Rebirth of Pride Fighting Championships?

Pride Fighting Championships, one of the world's premier mixed martial arts events folded in Japan several months ago due to its alleged involvement with the Yakuza.
Shamed in Japan, it lost its ppv and TV deals, and in doing so, a huge chunk of its revenue.
The UFC bought it out, and attempted to restore the public's faith. An American owned company doining business in Japan is no small task. It hasn't worked out, and the result is that the Japanese have lost a large fighting organisation and the UFC and several other fighting organisations have gained some talented fighters.

One of those companies, entitled "M-1 Global" acquired the services of arguably the best fighter on the planet, Fedor Emelianenko.
Once again, the forums were awash with Fedor signing with a so-called "small and young, even shite, yet to prove itself" org.
It looks like M-1 has had the last laugh though, teaming up with a Japanese Pro-Wrestling org HUSTLE to loan Fedor out to them for an MMA New Years event called Yarennoka.
M-1 drafted in ex-Pride staff to spearhead the "traditional" New Years Eve fight event that has long been familiar with fight fans in Japan, and worldwide.

Fighters scheduled to fight include: Fedor Emelianenko, Shinya Aoki, Mitsuhiro Ishida, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Gilbert Melendez, Hayato Mach Sakurai, Hidehiko Hasegawa, Ricardo Arona, Kazuo Misaki, Joachim Hansen and Luis Azeredo.
Note: at time of writing, Ricardo Arona has pulled out of the event and is set to fight for M-1 Feb. 2008.

M-1 had been, as is often the case, getting bad reactionsfrom a mixed group of "fight fans" on the forums.
Some were concerned with the lack of fighters on its roster, in particular, opponents for Fedor.
Whilst there are still a lot of free agents out there, I'm optimistic this is the right direction for M-1.
Unlike the UFC, M-1 seems set to loan out its fighters to appear on other shows. UFC makes its fighters exclusive. A determining factor in why Fedor didn't sign for UFC.

As I mentioned, there has been a big hole in mma left by the demise of Pride, especially in Japan.
I used to go to the bar every month to watch it live,and you couldn't move for fans. Young and old, male and female(which was nice). 90% of these fans were knowledgable about fighting and applauded each punch, takedown, transition, submission and ko as if they had studied mma at university.
It goes without saying, that the involvement of ex-Pride staff, and heavy number of Japanese fighters, especially Sakurai, Kawajiri and Aoki, that this event is being promoted to raise the Japanese public's thirst for mma once again.
Just needs arguably Japan's most popular fighter to step forward, Tatsunori Gomi, and we are onto a winner.
It has secured a PPV and TV deal, and will take place at the Saitama Super Arena on New Years Eve 2007.

UFC 78: Michael Bisping v Rashad Evans

17 November 2007. Headlining fight at Ultimate Figthing Championship 78: Validation was between Michael Bisping and Rashad Evans.
Lot of history building up to this fight.
Hailing from England, 28 year old Bisping shot to fame in the States after appearing on US-based The Ultimate Fighter reality TV show. He ended up winning season 3 and landed a contract to fight in the UFC.
During the TUF season 3, he was being touted as an early favourite to win the show amongst posters on numerous mma forums.
He picked up a lot of fans, mostly down to his outgoing personality, novelty British slang and take-no-shit attitude.

On the show, one man stood in his way. A young, deaf wrestler named Matt Hammil.
Hammil was pulled from the show due to injury sustained in training.
Hammil claimed he was the "real winner of the show" and would later fight Bisping in UFC 75, in which Bisping won a controversial split decision.
Mike's attitude after that fight infuriated fans, and message boards exploded as "internet warriors" wrote their disgust and called Bisping all the names under the sun.
The once-popular Bisping was now a hate figure for many in the mma community.
This lead up all the way to the announcement that Bisping would fight TUF season 2 winner Rashad Evans.

During the filming of TUF season 2, Evans was regarded as the "underdog". Evans went on to win the show and earn a contract to fight in the UFC. Evans has also been scrutinsed. His style of "lay and pray", as some "fans" have labelled it, has gave him a reputation of being a fighter who does just enough to win a fight by controlling them on the ground, but at the same time not attempting to finish the fight, or pushing if he gains a dominant position.
His draw with Tito Ortiz in UFC 73 cemented his reputation.

Leading up to the fight between Evans and Bisping, the Bisping-hating crowd were at their best, posting on forums how Evans would "tko" Bisping, "smash him" "fuck him up"...etc...
The Bisping hate was at its peak.
Both fighters posted pre-fight reports on UFC at regular intervals and a war of words began between the two.
At the pre-fight weigh-ins, Bisping went to shake Evans' hand, only for Evans to press his head into Bpisping's, then shove him back. All this, once again, caused concern amongst the forums, and Bisping had won a few fans back because of Evans' behaviour.
It seems that much like rugby football, fighting should be watched by gentlemen, and fighters should act accordingly.

