12 September The Blues arrive in Japan after a 11.5 hour flight. The flight from heathrow was an epic one for the squad, not made any easier by the apparent design of economy class seats for 3 foot pygmy's, not the likes of the 128 kg 'T-Bone', or the 118 kg's of Adam Russell which was squeezed on board. The smug grin of Steve Hill, the Director of Rugby as he slipped in to the suede leather expanse of his King size seat in Business class was enough to make the front row roar. This was made worse by his alleged coment at the end of the journey of, 'that was the most uncomfortable airline seat I have ever sat in'. Perhaps he should have sat with Henry Nwume on the air hostesses seat by the toilets for 3 hours! T-Bone demonstrates a new form of Canadian Sychronised Swimming The Blues arrived in Japan for their 2002 tour with a splash as their aching bodies were immersed in Japanese hospitality with a quick dip in the swimming pool and hot baths of the Nihon Aerobics Centrel. A 20 minute stretching and pool exercise session was followed by a welcome invitation to try some traditional Japanese communal bathing. The traditional 'find the soap' match led to some interesting facial expressions in the baths. The squad have set out to fully embrace all Japanese culture whilst on tour, and were more than happy to strip down completely for the communal hot baths on offer. The arrival of such equestrian characters as Henry Nwume led to the rather rapid evacuation of the baths by several native Japanese users, not least due to the flooding which ensued as the players submerged in the warm soothing waters. Fully relaxed after the bathing session, the squad tucked into dinner before mostly retiring early to bed to recover from the not inconsiderable jet lag, and in anticipation of the strenuous days ahead.