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Tokyo Weekender
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tokyo Weekender
The Lesbian Romance That Inspired a String of Volcano Suicides
Mount Mihara is an active volcano on Oshima Island, located east of the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture. It's said to erupt every 100 to 150 years, and it did so in 1986, spewing lava everywhere and leaving behind a 16-kilometer-tall plume of smoke, forcing every person on the island to evacuate. Since it was pretty recent, we don't have to worry about another eruption for a few more decades. However, if Oshima's century-long cycle applies to all kinds of blowing up, then we may have a problem in a few years, because in the 1930s, another thing exploded on the island: the number of people committing suicide by throwing themselves into the volcano. And it apparently all started with one lesbian killing herself. That's the short version anyway. Here's the long one. List of Contents: From 'Same-Sex Lover' to 'Death Guide' Fuzzy Records Kiyoko Matsumoto's Final Words Understanding Suicide in Japan Related Posts Aerial view of Mount Mihara From 'Same-Sex Lover' to 'Death Guide' On February 12, 1933, Kiyoko Matsumoto, a 21-year-old second-year student at a prestigious Tokyo women's university, threw herself into the Mount Mihara volcano, allegedly because of her forbidden love for her classmate Masako Tomita. It was supposedly meant to be a lovers' double suicide, but Tomita was stopped by a guard at the last minute and survived. When the papers caught wind of it and found out that Matsumoto was obsessed with poetry and literature, it felt like Christmas in newsrooms across Japan. The headlines basically wrote themselves and focused heavily on the same-sex romance from every possible angle. Their love was 'beautifully tragic,' said some papers. 'Lesbianism is killing our children,' lamented others. Some publications, not wanting to waste a good frenzy, also blamed Matsumoto's suicide on her obsession with poetry and books. It then came out that the miraculously saved Tomita actually had a return ferry ticket with her and that she had accompanied another suicidal student to Mihara a month prior. The narrative subsequently changed. Suddenly, Tomita was cast in the role of a villain. An evil-minded, psychopathic 'death guide' who facilitated the deaths of two young women. Of course, the newspapers continued to stick with the whole 'lesbian' angle because clickbaiting existed long before the internet. Asahi Shimbun Newspaper Clipping of Kiyoko Matsumoto's Final Words, February 15, 1933. Fuzzy Records Tomita was never charged with anything, but intentionally or not, her role in Matsumoto's suicide did indirectly lead to hundreds of deaths. The story took Japan by storm and in 1933, there were 129 copycat suicides by volcano on Oshima Island and over 600 attempts. Barriers and more guards were erected but that didn't seem to help. The Pennsylvanian paper Reading Eagle reported that 619 Mihara suicides occurred in 1936, with a total of 2,000 in the span of six years, though those numbers are suspect. The exact records are fuzzy, but the Matsumoto-inspired suicides were real. And weirdly flippant. Matsumoto left behind a poem conforming to the created narrative of an emotionally-wrecked virgin intoxicated by a love that could never be. Those who followed her, though, came from all walks of life: straight couples, blue-collar workers and the elderly, for instance. And they didn't leave any poems behind. Many of the copycat suicides were performed in broad daylight because the soon-departed wanted an audience. They reportedly really hammed it up in their final moments, with some doing acrobatic jumps and others swan-diving into the lava. Kiyoko Matsumoto's Final Words Not everyone has the chance to leave behind final words. Matsumoto left several but most don't really help us understand why she ended her life. On the day she headed to Oshima Island, her final words to her father were 'Like a cloud.' According to Tomita, Matsumoto only said that it was her time to die while climbing Mount Mihara. She did leave two notes behind. The one addressed to a close friend only included a poem by the 9th-century courtier Ariwara no Narihira that seemed to hint at forbidden love. Maybe. But it was Matsumoto's last note that was the most informative. It was addressed to the friend's mother and said: 'I will kill the person I hate the most, the person I am, because it seems to be the best thing I can do for the me on the other side.' The content isn't really as important as the recipient of the note. Kirsten Cather, an associate professor in the Asian Studies department at the University