I’ve been all over the country and experienced the “touring concert scene”. It’s full of stinky loading docks, incompetent union workers, bone-heads trying to get their guaranteed paychck and screw-job promoters that need to be shot. The places change, the accents may change, the colors may change, but it’s all the same thing. It’s not quite a culture, it’s more like a fungus.
I’ve done a lot of traveling. I’ve done enough to say I’d really rather not travel very much. Living out of a suitcase and not really knowing or caring where you are kinda sucks. My concerns change to “Do I get a shower today? Is craft services gonna suck? Will I be able to use the restroom and not be disturbed? Will I be sleeping in the tour bus or do we get a hotel bed for the night? Am I gonna be able to get to a fresh towel?”
I also don’t really enjoy flying. The concept of not being able to control stuff and the possibility of mechanical failure and pilot error causing a shortened existence are things that I don’t like having to deal with.
I don’t have the time to spend a month somewhere to experience the yoyo culture. I approach things from a technical point of view when I do events. However, you’ll point out CORRECTLY that doing CalStates and BAC are effectively the same region. 100 miles of distance is practically next door. Of what I do experience, it appears laid back, mostly relaxed and casual. If those elements are mostly the same everywhere, I don’t really see much to really need to take time to deal with.
I will say I worked hard to try to experience the Vietnamese yoyo culture. People reach out to touch base with me. They Facebook friend me. I try to use their forums but I can’t read Vietnamese, and their forums aren’t accommodating to those who don’t speak Vietnamese. I completely agree with the mindset because the sites and forums are run by Vietnamese for Vietnamese. However, as I’ve come to first hand experience time and time again, when it comes to “go time”, things change. As I’m about to hit the airplane for 18 hours of fly time from SFO to Saigon, I’m shut out and shut down by the yoyo people who wanted so bad to meet up with me. I had to rile them up on the forum here by directly addressing things in the area. On top of that, the scene is apparently underground. The only time I ran into another thrower was when I managed to find my way to a small yoyo shop in Saigon, as I was denied getting to the bigger shop in Saigon, but I’m not going to go into that load of crap story. While I spent a week in Saigon, I was interested in NOT being stuck somewhere not speaking the language and having too much of my movement restricted. The yoyos I brought and bought are what got me through that trip. I would have enjoyed meeting some more people and shared the experience with them.
My wife wants to travel. She’s scheduling us to go to Japan in a couple of years. Tokyo Disneyland, here I come, which will part of the trip. I intend to try to connect with some yoyo players over there before the trip. I’m gonna need some other throw-buddies while I’m stuck in the area. I’m probably going to be going to Hong Kong for something other than a stop-over on the way to Vietnam. Like with Japan, the trip will tie into a few days at Hong Kong Disneyland. Since some of that time will NOT involve the Land of the Mouse, I’m gonna need someone to throw with. It’s not sufficient to bring my son as my only throwing partner. The more the merrier.
My eldest, a girl, has pretty much rejected skill toys. The two youngest, also girls, are too small but are at least trying kendama and diabolo. Yes, my 2 year old has a kendama and tries using my diabolo. My 4 year old can get the diabolo going but that’s about it, and the kendama is mostly neck decoration. My son, the 2nd born, IS into skill toys. 1A, 2A, 4A, 5A, kendama, pill, diabolo, has a spin top but can’t use it yet. Wants to juggle and can use my diabolo That kid is gonna be a monster.
I don’t think the culture itself is as important. I think the shared enjoyment of the skill toy is what is more critical.
