(NOAH) "Donmai, Donmai" ~ Mitsuharu Misawa's diary (9th February 2007)

Cheers. My name is Misawa, and I have a hard time sleeping because my neck isn't feeling well. How is everyone doing? I went to "Sumo Chaya Chanko, Saga Hikaru" in Minami Gyotoku during this long day off. I think I introduced it in this diary a long time ago, but after reading it, It seems that many of you have visited the store. Thank you. It's a short walk from Minami Gyotoku Station, so it may be a little difficult to get to if you live far away, but if you live nearby, please come to visit again. Chanko is delicious to eat, even in the summer when your appetite is low, and it warms your body in the winter, so you can enjoy it regardless of the season. 

By the way, as I wrote about this before, it is served with a soy sauce base and yuzu pepper. Now, completely off topic, February 3rd was Setsubun. Each year, we are invited to participate in the Setsubun* gathering at Ikegami Honmonji Temple. You may have seen the bean throwing, the front stage and the comments that followed as they were featured on the site, but in reality there are hidden battles going on behind the scenes every year. Before the bean-throwing, we undergo an exorcism for about an hour, sitting either seiza* or cross-legged in the main hall. As you know, most of the wrestlers have knee injuries, so it is impossible for them to kneel on the floor. So, even though I felt bad, I arrived at the last minute each time and participated in the bean-throwing, even though the people at Honmonji Temple, the organizers, and the people in kimonos* were all anxious. However, this time I was relieved to have a chair prepared in the main hall, and I was told that it will be provided every time from now on, so I don't have to rush so much, which was nice. 

Here I will answer a question from last week's regular employee. When it comes to female celebrities, there are always a lot of them who are younger than me, so I can't really see them as grown women, but if I had to chose, I would say that Yui Aragaki is the strongest. She appeared in "My Boss, My Hero". Who are the idols of my time? It's a generational thing, but when I was in elementary school, it was probably Mari Tenchi. When I was in junior high and high school, I was so absorbed in club activities that I didn't really have an idol that I liked until I bought magazines and photo books and looked at them, and I don't think there was ever an idol that I loved so much that I went to their concerts every time. Now that I think about it, if DVDs were available back then, idols back then would have made quite a lot of money. 

Well, next week is the start of the tour. Thank you for your concern, but I am gradually recovering. Having said that, the off-season is really short. I'm sure you all agree, but the good times feel short and the hard times feel long. That's not to say that matches are tough, but I don't think there's anyone out there who doesn't like the way they look. 

Now, here is a question for Ito*; the other day, Taniguchi told me that Tottori's ozoni* is no different from Tokyo's, so I'll talk about food again. No one believes me when I say this, but I saw a TV show a while back saying, "In Ehime, rice is cooked with tangerine juice." Okay, you don't believe me? But it's true. In the video it is served in school lunches. So, Ito, who is from (Kuwana, Mie Prefecture), please let me know if there's something you noticed for the first time in Tokyo that "Please let me know if you find a way to eat food local to you in Tokyo"

...I wonder what rice cooked with tangerine juice tastes like...it's simple, but worth it. 

Well, that's about it for this diary. Misawa bought a 1/350 Space Battleship Yamato Plastic Model during these off days. The plastic model is a faithful reproduction of the wave motion gun and barrel laser, and its size is 766mm. I don't have time to make it, and I don't have any more space to display it...What should I do...I'll say it again this time just in case. Unlike you guys, I'm not an otaku, Kotaro-kun. Also, I won't go to Akihabara with you. It wouldn't be fun to do group activities where everyone has different hobbies. 

I've been keeping you sitting here for a long time, so this time I will really say it. Although it's spring according to the calendar, I think the weather will still be unstable. Everyone, please be careful not to get sick. I also want to make the most of the week leading up to the opening*. See you again in two weeks. 

Notes

Setsubun: Setsubun marks the end of Winter, and the beginning of spring. The tradition  is to throw roasted soybeans saying "Devils out! Fortune In!". 

Sitting Seiza: Traditional way of Japanese sitting with your legs tucked under you. 

Kimono worn: Old ceremonial costume worn by Samurai

Ito: Akihito Ito, retired from Noah in 2010.

Ozoni: Japanese New Year soup

Opening: Tour or more appropriately, Navi