orandashoho

(sorry GTB fans) When the parodies are good, they supplant the originals quite easily. "Weird Al" Yankovich makes unforgettable parody clips that are very clever, based on originals that stayed completely below my radar, with a few notable exceptions. I can't listen to "Piano man" without hearing Spiderman, and if you are a Star Wars fan, have you ever heard his rendition of "The Day The Music Died"?

Scalping is never legal. Reselling of tickets that are proven to be for private use by the buyer is, when the buyer is suddenly unable to attend the event. But if a buyer is structurally unable to attend the event himself, the reselling becomes suspicious, in particular if a handsome profit can be made. When I came to Tokyo to attend the May basho this year, I was astonished to learn that my own tickets (for the first 8 days) would have paid for my flight and hostel, if I had wanted to sell them, and even net me a profit. The extremely narrow window of availability, combined with a high demand, makes scalping very lucrative. A sumo basho is not the same as a Rembrandt being auctioned to the highest bidder, or making a protit out of bitcoins. It should not be an arena for speculation (other than guessing who will win the Cup). There should be a system for getting compensated for returning a ticket that can't be used, so that it might be sold to someone one a "reserve" list at a modest administrative markup fee. That would be fair. But those who buy up tickets only to sell them at an outragous profit should be stopped.

But there are other prizes... like a year's worth of Cup Noodles... :)

Hansoku.

There are a few youngsters working their way up the ranks who may become serious challengers, but not for a while yet. The current crop that made it to Makuuchi have been unable to convert the mass absence of sanyaku rikishi into a yusho, which gives rise to doubting their ability to become yokozuna. Ozeki certainly seems in the cards for a few of these, if they manage to stay healthy. I was so sure of Terunofuji but it had gone all horribly wrong for him after he got his Ozeki promotion. Is this painful struggle really all there is left for him? Does he really have no hope of returning after taking a year or so off to heal? He and his advisers certainly seem to think so. To get to the top you have to have it all -- strength, stamina, flexibility, technique, mentality and determination -- but to remain there for any length of time you also need to be able to manage injuries. Staying healthy is so important and so difficult, and continuing to perform with a weakened body is an art. Just look at the way Hakuho was forced to change his style, and one can only imagine the cost that Harumafuji's battered body is paying for his Aki yusho. Managing to keep a fighting performance though injured is sadly necessary, and some manage it better than others... and Aminishiki fought his way back to Makuuchi without knees, even if he'll never regain his highest rank.

That was just a BLAST. Oh wow.

The fact that East is on the "wrong" side of North may originate from the way that the Chinese compass traditionally was read looking up not looking down at it, reversing East and West when laid flat on a surface looking down. That is how it was explained to me in my Mahjongg playing days.

That is a hefty sum for most of them.

Doesn't he look young! Amazing that he has a sumo career behind him already. I wish him well.

Actually these links go to pages with the same picture cropped in different ways, with a lot of text in Japanese which I can't read. As one of King's Constant Readers I am interested in this production of course, and I wish I could go and see it. In the book (and the film with Tom Hanks) John Coffee was black, a seasonal farm worker in conservative rural America in a time of racial discrimination. In the play, we will see a Caucasian giant among Japanese -- perhaps such a man would be subject to the same kind of distrust and exclusion if he is dimwitted (and not rescued by a sumo scout). A lot of the subtext in the story is typically American, I'm not sure it would translate well.

Perhaps only if there is no uninjured alternative. Most logical would be for Y1e and Y1w to participate, if one of them is injured, Y2e, etc.

There is no shame in taking time to properly heal from injury, taking whatever surgery and therapy required, and then come back, train and fight to return to the top. This is easier than what countless female athletes have done when they return to the top of their sport after bearing a child. Ura should get the treatment he needs and take the time to heal properly and train sensibly for a return, if need be from the bottom. He has the talent and the smarts to get back and show everyone that his rise to the top had not been a fluke.

Goeido would have to show consistent Ozeki performance first, and being in contention for the yusho like a yokozuna ought to be, as well as reach a minimum of 33 wins in 3 basho and a yusho. In no way does he compare to Kisenosato in all of these respects. Kisenosato's promotion was well earned and he proved it with the Hatsu and Haru yushos. Goeido has a very long way yet to go before he has proven that his zensho yusho was not a fluke. a one-time thing. The way he lost his comfortable lead isn't helping either.

In a country that is dependent on tourism, culture is a very important aspect that brings money back into the economy. It won't do not to keep up your monuments, or not offer quality experiences to visitors. Cutting off all funding is bad economy. And it is only fitting that the intra-European visitors help pay for what they have come to see, isn't it?

As expected, I did poorly in my games. SG with a tie to the lowest points total but KK, even 9-6 -- that is how it can go too, last basho I went 7-8 MK with a much higher score. GKA 5-10, with stupid mistakes. BT also nothing to write home about. But hey, I escaped being in a wheelchair when I broke my back four weeks ago, and I am on the mend. Just too bad that I didn't have a lot of energy to spend on the games, I enjoyed the basho and I am happy.