Postcard from Japan
I always love judging in Japan and have been very fortunate to have judged there many times.
I was not home very long from judging last November in Japan when I got an invitation to judge this October 19 and 20 for the Ina Aiken and Nagano Pref. Association, respectively. This show was in a part of Japan I had never been to before, and it is always nice to explore new areas of a country.
Other than judging in Osaka, I have always flown into Narita Airport, which I like so much because of the United Club and nearby smoking lounges. This trip I flew into Haneda for the first time. It is actually close to Tokyo, and the airfare was quite a bit less expensive. United out of Newark now offers several flights a day to Haneda.
I departed Newark at 11 a.m., so I got to the airport several hours earlier. I always try not to sleep much before these very long 15-hour flights, so I can sleep a good part of the time. When the food carts come around, I always drink more red wine, which helps me to sleep more. I think the food in economy is getting worse and worse.
Besides eating before departure, I often bring some snacks or a decent sandwich — even a little sandwich served on a roll with a paper-thin slice of turkey and a thin slice of cheese. I have never understood why the airlines cannot serve a decent sandwich, a good salad and soup. Even the hot meals look so unappealing.
We landed at Haneda around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday. It was quite a long distance from the gate to immigration, where the lines were very long. By the time I got my luggage, it was nearly 3:30. It was about an hour’s drive to a nice hotel in Tokyo. I was so surprised and pleased they were able to secure a smoking room for me. Even in Tokyo there are very, very few places you can smoke other than on the street.
We enjoyed a nice dinner at a Korean barbecue place and then drinks at a small, cozy bar. Feeling a bit tired from the long trip, I opted to make it an early night.
Friday morning before noon we departed the hotel and drove to the home of “Mr. Pom,” Mr. Igarashi of “Hadleigh” fame. He took over the famous Hadleigh kennel in England. It was so interesting to see so many pictures of past great dogs at his home. Like so many breeds, Poms have evolved greatly. As an example, the AKC standard at one time called for fine bone, and it now calls for medium bone. We brush up the profuse long hair, which now gives the appearance of heavy bone. Today we see a lot of Poms with a larger round eye, which takes away from the fox-like expression.
After a nice visit at his home, we departed on the long drive to Ina Gun Nagano, where the show was being held, stopping along the way for a nice lunch. The city was about three hours northwest of Tokyo. We arrived at a very nice hotel, and I was surprised that again we had smoking rooms. Friday around 7 p.m., the committee took us to a lovely traditional Japanese restaurant for dinner. As is the norm, our party had its own dining room.
The show grounds were only about a seven-minute drive from the hotel. The judging started at 9 a.m., so we did not have to leave until 8:15 or 8:20 a.m. This allowed plenty of time to sign the cards and for the opening ceremonies to introduce the judges. I was the only one to judge both days. It is strange that at the shows in Japan the Japanese judges can only judge one day of the weekend. Here in the U.S., we often judge four or five days of the weekend. I imagine the reason is that it gives the Japanese judges a chance to judge more often.
On Saturday the show had only a little more than 200 dogs because there was also a show in Tokyo. I judged about 110 dogs, which was about half the entry. I judged nearly all the Toy breeds, but not the group. That day I also judged all the Terriers, except Japanese Terriers, and the Terrier Group. Terriers have always been strong in Japan. My group winner was a Welsh Terrier that is seven years old; several years ago he won a lot in the U.S. In Japan in all the awards there are only three placements: one, two and three. Especially in the groups, I wish there were four placements. Also there is no Reserve Winners in dogs or bitches.
I finished my breeds shortly after noon, and this allowed for a leisurely lunch before the start of the groups. The stewards help to make the judging go very quickly. After Best of Breed in each breed you write a short critique of the breed winners. Unless each dog is not rated Excellent, it does not compete for an award.
The final line-up on Saturday was very strong. There were nine top-quality dogs. Only Group 7, which encompasses the setters and pointing breeds, was not represented. Best in Show was awarded to a beautiful brindle male French Bulldog. He was bred in Japan and sired by a dog in Holland. The catalog was in Japanese, so it is hard to know the breeding unless you can ask people who speak English. Luckily we were totally finished around 3:30 p.m., before heavy rain came. We had just a few sprinkles before the end.
Saturday evening we went to a very lovely restaurant. The cuisine was basically French, and each course was really fabulous, from start to finish. I surprised myself at how much I was able to eat. The older I have gotten I cannot consume large amounts of food or drink like when I was younger.
When we awakened Sunday morning, the sun was shining bright, but it was extremely windy. This meant the grounds would be nice and dry. Being a baseball field, there was very good drainage. It was about 25 degrees cooler than Saturday. We were just thankful that the rains had stopped and the sun was shining. I stood in the sun as much as possible. Sunday I had just about 80 dogs plus Group 8, which is spaniels and retrievers, as well as Best in Show and Best Puppy.
I had some very nice Dobermans. My Best Puppy and Best of Breed were half-siblings and sired by an American dog. Miniature Schnauzers in FCI are in the Working Group. Japan has been strong in Minis for many years. Last year at our national at Montgomery County, Best of Breed was a dog owned and bred in Japan. I had the pleasure to judge him in Japan last November. At this show he won the breed quite easily again. There also were a few nice Great Danes. Strangely there was only one Boxer. At one time the breed was so extremely strong in Japan.
Since I was doing Best in Show, I was anxious to see if the group judge would send me the stunning Dobe bitch or the Mini Schnauzer. I judged Group 8, and my winner was a wonderful Flat-Coat. There was also a very nice puppy Flat-Coat.
Japan has always had some very nice Pembrokes. I carried a puppy bitch to breed over the specials. She also went Best Puppy in Show under me. She was bred in Japan but sired by an American dog.
On Saturday I had a black Toy Poodle bitch that I felt was extremely good. She could not be shown in the group because of some conflict with Toshi Omura of Smash Poodles, who was judging. He did not breed her, but I believe was responsible for having her imported to Japan.
When it came time for me to do Best in Show, I had nine very nice dogs in front of me to place one through three. Third went to the beautiful Flat-Coat. Second went to the Mini Schnauzer, and Best in Show was a French Bulldog. I had judged him in the breed on Saturday, and he went Best in Show on Saturday, too. This Frenchie could win big time anywhere in the world today. This is another example proving that Frenchies are now so strong worldwide.
On Monday, I had the great experience of spending the day at the great Smash Poodle kennel. Through the years I have awarded Best in Show to many different “Smash” Toy Poodles in different countries. While in Japan in November last year, my Best Junior was a white male. I predicted he would do well at Poodle Club of America. He went Winners Dog, Best of Variety and then Best of Breed. Toshi has some youngsters that should do very well this coming year at PCA.
Tuesday morning I left Fugi by train to Haneda. It involved a connection along the way, but it took me right to the United terminal. I enjoyed a very nice lunch in the United Club. It has to be the best club I have ever been in. Even all the premium alcohol was free of charge, and the food was fabulous. When I boarded I had a whole row in Economy Plus to myself. Luckily, I was able to sleep a good portion of the flight, except several times when we hit extreme turbulence.