Potential Forum Meeting May 2017, updated to May 2019..

[Harry]

7 hours ago, Kintamayama said:

It's either that or arriving on day 5. I don't have the free time or the resources for staying the whole basho in Tokyo. I've done both (arriving before the basho and arriving mid-basho), but the keiko thing is more fun.

In the past I got so caught up in the basho that I ended up staying for the whole thing even though I had intended to do other things during the last week. I had to line up daily for tickets in the early morning for the unplanned days. Would have to hope for a really dominant Hakuho basho but I doubt it would ever be decided by day 10... 20 days in Tokyo is expensive for sure.

[orandashoho]

I would be time-limited as well, much as I would like to stay for the whole basho.

[CT3*]

The most I've ever done is 3 consecutive days of the basho. In January I'll likely only do one or two days as I'll be in Tokyo with a group of friends and we're only there for 8 days. But if there is a Forum gathering in May, I'll go see sumo for as many days as possible.

[kawika]

when i got fired, i went every single day, it was fantastic...

[Benevolance]

My wife and I did all fifteen days in Kyushu and we really enjoyed going every day. But that was in 2012 and sumo wasn't quite as popular, and Kyushu is usually under attended. On the week days, we could simply walk up and buy box seats in the morning. Those seats were the best, because we were surrounded by elderly people that wanted to play with our one-year-old son the whole time, leaving us free to enjoy the basho. 

[kawika]

wow, cool, sumo basho babysitting!!!

 

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/photo/118279466440073558598/6337670656340654706?icm=false

 

Edited October 4, 2016 by kawika
image added

[Kintamayama]

10 hours ago, Nishinoshima said:

If ye do have a meet up I'll arrange some keiko viewing and / or a dinner with some rikishi if ye are interested.

 

Of course ye is interested.. Still some planning and thinking to do about this, but I really hope it happens..

Edited October 5, 2016 by Kintamayama

[Kaioshoryu]

On 4.10.2016 at 07:53, Kintamayama said:

It's either that or arriving on day 5. I don't have the free time or the resources for staying the whole basho in Tokyo. I've done both (arriving before the basho and arriving mid-basho), but the keiko thing is more fun.

I just hope the keiko you'll watch will be yaocho-free.

[Calamityama]

2 hours ago, Nishinoshima said:

Well during the basho obviously people will be busy but if it's a few days beforehand what I'll do is ask one of the oyakata to let ye take out a few of the young guys, buy them dinner, maybe go bowling or whatever. The sekitori get out enough and have money but for the young guys it'll be fun and a break from the norm. 

Feed them Swiss chocolate ? 

[Naganoyama]

2 hours ago, Nishinoshima said:

Some guys can speak English. Like Tomisakae. 

 

 

He'll be fine if all you want to do is to write a few cards and sit eating fruit. Or if you want to watch dancing and backflips.

[Jejima]

Unless I get fired (or quit my job), I can't manage May 2017 (sadly).

I have been to a couple of sumo fan get togethers in the past, and strongly recommend them.  Even with just a few other fans (Harry, Vicky and Josh on my last trip), it greatly increases your enjoyment.  To echo Harry above, I went with my then girlfriend, and we were planning to mix sumo with sight-seeing.  After arriving mid-afternoon, and deciding to go for the afternoon of sumo, we never bothered about the sight-seeing from then onwards.  

[Kintamayama]

The single best thing about my dabbling in sumo is meeting other sumo fans. It doesn't happen often that damaged people get to meet other people with the same damage. I have met many I got to know through the forum and the mailing list over the years and I have got to say that I have yet to meet  a nicer bunch of people. Some (Nishinoshima, Doreen, Josh, Barbara Ann  and many others)  I met in Tokyo, with Doitsuyama I flew to the NBA finals in Detroit - a story that will leave you speechless. I met Jejima in  London. I met a few fans in Tel Aviv.  Others I have yet to meet but my best friend in the world is the Finnish guy who owns this joint. He knows more stuff about me than I do. He knows more stuff about sumo than I'll ever know.

The common denominator was that I had never met any of them before yet the bonding was instant. Just the notion that the other person knows who Takekaze is was enough..It is a unique experience to meet fellow sumo fans. Watching sumo together with someone else without having to explain to him that "slapping is allowed" is in itself a unique experience..

[Randomitsuki]

I really love this idea, and if I knew that others would be coming, and that arrangements could be made for more than just the basho (like watching keiko, or having chanko-nabe with lower rankers), this would exceed my wildest dreams! So I guess that means I'll be there as well! 

 

[Kintamayama]

Just now, Randomitsuki said:

I really love this idea, and if I knew that others would be coming, and that arrangements could be made for more than just the basho (like watching keiko, or having chanko-nabe with lower rankers), this would exceed my wildest dreams! So I guess that means I'll be there as well! 

 

That is the idea, but ideas need to be implemented.. We'll get the ball rolling and see what happens.

[Kintamayama]

4 minutes ago, Nishinoshima said:

I haven't been around here much over the past year, so I'm assuming both those comments are related to some inside forum jokes? 

No, they aren't. I've been here all the time.

