Sorry for my long absence! and KiraraChin, sorry that I missed your birthday
but hope you had a great day with some new Tomono-kun videos!
http://doshisha-atom.net/headline/result.php?linkno=5&no=3819
http://doshisha-atom.net/headline/result.php?linkno=5&no=3828
I'll work on these articles by Doshisha Atom later, at least before SkAm hopefully, as they sounded quite different from other media articles. (Those major news articles sounded like Tomono-kun was going all too negative, but Doshisha's wasn't that bad, although we all could feel how he must have felt anyways.) I'm just pasting these links so that I won't forget about them :dev3:
Belated translation to
Men-Baka here now:
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Men-Baka with Kazuki Tomono senshu, figure skater
-We present the 63rd episode with a guest, Ohayo-Call Family meets a figure skater who loves ramen, Kazuki Tomono senshu! Today's theme is ramen cooked by great chefs from different genres. Now, let's go to the VTR, Men-Baka!
Yokoyama: Now, I'm in Suminoe-ward, Osaka city. This sports gym is where the figure skater, Tomono-kun, is training at, I hear. So, let's go in! Now! Let's go! In this (shirt of Men-Baka)!
Y: Found him! There he is!
Y: Tomono-kun, long time no see~!
Tomono: Long time no see!
Y: Done with your training?
T: Yes, finished.
Y: I came here to fulfill my promise today.
T: Eh?
Y: Now, let's go!
T: Uhh, yes?
Y: Let's go!
T: Yes, sir.
Y: Go, go, go, go!
{Note: Yokoyama had his hand forward, looked like towards Tomono-kun. Tomono-kun of course thought he was trying to shake hands with him and he raised his hand too, but it turned out that Yokoyama wasn't (it was some kind of gesture of his own) and instead grabbed his other hand to hurriedly take him out.}
- Tomono senshu is from Sakai city, and he is currently a student at Doshisha University. Last year he did the Grand Prix series for the first time. Placed 3rd at the Russian round, he made his first podium. He is the up and coming figure skater following Hanyu-senshu and Uno-senshu. Tomono-senshu actually shares photos of delicious ramen in his own instagram to prove himself to be a ramen-lover, another Men-Baka. Therefore...
<An interview video from last year when he came back to Japan from GP series>
Y: Men-Baka, the corner where I introduce ramen, please join me some time for the show.
T: Yes, my pleasure. Actually, I beg you, please let me join it. [laugh]
- He agreed at the interview last year to appear on this show. So, here it is, the 63rd episode of Men-Baka with figure skater Tomono Kazuki senshu, now starting!
Men-Baka!
Today's Theme: Ramen cooked by the finest chefs from different genres
Y: We're here in Nishi-Kiya-machi (in Kyoto). Are you excited?
T: Yes. I'm extremely excited about it.
Y: What kind of ramen are we going to have today!? The first one... This place here is called "Shokudo Ogawa", a prestige kappo-style (Japanese fine dining) restaurant and it is said to be the hardest restaurant in Kyoto to make a reservation. This place's score at
Tabelog is over 4.3.
T: 4.3...?
Y: Never heard (of such a high score), have you?
T: No, never heard of one.
- This popular Japanese restaurant, Shokudo Ogawa, that even surprises Tomono-senshu, has a sister-shop nearby, a ramen-shop called "river RAMEN".
{Note: Ogawa means a small river.} The owner of this ramen shop, Yokota-san, and Ogawa-san, the forementioned restaurant's owner, have known each other and developed their cooking expertise through friendly competition for long. And the ramen cooked by this Japanese culinary expert is this: Ramen Shiro. Now let's get Tomono senshu have it and see how he likes it.
Y: Ready, now...
Y+T: "Jisshoku!" (=actual eating time, a special made-up phrase for this show for 'itadakimasu')
T: [eats ramen] ... hmmm Oishii (delicious)...
Y: [laughs at his reaction]
T: It's so creamy. It's pleasing my body.
Y: Yes, indeed pleasing.
T: It's a pleasing ramen.
Y: Pleasing, right.
- This Japanese style soup has its double base broth of chicken bones and pork bones, and they add some white miso in it. It matches very well with their thin straight noodles.
- And for me, I had this one with
Katsuobushi: Ramen Kohaku.
Clear chicken bone soup with Oi-Gatsuo (Katsuobushi stock with thin shavings of it on top) and special home-made Yuzu (citrus) paste.
Y: The umami of chicken and of Katsuo (bonito), sticks amazingly well with these fat curly noodles and... (To the owner) How about you merchandise this soup? It in itself is that amazing and it'll sell!
Owner: Oh really? [laugh] Thank you.
Y: Even just drinking this soup alone (is great)!
T: What is this?
Owner: That's potato, some fried potato flavored with curry.
