Re: Akebono to Vancouver

[Keith Wells <keith.wells@bctv.wic.ca>]

Akebono, you may have guessed, did not come to Vancouver last week
because of his knee injury, but Azumazeki Oyakata did come. 

Akebono's visit has been postponed until November. Musashimaru may also
come to Vancouver in January to help promote the June 1998 exhibition.

The organizer of the Vancouver event recently invited members of the
Vancouver media (I do sports at a TV station) to Tokyo to see a few days
of action in the Aki basho. We got to enjoy chanko nabe with Akebono at
Azumazeki beya and with Chiyotaikai at Kokoene beya. It was a thrill-and
the food was fantastic!  One night we also went to dinner at an Italian
restaurant with Akebono, Musashimaru and Konishiki (the day he returned
to competition). They were all very fun to be with. Akebono was a little
quiet because of his poor performance, but Konishiki and Musashimaru
were singing and having a good time. Akebono does enjoy the tequila.

--On behalf of the mailing list, I let Musashimaru know that his
nickname here was the GANGSTER. He hadn't heard that one before-but like
it. He started calling himself the Don- Don BELLYom.
 
It was a real honour to meet some of the rikishi, and to get a behind
the scenes look at sumo, but the best thing about the trip was actually
getting in the dohyo! At Kokoene beya I was asked if I wanted to get in
the ring and try out the sport. A few of the young rikishi helped me put
on the mawashi, and then they humoured me in the ring. It was so fun-and
the mawashi felt suprisingly good (!!).

One other thing, the organizer of the Vancouver exhibition, Parmesh
Bhatt, has come to an agreement with Rogers Cable in Vancouver. They
will being showing Sumo Digest beginning in November. 

Keith Wells.
(Kitakatadoki)