Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament RoundUp 2008

The Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament ended yesterday.Hakuho had wrapped up the Emperors Cup on day 13 so the only real interest was whether he could end with a 15 win 0 loss record.Which he did by beating Kotooshu in the last bout of the final day.Kotooshu who won the last basho and had earlier hopes of promotion to the rank of yokozuna ended up with a 9-6 record.Baruto finished 10-5 and ozeki Kaio with a 9-6 win loss record.












An eel and rice bento available in many shops at this time of year.Eel is seen as giving people stamina and energy in the hot,humid days of summer.Today with the temperature again in the mid 30s Nagoya had thunder and lightning throughout the day.Intermittent showers meant that carrying an umbrella was necessary.

Mad as a Box of Frogs...

Sometimes you have to shake your head.Some ideas are best unsaid.Case in point,the idea that on the last day of the month students will be given wine to drink in classes.Apparently the CEO,Mr Inayoshi is taking the credit for this.
Once again the leadership of GCom is betraying its origins.Theres a world of difference between running a so-called language school organisation and a chain of restaurants.The motivations and expectations of language learners and diners are not the same.For one thing the investment in time and money made by students is hugely more significant.















Apart from the simple fact that there wont be enough space on a table to balance glasses in a five student lesson I have a number of problems with the concept.
My first and major objection is that it doesnt seem professional.I never thought learning and the consumption of alcohol made for good bedfellows.A language school doesnt seem the appropriate environment to be drinking.Sour grapes on my part.Possibly.But theres a time and place for everything.
Secondly,if students drink alcohol a whole set of responsibilities suddenly come into play.Is the instructor liable for any injuries sustained by students or others on their way home?Is the instructor responsible for finding out the ages of students and their method of transport to the school to prevent underage drinking or traffic accidents.
Thirdly,from a practical point of view what happens should alcohol be spilt on the carpet.As a parent I wouldnt want my three year old child sitting on a wine soaked carpet square.
As seems the way with my employers there is little hard information available about this new idea.Maybe when the details filter down to the branches things will seem clearer.At the moment I remain unconvinced its a good idea.

Friday Flash..Watermelon KitKats

Another addition to the KitKat range I spied in a local supermarket.Again its a limited edition i.e only available for a short time.The packet comes with the suggestion that you put the mini bars in the freezer.Not a bad idea considering the last week the temperature has hovered in the low to mid 30 degree celsius range.















As to the contents,the bars do indeed taste of watermelon.As well,they are a little salty as indicated on the packet.Not sure if I would buy them regularly if they were available year round but they do make for an unusual summer treat.

Marine Day Monday July 21 2008

It was Marine Day today.A public holiday that celebrates Im not sure what.Maybe it marks the start of the national water accident and drowning season.More likely its a sign that the summer festival season is upon us again.
The annual fire works display at Nagoya Port is on later in the evening but Im too lethargic to catch the crowded subway down there to see it.
Trying to avoid the heat of the day I did however venture down to Tsuramai Park and took refuge under the shade of the trees near the lotus pond.
It is deceptively quiet.In fact its teeming with activity.Large blue dragonflies dive bombed me as I sat contemplating the newly sprouted lotus blossoms.
Below the lotus flowers,small fish in large schools twist and turn between the roots.Meanwhile,knee deep in muddy water,frogs bask and brood in the afternoon heat.




















The Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament rolls on into its second week.Kotooshu's chances of rising to the rank of yokozuna have been extinguished after two early losses.NHK sports news had been doing a special spot on his attempt to gain promotion but this has been discretely dropped and the focus has turned to other wrestlers.Kotooshu stands at 6 wins and 3 losses and should end up with a winning record.Hopefully.
Asashoryu,one of the two Mongolian yokozuna dropped out of the competition,ostensibly due to an injured elbow.Realistically after two losses however he had little chance of catching Haukho the other yokozuna who remains unbeaten at 9wins 0losses as I blog.

Friday Flash..More from the Nagoya Sumo Tournament

A couple of shots from the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament I attended earlier in the week.Below is a photo of yokozuna Asashoryu performing the traditional dohyo-iri or "entering the ring" ceremony.Accompanied by two lower ranked wrestlers and a judge,the yokozuna goes through an elaborate ceremony.After clapping his hands to get the attention of the gods he extends his hands to his sides and turns his palms upward to show he isnt hiding any weapons.He next rises one leg in the air then the other.Finally he stomps each leg down onto the the surface of the ring or dohyo symbolically driving evil away.
After he has finished and his attendants have left the other yokozuna Hakuho repeated the ceremony.






