T: Yeah, it's curry. When you have it, it gives another different taste, kind of spicy flavor (and it's good). Well, it's been 3 days since I came back to Japan, and I've been practicing. I've worked hard for this day, so excited thinking that I was to enjoy ramen. It really motivated me so much.
Y: Oh, so you were looking forward to this shooting?
T: Yeah, I was in top shape at practice yesterday. [laugh]
Y: You can feel the umami flow so nicely, it's such an elegant dish. This is, precisely, (to be likened to) the "Step Sequence" of Ramen!
(shop detail)
Men-Baka!
-The next one we visited is Jo-Terrace Osaka. There is a new Ramen Street opened last May with 6 ramen shops, including those making their first foray into Osaka. The one I picked out of them today is...
Y: The one I want you to try is... This! "Due Italian"!
T: "Due Italian"... so is it Italian?
Y: It's filled with many Italian elements, look at this, ever seen a ramen like this?
T: I haven't seen one!
Y: Right? It's a new concept and I want you to try it as you're competing internationally! Now, let's go! Let's go!
T: Yes, I'm coming, coming!
- Chosen by Michelin-Guide Tokyo for the third year straight, the Golden Shio (salt) Ramen, "Due Italian" appeared in Osaka for the first time. The owner, Ishizuka-san, is a noted Italian chef well-known by those in the know. So, what is the Italian-style ramen like!?
T: Ohhhh!
Y: How's that?
Ramen Nama-ham(prosciutto crudo, or dry-cured ham) Fromage
T: 'Baemasu ne'. (meaning, Looking sharp/glamorous. "Baeru" is a very recent slang verb from 'instagrammable' minus 'instagram'.)
Y: Yes, 'Baemasu', that's right.
T: 'Baemasu ne'.
Y: Ready, now,
Y+T: "Jisshoku!" *eats*
T: Mmmm! It's like pasta, kinda.
Y: Yeah, isn't it?
T: This is good, it's like... feels like I'm eating something different.
Y: Your eyes are sparkling!
T: [laugh]
Y: I know it is no good for me as an announcer (broadcaster) to say it, but it's really "Yabai".
T: [laugh] It is indeed "Yabai"!
Y: This is no
Chashu, but 'Nama-ham' (dry-cured ham). The trick of this Nama-ham and cheese is just...
T: Having both cheese and Nama-ham can't not be good! (=It's set to be great.)
Y: Can't Not! [laugh] 'Yabai'!
T: 'Yabai'!
Y: I want my bosses to not watch this now. (As he can't stop repeating Yabai.)
-Finish it with brown rice, turning it into risotto afterward to enjoy it at last.
T: [strikes a pleasing pose]
Y: There you go! There you go! I see that you do it when you're ultimately pleased.
- Finally, I asked his enthusiasm for the Grand Prix Series starting in October.
Y: Soon, you're having the Grand Prix Series. Let me hear your enthusiasm for this season.
T: It's my second year to appear in the Grand Prix Series. Last year, I had some good, some bitter, and a lot of 'kuyashii' experience. So, when getting striken, I gotta strike back. I'm determined to make it happen. I'll 'gambaru', to come back to enjoy great ramen later.
Y: You have that as one of your motivations.
T: That's right. I wanna eat (ramen), I guess.
Y: Well, it's a dish filled with new challenges. This is, precisely, (to be likened to)...of Ramen...
T: "Quadruple Toe-Loop"!
Y: He's doing it from this season!
(shop detail)
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After-talk at the studio
Y: You know, shooting this with him in fact reminded me that he is an athlete. The moment he tastes it and finds it good, his body starts moving back and forth, doing his "pleasing pose" five or six times even at the first shop, his body expresses everything.
Lady: His reaction was so cute!
Y: So cute, wasn't it? By the way, Isagawa-san, I hear you're a big fan of his.
Isagawa: I LOVE him! Isn't he cute!?
Y: He is!
I: Even in this (foolish) Men-Baka T-shirt, he is this much cute!
Y: That's right!
I: Like, even when he's wearing this T-shirt!? Amazing.
Y: It's quite embarrassing to wear this T-shirt in the street, but he wore it for us without hesitation at all! He's such a nice boy. Yet, once he's on the ice, his expressions on the face changes and shows us a mature side of him. (Introducing Skate America to the end)
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uahh, Kazuki support messages in Japanese are probably the best way to keep me from my current mission =_= Was happy to see I could understand one of them, the easier one that said 'believe in yourself, you can do it', but what's 子や? Even jisho org doesn't know it. Some sort of slang?
Just a short explanation for now, や is a copula in Kansai dialect, used instead for だ/です. So, "～子や" = "～子だ".
eace:
I couldn't believe my eyes. I figured I'd be kicking myself later if I didn't say anything so I said "Hi Kazuki!" when he got closer. He stopped and said "Hello!" I wished him good luck and he said thank you. I got so excited I almost dropped my hamburger! 
