Photographs from a small group of islands
After wowing the nation with horse, maiko, and eco bras, Triumph International has now produced a baseball bra; the rather fetching little number being created to support a new professional baseball team, The Rakuten Eagles.
The Eagles it turns out are the first new team to emerge in 50 years, and what better way to honour this historic event than with a novelty bra?
Due to the surprising success of the first Tokyo Times sumo give away gala, I’m happy to say that I have acquired another banzuke (like the one pictured above) that I’m willing to post to a reader of this site.
The link above will give you a bit more information about what a banzuke actually is, but in short it’s a ranking sheet that lists all the wrestlers, along with various staff connected with the sport. And as each tournament has a unique and handwritten original, they are not only beautiful to look at, but also a historical record of each contest.
Like before there are no restrictions regarding location. As long as you have an address I can send the banzuke to, then that’s good enough for me.
So for anybody interested, just leave a comment. Those that impress, interest, or amuse me will be entered into a final draw, and the winner will be announced when I get round to it. Perhaps in a week or so.
Yesterday saw Kyoto’s Daigo Temple host its annual rice cake lifting contest. But don’t for a minute think that the lifting of cakes is easy and not worthy of being classed a sport.
For starters the desserts in question aren’t light and fluffy sponge cakes, rather two big and hefty rice cakes. Weighing in at a gut-busting 90-kilogrammes for the ladies, and 150-kilogrammes for the men.
And to make the event even more challenging, competitors have to lift the cakes in the air whilst not resting or balancing them on their stomachs. Then when this unenviable feat has been achieved, whoever can hold the cakes up the longest will be crowned cake-lifting champion. A title that presumably grants the winner a lifetime of respect, honour, and financial security.
Going to a sporting event in Japan can sometimes be a little disappointing. As despite a wealth of talent on display, and healthy crowds to support them, there can be a certain lack of atmosphere. Although that’s not to say that the fans necessarily lack passion, as if the enthusiasm wasn’t there, why would people go to the trouble of buying a ticket and traveling to a game/event in the first place?
But despite this genuine interest, what’s often missing is supporter spontaneity. There are chants and songs, plus a multitude of hand gestures, yet they are strangely regimented. Even the deranged and nonsense spouting fans that are common in most stadiums around the world are inexplicably absent.
But now and again somebody arrives on the scene with the power to change all this. Sumo star Takamisakari may not be the best wrestler in the world, but his pre-bout chest beating and comical demeanor produce a degree of unrestraint rarely seen on these shores.
The joy and excitement he manages to generate is clear in this photograph taken by my friend-with-a-very-nice-camera Mr. Brett Cannon.
And if you look in the bottom left hand corner, there’s even a deranged and nonsense spouting fan. Salary man Suzuki miraculously transformed into a hollering and happy idiot. Exactly what live sport is all about.
“We are sure that we will win. We’ve been strongly motivated. We shall beat them for sure.”
As the February 9th World Cup qualifier between Japan and North Korea draws nearer, it would seem the political posturing has now started in earnest.
The coming game will be played in Japan, and due to the importance of the game and the tension between the two countries, it will be interesting to see how the usually impeccably behaved Japanese fans react. When the teams met 20 years ago in Pyongyang, the Japanese were subjected to an intimidating and off-putting silence every time they gained possession. And in another trip in 1989, the team complained about a lack of food. A situation that resulted in some of the players having to eat instant noodles, which fortunately they had taken with them.
But with the 1st leg still unplayed, talk of the return fixture has already started. And rumours have surfaced that in a bid to hinder Japan’s superior technical ability, the North Koreans will let the grass on the pitch grow a little longer than usual.
A story that this picture of Kim Jong-Il and a gang of grinning groundsmen does little to discredit.
The Japanese Sumo Association has announced that a 110 strong group (consisting of wrestlers, referees, and ushers) will take part in a three-day exhibition tour of Las Vegas this autumn. An event that should produce a few memorable images if nothing else.
Especially if the distinctive looking Toki could manage to squeeze his bulk and his sideburns into a white Elvis-esque jumpsuit.
And it would be even better if the other sumo wrestler to sport sideburns, “tiny†Takanotsuru, joined him.
