The Folks visit Japan!! Written by Wanda Lambin

Dear Adventurer,

What a way to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of these travel letters, a trip to our farthest destination yet to see Chase play in the Japanese Major Leagues.  He’s been gone six months and we’re off on our 13,000     mile adventure of a lifetime.

SATURDAY, JULY 25^TH:

Leaving the deep-fried weather of Texas’s worst summer ever, we’re on the road at 8am and within minutes encounter a Japanese attendant at the toll booth (Karma per Bruce).  Continental plane tickets courtesy of Chase and Sara, check in our four bags (no charge in international travel), quickly through security check, buy American magazines and to Continental President’s Club to wait for our 10:50 flight.  Beautiful, relaxing area, free breakfast at the airport is always a good thing.

Finally on the 777 jumbo jet, high headroom, not much legroom, touch screen TV’s with movies, games, flight tracker, and experienced crew hands out menus, pillows, blankets.  Drink lots of water to reduce jet lag, love watching the flight tracker (we’re at Alaska at 5:30pm).  The flight attendants rotate 3 hour naps to get thru the 13-1/2 hour flight.  With the entertainment system, three meals, and good books, before you know it we’re landing at Narita airport.  It’s midnight Saturday in Texas, 2pm Sunday in Japan.  I’ll never understand this International Date Line thingy, but it’s time to change days.

SUNDAY, JULY 26^th:

Customs, currency exchange (100 yen is about a dollar), and find the driver Chase sent for us. It’s about a 30 minute drive on the wrong side of the road to Makuhari on a modern freeway through green rice fields and tree covered hills. Arrive at the New Otani Hotel, a gorgeous five star hotel near the ballpark.  Bruce tried to tip the valet and we learn there’s no tipping in Japan.  Our room has a great view of Tokyo Bay and Chiba Lotte Marines stadium.  It’s supplied with robes, house shoes, razor, toothbrushes, toiletries, broom, and picture buttons on the toto (toilet).  Rooms have doorbells and a button to push for Make-Up Room.  We start laughing when we can’t find the light switch for main room, finally found the button on panel between the beds.  

After practice, Chase and Sara knock on our door at 6pm.  Huge hugs and smiles, they’ve been married six months and we’re finally together again.  They brought us a bag of snacks, apples, and 2 six-packs of Budweiser, yee ha!  Head out walking to get familiar with the area.  To the Chiba Marines “ball” at the train station, a huge plant with flowers that looks like a baseball and becomes our regular meeting spot.  Fans are recognizing Chase and asking for autographs.  Then into Plena mall and the Marines Sports Bar, then we explore huge Carrefour (French Walmart/Target/Foleys), and finally to Ishibi for Korean barbeque (fire grill in the middle of the table and beef that is meltingly tender).  Take shoes off, head to private room, sit on floor, but the area under the table is a hole where you can put your legs.  Chase had to call Mr. Kobayashi to find out which meats to order and Sara got us forks (no frettin).  Sweet potatoes in Japan are almost white.  Manager brings complimentary beef, ice cream, and 8x10 canvas for Chase to autograph for window display.  Fabulous repast, but we’re sinking fast and finally to bed at 9:30 (7:30 am Texas time).

MONDAY, JULY 27^TH:

     Restless night, mostly a series of naps, room won’t cool and firm beds have only a down comforter, no top sheets.  Off to breakfast buffet (regularly $26 each, but we have certificates for every day, probably thanks to Bobby Valentine who arranged our reservations, team rate is $200/night).   Lots of stuff we don’t recognize, but plenty of American foods for great breakfasts.  Complain about our hot room and maintenance comes to check.  We learn 78 degrees is the norm, but at least they brought us a vertical fan that saved us the rest of the week.  

Go to meet the kids at the “ball” for Adventure Day.  We manage to head the wrong way out of the hotel, walk walk, lost lost, finally get to the station with only a minute to catch the train to Tokyo.  Bru’s ticket is eaten by the machine, but we run on thru as Chase is blocking the train door from closing!  Grab hand straps and we’re sweatily on our way.  Most of the Japanese are napping, they do that whenever they can, but I wonder how da hell they don’t miss their stop.  In Tokyo in about 20 minutes, learn you stand on the left on escalators. We walk over to the Imperial Palace gardens, Samurai statue, strange trees, beautiful parks with more people napping, moats, all surrounded by modern skyscrapers.  Public toilets are everywhere, most are holes in the floor but all have at least one western style toto.  Sara has to tell me how to flush ‘em. There are never any hand towels or soap. Tokyo is much more new modern and not as crowded as I expected.  To the Ginza district (like Fifth Avenue) and a great French bistro.  Bruce gets his favorite, confit de canard (duck) and we sit at the window people watching.  And then we walk some more.  It’s not as hot as home, but we are soaked in sweat in this humidity. We’ve gone from the Texas skillet to the Japan steamer. Chase:  “You’re fine as long as you don’t move, then you sweat.”  And don’t even think about having a good hair day.

