Japan Tour 2018 - Blog #1

Thursday, March 22, 2018

We made it to the other side of the world.  We’re currently spending some time in Shanghai, China on a long layover before we hop on our next flight to Osaka, Japan. 

Our Wednesday started out quite early.  We left River Falls at 6:00 AM and drove 6-hours to Chicago O’Hare for an afternoon flight.  After 15 hours in the air and 15 hours in time zone change, it will be over two days before we get to Japan.

This is the first international trip for most of our girls.  Ali and Macey have been overseas on wrestling trips, but it’s a first for the rest of them (Ashton, Allie, Gabby and Josie).  It is going to be a great trip as they get to experience what life is really like in a different country.  We’re going to Shigakkan University (Icho and Yoshida’s alma matter) and taking in a few days of training with our friend Ryoko Sakamoto and her club team.

I think it’s important for our girls to get a raw and real look at what our Japanese counterparts do and why they’re so successful.  Going to the World Championships and other international tournaments, it’s evident that Japan has things figured out and does things much differently than we do in the US.  It’s hard to capture what that “special ingredient” is in those settings, even though we have our ideas of how they do it.  Going into their normal everyday lives will gives us a much better feel and I believe it will help our girls re-foucs and zero in on the process to reach their desired outcome.  They all should come away from the trip more disciplined.

Our flight was a nice, predictable flight…for 2003.  Our entertainment systems were down, so no movies.  The WiFi didn’t work, so no catch-up back home.  It was “old fashioned” in the sense that we had to communicate face-to-face, play cards and…wait for it…get bored.  Who would have thought?  Personally, one of my goals for this week is to make sure everyone experiences a little boredom.  It is nearly extinct in our society today with the hustle and bustle and constant demands of a jam-packed schedule.

Being bored forces us to reflect and use some of our creative juices to get us through.  This is precisely the reason we didn’t get a hotel outside of the airport during our 15-hour, overnight layover.  We have to sit and look at each other.  Get into deep and meaningful conversations.  Find our way around a strange place.  Problem solve.  Nap in an uncomfortable place.  When all is said and done, the “boring” 30-plus hours of travel on the front end might be the most productive time of the entire trip.  At the very least, it should clear some of the clutter from our minds so we can get the most out of our time in Japan.