Sumo Taikai (Sumo Tournament) at Futakotamagawa Shopping Street

The festival season in Japan is getting into full swing with festivals both large and small. Yesterday, Sunday, Sept. 9, 2012 saw the Futakotamagawa Shopping Street Association in cooperation with the Sumo team at Nittai University have a "Sumo and Chanko Nabe" festival. It was really fun!

The sumo guys bowing and saying "Thank you!"

Here's what Wikipedia says about Chankonabe:


Chankonabe (ちゃんこ鍋) is a Japanese stew (a type of nabemono or one-pot dish) commonly eaten in vast quantity by sumo wrestlers as part of a weight-gain diet. It contains a dashi or chicken broth soup base with sake or mirin to add flavor. The bulk of chankonabe is made up of large quantities of protein sources (usually chicken (quartered, skin left on), fish (fried and made into balls), tofu (or sometimes beef)) and vegetables (daikon, bok choy, etc.). While considered a reasonably healthy dish in its own right, chankonabe is very protein-rich and usually served in massive quantities, with beer and rice to increase the caloric intake. Leftover chankonabe broth can also later be used as broth for somen or udon noodles.

It is not made according to a fixed recipe and often contains whatever is available to the cook. It is traditionally served according to seniority, with the senior rikishi and any guests of the heya receiving first choice, with the junior wrestlers getting whatever is left. It is also a popular restaurant food, often served in restaurants operated by retired sumo wrestlers who specialize in the dish; the first of these, Kawasaki Chanko, was started in 1937 in the Ryōgoku district of Tokyo, home to many prominent sumo stables.

Chankonabe served during sumo tournaments is made exclusively with chicken, the idea being that a rikishi should always be on two legs like a chicken, not all fours

Of course, I could take any of these guys! I could take them to the train station, to the bus, to the subway... Don't think they'd all fit in my car at once, though!

They even allowed the kids to battle it out with the sumo wrestlers. That was really fun for the kids and parents alike!

That's me on the right getting a close-up of my son's first ever sumo bout.

Of course the boys put on a few exhibition matches for us and, man! When they collided, you could hear it 500 meters away! Slap!

That's Mr. Matsumoto in the blue shirt. He is the second-in-charge head cheese of the Tamagawa Shopping Street Association.

Several of the sumo wrestlers warming up.

Of course, besides Chankonabe, they had all sorts of food and goodies for visitors. They also had cotton candy, shaved ice, boiled soy beans (yum!), yakitori, yakisoba, Corned dogs, and hot dogs as well as beer and drinks!

More warming up

More warmups

Of course, what festival would be complete without Kingyo-Sukui?

Wikipedia says about Kungyo-Sukui (Gold Fish Scooping):

Goldfish scooping (金魚すくい, 金魚掬い Kingyo-sukui) is a traditional Japanese game in which a player scoops goldfish with a special scooper. It is also called, "Scooping Goldfish", "Dipping for Goldfish" or "Snatching Goldfish". "Kingyo" means goldfish and "sukui" means scooping. Sometimes bouncy balls are used instead of goldfish. Japanese summer festivals or ennichi commonly have a stall for this activity. Both children and adults enjoy the game.

Hot Young Female Japanese Actresses, Yakuza Gangsters, Sex and Japanese TV and Mass Media - This Post Has it All!!!

Japan's news has been in a tizzy about the Yakuza and all the scary and awful things that they do that the weekly magazines just can't get enough. Today's post has it all: Sexy young girls, actresses to be exact; prostitution, gambling, mafia, TV producers and shows, and other naughty bits.


Since April of 2011, the Japanese police have been obsessed with the activities of the Yakuza, the Japanese mafia. This writer thinks it's a total farce and waste of hard-earned taxpayer monies chasing these guys around.

Yukie Kawamura - Japan's Hottest Young Actress? 

(and today's sexy Japanese girl cheesecake photo... 

After all what story about gambling, sex and mafia would be complete without one?)

