(NOAH) "DONMAI DONMAI" - Mitsuharu Misawa's diary (20th April 2007)

20TH APRIL 2007

Cheers. This is Misawa, feeling a little relieved after four consecutive matches. Having consecutive matches is exhausting. If there's a match the next day, I can't relax and drink too much (<----<----That's it, y'all) I mean, even if I'm just joking, but I can't really change my mind and I get tired. So, this time too, I had two days off after Kagoshima on the 17th, but the day after Kagoshima we moved to Hiroshima, and the day after that we moved to Nagoya. Since I was traveling both days, I had a little more time to relax mentally, but I still felt like I wasn't in great shape physically. By the way, this time after the Kobe tournament we had a dinner party. Thank you to everyone who organized it. The two guys from Himeji Pro Wrestling weren't the best MCs(!), but we had a great time. And Hiroshi Madoka*, thank you for coming all the way here. Come to think of it, a long time ago... wasn't that long ago... I think it was at Shin-Osaka station (sorry if I'm wrong), I remember someone asking me to shake their hand on the platform, and I was truly very happy. Please come and watch some wrestling from now on. 

Getting back to the topic, on the Navi this time, the three matches from Takamatsu on the 6th to Okayama on the 8th were tough. But the bruise that caused everyone concern has completely disappeared. Thank you for your concern. 

I've written about Navi in a disorganized way, but I'll answer Shiozaki's question here. I mean, you're not at the age when you can be happy wearing a Super Hero belt anymore...apparently he put on the belt of Kamen Rider Kuuga, and went off on a European expedition...I understand how he feels...I also have the belt of Kamen Rider (New No.1) *raises eyebrows*. Since the conversation is starting to sound like Kotaro, let's get back to Shio's question. I think I went on a tour of Mexico in my third year in wrestling. Back then, it was more like training than a tour. First of all, the company only gave me a round-trip ticket. The period was not set, so it was an open ticket, and they didn't prepare a place for me to live. I just got a weekly apartment or something and it was reserved for about a week. By the way, this was not my first time abroad. When I was in High School, I went to America for a month with my school* and for a week with the Kanto Selection Team, but both were just trips. I stayed with host families and stopped off in Hawaii on the way back. Looking back, the trips were fun. So, to return to Shio's question, when I was twenty-one and in my third year in wrestling, Koshinaka* and I left for Mexico to train. It was a struggle, of course, since it was just the two of us going to a place we knew nothing about. Once you learn the language, it's not that difficult because Spanish is pronounced the same as Japanese*, but it was hard to get used to the food. I didn't get a badly ill, but Koshinaka had food poisoning and it was a tough time for him. It must have been so scary to get sick in a foreign country. Basically, I think it's tough to live in a foreign city you're not used to for more than a month. But I guess you get used to it after about three months. In my case, I returned to Japan after five months, but I remember feeling more melancholy than anxious when I left because I didn't have a set date for when I'd be back. Narita is usually the place for departures, but because of that and whether it is a trip or whatever, it should be a place that often brings about feelings of euphoria, but for me, Narita is a place filled with farewells, painful memories and feelings of sadness*. I guess this is a little far from expeditions, but this is always the place when you go abroad, so I think it's fine to be here. But I guess people grow up by overcoming such happy feelings (I talk big....).

Next time it'll be Hirayanagi's turn. So here is a question for him, "What are your hobbies??"* I'm not interested in it in any weird way, but when I think about it, I don't know anything about his hobbies.  

      

I'm a little tired after the long Navi, but I'll do my best in the second half and accept the challenge of Sano in the final match. As Sano himself commented, he is not a flashy wrestler, but I think he is a silent one with a strong will. I will be focusing on the final match, so if you have time, please come and support us. 

This was Misawa. See you in two weeks.    

Notes

Hiroshi Madoka: Singer.

Ironically, this week in Noah, Go Shiozaki dressed as Kamen Rider for an Eizen Gym event. 

High School trip to America: This is where the famous picture on the plane with Toshiaki Kawada is from. 

Koshinaka: Shiro

Japanese & Spanish: Both languages are syllable-timed languages with a 5 vowel system. They coincide in four of them, just having a small difference of pronunciation in their respective "u" vowel. The pacing is different, however. 

Narita airport: Misawa is probably referring to Haru Sonoda, who was killed in 1987 (along with his new wife) when his plane crashed into the Indian Ocean, Misawa saw him as an older brother and held the "Sonoda Cup" in Noah in his honor (Sonoda taught Yoshinari Ogawa submission techniques), and Jumbo Tsuruta. Misawa (despite the objections of Mrs Baba, who told him that as Tsuruta was not part of All Japan anymore and therefore he shouldn't go to the airport to see him off), saw Tsuruta for the last time at the airport as Tsuruta was leaving for America, where he would teach as a college professor. Sadly, Tsuruta passed away in the Philippines, and Misawa returned to the airport to guide Tsuruta's family past the reporters. Sonoda's death was bad enough, but with Tsuruta's, Misawa recalled he was so shocked it didn't sink in for a few days.

Hirayanagi: Genba. Please don't ever let this question be answered in any detail. Ever.