Tokyo Dome baseball

Finally got a chance to mark off something on my "Gosh, I really should do that" list.


Baseball cocktails, anyone?

The structure was the first baseball dome built in Japan. Before seeking wikipedia just now, I hadn't realized it kept it shape via air pressure, but that certainly explains the super-strong whoosh you get when going out the door. (On entry they use forcibly rotating doors, but I guess they can't handle the mass rush of people going home.) To be honest, it looks newer (and bigger) from the outside.

Three interesting differences to American baseball & baseball parks. One is pictured above: beer girls. Actually the girl above is a wine and cocktail girl--the beer girls each have a half-keg strapped to their backs. They appear to be employed by the beer companies; You know to look for hot pink if you want Asahi beer, for example. There were also hot-dog girls and ice cream girls. They walk to the end of the aisle and bow before asking for orders.

Second interesting difference (which may only apply to the Yomuri Giants team) is what you get if you hit a home run (zoom in below on the cheerleader)


Ramirez! Ramir... I mean.. La-Mee-Ray! La-Mee-Ray!

Just what every slugger dreams off--a stuffed animal! (The animal does not get tossed in the crowd, more like on the ground to keep hands free for high-fives.) Ramirez was quite the star of the evening with multiple HR and RBIs; unfortunately I couldn't snap a video of the cute little dance he does in front of the TV camera with the team mascot when he scores a HR (at the end of the team line). ... Or the on-camera MVP interview that most folks in the stands waited for.

The third thing that was different was the "cheer" section. In the outfield were the supporters, all wearing the team jersey. Right-field was home team--and they really really won (after I arrived, their good luck charm). But left-field had a 100% full section, complete with trumpets and drums, and they stayed to the very last out despite the 8 run difference. .. Even more impressive, I'm told that the fans organize these things without any support or organizational aid from the team. No official "supporter section" tickets--they must reserve seats WAY in advance.

Not the target

Something tells me I'm not the target audience for this train station poster:


Hello Bow-Infested Kitty 
Sadly, not quite as bizarre as Blank Stare Kitty Wielding Jaws-of-Life, but the sheer number of bows she's sporting prompted me to take the shot.

In addition, there's food. To a non-Japanese person like me, it seems pretty out of place. Girl dressed like a princess: no problem. But beef bowl?? .. sponsor? Suggestions for house-keeping Mom?  

Quiz: What does this ad motivate you to do? What do you think is being advertised?

Japan vs. world oil crisis?

First, in case you missed it, check out a recent speech by a Nobel prize winner about how the US can and should be selling / running cars 100% carbon-free by 2018.

Second, since this is a Tokyo analysis blog, I'll reveal a recent observation I made: Japan is well-suited to survive a world oil crisis.

Don't mean to forbode, or dooms-day, or sooth say. I really hope our planet's transition from oil is smooth. (I'm also not going to start talking about global warming.) But oil is running out, and prices are going up. If there is a burp in productivity, prices will burp too. It makes sense to start thinking about how we can live on less oil.

And I've gotta say that Japan seems better off than the US in this regard. People are used to crowded living. The live-able land is as big as a US state, whereas the population is about HALF the US population. The fraction of power that comes from nuclear is pretty high, and the fraction of people that drive daily is small.

I think the biggest reason is cultural: Japanese people are still culturally aware of their feudal age, which officially ended only 150 years ago. People want to live close together--a holdover from the time when a village had to weigh land for rice patties over privacy, I think. "Crowded" has a connotation of happy and lively.

The result is super narrow streets that cars literally don't fit on--where would you park it anyway? And neighborhoods where it literally is faster go shopping at the supermarket by bicycle. The only vehicles guaranteed to run every day are delivery trucks and scooters.

Of course, the other benefit of having a shadow memory of feudal times is the ability to cope. You don't often hear Japanese people complaining about a late bus, or having to take the bus in the first place. ... I can't imagine there'd be much time wasted on a "Why did this have to happen to me" reaction if the flow of foreign oil happened to stop. They'd just say "Oh well". And then "So, who wants to walk next door for noodles?"

Benz cop?

I did a double take from my bicycle when I saw this. It looked a bit like Germany, so many Mercedes.. until I realized that the lights belonged to a mini-sized toyota behind it.

