since_94

A great day, very emotional for one and all. Aghast that Seagal (sp?) had the audacity to lay hands on the man though

“I love the smell of napalm…er…I mean, bintsuke in the morning. It’s the smell…of victory.”

Seeing him fight that way was a testament to his courage, if nothing else. He actually gave a good account of himself.

Today was, for want of a better word, lame, all around. Tomorrow, however, offers the promise of fireworks galore and should more than make up for it. We hope. We’re getting one playoff for sure. And the mosubi no ichiban will be the ultimate arbiter.

Point taken, but I was in there all day, watching from Sandanme onward. It was just a low energy crowd overall, compared to other days, for whatever reason. Surprising for a Saturday crowd that was 95% full house. People are only slowly learning how to be raucous again, after the lifting of all (or most of) the restrictions. Anyway, it was a mathematical elimination, which is always anticlimactic. On day 13, in contrast, when Ochiai won the makushita yusho in convincing style in a do or die bout, there was an electric buzz that filled the place. Everyone knew what was going on because the ring announcer introduced the bout by saying it would decide the yusho winner. Different circumstances, I know.

In fact, the atmosphere inside the Kokugikan was so humdrum I failed, like most others in attendance it seemed, to notice that Asanoyama had clinched the Juryo yusho by the time it was all done and dusted. Again, an anticlimax.

Underwhelmed by the quality of the sumo, overall, on day 14. Big matches, in particular, failed to deliver the goods. That is all.

That was cringeworthy. My heart was in my throat. Fortunately, it appears your question can be answered in the negative

Enho very darn lucky to not come away from his Day 9 match against Akua with a broken neck. That’s not a spoiler, is it?

It was favorable in terms of garnering him a whole whack of new fans. The cheers for him during the dohyo iri are already immense and seemingly growing. Sumo fans love the underdog, as we all know. There’s a real buzz surrounding him right now

Wakatakakage also looking especially ripped this basho. He’s been putting in the gym time, that’s for sure.

Cool! Thanks for the update. I’ll be in Tokyo tomorrow and picking my own up

Merry Christmas! Updating for anyone planning to attend: chair seats showing sold out for days 1, 14, 15. Still lots available for other days, although the closest sections (S, A) are sold out for the weekend dates.

As of this morning, chair seats are sold out for day 1 and 15. Still available for all others.

I ended up ordering tickets through the PIA purchase site (sell.pia.jp), which is how I’ve always done it before. The cheapest seats are the topmost row, which they are now calling Chair Seats D. Those used to be the same-day tickets one could line up for and purchase at the box office. They’re now 2500 yen, vice 2200 yen. I understand they are not being sold at 7/11, either. Does anyone know if the 1000 yen convenience charge the PIA site applies is likewise applied to other classes of tickets sold at 7/11? Just curious.