The kids amaze me with how much they’ve learned about the culture and the transportation systems.  We next take the subway to the Senso-Ji-Temple, built in 645.  Pagodas, lines of booths like a bazaar, then fortune boxes and incense cauldron, “spread the smoke for good luck”.  The outside of the temple is under renovation, but the inside is arresting, with murals and a monk playing some odd instrument while Buddhists kneel to worship.  Walk, subway, train, and we’re back in Makuhari at 4pm.  Check out pictures of the Marines displayed at the station, then sweaty walk on tired feets straight to hotel for shower and change of clothes.

Hotel loans umbrellas when raining and we meet the kids again at 6pm for sunset drinks on the top floor of the APA Hotel.  Gorgeous view of Chase’s office (Marines Stadium) and the sunset breaks through after the rain.  Finally get to meet Gary Barham and his fiancé, Rachel Levine.  Visit a bit before leaving by taxi for dinner at the Big Dipper, one of Chase and Sara’s favorite restaurants in their neighborhood of Baytown.  Enjoy another excellent meal of onion soup, wings, ribs, nachos, seafood pasta.  Stroll back to New Otani and pass out at 9pm. We figure we walked over ten miles today.

TUESDAY, JULY 28^TH

Slept 10 hours and we go explore our huge hotel, shell pool ($25 for hotel guests, $80 for non), banquet halls, wedding chapel.  Every elevator is unique, different carpets and rugs throughout the buildings, cool glass elevator, gorgeous chandeliers, and amazing fresh flower arrangements, like a Vegas hotel. Lazy, recovery day.  Raining at lunch, we walk to McDonalds figuring that’s one place we could easily place our order.  Secret sauce on Big Mac is slightly different, dill pickles instead of sweet? ($6 combo).  

Bru heads to batting practice (BP) at 3 and meets Bobby Valentine and the other coaches.  It’s really neat, VIP’s and the press can come down on the field in a roped off area during BP.  After Bru gets back, I put on my Marines jersey with Lambin on the back and we head to the field for 6:30 game.  It’s cooler, but we’re still sweatin (Chase:  “It’s a conundrum”).  It’s Beer Night (like Two-Fer-Tuesday back home) with no reserved seats.  Chase is signing autographs and when the fans notice us, they go crazy.  “Lambean Poppa”, “Lambean Momma”, and we are asked to autograph balls, gloves, jerseys, hats and shake a ton of hands and receive applause.  Never seen anything like it, the fans over here are rabid and love learning everything they can about their players.  I freeze as I notice I’m on the jumbotron, next shot is of Chase and Bobby cracking up laughing.

Chase is starting at third base, get to see him on the giant jumbotron, but the lineup is in Japanese characters (“I’ll never learn his teammates”).  Running digital messages and pictures circle the stadium like at Minute Maid, we’re finally in the Big Leagues!  Chase goes 0 for 1 with a walk and we finally get to hear “Here We Go Chaser Lambin” live and in person.  The right field bleacher fans are so loud with horns, drums, constantly singing, chanting, jumping, and waving huge flags.  The rest of the stadium follows their lead, over 25,000 fans but you never hear an individual shout out “rock and fire” or “get you a good one”, they do only the organized cheers and never razz the umpires.   Relief pitchers are brought out in convertibles, young girls carry mini kegs of beer on their backs, and they don’t stop selling beer after the 7^th inning (Woo Hoo).  Course, no one has to drive here, so they don’t cut off the spigots.  The fans never give up or stop cheering and every game is like a playoff game, down to the wire every day. The atmosphere is like a UT/OU football game.

