A PGA golfer writes...

[Mulboyne]

Chip Sullivan, a professional golfer, is blogging about his experience coming over to play in Japan. He's the first reigning PGA Professional National Champion to compete in the Japan PGA Championship. There are four parts so far:

Konnichi-wow

Day 2 of the Japan PGA Championship

Day 3 competing at the Japan PGA Championship

Opening round in Japan

...Food has been the biggest culture shock to me since my arrival in Japan. At today's clubhouse breakfast buffet, I was greeted by fish, tofu, pickled cucumbers, and rice. I also saw a mirage at the end of the buffet line - a display of eggs. . .Could it be. . .a hard-boiled egg! I'm lovin' it! Tom, my caddie and father-in-law, joined me in feeling that we were rescued. We each brought a "hungry man" portion of eggs back to the table and Tom was the first to crack his open. Our prize eggs were RAW. I was right; they were a mirage. Apparently it is a delicacy to dine on raw eggs over rice for breakfast in Japan. Even though Tom might be able to carry a bag up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, he is NOT Rocky. We headed to the tee box with nary a crumb in our stomachs. Being a diabetic, I was quickly reminded that I can't be too finicky about what I eat, at least not while in Japan. Having nothing in my stomach, my sugar crashed. For the first time in quite a while I had to quit my practice round on the 15th hole. Point taken. Lesson learned. Even if it's plain rice, I need to keep eating. I have heard that many western foods can be found in Tokyo, but I am in Takasaki, in the state of Gunma. With the risk of sounding like a fifth grade math problem, I am 90 minutes from Tokyo via a bullet train that goes 160 miles an hour. I may not be "smarter than a fifth grader", but I do know that I am a long way from a Big Mac and Fries. I'm going to have to (gasp) learn to like sushi...

...After a morning of suffering lost opportunities on the golf course, I was determined to make my afternoon one of opportunities GAINED. My quest: a cheeseburger. Sandy (Mr. Satoru Sunagawa of the Japan PGA), uncovered the Holy Grail today - a McDonald's within a 40-minute cab ride of the golf course! Knowing the menus were in Japanese, and being afraid (rightly so) that we'd be unable to find our way home, Sandy accompanied us on the jaunt to Mickey D's. For the low, low price of $50, Tom and I dined on double cheeseburgers, fries, and Cokes. I was so desperate for western food that I didn't blink at the price. After the gratifying dietary grease, we chalked the afternoon up as a success. Think $50 is a lot for a "Value Meal"? Think again, if you are in Japan. The cost of living here is through the roof, and EVERYTHING is expensive.

One major difference in playing golf in Japan (as a professional) is your pathway to the food line. It is customary here for the players to provide their own meals, or purchase them from the club. If you need food for energy on the golf course, you must pack your own snacks in the golf bag. Please note that the Japanese PGA and JPGA Tour treat their players with reverence, and provide them with fabulous amenities. Being used to the "spreads" that The PGA of America provides at our PGA Professional National Championship, as well as that of the PGA Championship, I found ordering and paying for food from a menu intriguing. With the hospitality I have been shown, I don't mind. It's just another difference between here and home. Considering cultural diversity, I have also been amazed at the size of things in Japan. From cars to napkins, and specifically portions of food, "size" is much smaller in Japan. I commend this country for their thinking of "less is more". Due to this mindset, air quality is better, pollution is reduced and the people are generally much healthier than in America...

[Catoneinutica]

"I may not be 'smarter than a fifth grader...'"

You called it, Chip!

[ttjereth]

Someone should email him the McDonald's Japan web page with it's list of shops in Gunma (I count at least 11).

[Adhesive]

Well, you can't expect everybody to have a basic familiarity with Japan before going, especially when it's just a short trip for job purposes. As much as I'd like to rag on the guy for being completely naive, the truth is that if somebody dropped me off in a foreign country that I had no interest in, I'd be paying $50 for McDonalds and marveling at the all the differences as well. For an athlete, he writes well enough and seems pretty appreciative of cultural differences. That gets you a pass in my book.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Well, you can't expect everybody to have a basic familiarity with Japan before going, especially when it's just a short trip for job purposes. As much as I'd like to rag on the guy for being completely naive, the truth is that if somebody dropped me off in a foreign country that I had no interest in, I'd be paying $50 for McDonalds and marveling at the all the differences as well. For an athlete, he writes well enough and seems pretty appreciative of cultural differences. That gets you a pass in my book.

Since when does McDonalds for two cost fifty bucks in Japan?

[ttjereth]

Since when does McDonalds for two cost fifty bucks in Japan?

I think that's for the cab ride.

[Western All Stars]

Being used to the "spreads" that The PGA of America provides at our PGA Professional National Championship, as well as that of the PGA Championship, I found ordering and paying for food from a menu intriguing.