The fight was very close.
Evans scored some takedowns, as he has a wrestling backgound.
Mike defended very well, better than most thought. He was constantly on the backfoot and spent most of the fight being wary of takedowns to launch any offense himself.
The stand up was pretty even. I slightly edged it to Mike on my unnoficial scorecard.
Going into the third, I had Evans winning the first round, due to aggression and takedowns, and Mike taking the second.
The fight was up for grabs going into the third and final round.
A visibly tired Evans' looked like he might not last the 5-minutes.
Instead of pressing the fight, Bisping seemed cautious of Evans' takedowns, knowing that one or two more could lose him the fight.
That's what happened. Bisping's lack of aggression cost him the fight and Evans secured it with 10 seconds left, taking Mike down.
Rashad Evans took it 29-28 29-28 28-29 and Bisping suffered his first loss.

Out of both fighters, I think Michael Bisping has the best potential, despite losing.

Maid phenomenon

Over the last few years in Tokyo, the craze of "maid cafes", "maid massage parlours"(both of which have been featured in Kelly Osbourne's Japan show [http://youtube.com/watch?v=VJaWHr0S9-0]), and a general [unhealthy] fetish for young girls in maid uniforms has really taken off. No other place in the world can top this so-called obsession than Akihabara, Tokyo. Some pics I took.

More cherry blossom

1st April 2007.

At Chidorigafuchi.

Hanami - cherry blossom viewing

Popular past-time for the Japanese during late March-early April. Some camera phone pics I took recently.

Random pics

Top to bottom:

Entrance to a shrine in Ogikubo, Tokyo.

Cenreless ferry wheel and roller coaster next to the Tokyo Dome, Suidobashi, Tokyo.

Mini bike not much bigger than a kids bicycle and street legal.

Purikura popular Japanese photo boothes.

Japanese Love Dolls

You'll never need a real woman again.....unless you need the dishes washing.

Vid of some guys who own love dolls:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGbgJpva-3A

Japanese Love hotels

The words ‘love’ and ‘hotel’ combined in the English language conjure up romantic images of energetic weekends away, breakfast in bed, walks in the woods, dinner by candlelight with champagne - and whatever else springs to mind - by an open fire. In Japan, however, the resultant image of the same combination of words is somewhat different.

The services offered by a ‘love-hotel’ result from necessity. With a population of around twice that of the UK in a similar land-size, 85% of which is mountainous, space is at a premium. Also, until recently, most people lived with their families until marriage, often with three generations under one roof, separated by only paper screens. Without a private space for the most private of acts, the streets wouldn’t be a decent place to walk.
The Japanese are nothing if not a practical people, and in a country where sex is accepted without much of the guilt associated with it in the West, to compete with the highly priced traditional inn, or ryokan, love-hotels began springing up in the 1950s offering an affordable love-nest for rent by the hour.

Originally aping the ryokan they aimed to replace, from the 1960s on love hotels appeared, catering - at least superficially - to modern, Western ideas of love and romance. Many took an individual theme, whether a European-style hotel bedroom, a pleasure den with a rotating bed and ceiling mirror, or a movie such as the eternally popular Roman Holiday or Gone With the Wind, complete with duplicate bed and curtains.

As women gradually came to have more social and financial clout, hotels re-modelled themselves away from typically male themes such as outer space and cars. Porno channels on the TV were out and a ‘come early, stay late’ policy was in, complete with karaoke machines, jacuzzis and even swimming pools. Some love-hotels boast sun-beds for those who like to top up their tan on the job, or adjoining ‘swapping rooms’ for those who prefer to bed hop. Some have CCTV feeds from all the rooms, offering a unique in-house video channel where you can watch others watching you doing what you’re watching them do. A number of hotels provide ‘party rooms’ for groups and even S&M facilities for aficionados.
At others the fare is altogether more 'wholesome'. One hotel famously offered a free trip to Tokyo Disneyland to any couple who stayed in all of their 24 rooms within a six month period, and a free trip to Hong Kong if they did it twice.

To ensure their clients can fully relax, love-hotels are models of discretion. Customers never see the staff and anonymity is assured. Drivers enter underground car parks hidden from view and staff cover their number plates to foil any prying eyes. An empty reception greets customers and a back-lit panel displays photographs of the available rooms. Pressing a button selects the chosen room, the light behind it goes out and lights on the floor act as a guide to the room. The open door closes behind you as you enter.

