(NOAH) "Donmai, Donmai" ~ Mitsuharu Misawa's diary ~ 8th August 2008

Cheers!

It's been hot every day. I hope you're staying cool during this heat.

"Oh, it's Candies," I said, starting off with an old joke. It's Misawa. Actually, I'm writing (typing?) this diary entry before it's published, but today is the beginning of autumn, so officially it's "late-summer greetings." 

Well, I write the same thing every year, but... my annual health checkup is coming up soon. This health checkup has been mandatory since the company's founding, so that our competitive employees can perform at their best with peace of mind*. But I might actually be the one who hates it the most within the company. Of course, I hate going to the hospital, but what I hate even more is the pressure of not eating or drinking after 9 p.m., which is hard for a night owl such as myself! Even though I don't actually eat that much, the pressure of "don't eat" feels stronger than it should.  On top of that, I'm sure there are people who feel sick just thinking about the barium, which is supposedly easier to swallow than before. I was told not to drink soda and burp, but I can't. Everyone else is doing so well. Grumbling about it won't get me anywhere. This year, like every year, I'm going to tackle it without being too restrained (<-----exaggerated). If anything happens, I'll write about it in my next diary entry (it'd be bad if anything happened). 

Speaking of which, the date has changed and the Olympics are starting today. It doesn't really feel like the Olympics are starting this time around, or rather, I'm not feeling particularly excited. What do you think? With every Olympics, I feel like issues that haven't made much headlines before are often given a lot of attention. Perhaps it's precisely because we're hosting such a major event that we have to confront so many issues. While I value what's created through sports, I also want to embrace the news that's being reported in the same way. Well, that was a long introduction, but... Of course, I think the fact that there's a lot of news that interests me has had some effect, but I personally prefer to play sports rather than watch them, so I don't remember being particularly excited about the Olympics, not just this one... But still, I think it's amazing that the world's level of focus is so great. I'm secretly cheering on the athletes and people involved in both the Olympics and the Paralympics that will be held after the Olympics, who have been working hard to reach this once-every-four-years moment.

But as I wrote at the beginning, it's hot! What's more, the humidity is so high due to the thunder and heavy rain that I can't open the windows and I have to turn on the air conditioner every day. It's hot, but

I was thinking that it doesn't feel like full-blown summer... and today, there were huge cumulonimbus clouds in the sky over Ariake, which really made it feel like summer! So, I would like to answer Taniguchi's question here: "What do you want to eat when it's hot?" This is good (or perhaps not...That was a bit of a stretch.) Well, shaved ice and ice cream are available all year round. The first thing that comes to mind is chilled Chinese noodles. There are chilled dandan noodles and chilled ramen, but what comes to mind is just regular chilled Chinese noodles. They have a strong vinegar flavor. They come with mustard... Taniguchi has somen noodles. Isn't that a pretty unusual answer? I'm sure somen noodles are quite profound, but for a man of Taniguchi's age, I would answer that somen noodles are what you crave when it's hot. Rather, I think they're positioned as something that's easy to eat even when you don't have an appetite, or something you'll eat if it's available. 

Putting that question aside, while I was writing this diary, I remembered that a long time ago, I was interviewed and asked, "What cold noodles do you recommend for summer?" and I answered, "Yakiniku Family's cold noodles. They're not particularly special, but they're just as you'd imagine, and they're easy to eat even in the summer when your appetite is low." I've done a lot of promotion for family. But despite all of that, Kotaro turned out to be a bad guy. Even though he was a champion.  

I know this is getting a bit rambling, but my question for Aoki is: There are a lot of movies coming out in time for summer vacation, but which one are you looking forward to? If you can, please tell me why. By the way, when I was a kid, the Toei Manga Festival was a staple I want to get a haircut, but is it for summer? I'd be happy if you could answer even a small question like that.

Well, now we're in August, and summer is still going on. Summer means fireworks, festivals, the sea, rivers, and mountains! Next week is the annual Minase Village Tournament. Although the Tohoku region is reportedly experiencing a series of cancellations from tourists due to the earthquake, the two shows in Sendai and Minase will be held again this year. Whether you're from nearby or far away, please come and join us as part of your summer trip! And it seems that tragic water accidents have occurred again this year.

Everyone please be careful and enjoy the summer to the fullest. I don't dislike fireworks or festivals, but I don't like crowds, so I ended up not going. 

This is Misawa, see you in two weeks! 

Notes

Perform their best with peace of mind: If only Misawa had taken his own advice.