italiano iai


image.jpg
Originally uploaded by renfield.

The Italian team showed strong this year, and after the taikai they partied well too!

Io non parlo bene Italiano ma grazie! Ciao!

time to celebrate


time to celebrate
Originally uploaded by renfield.

taikai done!


done!
Originally uploaded by renfield.

The taikai was a raging success. 250 competitors and the foreigners put in a strong showing. There was a big Italian/Belgian showing this year, and the son of the sensei in Rome won the 2dan division, Brian took the 3dan division, and Elvis took it home for 4dan. Considering I seriously have not trained for a year, I did okay. Won my first two rounds, then lost to Tominaga, whom I beat last year for the championship. But he ended up losing to Hoshina who took the top spot. That makes two for her, one for me, and two for him. So I better get back into shape for next year!

After the taikai we devolved into the standard debauchery.

palace hotel

Had a big work thing at the Palace Hotel. Net net, it went well, and the food at the end reception was of course awesome.
I dig the Palace Hotel. It is located, as you can imagine, across the street from the Emporer's Palace. It has the chill '50's stylish thing going on, but does smell like the fifties like the Okura does. That place just reeks of old politicians and gangsters and hair grease. The Palace is all class.

After the hotel thang I was supposed to go teach, but the building that Honbu is in had a blackout and so training was canceled. Random,but the building is older that several emporers so not surprising.