Italy vs Japan

Today it was the opening day of the FIVB Men's World Olympic Qualification Tournament, at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gym. The final match of the day was between Italy and Japan.


In a gym packed with 10,000 people, Japan could count on the support of about 9,998 fans, who never stopped to cheer for their team; the Italian team, instead, could count only on me and Michele. It was an uneven match, for the two of us, but we managed to shout something every time the Japanese supporters took a break.


The match started well for Italy, who was able to secure the first set. But Japan fought back, and took the next two sets 30-28, 30-28. In the fourth set, when the score was 24-17 for Japan, everything seemed lost. But Italy was able to show its real value, resisting for 11 match points , and finally securing the set for the incredible score of 35-33 on their sixth set point.


In the tiebreak, Italy made no mistake, 15-7, to complete an extraordinary turnaround. It was one of the most incredible and thrilling games I've ever seen.

Twins

雪 again!

Only 5-10 centimeters, but still a lot of fun! ^_^

Walking in the sun

Ufo catcher

A bike running very fast?
A UFO trying to catch the bike?
A little bit of both?
^_^

Puppet Show in the metro

One of the big differences of the French metro compared to the Japanese one is the presence of artists who jump into a car, perform for a couple of minutes, and then move on. Most of them are musicians, playing the accordion or similar instruments. From time to time, however, there is something different, like in the picture below.



The puppet here was singing and dancing on the sound of Speedy Gonzales.

Relax

Winter in Sarajevo

"Winter in Sarajevo" was the first thing I thought when I saw this parking lot in Santa Monica, LA.

少し混んでいた - Slightly crowded

Tonight there was a nice fireworks event near Ichikawa and Koiwa, between Tokyo and Chiba prefecture (see the map).

They were saying there were about 1'300'000 people watching... and looking at the crowd at the station, it is not so hard to believe.


It was also nice to look at the crowd looking at the fireworks. I was impressed by the amount of people using their mobile phone to take the pictures. Nice how things are changing, isn't it?

Living in a box

Artist: Living in a Box
Album: Living in a Box
Year: 1987

Woke up this morning
Closed in on all sides
Nothing doing
I feel resistance
As I open my eyes
Someone's fooling
I've found a way to break
Through this cellophane line
Cause I know what's going on
In my own mind
Am I living in a box
Am I living in a cardboard box
Am I living in a box
Am I living in a cardboard box
Am I living in a box
Life goes in circles
Around and around circulation
I sometimes wonder
What's moving underground
I'm escaping
I've found a way ...
I've found a way ...
Am I living in a cardboard box
Am I living in a box (living)
Am I living in a cardboard box
Am I living in a box (living)
Am I living in a cardboard box
Am I living in a box (living)
Am I living in a cardboard box
Am I living am I living am I living
Am I living am I living am I living
(In a box)
Am I living am I living
Am I living in cardboard box
Am I living in a box
Am I living am I living
Am I living in a cardboard box
Am I living in a box

人間銅像

Living statue in Harajuku.



Too bad there was too much wind, and this guy couldn't work at all.
Good luck next time, Kevin!

People are Strange...

Maybe there is a reason, and the 100yen coin is there for some real purpose. Still, it's undoubtedly strange ^_^

People are Strange
The Doors

People are strange when you're a stranger
Faces look ugly when you're alone
Women seem wicked when you're unwanted
Streets are uneven when you're down

When you're strange
Faces come out of the rain
When you're strange
No one remembers your name
When you're strange
When you're strange
When you're strange

Tina Turner...

...seeee, a Tina Tarnere de noartri

Episode VII