So, I woke up at 8:10 in the morning, Friday March 14th, to shower up and do my baseball draft before I left for Japan. I only to do 3 draft picks, which my three picks were Miguel Cabrera, Dustin Pedrioa, and David Wright. I didn't even want Wright, but my computer was glitching and it chose him. Then 2 minutes later, I signed off .
Then at 10 am, I went outside my apartment to get in to the mini van taxi my sister requested to come in to pick us but, ended up coming up with a Prius for 4 people and 4 suitcases. Probably wasn't smart of that Taxi company. We ordered another taxi.
30 minutes later, the other taxi came to pick us up.
In one car it was my youngest sister and my mom. The other was me and my other sister.
The first few minute in the car was pretty awkward. We didn't talk or had said anything in the car. once we got onto the freeway, I was pretty bored so I asked to the driver, "What's the craziest story you have for me while work in the taxi business?"
I never would have thought but I encounter a driver who got a gun pulled on him, after the fact that he told me he see all the sloppy girls he picks up from Hermosa beach on weekends.
There was a lot more but I'm gonna keep that short. He dropped us off at LAX around 11:00 a.m.
My sisters, my mom and I board the plane around 12:45 p.m. Our plane was suppose to departure at 1:00 but it was delay for an hour.
Plane flight was around 11:10 minutes. Sat next to my mom....Later on the flight, I started to get annoyed by her.
When we land, it was around 6:45. Then we had to go on a shuttle for an hour and 30 minutes.
So, then I finally got the the hotel and checked in, but the thing is, I had someone to meet up in Japan.
It was my high school Junior Varsity coach from my sophomore year of high school.
He messaged my the day I left and we decided, since he lives in Japan, we should meet up somewhere. It worked out because I was only about 20 minutes away from where he wanted to meet.
So as soon as i checked in, I asked the front desk lady where at train station was at and I ran there and bought my ticket to go to Yokohama, Japan. The train ride took only 20 minutes. I was really thinking about, "What if I get lost?" since I don't have a working phone with me and this was my first time I been to Japan in 10 years and been out alone.
So I finally got Yokohama and waited about almost 40 minutes to find that my coach was at the other exit than I was. Just my luck.
As soon as we met up, he gave my a spirit beverage and walked as we drank.
It's crazy. You can actually drink out in public if you want to and you won't get in trouble.
As soon as he approached me, he said lets go to the karaoke bar.
We proceeded to the karaoke bar and the first thing he did, was sing a Japanese song.
For all I remember, this guy had no knowledge of Japanese, except the fact the he went to a school that was populated with 80% Asians.
After he sang that, we sang some Eminem, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and some T-Pain.
Then after about 30 minutes, we just talked about life.
One thing I mentioned, was he preached "mental toughness."
I told him that during my roughest times playing baseball in college, that phrase would always pop up in my mind as I was about to either down or give up. As stupid as it sounds, and many of us did, it sucked with me throughout college and helped me to go through a rough 5 years of collegiate baseball.
After we went out ways, I had a hard time find my way back. I could not figure out where I was suppose to take a train back to. So I just took a bullet and took what-is-equivalent to a 70 cab ride back to my hotel. I wasn't so bad because the taxi driver was pretty cool.
Now I am back at my hotel and I am writing this, when I should be asleep because my flight leaves in 7 hour from now.
Better get going to sleep!
Jun
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