Marines lose by one run and we head to the player’s area.  Take pics with Chase and he changes fast and then we’re out the door and he’s immediately surrounded by fans.  “LAMBEAN”, more autographs, as he and Sara walk their bikes with us.  I can’t quit smiling, talking, and sweatin.  Up comes Bobby Valentine on a bike.  Of all places for me to meet this legend! I’m sure I managed to embarrass Chase.  “I have a picture of you in my den”, that’s what I come up with?  Back at hotel at 11pm, one of the most incredible, unbelievable, memorable nights of my life.  As Chase has said over and over, it’s indescribable.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 29^th

Meet the kids for lunch at an Italian restaurant in Plena mall.  I have never seen so many restaurants in all my life, there will be 20 in one building and even more in others, all with pictures of dishes offered.  All their food is organic and anything not sold in the markets or restaurants is thrown out daily.  Almost every restaurant has pasta dishes.  We have fabulous salads, crab pasta, pizza, sweet tater tart and more, all for $66 with leftovers for Chase.  Prices are very reasonable everywhere except at our hotel.

Then to the Japanese dollar store, what fun.  I got a dressing bottle, 18” extension cord (for hotel fan), lei and fan and we try to figure out what other stuff even is.  Head to ballpark at 3pm, our player passes aren’t ready and lady tries to tell me to come back later.  “Chase is hitting in 10 minutes!” Thankfully, the security guard lets us in the player area.  Through the dugout and on the field to watch drills and BP.  Bobby takes Bruce across the ropes right to the BP cages and talks to him the rest of the practice.  I meet Deanna (Marinerds blog) and Bobby’s interpreter also comes over to meet me.  Newspaper guy takes our pics and wants our names, I heard we made the Japanese papers, but never saw it.  Then assistant coaches Frank Ramppen and Paul Pippo come over, talk about fun guys!  We talked about Japan, flights, Cash, college coaches, Ragin Cajuns, ZZ Top, and Parrotheads. I never saw Chase hit, I was having too much fun.  Frank finally had to stop to pick up balls at end of practice at 4:15.  Took pictures with Bobby and decide to stay at the ballpark rather than walking back to the hotel.  Crowds arrive hours early and there are stage performances for kids and food stands everywhere.  It’s more like a fair than a ballgame.  Japanese children are so cute, I wanna take ‘em home.  Incredible place to people watch.

Stroll inside the stadium, more food courts and the large team store is doing amazing business.  Almost every fan is wearing a Marines jersey and they go for $115 in the store!  We meet a fan wearing t-shirt with Chase’s heel slap silhouette. On the jumbotron are neat highlight videos of each player in the starting lineup. Chase is starting at third base again and he gets a knock, a frozen rope single, YEE HA!  He goes 1 for 3 with a sac bunt and run scored.  Bruce goes to bleachers with the coaches’ wives and sits with the band and meets two guys who’ve made a Bobby V documentary.  We’re finally ahead by 2 runs with 2 outs and 2 strikes in the 9^th inning, but we lose when they score 3 runs, argh.  Chase brings me his baseball “the first major league hit we saw” and we stroll back to the hotel.  So much quality time with our boy, such a priceless adventure.

THURSDAY, JULY 30^TH

Wondering if I have enough clothes left, washed some blouses in the sink and hope they dry in this humidity.  It’s a hot, hot day and we walk to Chase and Sara’s apartment in Baytown.  However, markings on my map were not to the spot where we were to meet Chase.  A very nice Japanese lady noticed and goes several blocks out of her way to help us find Valentine Way (street where the apartment is) and finally Chase rides up on his bike.  Loved seeing where our chirren live, a cute two bedroom apartment.  Chase showed us some videos and we read last year’s travel letter (it’s a tradition).  I see his two large Hero of the Day seagulls, gotta get ‘em home (I packed one in a sports bag and carried that other sucker all the way back to Texas).

Went to their fresh produce market and got a large, perfect $2 peach.  Chase wanted to rest some before going to the ballpark, he’s fighting an infection he got in Sapporo.  Bruce and I walk back to the hotel and head for lunch at the Sky Barbeque grill on the 24^th floor.  Very Japanese, like a Benehana but the chef doesn’t flip his knives.  The chef told us where to put the grated radish (into sauce) and the green onions (into rice), but we didn’t know how to eat the Miso soup since there were no spoons.  You’re supposed to just drink it, but I didn’t want to offend anyboby if we guessed wrong.  Thin strips of Australian sirloin with grilled veggies, $29/person.

Then just rest on such a hot day.  Bruce back to BP and more time with Bobby V, those two love to talk baseball.  Another game vs. Nippon Ham Fighters, Chase starting at third base again and hits a line drive off the wall for a double and scores a run.  Marines were up by 6 at one point, but lost again by one run.

