The rainy season is my favorite time of the year. I just love to walk out the door and see the flowers in my garden wearing those big huge grins. But that's not the only reason I like the rainy season — it's a great excuse to stay inside and watch sports. The fact that the World Cup always falls during Japan's rainy season is a miracle that can only be attributed to "the hand of god." Or is it the hands of God now?

I look forward to retirement, when I can sit around all day and watch sports. I just worry that my pension won't cover my beer and cable TV expenses. There is not a single sport I can think of that I don't like. Tennis? Great game. Sumo? Bring it on! Someone recently introduced me to cricket. Lovely! And it takes all day, an aspect of the game I really admire: more time for sports! I'm even looking forward to someday learning lawn bowling.

So you can imagine how eager I was to watch World Cup soccer, after three years and 11 grueling months of waiting. After all, it's not that often you get the chance to experience jet lag without ever leaving Japan. Now that much of Japan has adjusted to South African time in order to see the games live on TV, I wonder what we'll do with ourselves in the weeks following the final. 3:30 a.m. may become prime time.