#269 ﾉｺﾀﾉｺﾀ

Nakatani Yuta Turns 37

The recording fell on October 23 — Nakatani Yuta's (中谷裕太) birthday — as he turned 37. He and Sakamoto (坂本) have been childhood friends who, by their own account, have been together 'since age three.' At the top of the episode, Sakamoto celebrated the occasion and revealed he had brought a surprise gift.

At the previous recording, the two had settled on a bit involving Nakatani approaching women dressed like the Terminator in a leather jacket. Afterward, though, Sakamoto had a genuine change of heart: 'Let's stop handing each other unpleasant things on birthdays.' He scrapped the clothing idea entirely and went in a different direction.

The Thinking Behind the Gift: 'Something He's Never Done'

Sakamoto's starting point was something Nakatani had said in passing. Remembering that Nakatani had been saying 'I just haven't felt excited about anything lately,' Sakamoto reasoned that the best gift would be something his partner had never experienced and would never pursue on his own. Nakatani immediately gave the logic full marks: 'That thinking is a perfect 100.'

The gift he landed on was a sumo-watching ticket. Nakatani apparently keeps a running list of things he hasn't done — items like 'ride a hot-air balloon' and 'watch grand sumo' — and Sakamoto had quietly taken note. 'Sumo — I might actually be really happy about that,' Nakatani said, and he meant it.

The Shocking Truth: The Venue Is Northern Ireland

The mood shifted the moment Sakamoto tried to explain the location. 'It's not Ryogoku,' he said, trailing off. 'It's a bit further north.' After fumbling for the words, he finally landed on the answer: Northern Ireland.

Amateur sumo has apparently been gaining popularity in Northern Ireland, with working people competing as a hobby. Sakamoto had already bought the tickets. The flight from Japan, including a connection, runs between 18 and 25 hours, with departure set for January. 'What's with the seven-hour range?' Nakatani asked, baffled — though he could not entirely argue with Sakamoto's core logic that this was, without question, something he would never go to on his own.

Will the Zabuton Fly? Is There a Gyoji?

The conversation drifted into speculation about what amateur sumo in Northern Ireland actually looks like. In professional grand sumo, audiences famously throw zabuton cushions after an exciting bout — but whether the Northern Ireland venue even has zabuton is anyone's guess. 'I bet they're doing it in something like a community centre,' one of them offered. 'Maybe a gymnasium.' Whether there is a gyoji (referee), whether the wrestlers wear a mawashi — none of it has been confirmed. Sakamoto suggested the sport might simply be called 'sumo' over there.

Sakamoto's solution to the zabuton question: bring some from Japan and throw one at a suitably dramatic moment. The two laughed imagining a referee in a T-shirt telling them to stop.

The Travel-Cost Dispute and the Entry Idea

When Nakatani asked about travel expenses, Sakamoto pushed back: 'I've already handed you the ticket — asking me to cover flights on top of that is too much.' He did, however, make one offer: if Nakatani could enter the tournament and win it, he would pay for the trip. Neither of them had looked into whether entry is actually possible.

Sakamoto also revealed that he had considered buying a ticket to a soccer match in a country ranked around 250th in the FIFA rankings — but dropped the idea after learning the safety situation was dire. Northern Ireland, being part of the United Kingdom, passed the safety check, and that settled it.

In the end, Nakatani agreed to go. 'I'll figure out the schedule and head over in January with a positive attitude,' he said — adding that he supposed he would watch the matches while he was there.