Tama Hills

September 13, Saturday
Alex ran his first track meet today at Tama Hills, an American military recreational facility outside Tokyo. He had to be on a bus at 7.10, so we played it safe and took a cab to the stop. Because it was the start of a holiday weekend, the outgoing traffic was so bad that we arrived half-an-hour late and the meet did not start until 9.15.

The facility is truly the retreat it is supposed to be. Developed in the late 1930s as an ammunition factory (historical markers at preserved sites provide a brief sense of the place ), Tama Hills has huge trees that line the roads the kids run around. We definitely are not in Tokyo. More developed sections include a miniature golf, horse stable, baseball field, and convenience store. The entire facility is much larger than the little bit I saw.

ASIJ differs from other international schools in its proximity to American military bases and its good relations with the schools there. This means ASIJ can offer American sports because the base schools provide teams to compete against. In contrast, many international schools offer sports on the British model (rugby, soccer, and lacrosse (why this is considered British I don’t know).

Lots of parents showed to support their kids. Many parents drove cars, an act that still impresses me but makes sense if several people are traveling together. The races were short: a two-mile run with the first middle-school boys finishing in 15 minutes, Alex in the middle at 20 minutes (19.50 to be exact), and the rest straggling in. The girls ran next.

The real fun was the convenience store afterward, stuffed with American candies and selling in American dollars. Red licorice – hurray!

Going against travel, the bus ride was short and painless.

Alex, for some reason, was tired that afternoon. Noneless, we walked down to a local bike store. A new basic bike with no gears was $200, three gears was $230 and six gears was $260, including pedals and basket. Considering the hills of Shirokane, six would be the minimum. For lighter, niftier bikes, the prices rapidly escalate. We also stopped at a few local playgrounds, all very small with facilities that our kids really have outgrown – but not quite yet. The ground is gravel, which is preferable to grass that would be torn up quickly, but not as good as an artificial yielding terrain that the playgrounds in College Station have. Still, in a city, it is pleasing to see so many small neighborhood spots that are quite busy.

The neighborhood festival was truly a neighborhood festival. A few games for small kids, three food stands with outrageously low prices (50 Y for cotton candy), and taking up only a limited space. Quite a difference from the overwhelming crowds of Azabu-Juban.