Inside, the room is fully automated. The TV, radio and lights can be controlled from the headboard of the bed and drinks, snacks and sex-toys can be ordered from room service, all of which can be paid for by credit card via an in-room cash machine.
Dotted along highways and huddled around nightspots, with neon signs flashing names like Châteaux Belle, Paradise and Casablanca, love-hotels are easily to spot and accessible to young couples with or without transport. A married couple wishing to add some spice to their love life, and a ‘salaryman’ (office worker), stumbling out of a bar with his favourite ‘office-lady’ (female office worker) after a night’s team-building karaoke and drinking, have the perfect location for a furtive clinch. Such is the abundance of love-hotels that there is never the need for a ‘Back to mine for a coffee, pet?’ invite as, at the right moment, a love-hotel will come into view.

Patronage is by no means the exclusive domain of the young, married or inebriate, and many customers bring their own entertainment.
Yuki Nishikawa worked in a love hotel in Osaka for over a year and saw many a coming and going.
"People of all ages come. I once found a bag full of sex aids in reception, so I phoned up to the couple that had just checked in. I left the bag where it was and strained over the top of the dividing screen to see who would collect it. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw a man in his eighties bounding eagerly out of the elevator."
UK Japan
While most customers could be described as ‘normal’, in a love-hotel the sleazier side of life is never far away. A few well-publicized murders have taken place in love-hotels, they’re frequently used as locations for porno film shoots, pay off locations for gangsters (the yakuza), and they play host to the ubiquitous sex industry.
The manager of Yuki’s hotel paid 200,000 yen (c.USD1,800) a month to the local yakuza and every bedroom in the hotel had a flyer advertising ‘chiropractic’ services. Most afternoons, single men would take a room and several minutes later, a woman in her forties, wearing doctor’s whites, thick make-up, high heels and fish-net stockings would arrive, announcing she had a patient in the recently solo-occupied room. She would leave an hour later with her coat over her arm, her make-up smudged and her hair slightly ruffled, paying the hotel a cut of the bone re-positioning fee.
Whatever activity you have planned, the amount you’ll pay varies. Naturally, the more you pay the more you get, from the number of condoms beside the bed, to the quality of the shag on the floor. Taking a room at ‘rest’ rates will cost 2,000-5,000 yen (c.USD18-45) for two hours, while an overnight stay rises to as much as 13,000 yen (c.USD115).

Though often cheaper than all but the cheapest business hotel, love-hotels do not operate as normal hotels, and once you have left, you have to pay again to get back in. It is highly unlikely that groups of men wearing football shirts would find themselves let in, though at the end of a particularly dazzling, jinky solo-run, a love-hotel is the perfect place for your favourite celebration after you’ve scored.
• Love hotels are a potential source of cheap accommodation during your stay in Japan. Most establishments will accept single guests of either sex though many draw the line at same sex couples. Ask at reception.

Training at the Kodokan part 1

A bit of background before I mention the Kodokan.
I started playing judo in my mid 20's.
I'd always been into martial arts.
I got into karate when I was about 11 after seeing Bruce Lee's 'Enter The Dragon' on the telly.
My Dad was a rugby player, my Uncle was a footballer, but somehow I managed to shun their pressures of joining countless clubs to play either. Well, I did play rugby at high school and football in my late teens/early 20's, but I was more interested in martial arts.
Anyway, I practiced sport karate/Wado Ryu karate from 11, then later I tried wing chun after a club opened in my town. Wing chun was the art Bruce Lee studied at one time.
I began to get pirate copies of the UFC in the mid 90's, and remember seeing Royce Gracie own everybody. Royce is a student of Brazilian jiu-jitsu aka Gracie jiu-jitsu. I now practice this.
So, after witnessing him beat everybody on the ground using grappling, I wanted to get into it. No Brazilian jiu-jitsu clubs in my area, so I joined the local judo club.
I loved it.

I'd been interested in Japan for many years. Again, this was mainly through martial arts. I planned to visit Tokyo.
I didn't want to go to Tokyo just for sight-seeing though. I wanted there to be more of a purpose......judo was the answer.
I contacted the Kodokan Judo Institute (http://www.kodokan.org/) in Tokyo by airmail. A few weeks later, I received a package in the mail, with photos, details, etc. about the Kodokan.
At the end of 2001, I was in regular contact with 2 of the office staff there. They were very friendly. I had arrabged to go and stay at the beginning of March and stay there for 5 months.
At the end of Feb. 2002 I flew out to Tokyo....a gruelling 14 hour flight via Amsterdam.
At the Kodokan, judo player can stay at the dormitory or private rooms on the 3rd. floor.
I had arranged to stay at Hotel Sunroute in Shinjuku for 6 days to get used to Tokyo and get over my jet lag.
I went to the Kodokan to let them know I was in Japan, and to get familiar with it before I stayed in the dorm.
On the ground floor, or first floor in Japan, outside is a statue of Jigaro Kano, the founder of judo. Next to it is the Kodokan international office. I was greeted by the same 2 people who I had been in contact with back in England.
A guy and a girl, both in their mid 20's and very friendly, welcoming people.
I got my Kodokan cards made up, paid my deposit, met the sensei's and had a quick tour of the place....it's huge. A massive 8 story building next to the Tokyo Dome and about 7 minutes walk from Suidobashi station.
The young guy I met had a freshly broken nose, 2 black eyes and sported a lovely pair of cauliflower ears.......nice guy though.

