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Author Topic: Report from W2015 in Tokyo  (Read 48803 times)

ta0

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Re: Report from W2015 in Tokyo
« Reply #105 on: August 27, 2015, 11:23:07 AM »

With a cone tip like the one in this top, can you regenerate?

Of course. Miki regenerates all the time on his routine, in several ways: that is why he only does one throw (actually a "snap" start). I think he even regenerates by rolling it on the ground. The top is clearly related to the Chinese Kongzhu (one-sided diabolo/half-diabolo/monobolo).
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Larry D.

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Re: Report from W2015 in Tokyo
« Reply #106 on: August 27, 2015, 11:41:14 AM »

The top is clearly related to the Chinese Kongzhu (one-sided diabolo/half-diabolo/monobolo).

I would agree. 
I came across a website and did the “translate”.  Here’s what it said…

The higo “chonkakegoma” did you know?
Like, there's "Iyo chon sauce" in Iyo district.
And China is the original form of the original, it is introduced in Japan
Have been rooted to the ground and evolved.

The link:  http://nekokoma.sblo.jp/article/11413870.html
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Jack

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Re: Report from W2015 in Tokyo
« Reply #107 on: August 27, 2015, 04:47:52 PM »

Chinese Kongzhu (one-sided diabolo/half-diabolo/monobolo).

omg thaaaank you ta0, ive been trying to remember that name for daaaaays  ;)
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Jack

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Re: Report from W2015 in Tokyo
« Reply #108 on: August 27, 2015, 04:52:30 PM »

The top is clearly related to the Chinese Kongzhu (one-sided diabolo/half-diabolo/monobolo).

I would agree. 
I came across a website and did the “translate”.  Here’s what it said…

The higo “chonkakegoma” did you know?
Like, there's "Iyo chon sauce" in Iyo district.
And China is the original form of the original, it is introduced in Japan
Have been rooted to the ground and evolved.

The link:  http://nekokoma.sblo.jp/article/11413870.html

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Jack

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Re: Report from W2015 in Tokyo
« Reply #109 on: August 27, 2015, 04:53:58 PM »

With a cone tip like the one in this top, can you regenerate?

one can even regenerate with just a straight shaft, do it all the time with my komas  :o about all i can do with those things except for fighting them lol  ;D
« Last Edit: August 27, 2015, 09:46:19 PM by ta0 »
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robtsou

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Re: Report from W2015 in Tokyo
« Reply #110 on: August 27, 2015, 08:46:00 PM »

... That is exactly the same koma I have!

Rob,
If you look closely at the photo Jorge posted of the table of Keita’s komas, the top on the far right just under the one with the red cord looks to be very similar to the top you have.  Granted the metal ring appears as gray, probably painted, and the wood looks aged or stained.  I'm pretty sure he used that top in the last trick of his routine.  (The top he spins around his body).

That one definitely looks like it.  I'm hoping to try to make one like it when I get some  time.  I have to find some string for it so I can give it a throw but it seems like it would spin forever.
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ta0

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Re: Report from W2015 in Tokyo
« Reply #111 on: August 28, 2015, 12:11:05 AM »

Like, there's "Iyo chon sauce" in Iyo district.
The "sauce" part is a bad translation (like "sesame" or "frame" that generally appear as translations for koma). But the "Iyo district" part agrees with what Fujita-san told me. He said the chongake is from the island of Shikoku, the smallest of the four main islands of Japan and google says the Iyo district was located in that island. By the way, Miki is not from there but from Itami, close to Osaka.

I was really proud when I saw that the Uruguayan flag was up there among the other 32 flags thanks to my presence. Likely no other player from "down" there will ever compete, much less win something, at the world yo-yo contest:



Here is a little video with Taka setting up his booth just before the venue opened. You will see many tops and some familiar faces  ;) :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUpdCEsimmw

By the way, Taka's shop, SpinGear, was just across the side street from the venue, on the third floor of a high-rise retail building. Taka's face was on a sign at street level, a place with I am sure millions of people walking by per year. If you visit the store you can get a small polaroid photo taken and posted to the wall. This is his spintop section:



On the front of the first floor there was a smaller stage to attract the passerby (entrance to the first floor was free). They had yo-yo demonstrations, very good diabolo performances, etc, including these girls:



This was just a teaser for the main group which was featured on the back stage several times during the contest and the grand finale on the 2nd floor stage with all its 15 members. Here is part of one of the shows, so you get a feel for the atmosphere:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxp2tGtZTHI


« Last Edit: August 28, 2015, 09:11:19 AM by ta0 »
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the Earl of Whirl

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Re: Report from W2015 in Tokyo
« Reply #112 on: August 28, 2015, 04:16:26 AM »

Wow!  Lots of excitement at worlds.  Women carried into the main hall to music and singing along while being lifted in on an inflatable raft.  People in the crowd jumping up and down in time to the music.  Uruguay flag up next to the USA flag with over thirty other countries represented with banners.  Taka's booth with an array of tops.  And then, on top of everything else, a video in his booth featuring some familiar faces......most especially Mr. Ta0!!!  Yessiree, lots of excitement at worlds.
« Last Edit: August 28, 2015, 04:18:52 AM by the Earl of Whirl »
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ta0

