I could help if I really wanted to - Saturday 12th March

I tend to shy away from aggressive situations, and have a particularly well developed disdain for violence, drunkenness and loutish behaviour. So how was I going to fit in with a bunch of rusted-on Sydney FC soccer fans? This question had troubled me in the weeks before the game, especially as I had read more and more of the fan forums. I was pleased I was traveling alone - I was expecting a few of them would be watching the game from the local Kaban (Police) station!

That sleep-depriving dilemma of mine was superseded by the real problems of the earthquake and tsunami.

Whiling away the time on a plane can be a challenge. My emergency service volunteer brain started to take over. Should I find one of the Kuramae or Ginza volunteer fire corps and offer my help? Should I make contact with my NSW Red Cross colleagues and say " Hey, I am in Tokyo, what can I do?"

While very noble of me, I also realise that the Civil Defence Forces, disaster volunteer services, Fire Departments as well as the volunteer fire corps number in the hundreds of thousands. And then there is the small thing of language!

The plane was somewhere over Guam when this sobering conversation with Veronica came to me:

T: "Hey, things seem pretty normal here in Tokyo. Yes, the Hostel is fine. Weather is nice. Haven't felt any after shocks"
V: "Kevin Rudd is advising all Australians to leave Tokyo. The Fukushima thing is getting more fuched. Apparently the water supply is contaminated and George Negus says there is a 150km exclusion zone"
T: "I found a volunteer Fire Corps station is Asakusa. Amazing. Volunteer sheds with human-pulled fire pumps all over Tokyo. Lovely ordinary people serving their communities, just like me"
V: "Your Mum is freaking out. Madeline says you are an idiot for going over in the first place. Go south for God's sake. Jetstar have flights out of Osaka. Get out of Tokyo. Change your ticket."
T: "I've got 4 days spare now I am not going north for the soccer. So I have volunteered with the Red Cross and will go up to Fukushima on Tuesday - or as close as we can with our paper protection suits."
V: "Do you remember when we got those macadamias from Basim. And I had to buy the heavy duty nut cracker...I suggest you don't go."

Fair call.

Will the coat be necessary?

Just been looking at the Tokyo weather forecasts for the next 14 days. Amazing how the weather forecasting can be so reliable nowadays. Tokyo looks good. Low chance of rain (less than 30%) on each of the five days I will be there.

Not so good for Mito and game day versus Kashima Antlers. 80% chance of rain, and getting down to 2 degrees in the night. Wet weather jacket plus the good old Katmandu jacket, the RFS beanie, topped off by the newly acquired Sydney FC ACL scarf. Chances are the Sydney shirt will be outside the jacket - the same look as Feb 09 for the Socceroos against Japan. Might finally get good use out of that XXL shirt I bought than swims on me.

For the last 2 days in Nikko - the weather looks pretty rough. Nights are ranging from -2 to -5 over the next fortnight, but only low chance of rain. Days will hover around 10 degrees, so for a Blue Mountains boy that will be just nice. The mystery is how much colder Lake Chuzenji will be out from Nikko. Considering the ski season goes till end of March, got a fair chance it will be freezing.

So, does the big London Fog jacket get packed for one day's use? I am flying Qantas, so checked baggage weight is not an issue (no Jetstar Light this time). I like travelling light. Maybe a few layers of shirts will do the trick.

What I wil be taking will be a good pair of walking boots. I have a day trip to Mt Mitake west of Tokyo planned which includes a good 3 hours walking. If it does rain or snow, atleast I shall be safe on my feet. Nikko too is a place where the boots will come in handy with a fair amount of walking planned. Boots will keep the footsies a bit warmer (compared to joggers) when standing out on the terraces for the football games.

2 games on the cards

Tickets for the Sydney FC v Kashima Antlers game on 16th March have already been purchased in Sydney, only costing $32 which is a very reasonable price. Too bad another $2,500 is budgeted to get there and back!

On the day I arrive in Tokyo, it happens that Urawa Reds are playing Gamba Osaka in Saitama (Tokyo). Chances are I am going to take in that game as well. Urawa average just under 50,000 for their home games.

After that game, I will be on the lookout for a sports bar of some sort to try to watch the A-League Grand Final.