Next: the actual training.

Training at the Kodokan part 2

I moved into the dormitory. Bit of a step down from the luxury of Hotel Sunroute, but for 1800 yen/night it's worth the money.
A couple of European guys were staying there amongst many others that I met over the following 5 months.
I'd chosen to take part in the beginners class.
In this class, a student can learn the original Kodokan judo that has been passed down from Jigaro Kano.
The first 3 months were spent pracitcing breakfalls, grips, correct positioning, how to break your opponets balance, and of course the techniques.
From Monday to Friday; 17:30 - 19:00 I studied.
After 3 months of this, you are deemed to have covered all the basics and are ready for your first grading.
My first grading consisted of some rolling breakfalls, showing a random variety of throws which you perform when the sensei calls out each technique, and a fw holds/pins on the ground.
The following week a certificate is presented to you if you have passed this, and you gain you're first ranking. White belt - 5th kyu.
And so it cnotinues like this for the next grading.
Then, you move on to the intermediate group. In this class, new techniques/throws/chokes/armlocks are shown. You also have about 30 minutes of sparring (randori) to really practice your techniques.
For following gradings up to black belt, you are not required to show any techniques, instead, you have two fights from similar sized opponents of the same level. The aim here is not to go out and destroy your opponent in 1 minute, I found this out to my cost, but rather to perform the throws/techniques as they have been taught to you.
For the black belt grading, again, 2 fights, then you must perform kata.
The classes themselves are about 85% Japanese students. Some of the sensei's can speak a little English, some of the Japanese are able to speak a little English, and some foreigners can speak a little Japanese, so all in all communication isn't really a factor.
ALL the techniques are in Japanese, so it's best to get a book and practice. I don't know many names of tecniques in English.....
After the class finishes at 19:00 you can practice sparring on one of the other mats. In the main dojo on the 7th floor, 2 of the mats are for the classes, and the other 2 are for sparring.
Often, if you know enough Japanese, one of the older Japanese will take you under his wing and show you the ropes.
Wednesday is the only night when the classes are held on the 6th floor. The 7th floor is reserved for university and company teams. Don't go and spar with them if you're not up to a good level. You're gonna waste their time as well as your own. They're serious competitors.
I also participated in a summer course in 2004. They hold week long summer courses and winter courses.
As I said, many players come and stay on the 3rd floor. Many teams from Japan and abroad, and many individuals, such as myself.
It's easy to get information about other training in Japan from the Kodokan. As I stayed there for a while, a few others and myself got some free tickets to competitions and such like.
One sunday/month is usually competition time. You get to watch the university teams compete and it's a good experience. Plenty of chances to make friends.
One thing I noticed, most of the Japanese players have cauliflower ears compared to Europeans/Americans. Even the girls. When the womens Japan team came to train, there were a few really cute girls, but with big fuck-off cauliflower ears.
The 3rd. floor itself is a no-frills lodging area. TV in the common room. But it's the people that come to stay that makes it all worthwhile.
At the dormitory, I've met plenty of party animals, psycho's from Russia, lovely people from Sweden, smooth gigolo's from Italy and France, monsters from China and Taihiti, crazy Japanese, crazier Europeans, sensible Americans, cool people from Guam, a guy from Lebanon who had some unreal stories, but none of them comes close to the British people I met.
To sum up, I'll never forget the experience I had when I first came here. Training at the Kodokan gave me a glimpse into Japanese culture and behaviour, not only learning a martial art.
The Kodokan is reasonably priced if accommodation is a factor for you. Depending how many people are staying in the dorm, it can be quiet or a madhouse. The dormitories hold up to 20, but the most when I was there at one time was 8. All good fun!
The Kodokan is conveniently situated, about 15 minutes from Shinjuku. A nice stroll to Ueno/Akihabara/Ochanomizu.

Shibuya and Harajuku

From Top to Bottom:

Bar of Ladies: If I didn't take a photo of the sign, I'd swear it didn't exist. I was drunk and we stumbled across this in Harajuku.

Thought it was a strip bar/cafe/pub, but it was a restaurant with female staff, not too cute. False advertising I call it.

Shibuya 109: Infamous girls' shopping paradise in Shibuya. I took this in summer 2003. Always features huge advertising, like this one of J-pop singer/model Hitomi.

Shibuya 109 staff: I was doing an article in summer '03 for an online zine, looking at some of the fashion trends for Tokyo's youth. Shibuya's a good hunting ground, and this is one of the girls whose pic I took.

Harajuku girl: Met her once. It was the shoes, man.