Edited October 5, 2016 by Kintamayama

[Harry]

Too bad @Jejima it would've been great to sit in a masu box with you again! 

Would be great to meet the rest of you I met in Nagoya and Tokyo again too. Sorry I haven't had time in my most recent business trips to Japan to meet up (or watch any sumo, sadly). They've been shorter trips and I've usually had non-Japanese speaking companions who I couldn't leave on their own for a single day.

Having chanko, sushi, ramen, whatever with the low rankers is a lot of fun. Would love to do that again.

Sadly, I doubt I'll ever be drinking beer and eating yakitori with Asashouryu again.

Edited October 5, 2016 by Harry

[Naganoyama]

2 hours ago, Nishinoshima said:

 

 

I haven't been around here much over the past year, so I'm assuming both those comments are related to some inside forum jokes? 

 

2 hours ago, Kintamayama said:

No, they aren't. I've been here all the time.

Did either of you actually watch the movie that Nishinoshima posted?  Tomisakae said the words pen, apple and pineapple repeatedly and nothing else. He was doing a little mini dance and has previously been seen doing back flips. Actually there was no joke intended, insider or otherwise. 

[Kintamayama]

8 minutes ago, Naganoyama said:

 

Did either of you actually watch the movie that Nishinoshima posted?  Tomisakae said the words pen, apple and pineapple repeatedly and nothing else. He was doing a little mini dance and has previously been seen doing back flips. Actually there was no joke intended, insider or otherwise. 

I just stated that they aren't inside forum jokes. The back flips are what threw me.

Edited October 5, 2016 by Kintamayama

[Akinomaki]

If all goes according to plan for me, I'm in Japan again the whole of May, but about 90min away from Ryogoku. As usual I attempt go to 2 days of the basho, days I get the best tickets for, plus one extra/free event in or around the kokugikan.

I'd like to time this with the meeting, but going to asa-geiko is beyond my reach: I'd have to stay in Tokyo for this and that I won't. A small chanko dinner would be nice, but my energy only lasts till about 20:30h, then I'd have to leave to reach home before my batteries are completely empty.

Meeting at the basho in the kokugikan thus is the best I can hope for.

To time this, the dates should be fixed at least till the advance sales for the basho start, better when the seat lottery reservation starts during the Haru basho.

[Kintamayama]

2 hours ago, Akinomaki said:

ITo time this, the dates should be fixed at least till the advance sales for the basho start, better when the seat lottery reservation starts during the Haru basho.

I think this should be fixed by the end of December at the latest, even if that sounds pretty early,.

[orandashoho]

48 minutes ago, Kintamayama said:

I think this should be fixed by the end of December at the latest, even if that sounds pretty early,.

I agree. For me, there are two types of vacation: trips that cannot be planned at all, because they are dependent on the weather, and trips for which the planning ought to be fixed long ahead of time, in order to be able to work the rest of my schedule around it. There simply is no room for fuzzy in-betweens. As far as I am concerned, the sooner the dates are fixed the better. Some aspects of organizing the total package might perhaps be fixed later, but most things for which reservations need to be made are cheaper and have a bigger range of options when booked early. November bookings would be fine for me as well.

[Calamityama]

2 hours ago, Kintamayama said:

I think this should be fixed by the end of December at the latest, even if that sounds pretty early,.

Definitely. That will leave me time to gather enough chocolate for the young rikishi and the organizers ...

[CT3*]

8 hours ago, Kintamayama said:

The single best thing about my dabbling in sumo is meeting other sumo fans. It doesn't happen often that damaged people get to meet other people with the same damage. I have met many I got to know through the forum and the mailing list over the years and I have got to say that I have yet to meet  a nicer bunch of people. Some (Nishinoshima, Doreen, Josh, Barbara Ann  and many others)  I met in Tokyo, with Doitsuyama I flew to the NBA finals in Detroit - a story that will leave you speechless. I met Jejima in  London. I met a few fans in Tel Aviv.  Others I have yet to meet but my best friend in the world is the Finnish guy who owns this joint. He knows more stuff about me than I do. He knows more stuff about sumo than I'll ever know.

The common denominator was that I had never met any of them before yet the bonding was instant. Just the notion that the other person knows who Takekaze is was enough..It is a unique experience to meet fellow sumo fans. Watching sumo together with someone else without having to explain to him that "slapping is allowed" is in itself a unique experience..

This really resonates with me. Why? The only sports I follow are Boxing and Sumo. For years I posted on the old HBO Boxing Forum and some of  us started organizing "fight gatherings". Because of that I've met lots of people over the years and some of us have actually become close friends. We've been doing fight gatherings in NYC, Vegas and Atlantic City for well over a decade now!

I would absolutely LOVE to meet some other Sumo fans and take in some keiko, basho action or dinner. That would be a real treat!

[Andonishiki]

if this happens, I'm in !

if anyone is in Kyushu'16, day 2-4, we could meet up as well.

Fukuoka.... where it all began.... ;0)) 

[Washuyama]

On 10/5/2016 at 06:37, John Gunning said:

I think I'm now at 45 members of the forum met in person with about five or six having spent a night (or a month) on the couch of my old apartment in Ryogoku. 

And a comfy couch it was...  Thanks again, BTW!