What horrendous crimes are the Yakuza guilty of? Well, they are guilty of the terrible crimes of scalping tickets and prostitution. As far as the crime of ticketing (that's surely the most pressing problem we have today). Please refer to: Japan's Yakuza Mafia Faces a Crackdown:

Recent scandals over illegal gambling among sumo players and ringside VIP tickets for Japan's notorious yakuza gangsters have enveloped Japan's venerated sport of sumo and fascinated the public.

Lupin III - "Folk hero." Yakuza Japanese gangster. Cartoon star.
There's not a person in Japan who doesn't like this character. Kind of 
like a Robin Hood or Jesse James to the Japanese.

Then, another victimless mutually consented act of sex between two adults in the privacy of their own room please refer to: "Sex Services in Japan First to Get Back to Business After Earthquake." 

Even the horrifying death and devastation that struck northeastern Japan on March 11 could not suppress the human sex drive for long. Friday (June 10) reports that sex businesses were among the first to recover, many as soon as one week after the disaster.

“I was back at my job on March 18,” says Kitty-san, a 21-year-old employee of a delivery health (out-call sex service) service named Ainori in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture. “From the day we reopened demand was even higher than it was before the disaster. Many customers had suffered from the catastrophe, and had even lost family members. They justified their urges, saying they 

‘sought psychological relief’ or ‘wanted to be consoled.’....

I applaud these businesses for getting back on track early and creating jobs for people. The economy needs it.

What people need to realize is that the Yakuza have been involved in the entertainment business in Japan for easily over 400 years. Here's two choice tidbits from Wikipedia:


"They are very prevalent in the Japanese media..."


"Despite uncertainty about the single origin of yakuza organizations, most modern yakuza derive from two classifications which emerged in the mid-Edo Period (1603 – 1868): tekiya, those who primarily peddled illicit, stolen or shoddy goods; and bakuto, those who were involved in or participated in gambling."

Now, once again, the Tokyo Reporter gives us a story that the - surprise! - Yakuza are involved in TV! Heavens! What will we ever do?  Here's the story from Tokyo Reporter. I have my commentary in between also.

Tokyo Reporter:

“Entertainment production companies are basically gangster front companies,” says a former television station manager. 


Well, yes and no. Some are. Actually I own a entertainment production company since 1992 and haven't seen any Yakuza around, so this blanket statement is not true (though sometimes I'd like to hire one!) I'm sure in any country there are shady businesses operating. And just what sort of hijinks are these folks guilty of?


“They’ll engage in the wining and dining of TV station producers,"


Wining and dining of prospective clients!? Well, no sh*t Sherlock. Wining and dining to get a client? Never heard of such a thing. This must be stopped! (Over flowing cynicism)


"... and offer gambling on the golf course and mahjong, in which the producers will be intentionally allowed to win big."


Hoo-hum. This writer's never been to Las Vegas? Nah. Letting someone win at a game of cards? Never!


"...Then they might be taken to high-end hostess clubs, operated by gangsters affiliated with the entertainment production company, in Ginza and Roppongi at no charge."


They might be taken to high-end hostess clubs, operated by gangsters affiliated with the production company?... At no charge"? Might!? What a bunch of losers! In any country in the world, it wouldn't be "might" if you wanted to land the big juicy contract, it would be "must." And what's this "No charge" business? Of course it's no charge. 


"Taken to a high-end hostess club"?! You can't be serious. That this BS is even an issue is ridiculous. No! It has never happened in the USA as was reported in the DC Madam case with thousands of Washington insiders who have never been prosecuted (but, you see, they are our masters not lowly peasantry like us) or on CNBC news.


The companies will also arrange parties with some hot, young female actresses. Invitations to soaplands also occur.”


Well, if they are young female actresses, they'd better be hot. And, for the uninitiated, soapland is sort of, how shall I say, er,... a "Disneyland for men,"... if you know what I mean.

As a result, the TV station producers will be influenced regarding the casting and structuring of upcoming programs. 


"Will be influenced"? Is that what they call it nowadays? They used to call it "blowjobs"...These are called, "perks" of the job for TV producers. They get these "perks" because they climbed the ladder for 30 some years.


But there is yet a potentially darker side, the magazine warns.


"Darker side?" Cue ominous music....

