hmmn

The 11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics (or Track and Field as I would call it) are going on in Osaka this week, and because the games are being staged somewhat unusually in the morning and evening — to avoid the summer heat — I’ve been able to follow them both before and after work. [...]

I’ve suddenly found myself to be a huge soccer fan (yeah I know, only us Yanks — and the Japanese — call it soccer, despite the British English etymological origins of the word), and thus very excited about the upcoming World Cup 2006 in Germany. I couldn’t care less that the US is in it, [...]

We went to the annual 奉納相撲 (hounouzumou) Sumo exihibition at Yasukuni Shrine yesterday. It was the third year in the row for me, second for Naoko and Kaika. Unlike the last two times, I didn’t wake up at an ungodly hour (for me) and be one of the first to get in at the 8 [...]

This is Demon Kokugure, a performer and artist, and serious sumo fan. Here he is doing commentary for NHK’s sumo broadcast (he’s doing a full 5 hours for them, very unusual). Don’t judge this book by the cover, this guy knows his sumo, frontwards and back. I’m looking forward to being able to hear his [...]

The Nihon Sumo Kyokai held a fan appreciation day this past Sunday at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in celebration of their 80th anniversary, and we were 3 of approximately 25,000 fans who showed up for the free event. There were no bouts, but rather a series of mini-events, various photo exhibits and the like, plus access [...]

Yesterday, Futagoyama Oyakata, who wrestled under the name Takanohana from the mid-60′s until 1981, passed away from mouth cancer at the age of 55. His death rated front page mentions of the Tokyo dailies, and retrospective looks amongst Japan’s TV networks. Though not a big man physically, he was able to make it up to [...]