What are the odds that two girlfriends from a small town in the west of Flanders would one day both end up living in the faraway nation of Japan, let alone at the same time?? Well, by pure coincidence that's exactly what happened to me & my very good friend Liesbeth! Three years ago she followed her engineer boyfriend Piet to Seoul, Korea & recently they moved to Yokohama, Japan, a 'mere' 1000 km from Fukuoka :-). They must be pretty excited about having us here as well because last Friday they hopped on a plane and made their first visit together (Liesbeth surprised me by coming for my birthday in July), cheers guys! Luckily for them there was heaps going on here this weekend, starting with a JET-party Fridaynight, then sumo and dinner at an izakaya on Saturday, followed by chilling at the Japanese garden Yusentei Koen on Sunday & an added bonus of onsen (hot baths) on Monday for us girls. As usual the conservation flowed freely & abundantly, to the point where I haven't felt like talking much since Liesbeth's departure! Hanging out with someone I've known for 17 years and who is currently in the same unemployed-living in Japan-boat has been good for the soul, especially since it's nine months before my next visit home.
On Fridaynight fellow JETs (and antipodeans) Dean & Fiona hosted a party at FuBar to raise funds for their charity project in a Thai orphanage this Christmas. As we're always willing to support a good cause Vaughan & I went along with Yukino, Liesbeth and her boyfriend Piet, had a few drinks (all for the children of course!) and just enjoyed catching up :-).
A very genki (energetic) Liesbeth & Piet (who took most of the following photos by the way)
Saturday was the Big Day for Liesbeth & Piet: their first ever sumo bashi (tournament). I vividly remember my excitement last year, and my complete fascination with the wrestler's appearance. It seems like I spent most of the day trying to get a perfect shot of their impressive 'physique' and didn't really concentrate on the actual game aspect! This time around though I found myself seeing them as real athletes & appreciating the enormous strength & skill that is required. You try balancing your entire body on your knees or lifting your legs up like a ballerina if you weigh 150 kilos!
These days more & more foreigners are professional sumo wrestlers, with even several Europeans competing. The most successful & popular non-Asian guy is the Bulgarian Kootooshu (also dubbed sumo's sex symbol), but this photo is of a far less attractive Russian colleague...
I believe this picture doesn't need any comment...
The unbeaten master of sumo in the past years is -to many people's disappointment- not a Japanese wrestler, but a 26-year-old Mongolian. Asashoryu is one the first foreigners to have attained the rank of yokozuna, a position which can only be held by a man of character who has won two consecutive tournaments (apparently not an easy feat). At last year's bashi we saw him beat an opponent in a very impressive manner & ever since he certainly has my respect. I guess he earns more than respect because not only does he receive a substantial monthly wage & tournament money, but I'm sure ad campaigns like these (for a tele company) rake in a few yen as well.
On each tournament day the yokozuna has to perform the dohyo-iri, or rope ceremony to show respect to the gods. Asashoryu manages to do this in a very dignified and, dare I say it, elegant way. Kudos to him!
This is the man himself, the godfather, the David Beckham of sumo, on his way out. We just happened to stand there wondering what people were waiting for & it was quite a sight!
After sumo Yasuko arranged for us to have dinner at this amazing izakaya (Japanese pub/restaurant) which is decorated in traditional Japanese design & makes you feel like you're on a film set. Oh, the food is delicious too!
Yasuko (right) and her friend Mikiko at dinner
One of our favorite spots in Fukuoka is Yusentei Garden, so Vaughan & I take all our visitors there (you stand warned!). A grey, lazy Sunday is perfect for enjoying the garden's peaceful atmosphere, the nice views and some green tea.
Admiring the autumn colours
These girls were all decked out in bright kimono's to pose for their shichi-go-san celebration photos (see previous post). It goes without saying we couldn't keep our eyes off them, and equally unsurprising is that they were just as intrigued by those foreigners in the corner staring at them :-).
2 comments:
Fantastische foto's! 't Zag er een zalig weekend uit! Hopelijk kunnen jullie nog een aantal dergelijke bezoekjes doen!
Wow! Some great photos, but I especially like the Asashoryu paparazzi one. I'm a big fan of his so I'm quite jealous that you found yourself in such a good position to take his photo as he walked past.
Post a Comment