2012 Schedule of Events
Saturday, September 8, 2012 We depart for Japan but we don’t land in Japan until Sunday. (We cross the dateline)
Sunday, September 9, 2012 Six U.S. teams will arrive between 3:00 and 4:30 in the afternoon. After going through customs, you will be met by me and/or representatives of the Topy Cup. Look for signs saying "TOPY CUP". You will be directed to buses parked in a special area. There are free luggage carts available in the baggage claim area and they can be used to carry your bags to the bus. As our private buses fill up, they will be dispatched to the Tanagura Renaissance, a “sports hotel” designed for recreational pursuits. It is a ride of some three to four hours from Narita. There is a lunch provided and a movie on board the buses. There will be one or two rest stops along the way where snacks can be purchased. I suggest that all visitors try and change some of their money into yen at their departure terminals in the U.S. in order to make small purchases on this leg of the trip. Our recommendation is that each person bring about $100 worth of yen. You can always change it back to dollars if you don't spend it. You can avoid some ‘exchange charges’ by pooling your money. (Each transaction has a flat fee.) Upon arrival at the Tanagura Renaissance, your keys will be ready for you when you walk in the front door. In the past, whole teams (without the coach) have been assigned to a cottage type accommodation. The players like this arrangement except that there is only one bathroom. Because of this, they will open the "Kurhouse" at 5:00 am. This is the nicest jacuzzi/shower/spa area that you will ever find with baths and showers of various temperatures designed to make you feel wonderful. You can shower, shave, blow dry your hair, etc. This is a very popular area before and after the rounds of golf.
Monday, September 10, 2012 There will be practice rounds on Monday and we ask the coaches to help reinforce the courtesy of not hitting extra shots on the par three holes. The course is in excellent shape and a field of 100 players can quickly disturb the available hitting areas on the par threes.Additionally, I wish to inform you that it is customary in Japan for all collegiate players to carry small canvas bags of sand to fill in the divots taken during play. Visiting players occasionally tend to take this chore lightly but we owe it to the course and to our hosts to fulfill our obligations in taking care of the course. After the practice round, there will be a long drive contest. This is a big deal in Japan and they have a great time with it. One person from each team will be asked to participate.
Welcome Party On Monday evening, there will be a "Welcome Party" at the Tanagura Renaissance. All players are to be attired in jackets and ties for the men and dresses or dress pants for the ladies. It is customary in Japan to have a toasting of drinks before dinner and beer is the customary drink used for the toast, called KAMPAI (pronounced calm-pie) in Japan. There will be adequate soft drinks on the tables for the collegiate players. We ask that the players not drink alcoholic beverages at the parties, at both hotels and the golf course. In Tokyo, when out on-the-town, you have your own team rules.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012 Play will start at 8:00 am. The tournament format for the competition will be the usual best four scores out of five each round. PLEASE NOTE: For all the rounds, we pair one U.S. team with two Japanese teams.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012 Play will start at 8:00 am.
Thursday, September 13, 2012 The final round will start at 7:00 am. There may be television coverage of the final round. Hopefully, we will be able to get tapes so that we can watch it later.
The tournament committee will be renting some rooms at the golf course so that players can shower and change. Please stay in your team uniforms until the conclusion of the awards ceremony. The awards presentation and a farewell party will be at the golf course. The party is a blast. The attire will be casual.
After the party, we will depart for Tokyo. There will be a bus trip to a train station where we will catch the famous Shinkansen or "Bullet Train" as it is more commonly known. It travels at speeds up to 150 mph but it is so smooth that you can't believe that you are going that fast. You won't have to worry about your luggage. It will be taken to Tokyo where you will be able to pick it up at the hotel.
TOKYO You will be able to do anything you want in Tokyo. Just make sure the coach knows where the players are going. Most teams have at least one meal at the Tokyo Hard Rock Cafe. There are numerous excursions around the city from two hours to all day. One great spot is the Tokyo Tower. It provides quite a view and it is larger than the Eifel Tower in Paris. Some teams in the past have visited the Tokyo Disneyland.
When you go out on the town, all you have to do is take a matchbook or a business card of the hotel and the cab driver can get you or your players back. The subways are awesome and spotless. They are the best in the world.
Friday, September 14, 2012Most teams pay to stay one extra day in Tokyo and come back home on Saturday, the 15th. I believe all the teams are staying the extra day this year. It is well worth it and the kids have a great time. If you choose to do that, we ask you to pay for the one extra night in the hotel. We get a special rate of approximately $75 per person. That is a great rate for this caliber of hotel.
Saturday, September 15, 2012Remember, when you leave on Saturday, you will get home earlier on Saturday because Japan is 13 to 16 hours ahead of us in the states. Teams will be shuttled directly to the Narita Airport. We would like to remind all first-time visitors to Japan that there are dozens of souvenir shops in the Narita Airport for last minute shopping with prices that are comparable to those in Tokyo. |
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