Round 2

Last weekend I showed off the big box filled with presents that Ryan (SumoMenkoMan) sent me.  It's literally a handmade advent calendar that he put together for me.  I honestly have no idea what I've done to deserve this generosity and thoughtfulness, but I'm truly grateful.

My goal was to follow the advent calendar rules and open up a present each day of December leading up to Christmas.  Unfortunately, this week was a little busier than normal, so they all sat in the box until this afternoon.

Today's post recaps my advent calendar binge busting with the next seven days in the calendar...

Day 8:  NPB Snack Packs

At first glance, these might look like packs of baseball cards.  They are actually snack packs filled with Japanese rice crackers, sometimes referred to as "chili bits" or "arare":

I've been snacking on these since I was a kid.  In fact I just bought a bag a few weeks ago and they're sitting in my desk at work.  These were from the eight bags that were in the advent calendar.

Each snack pack came with one pack of cards attached to the back:

I opened all eight snack packs and seven of the card packs.  I kept one pack intact for my unopened pack collection.

Each pack contains one card that looks something like this:

2024 Bandai Pro Baseball Deforme Card Collection #BDC1-HO1

This one has a gold refractor tint to it, so I used it for the sample.  Here are the other six cards I pulled:

The only name I recognized is Tsuyoshi Wada.  He pitched for the Chicago Cubs a few years ago.

If you're interested in reading more about this set, click here.  Sean over at Getting Back into Baseball Cards... in Japan wrote a post about them back in July.


Day #9:  Antique Tin w/Cards

Next up is an antique tin:

According to Ryan, kids in Japan would often store their cards in tins like these.  If you're wondering if this one contained any cards... it did:

Let's start with the really old stuff:

I have no idea who these gentlemen are... but I'm guessing they celebrities.

He also included two more vintage cards and seven phone cards from Japan:

Here's a peek at the back of one of these phone cards:

I've seen these on Ryan's blog and YouTube channel and I'm stoked to add them to my collection.

Day #10:  Non-Sports Promo Cards

He knows that I'm a big fan of 90's sports card promos, but he wasn't sure if I collected non-sport promo cards like these:

The simple answer is "heck yeah"!  I collect promo cards of any subject from any decade.  But I'm especially fond of promo cards from sets I'd actually love to own like this one:

2021 RRParks Ultraman Series One Promo #P1

Like those rice crackers... I've been a fan of Ultraman since I was a little kid.  I had no idea this set existed, but now that I know it's out there... I want one.

Day #11:  Japanese Calligraphy

This is a canvas board with some Japanese writing on it.  It says "Destiny".  I believe that certain things in my life have happened for a reason.  Can't say for sure if starting a blog and building a friendship is one of those things, but regardless I'm very grateful that's the way things played out.

Day #12:  Twelve Vintage Planes

My interest in Japan transcends trading cards... which is why I was stoked to find this:

It's a sealed package of decals/stickers that look older than me (and I'm old).  I could open it up and look for a date, but something this old should be preserved.

Day #13:  Ohtani Tea

One of my favorite beverages is green tea.  Ryan sent me two bottles of it:

These are extra special, because they're endorsed by this year's National League MVP... Mr. Ohtani:

I've already opened up one of these bottles.  It paired well with the chili bits from Day #8.

Day #14:  Potentially Rare Insert Cards

Ryan write a note for each present in the box.  His message on this envelope said "People threw these out so now they are more rare than the regular cards".  

Kinda makes you wonder if Tom over at The Angels, In Order is onto something.

Here's my favorite of the bunch:

1996 Upper Deck Meet the Stars Trivia Challenge #72

Do you know the answer?  

Perkins started his career in Dallas.  Payton and Kemp hadn't been in the league for ten years when this card was released, so McMillan would be the correct answer.  Unfortunately this contest ended over twenty-five years ago.  I wonder if anyone ever got a chance to meet MJ.

Well that wraps up the Part 2 of Ryan's 2024 Advent Calendar.

Thank you Ryan!  Love the variety of gifts, the tasty snacks, and appreciate the time and effort you put into this advent calendar.  Totally awesome bro!

Happy Saturday and sayonara!