2011 NHK Blog #1 or Ichi

U.S. ice dancers (and recent gold medalists at Ice Challenge) Lynn Kriengkrairut & Logan Giulietti-Schmitt are blogging for IDC at NHK Trophy.  View additional photographs from their blogs in their special gallery. 

Without wasting any time, we hit the practice rink four hours after our arrival in Sapporo on Monday to find that the only available ice was a public session. We shared the ice with at least 40 others who were experiencing toepicks and the lack of support their rental skates provided for the first time. After about a half hour of forward stroking, we decided to call it a day. Even though the competition didn’t start yet, the cutest little kids approached us with wide-eyed curiosity. Some wanted autographs, but others wanted to play. One little girl ran up to Yuri and hugged his leg. Though we couldn’t communicate with her, her eyes were begging for some playful attention. We couldn’t say no to her adorable smile, so we played catch with her briefly while waiting for our taxi.

To our dismay, we found the hotel has no free wifi. This is quite a change from Austria which seemed to have wifi everywhere we went. We don’t realize how dependent we are on modern technology until it’s unavailable. Sorry, friends and family, facebook and twitter updates may be slow. Now, we have to huddle in one little corner of the 28th floor to access the internet or sit in the lobby of a neighboring hotel.

We’ve now been in Sapporo for three days and have developed a new appreciation for authentic Japanese food. It’s quite different from the Austrian cuisine we were so fond of last week. We’ve experienced a drastic change in breakfasts, from a plethora of breads, cheeses, and meats to rice, fish, and raw eggs. It may sound unappealing, but with our eclectic tastes, we really enjoy a wide variety of food in our diet.

Arriving early has also given us the opportunity to venture around the area. We have found an interesting “arcade” that consists of a bunch of shops, restaurants and casinos covering about six blocks and is enclosed by a giant roof. Apparently, there is even an underground shopping area that is somewhat hidden and only a select amount of people know about it. In contrast, there’s a large park and botanical gardens not far from the hotel, which may provide some serenity if needed in the future.  

Today we had an unofficial practice at the main arena, which was nice, because it gave us the opportunity to get a feel for the rink before competition started. It was amazing how many people were there setting up the equipment and decorating the arena. We normally arrive after all the preparations have been completed so we don’t realize how much work goes into organizing such a big event. After practice we came back to the hotel and had a feast of a dinner. The spread was overwhelming, ranging from smoked salmon salad to prime rib and freshly made sashimi. Our dinner table was covered with food and we still managed to squeeze in some room for dessert.

Off to bed now to get some rest for our first official practice in the morning followed by another one in the afternoon. Oyasumi nasai…good night!

Lynn and Logan