... Sadly I was blind to the cars being on the wrong side of the road.. and the van saying PUMPKIN... oh well

Sneeze and a half

In light of passing the week anniversary, today is 8 days since the procedure, thought I could spend a few words on symptoms and observations.

Short version: try not to sneeze. It hurts.

Long version:

Every day is a little different, generally with less and less bad stuff. Same as before the surgery, the mornings are better than the evenings. I got bruising, I got aches. Piercing pain tends to hit around 4pm.

A growing problem is the plastic wrap thing--imagine a big clear sticker. I imagine it was placed on my (shaved) skin at the end of the procedure by two people: one to stretch out the area and the other to apply it. At first, due to the swelling, it was pretty smooth. But now the swelling has gone down to about 25% of how it used to be, so the plastic is rippling and the edges are more stiff. I get a whole range of sensations; my hair is growing back but is trapped underneath the plastic. It's like beard itch and a bandaid slowly peeling off at the same time. ... The blood that had leaked and pooled under the plastic is now all dry--so that's also a bit odd. Looking forward to my appointment next Monday to get the plastic off and that stuff finally cleaned.

I'm depleting my medicine cabinet pretty quickly. The anti-inflammatory diclofenac that I got when leaving the hospital ran out the third back home. Now I'm doing acetaminophen for pain and sometimes ibuprofen for swelling.

I can't laugh, can't cough.. and sneezing hurts. I've had two sneezing events since the surgery. One of them was a half sneeze--somehow I stiffled it. Yesterday I had a 3/4 sneeze, and it nearly knocked me out!! I had a throbbing pain for the rest of the day. ..if my procedure happened during the spring time, I'd definitely take anti-allergy (loratadine). Sneeze risk a serious deal.

... but I should add, not everything is bad. Not sure if it's due to stress relief, an unobstructed pathway now that my small intestine is where it should be, or the cleansing effect of hospital food, but ... well, hopefully I can be indirect about what I mean. Very efficient use of time on the toilet.

Edit: Forgot to mention two things. #1) There was some internal leakage during the procedure, resulting in dark coloration of the back/rear side of my right scrotal sac. (Same side as the hernia.) That discoloration is now gone. I wasn't checking it every day, but I guess it was the first bruising to appear and recover. #2) My Dad experienced numbness near his incision, but I never did. I can feel through the plastic pretty well.

Please do it at home

There's a ad campaign to promote good behavior on Tokyo subways. Here's a snapshot I took just before my surgery.

Meaning? Here's what I think, either:

Please dance like Stevie Wonder at home.

or

Please clean your ears out (guy on right) at home.

What do you think?

Dating your nurse

First, I want to say that my surgery proceeded normally, and I'm starting to feel better. My procedure was exactly 48 hours ago. I have some swelling and some pain when I move, but I feel lost better today than yesterday. If the trend continues, I'll be walking like normal in 5 or 6 days. (I'm still doing the hospital shuffle at the moment.) [I'll add a couple things in the advice post.]

But I have a new problem: I'm in love with my nurse.

... OK, not really "Love" but it sounds more dramatic that way. Let's just say, she's really cute, what's more she seems like a good person, and I'm interested in learning more about her and seeing her again.

This brings up two questions. #1 Is this some kind of patient-caregiver syndrome, like what happened in "Back to the Future" between Marty and his (future) Mom but in reverse? #2 How do you make that awkward first step at changing a professional relationship into a personal one?

The answer to #1 I'm leaving up to you guys. Am I being dumb? Please comment.

The answer to #2, I think, is to bring a little thank-you gift, like a fruit basket, next time I come to the hospital for my appointment, which is about 10 days from now. I'll print out the photo of me and her (taken by my request) and include my email on the back in case she wants to meet and practice English. ... We occasionally spoke about how to say different things that she often says to patients in English, so maybe that would be appropriate. (For examplle instead of "Please check your wound," to use "Please let me check your wound.") The point being, if she's interested she can write me. But if not, I'm just being thankful for the nursing staff who helped me out the past couple days.

Yes, I've been thinking about that. Could be I consider a nurse to be a good match since there are many nurses in my family, I dunno.

