Josh,
I have to say that's ridiculous. Maybe I could visualize that in
some conservative area of Kansai, which is xenophobic compared to
Tokyo and Tohoku, but the bullet train tickets are always selling out
whenever we want to go anywhere. We have to reserve our seats a month
in advance as soon as they become available for sale during holiday
vacation times, and even then we're too late sometimes. I don't buy
this "japanese staying off bullet trains in droves since they started
doing English announcements". That doesn't match my experience at
all. If you lived in Kansai when you were in Japan you might have a
unbalanced perspective of Japanese attitudes toward foreigners.
Sure, people would like Japanese rikishi to take back the reigns of
sumo, but that doesn't mean that announcements on shinkansen bug
them. Even in the kokugikan, I don't thing anyone but the occasional
geezer would be bothered. I've never been to a basho outside of
Tokyo, and I know people are perhaps more rude in eastern Japan (by
Tokyo standards), but I've only encountered friendly people in the
kokugikan. Almost every time I sit in masu-seki I am given food and
beer/sake by old people sitting around me who are happy to see an
enthusiastic foreigner. I'm not exaggerating. It's happened the last
three Tokyo basho without fail.
Don't judge the Japanese crowd in the kokugikan too quickly.
Q
http://www.quinlanfaris.com/php-cgi/gallery/sumo
Joshua A. Reyer wrote:
Lawrence Rogers wrote:
From: Katrina <katrina@shoin.ac.jp>
In addition to Moti's information about this tournament, may I add
that there will be stadium announcements in English. This is due
to the decline in the number of Japanese audience members and an
increase in the number of foreign ones.
Good news, I suppose, for English speakers, but I wonder if it's a
wise move by the sumo association. My spies tell me one of the
reasons for the decline in Japanese attendance is dissatisfaction
at the increase in the number of foreign rikishi. I suspect
further 'internationalization' will keep more Jpnse away. An
alternative: give all the gaikoku types who look puzzled a radio
for the in-house English broadcasting.
Larry has a good point. Japanese people have been staying off the
bullet-trains in droves since they started doing English
announcements at stops.
[EndPost by "Joshua A. Reyer" <circlejar@comcast.net>]
[EndPost by Quinlan <sumo@plusq.net>]