The second shot shows some of the merchandise and souvenirs available from the stalls outside the gym.Various towels,cloths and handkerchiefs were available.A multitude of Hello Kitty goods was also on sale.Pens,cookies and cloths bearing Hello Kitty figures in sumo garb were displayed in each stall.There were also autographed palm and hand prints of various wrestlers as well as the usual calendars,magazines,posters and collectible items.

Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament July 2008

I dragged myself up early and along to the second day of the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament.There was a line of people already waiting when I arrived at the ticket office.After standing in an orderly fashion for 10 minutes in the rapidly rising heat I purchased my ticket.And escaped into the air conditioned chasm of the Nagoya Prefectural Gym.In time to see the first bout of the day at 8:35pm.

There were two shock results from the opening day.First Kotooshu,the ozeki from Bulgaria,who won the last tournament and is looking for another Emperors Cup to gain promotion to yokozuna,lost.Not surprisng really considering that his opponent was Aminishiki.His record against him now stands at 0-6 including one loss by default.

The other surprise was Asashoryu's loss to Toyonoshima.Asa's record against him was 5-0 until yesterdays bout when Toyonoshima narrowly avoided touching the dirt before Asashoryu.
The photo above shows a bowl of chanko nabe.Its a key dish in the diet of a sumo wrestler.It contains vegetables such as potatoes and bits of fish and meat.Despite the fact that it was near 35degrees celsius outside there were still many people willing to queue up at 1pm for a bowl of this filling boiling broth/stew.















The Gym didnt really fill until after 2pm when the higher division wrestlers in the juryo and makuuchi division begin.That said,by the final hour it was still only three quarters full.While all of the more expensive seats were occupied there were still large gaps in the cheaper areas.























While the more expensive seats themselves are often no bigger than the size of a cushion or zabaton people still manage to make themselves comfortable in the confined space.












For the record both Kotooshu and Asashoryu won their respective bouts today.Kaio lost his match while the other Mongolian yokozuna Hakuho retains his lead in the race for the Emperors Cup with his second victory.
All in all an enjoyable day out again.A nice friendly atmosphere and on another baking hot day an ideal place to chill out and relax.

Friday Flash..Triple Berry KitKats

A recent addition to the KitKat range are these triple berry kitkats.They come presented in a shiny box that glitters with small stars as you move it.
As for the contents they are pink and striped.The KitKats combine the berry flavours of strawberries,cranberries and blueberries.Needless to say they have a very berry taste.

Sumo Practice

The Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament is due to start this Sunday July 13th.Last week sumo wrestlers descended upon Nagoya and have been practicing in various beya or stables dotted round Nagoya in preparation for the 15 day competition.
I tagged along with a friend early this morning to see the wrestlers at ozeki Chiyotakai's stable go through their paces.
Members of the public can watch the workout provided they remain quiet and they dont use their flash when taking photos.There was one amusing incident when a man arrived with a small pit bull terrier.The animals asthmatic wheezing reverberated around the courtyard much to the other onlookers amusement.Of course it was only a matter of time before the owner and dog were told politely to depart.
The photo above shows umbrella bearing onlookers gathered outside the building that houses the practice sumo ring where the wrestlers practice.The stable occupies quite a large area of land and there are a number of buildings and structures on the block.












Although we arrived just after 7am it was obvious that the wrestlers had started some time earlier judging by the amount of sweat.When we left at around 10am some three hours later they were still working on their fighting moves and holds seemingly oblivious to the humidity and heat.









After the initial lengthy series of stretching moves and exercises the wrestlers had a number of low contact bouts with each other.The winner of each of these low intensity bouts got to choose his next opponent so eventually all the wrestlers were involved.
I was surprised by how flexible and fast moving even some of the heavier wrestlers were.
One of the spectators,an elderly woman,told me that there were 24 wrestlers in that particular stable with ozeki Chiyotakai being the highest ranked wrestler there.All but one of the wrestlers was Japanese,a lower ranked wrestler from China.She also said that we were fortunate this morning to see Chiyotakai as he sometimes practiced at other stables.


















Chiyotakai can be seen in this final photo below near the back of the practice dohyo or sumo ring.He's holding a towel and wearing a white mawashi or loincloth in contrast to the black ones worn by his more junior stable members.He appeared in the practice area around 9:30am and rather than join in the practice seemed to be supervising and advising the other wrestlers.The final part of the practice we witnessed before departing due to a rainstorm involved more practice bouts.They were more intense and high contact than the earlier ones.
Wrestlers practiced their intial charge or tachi-ai and various techniques again under the eye of Chiyotakai who encouraged their efforts.

