Aug. 10, 2001
By Assistant Media Relations Director Larry Little
During its first week in Japan, Baylor is staying in Sendai, the largest city in Japan north of Tokyo with a population of more than one million. A relatively "new" Japanese city - only about 400 years old, Sendai boasts a blend of urban facilities with beautiful nature. The region is a rich area for harvest, both from land and sea. Sendai is home to the lowest crime rate for any city of at least one million people in the world at less than 1.0 percent. This, along with a well-developed public transit system and hospitable residents, makes Sendai one of the best cities to visit in Japan.
Due to its youth as a city, Sendai does not have the ancient, millennium-old architecture that can be found in older Japanese cities. Likewise, the city has not been built on strong industry like most of the population centers of Western Japan, instead, the city is supported by smaller industries based on agriculture. Still, Sendai displays "typical" Japanese culture.
While in Sendai, Baylor is staying in one of the dorms at Tohoku Fukushi University. It is actually off-campus (about a quarter-mile from the gym), and the team has been walking to and from practice each day. The hilly terrain makes it a good cardiovascular workout. We have been told that Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Kazuhiro Sasaki lived in this dorm while studying at Tohoku Fukushi many years ago. The dorm sits on a hill, and at night, a beautiful view of the city and its many lights is possible from the back yard.
Simply put, Japan is a model of efficiency and precision, Sendai is no exception. City roads are extremely narrow (a two-lane road is about two-thirds the width of an American two-lane road) and rarely have center stripes. Despite this, automobiles have little trouble getting around the city as they, too, are much more narrow than their American counterparts. Most Japanese vehicles are very compact, even vans and sport utility vehicles.
This carries over to the architecture of homes. It is a luxury to have a house with a garage, which in Japan is nothing more than a covered slab of concrete surrounded by a waist-high brick that is only slightly larger than the size of the largest Japanese vehicle.
In Japan, motorists drive on the left side of the road with the steering wheel on the right side of the vehicle, however, a few European vehicles in Japan do have the steering wheel on the left side.
Taxis have a rather unique feature: automatic doors. When a taxi pulls up to a waiting passenger, the driver will pull a lever to open the door. The driver then closes the door behind the passenger after he or she is settled in the vehicle. By the time the door is fully closed, the taxi has already rejoined the busy thoroughfare.
The Japanese dedication to precision is well displayed in the various volleyball teams Baylor has been playing. During prematch drills, team members shout "Hai!" with each strike of the ball. "Hai" is the Japanese word for "yes," and the players are not shy in their shouting. The players go through their drills in a structured, focused and accurate manner, paying special attention to detail and making sure to execute correctly. During the match, no athlete is ever steadfast, all players continue to move at every moment, helping them to be in perfect position on nearly every ball.
What the Japanese athlete lacks in size and athleticism, he or she makes up in this dedication to precision and a strong self-discipline. The Japanese teams are very technically sound, and they rarely make mental mistakes.
Baylor will leave Sendai Saturday afternoon (late Friday night in Texas) and travel to Yamagata. The team will train the Pioneer Red Wings, the top professional team in Japan, while in Yamagata.