Inguinal hernia in Tokyo - advice

In case some of my ex-pat comrades stumble upon this blog because they're going through the same thing as me, I thought I should journal a bit of the process I've gone through in the last few weeks.

If you Googled "inguinal hernia Tokyo" then chances are you've at least gotten a preliminary diagnosis. If not, here are some points:

• Step 1, clinic. In Japan, you'll pay about a $50 fee if you go directly to the hospital without a referral letter. The idea is to promote preventive medicine and get more people to go to local clinics.
  
• It can be almost any clinic; they're used to writing letters. Go to a clinic you're comfortable with. I was lucky to find a bowel/internal guy close to my apartment who advertises "English-speaking Doctor in Tokyo." (He's also on lists on embassy websites. (Check out US, Oz, and NZ sites)
• Double-check health insurance coverage before you go. I'm part time thus on Japan National Health Insurance, which means no access to the "foreigner clinics" in Roppongi/Embassy part of town.

Once you've got a referral, there are some points that might speed up your hospital decision process:

• This is fixed by surgery. Real surgery, anesthesia, sutures, battle scars, the whole bit. BUT NOTE: it's a common surgery with very low risks.
• On the net you'll find information that endoscopic / laparoscopic / video camera procedures might seem like the way to go. Smaller scars, quicker recovery, etc. However, the truth is that method takes twice as long on the table as conventional mesh-type herniorrhaphy (aka hernia repair) with a slightly larger set of risks. (Though still low.) It isn't an every-day procedure in the US, and in Japan it's even more rare. If you really want it, you'll likely have to search or travel for surgery.
• Most doctors speak so-so English, but most staff have broken English at best. If you have a friend / significant figure to help you, use them.
• Seems like most hospitals have ID cards, looks like a credit card. Always keep that handy, it gets swiped a lot.
  
• Important one: Surgeons don't consider this procedure to be a terribly challenging job--it's routine. So, if you go to a renown university hospital, you're almost guaranteed to get a young less-experienced person doing the procedure. A smaller, private hospital is more likely to assign an experienced surgeon when you ask for it.
• Each time you leave the hospital you're likely to stick cash into a machine (as if buying stamps).
  

One more set of information, obtained with help from my anesthesiologist uncle:

• The two common choices for anesthesia are spinal and general. Most surgeons have a preference for one over the other, but if not you might get to choose. Worth asking.
  
• Spinal anesthesia involves putting your lower body to sleep by numbing your spine. A very thin needle is used to administer a single drug directly to the spine. The upper body is awake (& you too).
  • Spinal is super cheap and has less risk of allergic reaction (when only one active drug), but when the numbness wears off most young guys go through a painful, messy, and potentially embarrassing episode with the urinary catheter.
    
  • Some patients want to be able to talk with their surgeon during the procedure.
  • Sedation is an option to help the time pass (and perhaps lessen anxiety) but then the prices jumps back up to the same as General.
    
• General anesthesia involves drugs through the IV line. There's often a mixture of at least two drugs, one to put you 100% out and the other to stop all body movement.
• General anesthesia is pricey, and a tube goes down your throat to ensure that the body gets enough oxygen. It's there for a couple hours, so the throat will hurt and you might be hoarse for a while. The plus side is that you're body is 100% stationary for the surgeon, and you get to simply wake up when it's over.

If you couldn't tell, I chose General. (It was the catheter that did it for me.)

When you get your check-in date, you'll get a list of things you should bring. Some of these things are unlike Western-country hospitals. In case your list is in a language you can't read, it includes: [[**See Edit coments]]

• Slippers with rubber soles. Guess you might have to walk through .. liquid.
• Cup for tea/coffee, if you want it between meals.
  
• Pajamas.
• Robe. My hospital seems to emphasize this point: no roaming in pajamas. I just bought some yukata for summer so I'll bring one to use as a robe and use zori as my slippers.
  
• Kleenex / tissue.
  
• Towels. My hospital has different level rooms; most rooms get towel changes but the cheapest ones don't.
  
