My Blog Has Moved!

Yes, this incarnation is over, and I've moved from Blogger across to Wordpress, which I've decided is a better platform.

There are many improvements! And I'll try to blog more regularly about all manner of things.

Continue to catch-up with all things Steve by visiting http://www.stevesayskanpai.wordpress.com

Sayonara

Disaster In Birmingham...

...a disaster has occurred in my home city, with the shock waves so massive they've reached 5,000 miles across mountains and oceans to here in Japan. Yes, Blues have lost the ding-dong-derby to Aston Villa, going down in an embarrasingly one sided encounter 5-1. I was all ready to declare "there were more fouls than a day out on a chicken farm" (might post that one on the Guardian blog to get yet another mention in their bi-weekly podcast Football Weekly). Yet in truth the game was too one-sided for anyone to get heated up. I'll be honest, I turned the volume down a fair way at 2-0, and stopped listening at 4. It's embarrassing. For all the hoo-haa when Alex McLeish took over from Steve Bruce, he's done little to show he has top class managing qualities. Yes yes he hasn't really had time to "mould" the squad (although having said that Bruce managed to effect change in the January transfer window of our first ever season in the Prem). But he has had time to institute man management and tactical changes. Ridgewell in particular seems looser at the back than a tourist after too much Japanese curry (another one for the Guardian blog).

To ease my heartache, my Dad is visiting in less than a week. Although during the time he's here, we have a potential decider against Fulham- at least we can share in the gloom together if that proves to be our downfall I suppose.

Grrr. I was going to discuss my newly acquired Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 lens, and my future (in that order of priority). But now I'm gonna go to bed, as I have 60 15-year olds to teach tomorrow, starting at the ungodly hour of 9am.

Oyasuminasai.

Let's Go, Hanshin Taigaasu!!

I'm finally going to a Hanshin Tigers game at the famous Koshien Stadium near Osaka- hurrah! Our opponents will be the Yakult Swallows, a team that- as well as having a very funny name- are doing surprisingly well this season, sitting just behind Hanshin in second place. It promises to be a good game!



















Versus

Kimi No Naka Ni, Boku No Naka Ni...Sakura

Its Sakura season, and I've been busy looking at the blossoms, walking round the blossoms and drinking under the blossoms. Here's a couple of kanpeki photos from this weekend...
















In two weeks two members of the Martin clan will be landing on these shores... Papa Martin aka my Dad, and Uncle Bailey, aka...my uncle, Robin. Until then I'm busy with the usual stuff that accompanies the start of a school year; first-year students shouting "harro!!" (if they're male) and giggling incomprehensibly (if they're female), planning the odd lesson, and meeting new teachers. The new kocho at my second school is female, and speaks English (both rarities for a kocho sensei), while the two new English teachers seem very nice.

In other news, the Blues drew 1-1 with Everton today, while Bolton and Fulham both won. The end of the season remains very giri giri as the Japanese say, so be sure to check in for regular updates! Hanshin continue to fight strongly and stay top of the Central League, but all of my attention has returned to where it should be- on the Blues fight for survival!

Teacher Changeover Day!

Yes it's that time of year again. The blog has grown sparse recently, with neither literary flowers nor weeds being planted in its soil. Yet it would not be right if I didn't make some note of that all important of days, Teacher Changeover Day.

Last year I lost good friends, and this year more are departing- Manabe T is off to pastures new, while Sugihara Sensei has reached the grand age of 60 and is retiring. This means two new English-speaking faces will appear at my schools. It also means that of the many teachers I have taught with in Japan, only one will have remained the same from beginning to end.

With the changing of faces comes a changing of desks, but this time it doesn't include me. I'll remain where I am. Next to the bin. Grrrrrr. It's hard to know whether there's any intended sleight, yet being next to the bin is hardly a position of privilige. Nonetheless I will persevere. Isshoukenmei ganbarimasu! 一生懸命頑張ります！

A Day For The Underdog - Sumo In Osaka

My first taste of sumo came on the most exciting day of the Haru basho so far, with both Yokozuna wrestlers sensationally beaten by lesser opponents! Young Mongolian Hakuho was swiftly dispatched by Ozeki Chiyotaikai, before "the Daddy" Asashoryu was pushed out by Kotoshogiku. With just three days remaining, all is set up for a dramatic showdown between the two yokozuna on Sunday.