“TV employees at big stations frequent ‘members only’ clubs in Nishi Azabu that are managed by close associates of gangsters,” says a police investigator. “The network being built up within this community is a concern.”

Heavens! "Members only" What are we ever going to do?

Hot young, Japanese actress Yukie Kawamura gratuitous

cheesecake photo number two

Japan is up deep serious economic problems. We have debt at 229% of GDP. Total debt at 492% of GDP. A declining population which is destroying the savings rate and our productivity and these a*sholes in government and the police are concerned about ticket scalpers, hot young actresses, mutually consented sex between adults, a members only clubs?!

Well, okay. I admit, if I were a cop, I'd be interested in the hot young actresses too.

This reminds me of the opening to Leslie Neilsen's Police Squad TV show back in the early 1980's. The entire show is incredibly funny and absurd. In this clip, at around 3:48, Neilsen as Frank Drebin says:

"My name is Sgt. Frank Drebin detective lieutenant Police Squad a special detail of the police department. There'd been a recent wave of gorgeous fashion models found naked and unconscious in laundromats in the west side. Unfortunately, I was assigned to investigate hold-ups at neighborhood Credit Unions." 

Like I said, absurd and way too funny. Too bad the Japanese police aren't joking and are absolutely serious with this idiocy involving ticket scalping and hot baths with steamy young actresses. 

Why don't those clowns get a real job and, instead of obstructing business, do something positive to help the economy?


UPDATE: Confused people who think the state is here to protect us continually attack me for "defending" the Yakuza (these are the same people who hate drug laws yet they fail to make the connection - go figure). Anyway, to show that what the Yakuza are accused of doing is business as usual in the USA (and, in fact, not nearly as bad as the Yakuza do not bomb and kill children the world over 24/7) watch this:

 

Thanks to Tokyo Reporter!

Sumo is Fixed Like All Other Professional Sports

I've been telling people for years that all professional sports are fixed. They are. Now, today, thanks to my slim and trim friends in sumo, another sports has provided evidence that what I have said is true.


Other sports, baseball, soccer, football, cricket, etc. even tiddley-winks have provided, with amazing regularity, evidence of corruption, one needs only perform a Google search to find enough literature on the subject for a lifetime.


I have been a professional announcer and have worked in the news and the mass media for over 30 years. I've even been a professional sports announcer. I know what I am talking about.


All professional sports are fixed. Japan's sumo is no different. The only professional sport that is on the "up and up" is , amazingly enough, professional wrestling. At least in pro wrestling they tell you that it's entertainment at the start, they don't try to act like "everything is real" like the other sports do.

Me with one of Japan's most famous pro wrestlers of all time: The Great Muto

The reason why I say this is because all professionals sports are corrupted by money. Professional sports are entertainment for the masses. Professional sports are big business. The people who run these leagues are not doing it for fun... If they want to do something for fun, I'm sure they'll do something like stamp collecting or chasing wild women...


There's nothing at all wrong with wanting to make tons and tons of money (nor in chasing wild women)... But, in the case of sports, they always promote professional sports as a primitive  "man vs. man" or "man vs. nature" challenge. 


You won't hear the truth about how money is the #1 motivating, compelling and driving part of the story behind the modern sports of today.


Pro sports are multi billion dollars businesses. The people who own and run these businesses and leagues do not run them to lose money.


So, why are the sports fixed? Because, like I said, they are entertainment. Since they are entertainment, someone has to pay to see the games. 


Once you consider that we are dealing with entertainment - entertainment that must compete with all other forms of entertainment - and, in turn, compete for the same money that other entertainment is competing for, then you realize that professional sports need to well, entertain.  


Sounds silly, but it's not. Sports must compete for the same dollars that Hollywood movies do. It's that simple.  


That means we need to get people to come to our entertainment events (sports games). That means tickets must be sold and someone must pay big money for their broadcast of these games. That means people and sponsors expect to get their money's worth.


This is important. Keep it in mind.


Take the example of CBS who used to do the Superbowl every year. CBS sells commercial time on the Superbowl for tens of millions of dollars. CBS wants to sell 4 or 5 hours of this commercial time to a sponsor. 