• Underwear / undershirts / socks / etc, enough for the whole stay. They don't do laundry, traditionally your family members take care of that.
• Toiletries: toothbrush/etc, soap, shampoo/etc, razor. Too bad hospitals aren't set up like love hotels which (as I've heard) have all that complimentary.

It's a little bit like camping! Though probably anything you need is available at a gift shop or near-by shop. I've made my own supplementary list:

• cell phone charger
• laptop with movies & shows I wanna watch. .. so I don't have to pay for a TV rental card
• AC cord for laptop
• stuffed animal so I can mark where my scar is and not have to awkwardly point to my groin region all the time.
• ATM card. They traditionally get payment at check-out. My bank's machine is even in the lobby! Credit card should also work.
  

That's it! If I have anything to add once it's all over, I'll edit my post and tack new advice below.

I check-in tomorrow. .. Yesterday's appointment with the head of anesthesia reassured me so much that I'm almost dreading the 9am rush hour more than the procedure.. Wish me luck


[[Edit: Comments after checking-out]]

My impression of my stay was as I expected or better. Part of that may be due to a room upgrade for the same price--as explained to me, the lower rate room I'd requested and they said would be available was full, so I was given the much better room for the same price. It included towel service, a cup for tea, and hand soap in the bath room. I was thankful for my shampoo, kleenex, and PC notebook with movies.

Also, I should comment that the swelling near my incision (which is a bit higher up on my body than where my hernia poked out) is substantial, and I was very glad to be wearing a loose / free form yukata on my way home. Perhaps my obi looked like crap since it was tied very loose, but without being able or wanting to use any abdominal muscles, my belly pooches out a LOT now. So.. not having to button trousers has been a very good thing. Loose boxers as underwear has also been great--worn high to reduce pressure on the critical zone.

As far as the procedure goes, everything went as I expected. I'd stayed up late the night before the procedure getting everything packed, and that combined with the many naps I'd taken immediately after the surgery perhaps lead to a hard time sleeping through the night. But the second night I slept great and woke up with no pain. Good stuff. ... Just as it was before the procedure, staying prone and lying down is the best way to be.

Best of luck to any of you going through this too! I'll make occasional comments about my recovery as time goes by so maybe you can gauge how long it really takes.

pre-hospital whirlwind

Tomorrow is the day. Things have been fairly hectic lately. Or it could be that trying to keep a "normal" Tokyo schedule is a bit trying at present.

In the past 5 days I've prepared and given group seminar, waited about an hour for an appointment with my surgeon, had dinner with the lab to welcome a visiting student from my alma mater, met with friends twice, tried a new restaurant to keep things fresh, prepared an submitted a job application with cover letter and sample 600-word editorial on a recent nanotech paper, met with my anesthesiologist, filled in my paperwork for my June pay stub, signed a release on a court settlement from a car crash that was ages ago, sewed a new hem on my yukata so I can wear it in the hospital as a robe, and typed a blog entry.

(I left out a few things, but you get the drift.)


... What I really want to do at this point is document my condition, so I can read it later and decide if be reassured that it was all really worth it.

Right now as I type, the pain is not that bad. From when I wake in the morning until early afternoon I'm fine--I simply have a little ponch on one side of the lowest part of the abdomen when I stand up. It's totally gone with I lie down. (In fact, I've envisioned taking a photo of the area as pre-scar documentation, but.. uh.. still haven't figured out a non compromising pose to make...)

Eventually the region gets tender, as if someone had punched me hard enough to hit my pelvis bone. I self-consciously start protecting it. Then a nerve to other nearby areas (which need not be mentioned) must get activated, some kind of secondary effect, which makes me feel like I just got kicked in the groin.

I walk slow when that happens. Real slow.

I have a lot in common with the Tokyo retiree community these days. Youngins move faster than me, I don't ride the train at times when I can't get a seat, and when I do get a seat I make one of a variety of "coming in for a landing" grunts. (...I think a lot of it is psychological, because I really don't want to enlarge the herniation.)

So, despite typical surgery fears (general anesthesia, scarring, etc), cheapness (a bed for $300/night?!? damn!), and anxiety over inevitable cultural differences, I have good reasons to look forward to my surgery. All this will be fixed up soon.

I really look forward to the moment when I'm fit enough to play soccer (2 months?) and jog again.