Japanese games are long, about 4 hours.  They do fireworks in the fifth inning every night.  In the seventh inning, the fans release large balloons shaped like Casper the ghost and it’s an amazing sight (four balloons for $2, that’s about $5,000 a night).  A fan gave me one and I didn’t know you weren’t supposed to tie it, which cracked everyone up.  Gary’s finance, Rachel, asked me if I noticed the men’s room – you can see right into it, no doors!  I learned to look straight ahead.  Other than no hot dogs, ballpark food was dang good.  We tried shrimp burgers and Bobby burgers (with pineapple) and great ranch fries.

FRIDAY, JULY 31^ST

Nice cool front came in, perfect overcast day to go see the Japanese Gardens near our hotel.  Best deal in Japan – 100 yen to see the perfect depiction of my view of Japan.  Stone walkways, ponds full of koi, bridges, tea house, bonsai trees, unknown gorgeous plants, bamboo, and meticulously cared for grounds.  We walked every trail and enjoyed every minute.

Meet Chase and Sara for Spanish tapas lunch – shimmering shrimp, paella, and more great foods.  Cannot believe our epicurean experiences in Japan.  We’ve had French, Italtian, Spanish, Korean, Japanese,  American, and no sushi, thank heavens.  They have very small, waxy napkins that don’t do much good, but the service and presentation is always excellent.

Walk over to BP at 3pm and Bobby explains bat and ball physics to me.  Then two more hours of people watching, we’re again recognized by the fans.  One fan gave us pictures of us giving autographs earlier in the week, how neat!  Japanese love anything western, their T-shirts are in English but don’t make much sense.  One says “After All Important”.  We decide to get some food from one of the outdoor booths and it becomes our favorite dish of the week, jumbo Tempura Shrimp (5 inches long, over sticky rice with an incredible soy based sauce) for only $7!  A sweet lady helps us order and in broken English said she loves Chase, “he sign more autograph”.  Then we meet Todd Linden’s family in from Seattle, he’s an LSU ex who plays for the Rakuman Eagles based in Sendei (and he hits a homerun tonight).

Chase not starting, but Gary is at first base.  Bru and I head to the crazy outfield bleachers in the 8^th inning.  We’re sitting in the horn section when Gary smashes a homerun to tie the game!  Marines go ahead and we finally get a win.  Gary is a Hero of the Day and we’re in right field to experience it, just like we’ve seen in Chase’s videos.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 1^ST

Take a taxi to Baytown Patio 17 (Chase’s apartment building) for lunch with the kids in a neat French restaurant across the street.  Crab terrines, cold peach soup, beef, and mango sorbet, yum.  Bru and I walk back and run into Paul Pippo on his bike (has a small motor, “great for us 60 year olds”).  I head to the mall for souvenirs and  my Marines Christmas ornament, and I’m again sweatin like a pig.

At BP, Bobby gives Bruce two Bobby Valentine baseball gloves!  It’s our last game and we get to sit with the Kobayashis (family Chase met last fall) and Hank Sogabe (another Japanese friend who works for Canon).  Each of them bring wrapped gifts to Bruce and I – beautiful fans, green tea and Japanese honey, such gracious, friendly people.  Chase not playing, but Gary is at first again and gets a double and Marines get another W.

We all go to Outback after the game with our Japanese friends and Gary and Rachel.  We had a great time laughing, eating American food, and singing “You’ve Lost that Lovin Feelin”.    Finally leave so Hank can catch the last train to Tokyo at midnight and the Kobayashis walk us all the way back to our hotel.  I’m so glad we got to meet Chase’s friends, what nice people!

SUNDAY, AUGUST 2^ND

Up early for pack, packin.  Our final Japanese breakfast, did I tell you they have pasta dishes and garden salads on the buffet everyday? Our kids come to say goodbye, get my big hugs and I’m trying not to cry, but failing miserably.  On the airport bus and I’m talking about getting home and washing and cooking and Bruce says “I may just get in my car with a diet coke and drive all day listening to sports radio”.

Long lines at check in, our flight leaves at 4pm, but we land in Houston at 2pm, we’re 2 hours younger!  We stroll the airport mall and notice there are no bars in this airport.  End up having to show our passports about six times before we are finally at the gate for 12 hour flight home.  A Japanese lady recognizes us and even has a picture of Chase signing autographs after the game with Bruce in the photo.  She has lived in the Memorial area of Houston for 2 years and was thrilled when I gave her one of Chase’s baseball cards.

When we land, it’s 4am Tokyo time.  We’re tired, but thrilled to finally be in a car with the air conditioning on full blast.  It’s good to be home, but already missing the kids after the trip of a lifetime, a priceless adventure to the Major Leagues in the land of Zen.

See ya on down the road,

                                                                 Wanda