(NOAH) "Donmai, Donmai" ~ Mitsuharu Misawa's diary ~ 16th May 2008

Cheers!! This is Misawa.

It's been two weeks since I last saw you, but how are you all doing? 

After the long weekend, it suddenly got cold in Tokyo and the temperature changes are drastic every day. It's already hard to get back on track after the long weekend, and with such drastic changes in temperature, it's easy to get sick, so please be careful. Also, it's not just the body that gets tired, but also the mind, so it's easy to get tired at this time of year. It seems that taking in calcium is a good way to prevent the May sickness, so if you're feeling a little tired, why not try to take in more calcium?

It's been about two weeks since the last Navi ended, and the May tour has just begun. Shortly before the opening, there was a match in Kobashi's hometown of Fukuchiyama. Thank you to everyone who came to support him. As some of you may know, at this event there was something called the "Dokkoise Ambassador Inauguration Ceremony" for Kobashi. At first I was surprised by the way "Dokkoise?" sounded, but on the day of the show, Kobashi himself explained the origin of the word. It sounds like a call for a local dance*. By the way, this appointment ceremony was held in the ring, but Kobashi

himself was muttering "I'm nervous" in the waiting room. I watched for a while and could tell that he was more nervous than usual before a match. He may have had occasion to step into the ring for other than matches, but he must have felt the weight of responsibility of being appointed as a hometown ambassador, bearing the words that are important to the local people, and carrying their expectations on his shoulders. I believe the ceremony went smoothly despite his nervousness, but what did those who saw it think? 

I grew up in Koshigaya*, not far from Tokyo, but there aren't many local traditions, and since I travel around the country on tour, I don't have many opportunities to see a lot of things, and I basically only have a few hours of free time after the show is over, so I don't have many opportunities to go to events. That's why there are so many questions about each hometown in the diary. I don't like crowds, but it seems that people often return to their hometowns from Tokyo during festivals, and although there may be various reasons for this today made me think that it's good to cherish seasonal events.

Speaking of the regions, the May tour started today (actually, yesterday) in Tokyo and gradually moved north. Finally, we will visit Hokkaido. The air in Tohoku and Hokkaido at this time of year is very fresh, and even getting off the bus at a drive-in on the way is a good feeling. If you have not been to Tohoku or Hokkaido yet, why not plan a trip to see a show while you are there? That being said, it will be tough in 3 weeks...

So(?), I'll now move on to the previous topic about Shuhei.

I was worried that he might be depressed after hearing the good news about his beloved Yu Yamada*, but I'm relieved to see that Shuhei doesn't seem depressed at all, saying things like "I went to an S-class party." 

"How to cure crab legs", huh? Sorry for keeping the subject a secret, but I have no idea! I've heard that women cross their legs alternately, so as not to bend their legs, but what about crab legs? As a wrestler, I wonder if he could use it to his advantage and bring bow legs to the forefront. Maybe he and Ippei could form a group called "The Crab Leg Brothers?" I remember hearing a long time ago that "Japanese people have crab legs as they sit seiza*, but foreigners don't because they live their lives sitting on chairs." So I wondered if there was an English expression for it, and looked it up in the dictionary, and sure enough, there was. It's called "bowleg." Since "bow" means "bow-shaped," does that mean "bow-shaped legs"? Is that the same? But if there is an English expression for bow legs, there must be foreigners who have bow legs too. Incidentally, I noticed when I was looking up the dictionary that "bow legs" is actually "crab legs." That's easy to understand, too. My cell phone converted it right away, so I wonder if you all know it... 

I still haven't found a solution to the Shuhei issue, but I'll move on to asking questions to Aoki. I think that by the time Aoki's turn comes around, the rainy season will be over and it will be the height of summer, but what is Aoki's "summer tradition" or something that he thinks "summer can't start without"? I don't need a "summer experience", but please let me know! (<---Momoe Yamaguchi*...sorry that's old)

As I wrote at the beginning, the May tour has just begun. This time, many young wrestlers will be participating in the GHC Junior at Differ, the GHC Tag in Niigata, and the GHC Tag Championship in Yokohama, which is separate from the tour. Of course, wrestlers who are not involved in the championship, including myself, will also be competing in matches at each venue with their own teams. Please cheer us on if you are nearby.

See you in two weeks! Misawa. 

Notes

Dokkoise: I don't think there is any translation for what this word means, but there is a local dance named after it. 

Koshigaya: Saitama (he lived there from four years old when the family moved from Hokkaido, he doesn't remember Hokkaido). 

Yu Yamada: Japanse model and actress. 

S-Class Party: I don't know if this is what Misawa meant, as he blocked out the second letter of the word, but either way Shuhei was either being a nerd or Misawa is being rude. 

Seiza: Sitting with your legs tucked under you, with your soles against your backside, and the tops of your feet on the floor. 

Momoe Yamaguchi: Japanese former singer, actress, and idol whose career lasted from 1972 to 1980 when she retired due to marriage.