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Re: Report from W2015 in Tokyo
« Reply #113 on: August 28, 2015, 09:06:17 PM »

The last day I dedicated it to tourism in Tokyo. From Eono Park, where the National Museum and the zoo are located, I could see the Skytree tower (the tallest tower in the world) at the far distance, so I decided to walk for a few hours through Tokyo in that direction. Lucky me, halfway there I found the Senso-ji, a large Buddhist temple and the oldest in Tokyo. And very near the temple a little shop in a corner with this canvas:



(Have we discussed this drawing before?) It shows several variety performers including a koma artist. I would have liked to see such a show. I missed the one the Nagoya museum did at the first floor stage. But I probably would not have wanted to see the show of the "flatulence artist"  ::)  :-\ . Anyway, this shop sold "noren" which are curtains that go on doors or between rooms, decorated in kanji lettering or with images, that are supposed to give good luck. I entered the shop and asked if they had any noren with koma drawings and they said no, and that the one outside was not for sale. I did go to another noren shop and they had one with a tiny koma on the edge, but it was too expensive for the size of the koma. By the way, at the entrance of Fujita's home there were some norens with komas but I did not take any photos inside his house.

One thing tourist guides say you should do in Akihabara is to go to a Maid Cafe. They were all around the location of the contest and the girls in maid costumes were all the time handing out flyers. I went to one but I did not understand the point of it and I wouldn't recommend it. But it was a good spintop photo opportunity (a polaroid photo was included in the admission):



 :-[

Something I missed that I would have wanted to attend was a tour of a ball bearing factory that Taka organized as I was still in Nagoya. But Rob did go and can describe it.

I am generally shy about playing at airports, but I arrived quite early to my gate in Narita so I took courage and freestyled a bit before Rob arrived.



« Last Edit: August 28, 2015, 11:04:02 PM by ta0 »
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jim in paris

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Re: Report from W2015 in Tokyo
« Reply #114 on: August 30, 2015, 01:01:31 PM »

thanks for the report , Jorge

great photos and atmosphere

jim
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ta0

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Re: Report from W2015 in Tokyo
« Reply #115 on: August 30, 2015, 05:30:07 PM »

I have been waiting for "official" photos to be published on the worlds website, but to no avail. This is surprising because at one time the presenter complained about the large number of "official photographers" that were stopping the awards from going on (I know they took a lot of photos of us). So I have been looking for photos on the internet. Here are some from the prelims taken from Facebook:

The prelim group (better pose than in my photo):



The prelims were done in an informal context with lots of peer support, as you can see:





Miki was really happy. Later, for the finals, he was all pumped up and I remember him telling Mike something to the effect of "Don't worry! Let's do it!"



« Last Edit: August 30, 2015, 07:10:38 PM by ta0 »
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ta0

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Re: Report from W2015 in Tokyo
« Reply #116 on: August 30, 2015, 05:36:25 PM »

Keita is really good with the koma. He is 19 years old. If he had done all the tricks like he was nailing them in practice, he could have easily won. He says he will come to Cleveland (and the other guys from the koma museum took it seriously).  I asked him if he was going to compete with koma or spintops and he answered: "Both!"



I wonder if the top on tongue is Japanese original or if it was taken from the Colombians:



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ta0

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Re: Report from W2015 in Tokyo
« Reply #117 on: August 30, 2015, 06:15:34 PM »

I don't know how old (Kazuhito) Miki is, but he doesn't lack flexibility or energy or skill:

 

I guess his real last name is in fact Miki, what is what everyone calls him, and it was natural to adopt the Mickey Mouse logo for his performances.

Ryoichi Katsukawa is from Kobe. He was all fun at worlds in spite of health issues:

 

Shogo Ichikawa, also known as Rupan, works at the Nagoya museum. He probably had the best English of the group together with Fujita-san. It is a pity he did not freestyle, he has some difficult moves. I wish I had a photo of him in the samurai costume: with the long hair pulled back he really looks the part.

 
« Last Edit: August 30, 2015, 07:12:55 PM by ta0 »
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ta0

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Re: Report from W2015 in Tokyo
« Reply #118 on: August 30, 2015, 06:29:13 PM »

Tsutomu Takeda was a disciple of Fujita-san but now he is an independent performer based in Tokyo. He is the main performer on the museum koma DVD. He looked surprised when he ran out of time on the prelims. It is a pity because he is really good with the koma.



I don't recall seeing anybody else do 2 swords before:



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yollector

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Re: Report from W2015 in Tokyo
« Reply #119 on: August 30, 2015, 09:35:46 PM »

If the last picture of the 2 tops
on the 2 swords was entered in the
best picture contest of the year did
not win I would be shocked !!!!!!!!
            RFC
  He is da man
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