Wednesday, May 6, 2009

refreshed!

Not that I wouldn't appreciate Golden Week actually lasting through the week... but I digress. :)

I didn't actually end up doing much walking at all, since I rediscovered the pool!  Hitherto, although I have lifeguard experience, I'd never much enjoyed swimming as an activity,  and when I came to Japan this time around I didn't bring a swimming suit. One became necessary for some function or other. So I went to the sports store and bought the most reasonable one that fit me, which as it turns out is this awesome pro-athlete-like Mizuno creation that's like half of a body suit, or a regular one-piece with biker shorts attached. Anyway, swimming in that is ALWAYS fun. 

It still tickles me somewhere inside, though, that most people here won't do a sport without looking like they're totally serious about it: there seems to be a big focus on having the goods and looking put together. On the flip side, in the States I think a much smaller percentage of people, mostly women, really care what they look like while exercising. The gym, track, and pool become a sort of sanctuary where you don't have to care. Not so much, here. 

First that was amusing, then annoying; then I got my pro-swimmer wet-suit of fabulousness and I started to understand, just a wee bit. 

Well, every time I've procured a long-term pass for the sports center, my attendance drops off after a couple of weeks, so during the past few days I only got hour-long tickets for the pool. If I can manage to keep up a routine for more than a couple of weeks, I'll get one of those passes again. 

For all going back to work tomorrow, 頑張りましょう (ganbarimashou), or, let's get our noses back to the grindstone!

No comments: