On Friday, December 13th, Professional Wrestling JUST TAP OUT (JTO) will come to Sasebo! It’s their first time in Nagasaki Prefecture. JTO is a new wrestling organization founded by Taka Michinoku. As its name implies “JUST TAP OUT,” JTO features intense and exciting battles among pro-wrestlers of the average age of early 20s!
12月13日（金）、プロフェッショナルレスリング JUST TAP OUT (JTO)が長崎県初！佐世保にやってくる！JTOは、2019年に現役プロレスラー、TAKAみちのくさんが立ち上げた団体。”Just tap out! (ギブアップあるのみ)”の名前のごとく、平均年齢20代前半の若さあふれるレスラーたちがバチバチの戦いを繰り広げます。
Taka Michinoku honed his skills not just in Japan, but in Mexico, Canada, and America. Actually, he belonged to WWE (WWF at the time) for four years in the late 90s to early 2000s! This time, E-chan’s Yuki, a former American pro-wrestling translator, interviewed Taka-san in order to help publicize the event to the many residents and visitors from around the world.
TAKAみちのくさんはアメリカやメキシコで武者修行、なんとWWE（当時WWF)に4年間、所属していました！今回はJTOのイベントを、国籍問わずたくさんの人に楽しんでもらうべく、元アメプロ翻訳者でもあるＥチャンのYukiがインタビューしてきました。
What’s unique about JTO? | JTOの特徴は？
Taka-san: We have many up and coming female wrestlers. And our wrestlers are so young! Azusa Inaba is just 16! She will be 17 soon, though.|勢いのある女性レスラーが多い。あと若さ！稲葉あずさなんて16 (もうすぐ17）だからね！
Yuki: Wow, so young! I watched JTO’s videos, but the agility, strength, and energy of the female wrestlers reminds me a lot of the Netflix drama “The Queen of Villains. |若いっ！JTOの動画を拝見するとドラマ『極悪女王』ばりの”戦う女性！”という感じでした。
Taka-san: Yeah, both men and female wrestlers have high skill sets. But we don’t do “heroes vs. villains” games. Rather, we want audiences to enjoy the pure competition. In that sense, our games are closer to sports. |技術力は男女ともに高い。ただうちは善玉VS悪玉ではなく、純粋に試合を魅せる。そいうい意味ではスポーツ寄りだね。
Any differences between America and Japan? | 日米プロレスの違いは？
Yuki:You belonged to WWE before. Do you find any differences in pro-wrestling between America and Japan?| WWEにも所属してましたが、アメリカと日本のプロレスの違いは？
Taka-san: It’s basically the same. Many say American pro-wrestling focuses more on dramas or narratives. But Japanese pro-wrestling is also in the category of sports entertainment. JTO is highly entertaining when it comes to their performances. |基本的には同じだよ。アメリカのプロレスはストーリー重視と言われるけど、スポーツエンターテインメントというくくりでは変わらない。JTOもパフォーマンス面でエンタメ性のあるものになっているよ。
Yuki: Are there any superstars who influenced you in WWE? | WWE時代に影響を受けた選手は？
Taka-san: The Rock and Stone Cold, for sure! I was especially surprised by their mic performances. I’m teaching our wrestlers what I learned from those two as much as I can. |ロックとストーン・コールド！マイクパフォーマンスなど”魅せ方”が凄かった！2人を見て学んだことを、レスラーたちに徹底指導してるよ。
What are your future plans? |今後の展開は？
Taka-san: Just after we launched JTO, we were heavily affected by the COVID-19 restrictions. We finally started touring nationwide just last year. So first and foremost, we’ll work hard to let everyone know about our organization, especially in the local areas. |立ち上げ後すぐにコロナの影響を受けて、地方巡業が可能になったのは去年から。まずは地方の人たちにもっとJTOを知ってもらえるよう頑張りたいですね。
Yuki: Thank you very much for the interview today! |本日はありがとうございました！
The tickets for the JTO event in Sasebo are now on sale! Available online from here (it’s Japanese only). You can also buy ticket at YYBoueki, the English-friendly toy shop near the Shimanose Park.
JTO佐世保市体育文化館大会は絶賛チケット発売中！詳しくは公式サイト（こちら）へ
JTO Pro-wresting Event 佐世保市体育文化館大会
＊日本語はチラシを参照のこと。
Date & Time: Friday, December 13
Venue: Sasebo Taiiku Bunka Kan (Gym)
Map: Click here
Doors Open at 6 p.m.
Starts at 6: 30 p.m.
Tickets: \7000 per super seat (1st and 2nd rows)
\5000 per reserved seat
\1000 per U-18 seat (the same day tickets only)
＊the same-day tickets: plus \1000.
Buy Tickets Online:
https://justtapout.thebase.in/categories/2773909 (Japanese only)
https://l-tike.com/sports/mevent/?mid=441015 (Japanese only)
or Buy at YYBOUEKI (English Okay) 【MAP】
