Kaminariyuki

Ditto Fujisan, I haven't had time for the forum, sadly, and missed this thread of course. Happy Birth-month Joann!!!

I suspect that Ura will have his handful the next time he faces Daiesho. That said, I threw my arms into the air, as well.

LOL, and it's all the way up to six reviews! (two of whom I don't actually know and am not related to them) Thanks, Joann. And, Naganoyama. If you don't like it, I owe you a beer.

On my last trip to Japan, in January 2020, a couple of months before the gates were closed, I came down to breakfast at the Dormy Inn in Kanda. I sat down near a European couple who appeared to be finishing up a pretty good cut at the buffet. When they said hello, I detected a Dutch accent so I played a little Dutch game, and returned my comments in their native tongue. That always surprises the Dutch or the Chinese, I've found. Shortly thereafter a French woman came down and joined the table, and the Dutch and French woman continued a conversation in French. At one point, the Dutch gal hadn't heard something that the French woman had said and I quickly translated it into Dutch (it was something rather simple), rejoining their conversation briefly. The Dutch husband, who had heard me greet the maitre'd in Japanese and exchange a few words, then turned to me, and in English, said, "Aren't you American?" One of the best backhanded compliments I've ever received. I responded, "Ja, maar niets een normale Amerikaan." "Yes, but not a normal American."

OK, Joann thought I should weigh in. I'm a bit of a polyglot but only fluent in English. I can carry on rudimentary conversations in French, with folks who are a little patient and actually want to talk. I can. fix , or cause, small problems in Dutch, Spanish, Japanese and Italian. I can order food and make a general nuisance of myself in handful of others, but hadn't ought to claim any of them. I have tons of stories. There is a chapter on languages in a book I published last year with some of my favorite language tales, as well as a chapter on my experiences as a sumo fan. I don't think I should post the info here (it may be somewhere on the forum in an appropriate place), but anyone who is interested can message me.

LOL, I confess that I do not always proofread my own writing. But, if I'm touting my English skills (occasionally happens), it's prudent to give the writing a little more attention before distribution. Chris does seem quite the character, and clearly deeply into sumo. I'd love to meet the guy someday. I don't have a clue how good his Japanese is, but I'd have to agree with Joann and Seiyashi, if I read them correctly, that Chris may not be sufficiently in tune with the way things work in Japan to swing the deal he pitched in the street. I make the same types of errors when I am there myself, so I speak from experience. Of course, the mysterious mechanisms of Japanese thinking are part of the cultural appeal. OK, I need to check out Hiro's new YouTube page. I don't think anyone mentioned whether he will be doing highlight programs during the upcoming bashos. I just moved from Salt Lake City to Cincinnati and was a bit disappointed to see that NHK is not available all over the US, mostly on the west coast. A shame, that. Thank goodness for Kinta's YouTube highlights! Domo ariagto gozaimasu, O-Kintamayama-sama. And, thanks to Code_Number3 and ISJ for the heads-up!

Let's hope that doesn't come to pass...

I don't know where he will be in the banzuke but I'll bet not many of the first seven victims are going to be super excited about drawing him. I go out on a limb and predict a yusho.

Ah, excellent point. I hadn't thought about that but I know you're correct. If we both make it to Kyushu, the first round is on me. The Kyushu basho is a lot of fun. One almost often sees rikishi walking around town and the smaller venue has it's merits. I recall being amazed when I went to the WC at one point and three of the shinpan were there. It's close enough to a high school gym that there are clearly inadequacies, like sufficient facilities but I thought it was a wonderful sumo viewing experience. Never mind that the ramen blew my mind. It's one of my favorite islands in Japan and it's worth an extended trip to just visit this island, IMO. I was thinking about combining it with South Korea, though, which I've never visited.

I agree about the Ozeki, although there were some good bouts, as well. I concur with Katooshu above. Even though I've been a big Hakuho fan, I find the current more competitive bashos far more entertaining and interesting than when we pretty much knew who was going to win before it started. And I thought the sumo was excellent. We clearly appreciate different styles. The changing of the guard we've been talking about for years is clearly well underway. I doubt any of the current Ozeki will hold that rank by next natsu. Although Aoiyama did very well, even showing some footwork here and there, I prefer the leaner seriously engaged and fast moving action of the last two bashos. I was pretty bummed that Ura was forced to go kyujo at the end. I hope he recovers quickly but I haven't heard what the situation is there.

I've read the thread but I am not going to read the article. In fairness, Gaijingai has posted scads of articles and links that I have appreciated, as well. I know you did not say he only posted rubbish but I still wanted to mention it.

I met Kelly a few weeks ago at the US Championships, as they were held in Salt Lake City. We exchanged books and chatted for a while the first day. Seems like a really nice guy and clearly a major force in US sumo. I saw him mentoring some of the younger wrestlers. I'm almost finished reading his short book, "Fat Passion," and it's a fairly interesting read, particularly for the sumo fan crowd.

Hopefully, by fall they will have returned to something closer to normal. We shall see. No possibility I'm going to Japan with an organized tour myself. Not even if I get to lead the group, which would only be happening with a study abroad group (done that once back in 2016 and I'd rather go in 2022 unburdened by responsibility and obligation). Seems like the government is set to favor the Chinese since they travel predominantly in that manner. Not sure what other nationalities might also lean heavily toward group tours but I don't personally know any Americans who have visited Japan in that manner, although I'm sure there are many.

I am surprised to not see a thread on this already, as I know some of you are as keen as I to get back to Japan and watch a basho in person. It has probably been announced somewhere else in SF, but I'm not hunting it down. I'm super keen to watch some amazumo on my next trip, and if all goes well, it could easily be Aki or Kyushu for me this year. Here's a JT article from late last week: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/05/06/national/japan-border-controls-g7/

Awesome basho! Terunofuji definitely deserves that one, IMO. The Hoshoryu-Kiribayama match on senshuraku was really fun to watch, battle of the up-and-coming Mongolian rikishi. Wakatakage also continuing to impress. The future is bright, my fellow sumo fans.