Preparations of the Y/O - Haru 2022

[Kintamayama 45,524]

All three Ozeki are ;preparing for Haru.  All of them were infected by the virus. Two of them are kadoban, one is a new Ozeki.

Mitakeumi was infected on  January 31st and it took him ten days to get over it, dropping from 170 kilos to 164 kilos in the process, but did not show any signs of distress during his interview. "On the contrary, I was really busy with all the interviews for a week after the basho because of my promotion so I couldn't enjoy a holiday..I've got to think positive," he said. He has been training at home, fundamentals and checking out his tachiai with the lower rankers. As a new Ozeki, he would like to show his tenacity to the other Ozeki.

Takakeishou is kadoban, injuring his right ankle on day 5 of the last basho. The fans  know a healthy Takakeishou is a sure candidate to be in the yusho race. According to his oyakata, he as been quietly and diligently training after his recovery from the virus. He is planning on arriving in Osaka on March 10th and intends to work hard at the heya until then.."He has started to train with his heya's sekitori on March 1st and is properly doing what he is able to do. He's all right," said the Oyakata.

The other kadoban Ozeki in his 9th basho at the rank is Shoudai. He is voicing his concern over the fact that due to the virus, his preparations have started later than expected. "I still haven't gotten my voice back, " he said in an interview yesterday in a gruff voice. He not only had a fever but lost his sense of taste as well. "I could taste the saltiness, bitterness and sweetness and when it comes to food they all come together in a jumbled way. Drinking coffee, there is only the bitterness so I could taste that, but food has all those tastes, so I couldn't discern the aroma of the chanko.." He usually faces his Makuuchi stablemate Yutakayama in training, but when the interview was held, he was facing Makushita rikishi. "I'm a bit late in getting in shape.. I will be listening to my body and upping the pace as I go along," he explained. Eight days to go.

With only one Yokozuna, there is that desire for a promotion among these three (kadoban notwithstanding), so the excitement should be there this basho. 

Edited March 5, 2022 by Kintamayama

[Gurowake 4,104]

From what Shodai is saying, it sounds like he didn't lose his sense of taste at all, only the sense of smell, and I have to wonder whether that's the way covid tends to work.  When most people talk about taste, most of what they mean is the smell component.  Taste is strictly the 3 things Shodai mentioned plus sour and umami.

[Benevolance 2,511]

Fingers crossed that losing his sense of smell has somehow improved Shodai's tachi-ai. 

[Chartorenji 243]

2 hours ago, Gurowake said:

From what Shodai is saying, it sounds like he didn't lose his sense of taste at all, only the sense of smell, and I have to wonder whether that's the way covid tends to work.  When most people talk about taste, most of what they mean is the smell component.  Taste is strictly the 3 things Shodai mentioned plus sour and umami.

My dad was one of the first to get it and he definitely lost his taste. Said it himself when drinking coke. Thankfully he made it through it though. 

 

Back to Shodai, definitely concerning as he is seemingly struggling both with the mental block and now physically he is not in his best shape.

[Kintamayama 45,524]

4 hours ago, Gurowake said:

From what Shodai is saying, it sounds like he didn't lose his sense of taste at all, only the sense of smell, 

He begs to differ. 味覚障害 is what he lost, in his own words. Sense of taste. That's why he was saying he couldn't tell the taste as all the sensations got mixed up when it came to food. He tasted the tastes individually but he couldn't tell them apart when eating. Coffee, OTOH, was not a problem, as it has one taste-bitter. In his words, of course.  And most of the people I know who were infected definitely noted they lost their sense of taste and everything tasted the same. But maybe Shoudai got his meanings mixed up. I'm just translating.

Edited March 5, 2022 by Kintamayama

[RabidJohn 1,855]

@KintamayamaGurowake is quite right about this so-called loss of taste actually being the loss of the olfactory component of taste.

Shodai himself shows he is a victim of this common misconception by saying he could still taste the bitterness of coffee (so he clearly hasn't lost his sense of taste), while also saying he could not discern the aroma of the chanko, therefore he has lost his sense of smell.

---

Honestly, this was stuff I learned in junior school (i.e. <10yrs old) with simple experiment that shows it's almost impossible to tell what you're eating while blindfolded with a peg on your nose.
I also saw it done on Blue Peter back in the Noakes, Purvis and Singleton era...
 

Edited March 6, 2022 by RabidJohn

[rhyen 1,846]

So we could substitute coffee with calligraphy ink super bitter unsweetened Chinese herbal tea and Shodai wouldn’t know the difference?

[Yamanashi 3,903]

5 hours ago, rhyen said:

So we could substitute coffee with calligraphy ink super bitter unsweetened Chinese herbal tea and Shodai wouldn’t know the difference?

 ... or simply unsweetened (baker's) chocolate.

[dingo 1,294]

On 05/03/2022 at 21:16, Benevolance said:

Fingers crossed that losing his sense of smell has somehow improved Shodai's tachi-ai. 

You might be on to something here... perhaps Shodai does his high tachiai cause his nose is too sensitive for sweaty rikishi armpits 

[Fujisan 533]

To date I have not suffered any of the covid symptoms but I do remember a few years back(long before the present crisis ) I had to stop drinking fizzy pops for a while because they started to taste like 'Turps'(Turpentine).

I'd love an explanation for that.

Edited March 7, 2022 by Fujisan

[Asojima 2,874]

17 minutes ago, Fujisan said:

To date I have not suffered any of the covid symptoms but I do remember a few years back(long before the present crisis ) I had to stop drinking fizzy pops for a while because they started to taste like 'Turps'(Turpentine).

I'd love an explanation for that.

You were probably drinking Turpentine Sodas.  

[Godango 1,014]

23 minutes ago, Fujisan said:

To date I have not suffered any of the covid symptoms but I do remember a few years back(long before the present crisis ) I had to stop drinking fizzy pops for a while because they started to taste like 'Turps'(Turpentine).

I'd love an explanation for that.

Sounds like pine mouth: https://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/about-us/science/food-risk-studies/pine-nuts-and-pine-mouth

[The Fat Cyclist 32]

I've had that too. I found a source of some really good arancini that had pine nuts in them & it was all good until I got a horrible taste in my mouth that made me think there was something badly wrong with my teeth. Someone mentioned that pine nuts could cause that & the taste went away when I stopped eating them. It was really unpleasant



Back on topic. There doesnt seem to be that much chatter pre this basho, although I realise this is often the case with the events outside of Tokyo.

Edited March 7, 2022 by The Fat Cyclist

[rhyen 1,846]

Not necessarily, the covid cluster outbreak at the danpatsushiki has dampened a lot of February events like the NHK charity cup and will also affect a lot of Osaka PR events to prevent pre-honbasho outbreaks.

[ryafuji 815]

No reports on Terunofuji yet? That's a little worrying. 

[Akinomaki 40,774]

1 hour ago, ryafuji said:

No reports on Terunofuji yet? That's a little worrying. 

Nothing to worry, he's training at the heya

On 05/03/2022 at 17:44, Akinomaki said:

Isegahama-beya keiko (NSK)

Teruf

oo

with Midorifuji

o

and Takarafuji

oo