Real Western > Rodeo > Japanese Rodeo Cowboys > Jin'ichiro Shibahara

Chasing The Dream

Written by Jin'ichiro Shibahara

Feb 19,  2007 - Winter in Canada

Dear readers of realwesten.com

I think it is time to go back to Utah. Since last October, I've been in Saskatchewan, Canada to rest and heal my body, and I say, "It heals up except my knee." There is no problem to walk. When I stand up from the chair, the pain comes along just beside of kneecap. It feels like something shouldn't be there is in there to obstacle to move my knee.

I started work out and exercise in last December, but I stopped to do them for lower body in early January because of that pain. I'd kept doing them for upper body, trunk and core part. Also I'd done balance training with a ball. A couple of weeks ago, I re-started light exercise with body weight and/or lightweight for lower body again. Sometimes I jumped on a bareback horse as practice; even it was still 20degrees below Celsius as high in these days. But this was a fun part.

For last 4-5months, I'd stayed my friend's place with room and board free. So I thought I got to do something I could do for him. What I could do? I started to cook for us almost everyday. Well, I was always in restaurant business while I was in Japan, and I got interest in cooking. Therefore, if you lived by yourself, you better cooked by yourself to save your living, eh? I had to have done so long and still do. Anyway, some of my friends in the States and Canada gave me their own recipes and I studied from books and internet little. I cooked easy Japanese food, easy Chinese food, pastas, soups, stews and chili. We had oven here so I also cooked roast meats, muffins, pies, tarts, baked cheesecake and stuff like that. I guess most of readers are surprise at a bull rider who does cook often. Mother of fact, I love to cook.

I suppose to go back on rodeo circuit in late March or early April. I figure out so many rodeos coming on in California in April by PRCA schedule, so I may start around that time. But first of all, I have to see my physical therapist that has diagnosed me in Utah, and then I organize my rodeo schedule.

In early winter, weather forecast said it would be the warmest winter ever in Canada. Global warming, climate change and environment are always main issue for Canadian government and what Canadian people worry about. To me, it's cold enough here. As global viewing, we better consider more. Still winter goes on for a while. Please take good care of yourself and hope to see you down the road.

Jinichiro Shibahara.

Photo by Jin'ichiro Shibahara

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