Sunday Tennis in Japan

It's a Sunday, and dear friend Amy and I got our butts out to hit some balls. These girls were there too, actually even with BOYS!! They were playing tennis TOGETHER! (tho the boys had left by the time I got to photograph them unfortunately)

Amy- who's an English teacher in the schools around town, was surprised as was I! In Japan boys and girls together, has been rare. Oh, the changes! SO nice to see.


They are 7th graders, and recognized Amy. While playing one of them hollered "Are you Amy?"
Another pleasant surprise, actually not all that unusual with the youth, some forwardness. I think this is what some of us foreigners who stay a while enjoy about this country. A little extra attention!

But check it out. It's a Sunday, and they are in their school sweats, with helmets on their bikes. They HAVE to ride around like that.
Well, I'll check it out. Perhaps they had to go to school earlier for practice? Diligence, eh? And another interesting thing in Japan. They choose one sport and that's the only sport they practice- year-round!

Maybe that's also how Zen got as good as he has at basketball. They practiced BEFORE classes in the wee hours of the morning, and AFTER school.

Ok, well back to the girls~ they were sitting with their Japanese picnic BENTOS. Now does this look yummy or what?!




And they said they made them themselves (often MOTHERS, yeah, that's right, NOT fathers, will).

I know Zen's mouth is watering.
The triangular brown thingy is an ONIGIRI. "Rice ball" and not ever in the shape of a ball. Always a triangle!





Well, last night Amy and I got our fill of Japanese delicacies, now we're ready for- PIZZA! Nothing like this kind of variety right here in our own home town of Nishio!