxon666
I’m hoping that Hell’s Belles and Live at the Armory can hook up on a date someday.
Inuyama Castle fireworks