Friday Flash...Another Concrete Mt Fuji

Another example of a concrete Mount Fuji in a local park.This one doesnt look that safe or maintained compared to the other example I posted last week.










The paint on this one has faded and in places bare concrete can be seen.The surface is very smooth and provides little grip or traction when attempting to climb it.













If you look closely you can see several large cracks and fissures that run down the sides and near the top of the structure.As with the earlier example,one side has stones embedded in it.Due to the rain and wet weather,climbing up this side of the structure presents a tricky proposition unless you are sure footed.

Rainy Season Blues

It finally felt the rainy season had arrived last week.There were continual heavy showers between bouts of high humidity.The remains of Typhoon Six,now downgraded to a tropical depression,pelted down adding to the seasonal rainfall for the month.
One can never have too many umbrellas at this time of year.

Book Review..The Pound

The Pound. David Sinclair.Arrow Books.2001.286 pages.























David Sinclair's book traces the history of the British currency from the dim days of Anglo-Saxon England to the advent of the Euro and the global economy.
As with language,several rulers over the centuries used it to unify the nation.Many also used the currency as a way to raise finance,revenue,taxes and capital.Queen Elizabeth,for example,issued coins six times as a defence against the inflation,wars and rebellions she faced.
As well as being a readable description of the rise and decline of the currency the author also explains economic terms and principles in easy to understand laypersons terms.My eyes didnt glaze over as Gresham's Law or the Gold Standard were explained.

I did note that the author is somewhat dismissive of the Euro .."it is likely to prove an expensive irrelevance"pg 280 and further down the same page "In its way the European single currency is nothing more than an extension of the existing national currencies".
On the final page writing about the future of the pound(pg286)"It would probably be foolish to replace it with the euro,even in the unlikely event that the single currency did manage to survive all the pitfalls awaiting it".
The author can probably be forgiven these comments bearing in mind they are now some eight years or so old.The world has changed markedly.It would be interesting to see what Sinclair thinks now of the euro and whether he has changed his mind about adopting it or not.
While his comments about the recent history of the pound and euro are somewhat redundant,I would still recommend this book as the earlier sections on the origins and growth of the pound remain relevant.

New Cake Selections

Two more new cake selections from my local bakery/patisserie.















The first features a buttery,flaky pastry that crumbles nicely as one bites into the surrounding creamy filling.It reminded me of a slice of mille feuille,a traditional French dessert.























The second photo shows what I believe is a small fresh fruit dessert consisting of slices of white peach.At least thats what I took the label to have read.
The slices of peach encase a smooth filling and the whole thing sits on a thick brown caramel shortbread biscuit.

Friday Flash..Concrete Mount Fuji

Ive only recently noticed how frequently these concrete Mount Fuji structures appear in small local parks.The slopes are quite steep and difficult to climb.Some have rocks embedded into them and dont appear to be that child friendly should you lose your grip and fall.
Often painted in garish hues they add a splash of colour to what is often a desolate grassless area frequented by crows and homeless people.

Book Review..The Story of French

The Story of French. Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow.
St Martin's Griffin.2006.450 pages and appendices.























This book is divided into four parts.It attempts to trace the origin,spread,adaptation and changes of the French language.And pretty much succeeds in doing that.
I found the chapters on the spread of the language to Africa and North America very interesting.There are also some thought provoking remarks on the rise of cultural diplomacy and soft power in later chapters dealing with the language adapting to post 1945 conditions.
"Of course like religion and ideology,language can contribute to(or detract from) a country's influence in traditional spheres such as diplomacy.Japan is the world's second economic power,yet its language (like its religion) has little influence,making Japan's overall influence in the world weaker."pgs 285,286.

The book contains a lot of facts and figures and information I'd never given much thought to or even heard of.Case in point is an organisation known as the Francophonie ,described in Chapter 16 as "often compared to the British Commonwealth"pg 339.Its a group of 53 nations organised on the basis that they share the French language.
Another example can be found on pg35 where the authors note the bad characters in Harry Potter had "names that are clearly inspired by Old French or that have a French etymology: Malfoy(bad faith),Voldemort(flight of death),Lestrange(stranger)".

All in all,if you are even vaguely interested in languages or if you ever wondered why people in Belgium,Senegal and Quebec speak French or pondered how languages evolve this book provides some answers.




















The contents of a snack pack I found in the bargain bin of my local convenience store.While the majority of the snacks are rice based and crunchy,others contain seaweed or a fishy component and are quite hot and spicy.They go well with beer or other liquid refreshments at this time of year.

