Photographs from a small group of islands
The Sumo finished on Sunday, and for the first time in over 6 years, a wrestler went undefeated throughout a 15-day tournament. Quite an achievement. And with the present Yokozuna (and tournament winner) only 23 years old, we are seeing the early days of a potentially great wrestler.
You haven’t got this far have you? Sorry. Here are the pictures.
Hagi University, a small private school in Yamaguchi prefecture, found itself struggling to attract new students this year. It had been authorized to take up to 300 new undergraduates, but unfortunately a paltry 30 enrolled.
No doubt numerous heads were scratched, and the result was the development of a new course. Judging by the title of this post, you won’t be surprised to find that it focuses on golf culture. What the subject involves isn’t clear, however rumour has it that students will study the impact of checkered slacks and gaudy Pringle sweaters on the modern game.
It would seem that the hullabaloo surrounding Fifa president Sepp Blatter’s comments on women’s football have begun to die down.
For anybody unaware of this story, Fifa’s illustrious leader decided to weigh in with his suggestions on how to make the women’s game more popular. Mr. Blatter is quoted as saying,
“Let the women play in more feminine clothes like they do in volleyball.”
And just in case there was any doubt as to what he was proposing, he went on to say that,
“They could, for example, have tighter shorts. Female players are pretty, if you excuse me for saying so, and they already have some different rules to men – such as playing with a lighter ball. That decision was taken to create a more female aesthetic, so why not do it in fashion?”
Now generally I don’t agree with most of Mr. Blatter’s utterings, but the picture below made me think that this time he might just be on to something.
This Sunday the first Sumo tournament of the year starts (don’t get too excited), and as it’s in Tokyo a ticket has been acquired. The plans for the day are already decided. Namely, getting there early so we can get near the front (before the rich folk who have reserved the outrageously priced seats arrive), and get some close-up pictures. Then retire to our seats (the cheap ones) at the outer reaches of the hall, and proceed to get rip roaringly drunk. It is a sporting event after all.
To get into the sumo mood, here’s a quick True/False quiz:
1. Some Sumo wrestlers in the past have had silicone implants on the top of their head in order to meet the sports height requirements.
2. Lower ranked wrestlers have to wipe the senior wrestlers posterior after, ahem, a toilet visit.
3. Despite being fat, and with a tendency to sweat profusely, Sumo wrestlers do well with the ladies.
Answers below the picture.
1. True. The height requirements are strictly adhered to, so some potential wrestlers are prepared to go to such drastic lengths to enter the sport. There are also stories of prospective wrestlers being hit on the top of the head just prior to the physical. The resultant lump helping them achieve the desired height.
2. True (perhaps). Fortunately I haven’t witnessed such a thing, nor seen any photographic evidence, but from all accounts it’s true. Maybe.
3. True. Despite their size, it’s not uncommon for some of the higher ranked wrestlers to bag one of the attractive TV presenters or celebrities that abound on Japanese TV. The top wrestlers it has to be said make an awful lot of money. Not that that has anything to do with love of course. Merely stating a fact.
Did I miss something over the holidays? Has the British government avoided all talk of the Euro by linking up with the United States instead?
Watching Yeovil v Liverpool in the FA Cup last night (hardly a classic I know, but I don’t get to see much live football so I’ll watch any game that’s on) the commentator kept speaking in Dollars. Whether he was talking about a player’s potential value, or how much they were bought for, he only mentioned Dollars, and not Pounds. What’s going on?
I’m not sure if the game was being screened by the BBC, ITV, or Sky, but it was certainly a British production and not an international one. So what’s with the Dollar references?
Is this a common occurrence with football commentators these days?
I hope not, as I was having to convert Dollars to Yen, and then Yen to Pounds. I worked it out that El-Hadji Diouf was bought for 6 billion Pounds. That can’t be right can it!?