Over the past months my housemate Olivia has befriended some of the guys from the Suntory Rugby team. Rugby is pretty popular in Japan; not quite as much as soccer, but it's certainly more watched than it is in the U.S. Apparently a lot of top players from New Zealand's and Australia's teams come to Japan for the tail end of their careers (I think because rugby in Japan, contrary to elsewhere, is somewhat friendlier to much-abused joints and limbs). Soooo, Olivia is Fijian and many of them are Islanders, creating a natural bond . . . one that has facilitated my befriending of former greats from teams such as the New Zealand All Blacks*. That such a claim meant nothing to me until about a week ago (they don't talk about it -- we had to rely on Olivia's sister, an avid fan, to alert us to the caliber of our company . . . and even then I didn't know who the All Blacks were until Olivia enlightened me) only slightly diminishes the glamour of the situation, right? Wellll, they're a lovely bunch of lads, anyway, and as far as I can tell they have all have their teeth and ears.

*If you watch the Haka History video, not only will you want to watch Whale Rider again; you'll also see some of Japan's finest at their most grainy.