Ring Entering Ceremony













Ancient Shinto Stuff













Asashoryu, "The Daddy" of Sumo













The Arena

Our band of five arrived at the arena mid-afternoon, just as the initial juryo matches were winding down, and before the ring entering ceremony of the makuuchi. The arena is fantastically constructed- the clay dohyo in the centre, with a replica Shinto shrine hanging over it, and cushioned boxes gently sloping up on all sides. Japanese, young and old, families and friends, reclined on purple cushions while eating snacks and drinking beer, coming and going while the action continued in the centre. Beyond the boxes are the arena seats where we were sitting, more popular with foreigners (probably because they’re cheaper!), steeply sloped and with a great view of the action. I imagine you could be transported back 200 years and be greeted by a similar setup- sumo remains imbued with the Shinto traditions of Japan, and the way it is played and watched is so uniquely Japanese, unlike other "borrowed" sports that are popular here.













Hakuho in zen-like calm before his bout













Calm Before The Storm- you could cut the tension with a knife!

After the ring entering ceremony, the makuuchi bouts got underway. As the bouts increased in importance, the atmosphere in the arena grew- this is sustained in particular by the 4 minute "face offs" opponents go through before actually attacking. Then it was time for the Yokozuna to make their entrance. First up was Hakuho, who charged straight at his opponent Chiyotaikai, but was pulled down, pushed away and sent sprawling so quickly that a shocked gasp went up from the crowd. Hakuho’s loss gave Asashoryu a great chance to all but wrap up victory in this tournament, if he could dispatch his opponent Kotoshogiku. There was a long build up to the final match- banners displaying the sponsors of the finale were paraded round the ring- before the four minutes of staring and stamping got underway. Asashoryu in particular had real gravitas; his weight and girth being backed up by an eagle-eyed stare and a bullying swagger. When the wrestlers finally crouched down into attack position there was a pause, a moment frozen in time- and then they clashed! I’d decided to support Asashoryu, but as soon as it became clear that his opponent had a chance to beat him, I switched to the underdog. The roars in the crowd got louder and louder as Kotoshogiku shoved his illustrious opponent closer and closer to the edge. He huffed and puffed until finally Asashoryu was out of the ring, shock written across his face, with people leaping up, cheering and raining cushions down onto the dohyo in recognition of the dramatic upset. It was an amazing end to the day, and we were really lucky to see such dramatic action; Asashoryu had held a perfect 11-0 record going into the bout, while Hakuho was 10-1 before his loss. The only downside was that we didn’t get to see Kotooshu, the "David Beckham" of sumo, as he was out injured.












The Moment Of Impact! Asashoryu vs Kotoshogiku













The crowd senses defeat for Asashoryu...





...and the cushions come flying! Yatta!

Welcome to the World of Sumo

After some thorough and detailed research, here's a brief introduction to the fattest sport in Japan (that will be the last "big fat men" quip, I promise). Sumo, or 相撲 in Japanese, is a contact sport with very few rules and lots of Shinto tradition and ritual. It originated many years ago, and takes place on a circular mound covered with sand, or dohyo. The aim of the game is to force your opponent out of the ring, or make him fall over inside the ring. This is accomplished through a variety of techniques- pushing, grabbing, side-stepping, throwing your opponent off balance etc. Contrary to the initial impression that bigger is better, many sumo who aren't so fat have a large advantage through their agility. The basho (tournament) I'll be attending is the Haru Basho (Spring Tournament), taking place in Osaka. There are six tournaments a year- three in Tokyo, and one each in Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka. Each tournament runs for 15 days. Here's three sumo wrestlers to look out for...

Asashoryu, Yokozuna rank (Mongolian)

Asashoryu is one of the most successful, and controversial, sumo wrestlers in history. After gaining fame and fortune through his sumo skills, he become embroiled in controversy when, on returning home to Mongolia to "recover" from an injury, he was spotted participating in a charity football match. Despite weighing over 23 stone, he showed some silky skills on the football pitch. This didn't go down well with the big-wigs at Sumo HQ though, who banned him for two tournaments. That's all behind him now though, and after a strong performance in the January basho he'll be looking to continue his good form into the Osaka tournament.

Hakuho Sho, Yokozuna rank (Mongolian)

Hakuho is the only other wrestler who currently holds the top rank of Yokozuna. Also from Mongolia, he is a mere 23 years old. His real name is Monkhbatyn Davaajargal.

Kotooshu Katsunori, Ozeki rank (Bulgarian)

Of the four wrestlers who hold the number two Ozeki rank, Kotooshu is the only non-Japanese. Being a gajin, he has been labelled by the public as the "David Beckham of Sumo", a title he understandably dislikes. He is smaller and lighter than most, and often appears in adverts for yoghurt.

Ok thats it for now- I have been informed we haven't technically got the tickets for thursday yet, but it looks like we will do. So fear not everyone!