Friday Flash..A Few More Tram and Subway Museum Photos

Just a few more shots from the Nagoya Tram and Subway Museum I recently visited.The first shows a bogie and wheels.























The second picture shows the model train layout as described in my last post.Prominent buildings in Nagoya are featured such as the JR Central Towers and the TV Tower amongst others.
The final photo shows a small model of one of the vehicles that is on display in the Museum.

Nagoya Tram and Subway Museum

I visited the Nagoya Tram and Subway Museum earlier in the week.Its near Akaike subway station on the Tsuramai Line.Theres a wall map at the station.The museum is basically a block behind the station.Turn right as you leave Exit 2.Walk straight down the hill.At the end of the street turn right and head towards the traffic lights and Route 153.At the intersection cross the road and turn right.You should be heading up the hill on Route 153.Theres a big sign indicating the museum over the traffic lanes.























There are four old tram and subway cars on display in the Museum.In the middle of the display hall there are a number of computer and interactive displays which proved popular with the noisy throngs of kids present.
Another drawcard was the large model railway based loosely on Nagoya.There were model buildings of JR Central Towers and Nagoya TV Tower around which model shinkansen trains circled endlessly.
With their noses and fingers pressed firmly against the display glass an employee was constantly wiping the surfaces clean.
The photo above shows the interior of one car.It had a shiny wooden floor and seemed quite spacious.

















I quite liked the yellow paintwork on this car.It certainly is distinctive and must have stood out.















Outside the Museum are two huge drill bits that were used in the excavation of the subway tunnels.Below is a closer look at the business end of the drills.
While the kids seemed to enjoy themselves its not really a place to linger unless you are a trainspotter type.There were no English language signs or labels.Nor did it seem there were any pamphlets in English or other languages on hand.
On the plus side entry to the Museum is free.
Check their website for more details..www.kotsu.city.nagoya.jp/

Tropical Cake

I thought this would be a cherry flavoured slice of sponge cake judging from the colour.How wrong I was.Its not in fact sponge cake at all.More of a jelly or custard.Hidden inside is the best part of a whole mango.Very sweet and juicy.Slices of mango decorate the top along with slivers of chocolate and a solitary strawberry.

Friday Flash..Haagen Dazs Sorbets

I saw these new additions to the Haagen Dazs ice cream range in a local convenience store during the week.
According to my battered Oxford Dictionary "sorbet" is defined as "a water ice".
The Wild Apple Sorbet certainly meets that definition being crisp,light and watery.My spoon easily cut through the thin texture.Upon pulling back the plastic cover,one is greeted with a fragrant apple smell which lingered even after the contents had been eaten.Its hard to describe the wild apple taste.A little tart and a little sweet at the same time.Not all bitter like a Granny Smith apple nor wholly sweet.Worth a second look for its refreshing light taste.
The contents of the Alphonso Mango Sorbet is thicker than that of the Wild Apple Sorbet and didnt yield as easily to my spoon.More like ice cream than a sorbet.I found the vivid orange yellowy colour also detracted from my enjoyment.As for the flavour it was certainly mango.It goes without saying whether you like the sorbet depends on how well you like mangos.
Personally I dont think Id bother again.

Irises in Tsuramai Park

Away from the noise and bustle of Tsuramai Station and behind the band rotunda one can find some iris beds.Somewhat sunken,sheltered and shaded by surrounding trees the flowers are at their best at the moment.

















While the majority of blooms are various shades of white,blue and purple,one of the smaller beds contains some yellow flowers.I have no idea who the woman on the bench is in the photo but she did pose obligingly.
















Despite the fact it was fairly early in the morning,round 9am,the flowers seemed to be a magnet for defecating dogs,careening cyclists,who sped through the area apparently oblivious to those on foot and old men carting their cameras,tripods and photo equipment.
I was somewhat amused to see one elderly gentleman using what appeared to be a light meter before positioning his tripod and camera.I dont know if theres a photographic equivalent to penis envy but I was impressed by some of the equipment that was being used.Large and small zoom lenses and bulky bags filled with old film rolls. It put my small Sony Cybershot literally in the shade.If anything it pushed me further towards buying a better camera.

A Few More Local House Photos.

A couple of other homes that caught my eye while I wandered around last week.You have to remember that they arent in the middle of nowhere in rural Japan.Both are a five minute walk from a newly built Meitetsu rail station in a built up area.























This is the side view of a rambling wooden house.Again you can see the exposed earthen interior walls.I like the fact that despite its unkempt condition there is still a satellite dish and air conditioner unit which appears to be working.