Neck pillows, claustrophobic tunnels and other tour essentials

Neck pillows
In the San Francisco airport, several of us bought neck pillows (I bought this one; because it was inflatable, it took up virtually no space in my bookbag). This may have been the best purchase I made on the entire tour. Rather than straining my neck and falling out into aisles, I slept calmly and quietly on our many, many flights.

Claustrophobia
On tour, I discovered that I suffer from a mild case of claustrophobia. In New Zealand, we took a glowworm tour in underground caves out in the middle of nowhere. About halfway through the tour, our guide led us through a narrow and long passageway that we had to crawl and squeeze through. With a person crawling in front of me and behind me, I was overcome by the fact that I could be stuck in a rock formation. I made it out, but the experience terrified me.

In Israel, I had a milder fright when several of us visited Hezekiah's Tunnel. While the above-mentioned passageway took about a minute to go through, this tunnel took about forty-five minutes to walk through. After about ten minutes, I realized how long the walk would be. Rather than freaking out, I just kept telling myself out-loud that it wasn't that bad. Plus, I started singing my part to "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" (I'm still not sure why that was my go-to song). Again, I made it out alive. Now I know that I should avoid those situations altogether.

Upon further review
Exclusivity aside, I think Bohemian Grove is just a summer camp for grown men.

iPod
I definitely used my iPod as an escape during tour. It's incredible how closing your eyes and listening to one or two songs can mentally transport you. For me, I listened to southern hip-hop (e.g., Jeezy) to bring me back to the Atlanta area. I also used music to help me sleep on flights, in hotels, etc.

Running
Casey, Jesse and I ran in almost every country we visited. After a few years of going to the gym on my own, I had forgotten how wonderful it can be to exercise with others.

I also had some magical times running by myself. In Tokyo, I ran several times in a park a few blocks from my host family's home. There, I watched as eighty year olds slowly made their way around the path and as tiny Japanese children waddled along with their teachers leading the way and bringing up the rear.

In addition to the obvious benefits, running also served as a mental and physical escape.

Reading
Though I did enjoy reading, I mostly enjoyed watching almost half the group read my copy of The Color Purple. I bought it in a San Francisco bookstore a day or two before we left for New Zealand. By the time we reached Europe, I think Brian, Casey, Jay, Jesse, Julian and I had all read it. You should read it, too. ( :


Thanks for reading my blog this summer. As always, if you want to reach me, shoot me an email at elliotjwatts[at]gmail[dot]com.

Photos from the past few weeks

About the photos above
1. Jay Kim and I at the Beijing Olympic Water Cube (where Michael Phelps won eight gold medals)
2. Julian, Jay Frisby and I at the Forbidden City in Beijing
3. Me at the Great Wall!
4. Casey singing at karaoke in Tokyo
5. The Whiffs singing at an ancient temple in Kyoto

Last Two Days in Japan

Thursday, June 18
We enjoyed a free day in Tokyo. Casey, Jay, Jesse, Drew, Yuko, and I walked around the downtown area and sat in a park. At night, after a dinner with our host families, we all went to karoake. I sang Sinatra/Cole Porter's "I've Got You Under My Skin."

Friday, June 19
During the afternoon, we sang at an outdoor concert in the business district of Tokyo. That night, we sang our final gig in Japan: a concert at a private club in downtown Tokyo. In attendance: my host mother, her friend, the former CEO of Sony, and about forty others. After the show and dinner, we got to talk with the guests. Jesse and I chatted with the CEO about his children and grandchildren. Fun!

Saturday, June 20
A roller-coaster of a day. At a train station in Tokyo at around 6 AM, we tearfully said goodbye to our caring and generous hosts in Japan. We boarded a train to take us to the airport, where we then said goodbye to our tremendously helpful tour guides, Jody and Yuko. We then left Japan and flew to Beijing, China.

Our two days in Kyoto

Tuesday, June 16th

Last night, we sang a concert with the Doshisha University glee club in Kyoto, one of Japan's oldest cities. Largely because of the acoustics of the concert hall, we performed better than we have all tour. 

Wednesday, June 17th

After singing a few short concerts at Doshisha, we took a tour of the college. Then, we sang at the Heian Jingu Shrine and visited two temples. We took a bullet train back to Tokyo, where our hosts treated us to an open bar at a downtown restaurant.

Sumo wrestling, electronics and a concert for our hosts

Yesterday, Casey, Jay K., Jesse and I walked with my host mother and Yoku to a local sumo wrestling training house. We spoke with a sumo wrestler about his fifteen years of training and competition. All the sumo wrestlers who train with a certain coach live in the same house and practice together everyday.

That afternoon, we visited a huge electronic store, where I bought some new Sony headphones, and walked down a street market, where I bought some dried mango.

In the evening, we performed at a gorgeous concert hall for our host families and their friends. The annual leader of the Whiff Japan trip led his own a cappella group made of older Japanese men. They sounded great and were hilarious! Also, our host families further showed their indefatigable hospitality and love after the show: each family gave every single Whiff a bouquet of flowers. In addition, my host mother, her daughters and her friends went out to dinner after the show.

Japan keeps getting better and better. We're so blessed to have such compassionate hosts; they have made this leg of tour a brilliant success. Today, we travel to Kyoto, where we will perform and spend the night.

Japan!

Friday, June 12th

After a full day in Sydney, we flew ten hours to Tokyo, Japan. Since I had never been to Japan or any part of Asia, I had been looking forward to this leg of the summer tour. This is the Whiffs' twenty-seventh time visiting Japan, and the reception could not be any better. Each Whiff has a host family, which goes far out of its way to show us a good time. Plus, two young, recent college graduates, Jody and Yoku, have been assigned to help us along the way. On Friday night, we met our host families; keeping with tradition, I presented mine with a bottle of whiskey-- I bought mine Maker's Mark.

Saturday, June 13th

We got up early in the morning to prepare for what would be a remarkably long concert. We sang an hour-and-a-half-long set in Fujisawa, a city right outside of Tokyo. Afterwards, we had a delicious reception, which allowed us to talk with the audience members and the college students who sang and danced before our performance.

Sunday, June 14th

Today was the best day of tour so far. Casey, Jay K., Jesse and my host families took us into historic Tokyo to explore important sites often visited by tourists. We saw temples and cemeteries; we ate delicious street food, including a green tea ice cream sandwich. For lunch, we ate at a restaurant where you take the ingredients and prepare them on a hot pan on your table. Delicious! Afterwards, we rode on a riverboat to see Tokyo's notable buildings, including the Tokyo Tower.

The night ended with a party at the home of Casey's host family. We ate a scrumptious feast that had been prepared by the host families. Best of all, we sang and played games with the host families' adorable children.

Our host families' out-of-this-world hospitality and kindness remind me of how special this tour is. I can only hope that the next few days will be as magical.

About the photos above

-Koki: the cutest child ever

-One of the talented kids at the party

-Jesse and Yoku (sitting to Jesse's right) on the riverboat

-Jay checking out one of Tokyo's many bridges

-Casey doing the same

-Preparing lunch at our table!

-My host mother and I in front of a temple