Basho and quake.....

[Orion 431]

Meanwhile, those of us who never removed from Ryogoku, are soldiering on. Dewanoumi and Kasugano are hosting visiting juniors as usual. Orion gave up on the fax, switched back to the Dial-In phone, but it still suddenly quits. This afternoon, bought a new phone, set it up, and am awaiting calls. If the next call suddenly quits I am entitled to get the phone company in to check the line. (Shaking head...)

Somebody suggested that I must be living in a particularly unsafe building -- but in fact after the huge and long shock everything snapped back into place. My young landlord has already been around promising to fill in the big cracks in our inside walls. I've known him since he was a primary school student so I have every confidence...

In the immediate neighbourhood, however, a rambling family-type residence was demolished yesterday. And one block to the north another older building, with concrete walls outside the main structure, is piling up the flat remains of the concrete walls, and it is not a pretty site (sight).

People, we are hurting here, and we are putting on a good show because we are well, well aware that not too far in the north people at are suffering inimaginable hardships.

This is not a normal situation and I crave your indulgence.

Orion the (almost) unsinkable

[Peterao 3]

People, we are hurting here, and we are putting on a good show because we are well, well aware that not too far in the north people at are suffering inimaginable hardships.

This is exactly what we are being told to do. Everyone from the government to Iwate Prefecture sake producers are telling us to live our lives and spend as usual (if not more) or else risk bring about an economic "second disaster"

So hopefully everyone who does go to the free fake basho will spend their savings in the restaurants afterwards, for the good of those people suffering in Tohoku.

[Asashosakari 20,297]

Hakuho, Kaio, Kotooshu and possibly other sanyaku rikishi (plus of course their tsukebito) made an encouragement visit to some 100 people evacuated to Ajinomoto Stadium (Chofu-shi, Tokyo) on Friday:

[Asashosakari 20,297]

More: Much of Kasugano-beya, including Kasugano-oyakata, ex-Tochinohana (who's from nearby), Tochinoshin and Tochiozan, visited evacuees in Noda village in Iwate prefecture on Saturday, preparing some 800 chanko servings and doing the usual encouragement stuff.

And today it was Baruto, Harumafuji, ex-Tochiazuma (edit: and Kisenosato) et al. visiting Kazo-shi in Saitama prefecture, whose high school is the site of a major evacuation camp for people from Futaba in Fukushima prefecture, which first suffered significant damage by the tsunami and then found itself in the nuclear evacuation zone. 1500 chanko servings here.

Late edit: The mayor of the displaced town was presented with a gift from Taiho, whose physical state didn't allow him to be there in person.

Edited April 19, 2011 by Asashosakari

[Jonosuke 28]

Hakuho and Co at Ginza Matsuzakaya Store in Tokyo

Taken around 5 PM April 13.

[Jonosuke 28]

And Sadogatake Beya visiting, devastated Kesen-numa, Miyagi on April 16.

Kotooshu Doing Chanko

[Asashosakari 20,297]

Takamisakari moved about Shibuya to raise funds for quake victims yesterday:

[Asashosakari 20,297]

Tomozuna-beya including Kaio visiting Otsuchi-cho in Iwate prefecture which suffered major damage by the tsunami. Interesting three-minute video courtesy of FNN; the local sumo club reopened its doors as part of this event. (Edit: Another shorter video by Asahi TV.)

Edited April 21, 2011 by Asashosakari

[Asashosakari 20,297]

On a suggestion made by Hakuho the rikishi-kai has unanimously decided to set up a long-term contribution effort for children orphaned by the quake/tsunami. All sekitori will be contributing 10,000 yen per month for the next 10 years.

Meanwhile the jungyo department is working on a plan to make eight consolation visits to affected areas in June. Four dates with the sekitori group split in half for each appearance. No bouts, but the usual meet-and-greet stuff, a dohyo-iri etc. Biggest sticking point right now - how to have a yokozuna dohyo-iri be part of all eight events with just one yokozuna.

Edited April 27, 2011 by Asashosakari

[Asashosakari 20,297]

Well, what the baseball gambling couldn't do...McDonald's of Japan has announced that they will not be sponsoring kensho banners for the rest of the year (that is, assuming Kyokai operations are back to normal from July and they accept kensho again), citing financial pressures in the aftermath of the quake. They may or may not return for 2012.

[Treblemaker 254]

Well, what the baseball gambling couldn't do...McDonald's of Japan has announced that they will not be sponsoring kensho banners for the rest of the year (that is, assuming Kyokai operations are back to normal from July and they accept kensho again), citing financial pressures in the aftermath of the quake. They may or may not return for 2012.

Which reminded me.... Whatever happened to that special wide-bodied chair that McD's made for YMY a couple of years ago?

[Kotoviki 16]

Well, what the baseball gambling couldn't do...McDonald's of Japan has announced that they will not be sponsoring kensho banners for the rest of the year (that is, assuming Kyokai operations are back to normal from July and they accept kensho again), citing financial pressures in the aftermath of the quake. They may or may not return for 2012.

Which reminded me.... Whatever happened to that special wide-bodied chair that McD's made for YMY a couple of years ago?

It is still at the McDonald's here!! Meike and I went there last basho to take pictures in it!!!

[Kintamayama 47,369]

Konishiki gives

[Asashosakari 20,297]

Meanwhile the jungyo department is working on a plan to make eight consolation visits to affected areas in June. Four dates with the sekitori group split in half for each appearance. No bouts, but the usual meet-and-greet stuff, a dohyo-iri etc. Biggest sticking point right now - how to have a yokozuna dohyo-iri be part of all eight events with just one yokozuna.

This has been officially announced now, with some slight revisions: Only 20 high-ranking makuuchi rikishi including Hakuho and the ozeki squad will make the trek, but they'll still visit two places a day, presumably with a morning and an afternoon event. The planned schedule has been expanded to five dates. Towels, t-shirts and other supplies will be distributed in addition to the customary chanko-nabe cooking.

June 4: Iwate prefecture, Yamada-machi & Otsuchi-cho

June 5: Iwate prefecture, Ofunato-shi & Rikuzentakata-shi

June 6: Miyagi prefecture, Kesennuma-shi & Minamisanriku-cho

June 7: Miyagi prefecture, Onagawa-cho & Sendai-shi (Miyagino ward)

June 8: Miyagi prefecture, Yamamoto-cho & Fukushima prefecture, Shinchi-machi

Edited May 20, 2011 by Asashosakari