If the games are blowouts and 70% the viewers turn off their TVs before the first half ends, sponsors are very upset. When sponsors are upset, the TV stations are very upset. Why? Because, if games are boring and people tune out, if this happens too much and too often then sponsors won't want to spend big money next year because they fear the same thing will happen.


If the sponsors don't pay big money, then who doesn't make big money? The league and team owners. 


If you are an American, you might remember the Denver Broncos getting to the Superbowl in the early 1980s. They got blown out two years in a row. The games were basically over 1/2 way through the second quarter. The viewers turned their sets off. There haven't been any blowouts since then. Is it any wonder why?


Like I said, pro sports are a big business. The leagues have a product to sell. That product is supposed to be an exciting sports event that last for 4 hours and is profitable to their mass media partners too. When the game is over after 45 minutes, there are some very unhappy sponsors and media partners.


The league cannot afford to have that.


This is why, over these last 20 years or so, all major sports events always go down to the wire; especially American sports such as the Superbowl. In recent memory, these games always go down to the last minute... And with that, people complaining about the poor refereeing and bad calls.


Don't people realize that they are not bad calls, they are calls to extend the game to the last minute. They are not bad calls, they are opportunistic calls made to stretch the games out to the end. Like the director makes an edit to a movie script, the league makes sure that the important games stay close until the last minute. 


The game has an exciting finish, the sponsors are happy. Everyone gets their money and we can do the same thing next year.


It's all a scam. All professionals sports are this way.


I've been saying this for years. People always get mad at me for this.


Recently, Japan's traditional sport (it's been fixed for at least a few decades) has been "found out." Matches are fixed and the proof is out. 


Of course they are. What pro sports isn't?


Kyodo reports:


Two sumo wrestlers and one elder have admitted to being involved in fixing matches in high-profile tournaments, Sports minister Yoshiaki Takaki said Thursday, in the latest blow to the traditional Japanese sport that was already reeling from a string of scandals. The unprecedented revelation angered Prime Minister Naoto Kan and prompted the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, which oversees the JSA, to reconsider the association's future as a government-affiliated entity.


The funniest part about this is the last sentence, "The unprecedented revelation angered Prime Minister Naoto Kan and prompted the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, which oversees the JSA, to reconsider the association's future as a government-affiliated entity."


Ha! Ha! Of course they are corrupt! They are a government-affliated entity. All governments are corrupt too! What do you expect? You just can't make this stuff up. (Psst! Don't look now, but have you ever wondered why the government allowed gambling on horse racing all those years and why racing associations are government run or sanctioned?)


Before you write to me claiming that your favorite sport is not fixed, please Google search, "Bribery, scandal, (your favorite sport's name)" then, write to me about it.


By the way, do not misunderstand what I have written here. I don't hate sports. I like sports. I hate professional sports and nationalism inducing sports circuses like the Olympics too. If big money is involved then it is not honest. Sports are supposed to be honest.


If you want to see honest and real sports, then go to the playground and see kids playing little league soccer or baseball or ?. Those are real sports. The kids are doing those games for the love of the game, not for money. They are trying their hearts out. They cry when they lose. The pros? When they lose, they just worry about their contract next year and wonder what city they will be playing in.


Professional sports are entertainment... No more, no less. Sure, they can be fun to watch while having a beer with friends, but to actually care who "wins" is childish. You'd think that people, after graduating from, say, high school  would be mature enough to throw away the tribalistic type of thinking that makes them feel better and superior about themselves just because a bunch of clowns in leotards can throw a ball in a bucket more than the other guys or something.


Once again, all pro sports are a scam; they are big money entertainment. In truth, they mean absolutely nothing important at all. 


It reminds me of a passage in George Orwell's 1984 when protagonist Winston Smith goes to the restroom at work and meet his boss. His boss says, "Smith? Did you hear the big game last night?" Smith answers, "No!" To that the boss responds, "Now that was an exciting game. What a finish! That's the best script we've written in a long time!"   


Here's another article I wrote about this very same corrupt subject over 5 years ago.






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