Who Was the Tallest Rikishi in Japanese History?
On Jason’s All-Sumo YouTube channel, Jason wondered who might have been the tallest Japanese-native rikishi. My interest now piqued, down into the rabbit hole I dove.
Five Key Differences Between Announcing and Broadcasting
Announcers and broadcasters play distinctly different roles at sports events. Use these five reminders to help keep them straight.
What I Have Learned About Announcing Soccer
The past few seasons of announcing men’s and women’s collegiate soccer have been a joyous ride, and every year I learn something new.
A Viewer’s Guide to RobiHachi: Getting Started
On its surface, the gag anime RobiHachi [ロビハチ] directed by Shinji Takamatsu is filled with contemporary and pop cultural references. But the story and characters are inspired from a book series titled Tōkaidōchū Hizakurige written by Jippensha Ikku and published during the late Edo Period.
Made in Japan: Kanjinchō (The Subscription List)
I found a terrific video of a live kabuki performance of Kanjinchō 勧進帳 (The Subscription List), which is a favorite of yours truly. The play is listed among the 18 Famous Kabuki Plays (歌舞伎十八番) in the kabuki repertoire and still hugely popular to this day. The leading character is a fierce warrior named Benkei, regarded an exemplar…
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Made in America: Hey, How Are You Doing?
That breezy little greeting still gives me pause. During the fleeting seconds after hearing it, my mind races to come up with an answer. So why do I struggle over this simple conversation starter? The answer reveals much about the difference between American and Japanese communications.
Behind the Story of Blood and Tears – Making a Map and Banners for the Battle of Ueno
Credit: sabakuINK CC BY-SA 4.0 Source: C.V. Starr East Asian Library, University of California, Berkeley Episode 12 (13AUG) of Blood and Tears includes a map detailing troop movements during the Battle of Ueno. This graphic started with a woodblock print of Edo published in 1858—part of the Japanese Historical Map Collection housed at the…
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Made in America: Working in the film “American Pastime”
(Originally published in my blog, The Sporkball Journals, on July 20, 2008.) There is no small irony in the fact I now live just a 2-hour drive away from where my Grandparents, Father and Aunts were once imprisoned. On the other hand, you could call it a kind of fate
Behind the Story of “Blood and Tears” – Yaba Onna
In Episode 2, Usaburo informs O-Bun that a yaba onna is not the type service worker she had in mind. yaba = archery range onna = woman
Kidney Disease in Pets and Enteric Dialysis
Chronic kidney disease in pets, usually dogs and cats, can be treated with a novel therapy called enteric dialysis to improve their quality of life and life span.
Female Sports P.A. Announcers: A Rare Breed
This article originally appeared in the March 2020 issue of “The Voice“, the official newsletter of the National Association of Sports P.A. Announcers (NASPAA). Photo credits: (left) Jonathan Okanes, (right) University of Washington Recreation. Female Sports P.A. Announcers: A Rare Breed By Anita Y. Tsuchiya, CPAA Salt Lake Community College and University of Utah, Salt Lake…
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Now Open! P.A. Announcing and Emcee Services Page
I have reached a few professional milestones: creating of a PA Announcer landing page, Becoming a Certified Public Address Announcer (CPAA), and announcing a women’s basketball game at the University of Utah on National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
A Viewer’s Guide to RobiHachi: Episode 12
Robby, Hatchi, and Ikku find themselves cornered by Yang and the Lunar Guard. Their only chance for escape is via a secret hyper-road that leads back to Earth.
