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RazorbackExpat

RazorbackExpat's Journal
RazorbackExpat's Journal
January 25, 2026

Congratulations to Ukrainian sumo wrestler Aonishiki Arata

Aonishiki Arata (安青錦新太 ), also known simply as Aonishiki, has just won Japan's first major sumo tournament of the year, called hatsu-basho (初場所 ). He is Ukraine's second sumo wrestler to go pro in Japan. Before the final match, his record was 11 wins and 3 losses. His final opponent, Atami Fuji (熱海富士 ), was also 11-3. The winner of this match would become the winner of the tournament. When the fight started, Atami Fuji seemed to have the upper hand, and looked like he was going to push Aonishiki out of the ring. But suddenly, Aonishiki turned around and threw his opponent out of the ring.

Aonishiki also won the previous tournament, held last November. That victory earned him a promotion to Oseki (大関 ), which is one level below Yokozuna, or Grand Champion. With this victory, Aonishiki becomes only the 9th sumo wrestler since 1913 to win his first tournament after being promoted to Oseki.

January 6, 2026

The Rascals-- People Got To Be Free

This song from the '60s is still so relevant today

December 21, 2025

G.F.Handel gavotte from Organ Concerto No. 11

I recently rediscovered this gem, and now I can't get it out of my head

&list=RDqqj7Psi5vFM&start_radio=1
December 20, 2025

G.F.Handel Organ Concerto No. 9 ("Hallelujah")

Performed by George Malcolm on the organ with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields conducted by Neville Mariner. A definitive performance, to say the least

December 19, 2025

Would you want this job?

These guys are cleaning the head of the Ushiku Daibutsu, a Buddhist statue in Ushiku, Ibaraki, Japan which, at nearly 400 feet, is the tallest Buddha statue in the world. Much taller than the more famous Kamakura Daibutsu near Yokohama.

December 19, 2025

I just watched Home Alone

on Japanese TV. At first I was slapping my head because the parents and siblings were so dorky that they didn't notice that one of their family members was not on the flight from Chicago to Paris. How could they be so dense? And when the family was watching "It's a Wonderful Life" in French-- I could relate to that. I first started watching this movie in Japanese-- it was a trip. But at least it was also available in English.

December 8, 2025

Major earthquake hits Aomori, Japan

This just popped up on Japanese TV and has been verified by Yahoo Weather Japan.

https://typhoon.yahoo.co.jp/weather/jp/earthquake/

Aomori is in the northernmost part of the island of Honshu. The earthquake registered 7.6 on the Richter scale, and 6+ on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, one point below "catastrophic." A tsunami warning has been issued for Japan's Pacific coast from FukushimaPrefecture all the way up through Hokkaido. People along the coast are being advised to evacuate.

November 20, 2025

American woman's 60-year-old search for her Japanese nanny has a bittersweet ending

I just saw this on Fuji-TV.

In the 1960s, American officers stationed in Japan had it made. As Japan was still recovering from the disastrous war, American officers stationed there often hired Japanese cooks and maids to help out in their homes. One such maid was a Japanese woman known as "Tami", or "Tammy". Tami was more than just a live-in maid, however, as she was like a nanny to one of her employer's kids named Kaeri. Even more than a nanny, she was a close friend and confidante. Kaeri thought she was in her 20s at the time.

Tami and Kaeri spent a few happy years together, and Kaeri treasured the pictures she had of her and Tami together. Unfortunately, she and Tami lost contact after Kaeri's dad was transferred back to the US in the mid-1960s.

Fast forward 60 years, and Kaeri was determined to find out what had become of her dear nanny. After an article appeared in a Japanese newspaper, Fuji TV got word of Kaeri's quest, and set about interviewing people in her old neighborhood to see if anyone remembered Tami.

After a month of interviewing locals who could have known of Tami, Fuji TV finally found a couple who might have been related to Tami. But the name they remembered was actually "Taniko", and she had been in her 30s at the time.

As it turned out, though, Tami had been the husband's mother, and she had worked as a maid in the 1960s. While her name had been "Taniko", she preferred the nickname that Kaeri had given her, the more American-sounding name of Tami (Tammy). After Kaeri's family left, Tami got married and raised a family. Unfortunately, she passed away a few years ago, in her 80s. While Kaeri was sad to hear the news, she was glad to hear that her dear nanny had at least lived a good life.

November 15, 2025

How would you rule on this play?

While watching the Japan-Korea series that is being played in the Tokyo Dome, one of the Japanese batters hit a towering fly that looked like it was going to be a home run. But the ball went so high that it actually hit the dome, 180 feet above the playing field. That changed the ball's trajectory, and it landed in the seats in foul territory. The umpire ruled it as a ground rules double. But the Korean side appealed. What do you think was the final ruling?

Profile Information

Gender: Male
Hometown: Arkansas
Home country: USA
Current location: Japan
Member since: Sun May 12, 2024, 09:11 AM
Number of posts: 926

About RazorbackExpat

I want the world to be a better place. Living in Japan has shown me the benefits of living in a society where people work for the common good. They can still be individuals, but they also realize that their survival depends on working together.
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