When I read this I pictured a British big game hunter in the 1800's, stumbling across an unknown tribe in Africa.

"What an amazing country this is! These little people have developed a system to trade goods and services for specially printed pieces of paper. Remarkable!"

What a complete douchebag. Excuse me, National Champion douchebag.

[Samurai_Jerk]

I think that's for the cab ride.

I think so too. But the way he wrote it is a little unlcear, so people who read it will still believe that McDonald's in Japan costs an arm and a leg. When I go home people still ask me about it.

Is that just a myth or was it as expensive as hell back in the days? Maybe one of you old timers like Greji can tell me.

[nottu]

[Catoneinutica]

When I read this I pictured a British big game hunter in the 1800's, stumbling across an unknown tribe in Africa.

"What an amazing country this is! These little people have developed a system to trade goods and services for specially printed pieces of paper. Remarkable!"

What a complete douchebag. Excuse me, National Champion douchebag.

Heh. Li'l Chip comes off as a character right out of Caddyshack. Alight on the Golf Channel for more than five seconds while cruising through your cable channels and you realize that douchebags and golf bags seem to go together to an amazing degree.

-catone <ducks>

[Mulboyne]

I think Chip Sullivan writes fairly respectfully about Japan and the humour is mostly at his own expense but it certainly is striking how much of a fish-out-of-water he feels. I deal with a lot of newcomers and I don't find many who react that way these days although there is one occasionally. They can be fun to be with because I get flashbacks to my own first time in Japan.

Is that just a myth or was it as expensive as hell back in the days? Maybe one of you old timers like Greji can tell me.

A McDonalds hamburger was 80 yen when the first branched opened in Ginza in 1971. It went up to 210 yen during the eighties and then the price-cutting strategy put in place in 1995 brought it down again. As nottu says, exchange rates did most of the damage - the 10 year period from 1985 to 1995 saw the highest absolute McDonalds's hamburger price and a post-Plaza Accord dollar yen exchange rate around $1 = 100 yen. When they launched the burger at 80 yen, The Bretton Woods system hadn't quite collapsed so the dollar was still pegged at 360 yen.

[TennoChinko]

I find it hard to believe that Japanese breakfast buffet was the only option. Even the most crappiest business hotels nowadays offer a "Western food" breakfast buffet of runny scrambled eggs, limp bacon, teeny-tiny Jap-sized weiners, toast and coffee.

[dimwit]

You'd be surprised. A lot of the smaller and more private places especially those outside of Tokyo or Osaka don't give you any recognizable food options for breakfest.

[Charles]

You'd be surprised. A lot of the smaller and more private places especially those outside of Tokyo or Osaka don't give you any recognizable food options for breakfest.

You can't recognize miso and rice?

[dimwit]

You can't recognize miso and rice?

I have had breakfests at some small inns that have featured pickled whasit, unidentified vomit-brown stringy stuff (whither animal, vegetable, or mineral I have no clue) in sauce and badly overcooked dried out leftover variety fish.

And no they didn't serve rice and miso.

In general, breakfest is the crappiest meal of the Japanese day consisting largely of leftovers. Many westerners, especially those whose experience of Japanese food has been limited to that of sushi bars back home, have a decidedly skewed view of Japanese cuisine.

[gkanai]

Chip Sullivan is doing well:

CHIP SULLIVAN: FRIDAY REPORT - MAKING THE CUT!

I can not begin to explain how frustrating my even-par round was today. I felt really good about my swing, and I hit good shots, only to end up with bad results.

From the first hole through the 16th, the course was beating me up pretty badly. I walked off the 16th green prepared to pack my bags and begin the 14-hour journey back to Virginia. It would take a birdie-birdie finish to extend my stay in Japan.

The 17th is a great par-5. Swinging like I had nothing to lose, I put myself in good position off the tee. My approach landed 45- to 50 feet from the pin, in two. Who knows what came over me, but my put ran dead into the heart of the cup.

I had eagled my second to last hole! Tom and I just shook our heads, thinking: "Here we go again . . . causing a heart attack on the closing stretch".

CHIP SULLIVAN: MAKING A PRESENCE, ON AND OFF THE COURSE

Whereas my luggage showed up on time this week, it seems that my "game" hadn't arrived by the time I teed off on Thursday or Friday.

Stop the presses, folks. My game showed up Saturday!

I started my third round par-par-bogey. Nothing spectacular. I thought my short game was probably still hanging in customs at the airport.

Then, I encountered the winds of change.

[Gilligan]

Alas, good old Chip finished -5 for the tourney, leaving him tied for 18th.

In the end, though, considering that he only flew over this week, I think he did pretty well for himself.