Now where did I put those shoes?
Bowling in Japan is... pretty much like bowling anywhere else I've tried it. Which doesn't cover a whole lot of places, really- a few places in the US, a couple of places in Japan. But bowling is bowling, there's not that much to vary.
The company unofficial bowling tournament was last night after work. Since moving to Japan about 10 years ago (doesn't seem anywhwere near that long), I've been bowling all of 5 times. Needless to say, I'm a bit out of practice. I used to bowl a bit more frequently- my mother was on a bowling league, so it was something we did. I even joined a team that was a person short in a Saturday morning league during my last year of high school. I was never a great bowler, but my average had gotten into the 150-160 range. At last year's company bowling event, we bowled 2 games. I got a 140 and a 139. This year was two games as well. I got a 140, then things fell apart a bit and I got a 118. The first half of the second game had a lot of those wobbling but not falling down pins that left with a score of nine rather than a spare. Ah well.
One thing that was odd that I don't recall from last year (at the same bowling alley) is that it was the slipperiest lane I've ever bowled on. Maybe it was the shoes, or a combination of both lane and shoes, but I probably ended up on the floor after throwing my ball about half of the times I went up to bowl. A few times I even slid a couple inches past the foul line. Maybe I'm doing something different with my throw since the shoulder surgery a few years back that's throwing me off (though it didn't seem to affect my aim that much, since I hit the 140 range), but it was a bit laughable the number of times I was on the floor. And no, I hadn't been drinking anything. I wasn't the only one who went down, but I probably did end up on the floor more often than anyone else.
Since I've only bowled once a year the last few years (if that), I always wonder what wight ball to use. I settled for a 13 pound ball last night, trading off a slightly faster, harder throw for a little less weight. I suspect if I bowled more often, I'd go for something heavier.
Afterward, we had a dinner and prize "ceremony" consisting of a couple rounds of Bingo and some Paper, Rock, Scissors competitions. Once again this year, I walked away with no prizes. I don't think it's possible to win Paper, Rock, Scissors against a Japanese person. They play it from birth, and play at the speed of light. Seriously, I haven't even finished looking to see who threw what to know if I've won or lost, and they're going on their fourth round. And what is it with the name of that game, anyway? I've heard a lot of people call it Rock, Paper, Scissors, other people use "stone" instead of "rock". Regardless, Scissors always seems to come last. I've considered introducing the concept of Rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock, but they'd probably do that faster than I could, too.
The company unofficial bowling tournament was last night after work. Since moving to Japan about 10 years ago (doesn't seem anywhwere near that long), I've been bowling all of 5 times. Needless to say, I'm a bit out of practice. I used to bowl a bit more frequently- my mother was on a bowling league, so it was something we did. I even joined a team that was a person short in a Saturday morning league during my last year of high school. I was never a great bowler, but my average had gotten into the 150-160 range. At last year's company bowling event, we bowled 2 games. I got a 140 and a 139. This year was two games as well. I got a 140, then things fell apart a bit and I got a 118. The first half of the second game had a lot of those wobbling but not falling down pins that left with a score of nine rather than a spare. Ah well.
One thing that was odd that I don't recall from last year (at the same bowling alley) is that it was the slipperiest lane I've ever bowled on. Maybe it was the shoes, or a combination of both lane and shoes, but I probably ended up on the floor after throwing my ball about half of the times I went up to bowl. A few times I even slid a couple inches past the foul line. Maybe I'm doing something different with my throw since the shoulder surgery a few years back that's throwing me off (though it didn't seem to affect my aim that much, since I hit the 140 range), but it was a bit laughable the number of times I was on the floor. And no, I hadn't been drinking anything. I wasn't the only one who went down, but I probably did end up on the floor more often than anyone else.
Since I've only bowled once a year the last few years (if that), I always wonder what wight ball to use. I settled for a 13 pound ball last night, trading off a slightly faster, harder throw for a little less weight. I suspect if I bowled more often, I'd go for something heavier.
Afterward, we had a dinner and prize "ceremony" consisting of a couple rounds of Bingo and some Paper, Rock, Scissors competitions. Once again this year, I walked away with no prizes. I don't think it's possible to win Paper, Rock, Scissors against a Japanese person. They play it from birth, and play at the speed of light. Seriously, I haven't even finished looking to see who threw what to know if I've won or lost, and they're going on their fourth round. And what is it with the name of that game, anyway? I've heard a lot of people call it Rock, Paper, Scissors, other people use "stone" instead of "rock". Regardless, Scissors always seems to come last. I've considered introducing the concept of Rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock, but they'd probably do that faster than I could, too.