of Texas at Austin, brings up the fact that Matsumoto's own mother died when she was young and that her addressing a suicide note to another mother she was close with could mean something. Matsumoto also lost an older sister in 1932. Her suicide, therefore, might have been driven by feelings of loss and loneliness. Does it mean that she wasn't gay? We don't know. Maybe she was, maybe she wasn't. It's all speculation. So let's talk a bit about the facts. Understanding Suicide in Japan Suicide isn't encouraged in Japan or anything like that, but there also hasn't exactly been a taboo against it, historically speaking. If anything, dying on your own terms has for centuries been seen as a means of retaining one's honor, which is how harakiri and seppuku came about. Double suicides between star-crossed lovers — known as shinju — were especially romanticized during the Edo Period. So much so that Hiraga Gennai, the 18th-century Japanese equivalent of Leonardo da Vinci , tired of shinju tropes, penned a parody titled A Lousy Journey of Love in which two lice travel down a body to commit suicide, stopping along the way at the Temple of the Saint Anus and ultimately arriving at Hotel Testicle. Making fun of the trend, however, did little to stop it and suicides (single and double) continued to be prevalent in Japan. Before Matsumoto, there was the 16-year-old poet Misao Fujimura, who killed himself in 1903 at the famous Kegon Falls in Nikko, which also attracted copycats. After Mihara, there was the 1960 novel by Seicho Matsumoto (no relation), called Kuroi Jukai (Black Sea of Trees), which is credited with popularizing the Aokigahara Forest at the foot of Mount Fuji as a good place to kill oneself because of how isolated it is. People are still killing themselves at Aokigahara, with regular sweeps of the forest by authorities often discovering hanged bodies. It remains one of the most popular jisatsu meisho (suicide sites) in Japan. The fact that the country has a special word for them tells us a lot about the state of the problem over here. In the end, Matsumoto's death remains a tragedy that can't be explained by one thing, like forbidden love, poems or even depression. Suicide is complicated. Her death could have been a combination of many factors, some of which we might never know. The best thing we can do is to acknowledge that and stop guessing. Because that is a game with no winners. If you've been having suicidal thoughts or know someone who has, help is available via the TELL Lifeline . Related Posts Tokyo Was Built Atop the Head of a Decapitated God The Dark History of Human Sacrifice in Japan
Associated Press
09-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Sena Tomita and Yuto Totsuka Take Historic First Wins at The Snow League's Debut at Aspen Snowmass
Sena Tomita (JPN) and Yuto Totsuka (JPN) made history by winning The Snow League's inaugural event at Buttermilk at Aspen Snowmass in the women's and men's snowboarding halfpipe competition. Each earned a first-place prize of $50,000 out of a total prize purse of $370,000 for the event. Tomita and Totsuka took the lead in the Snow League World Championship Standings, claiming 100 points each, with three events remaining in Season One. In addition to the dramatic action in the halfpipe, The Snow League's inaugural event was highlighted by a surprise performance from Sofi Tukker, who took the stage for an energetic halftime performance. The star-studded crowd, including Nina Dobrev, J Balvin, Miles and Keleigh Teller, Julianne Hough, and Pom Klementieff, then watched Big Boi take the stage to close out the first-ever Snow League in style, with athletes, fans, and the Aspen vibe squad joining together to dance the afternoon away. The Snow League founder, Shaun White, reveled in seeing his vision come to life. White, who was on stage with the athletes to present the inaugural Snow League trophies, designed by Tiffany & Co., said, 'I've never been so excited for a competition. There was so much drama, so much excitement,' he beamed. 'I don't know when I've been this excited for a competition—as a spectator watching the sport I love, it's been so amazing to see.' Today's event at Buttermilk in Aspen, Colorado showcased a completely reimagined halfpipe finals format with eight men and eight women athletes pitted in head-to-head battles. The women's final saw a dramatic back-and-forth contest between the top athlete from qualifying, Maddie Mastro (USA) and Tomita. Each claimed a winning run in the best of three run format—first Tomita and then Mastro. This led to a third and final run, where Tomita rose to the challenge, overtaking Mastro by a mere 0.5 points to win. Tomita's final run saw her throw a huge 12-foot frontside 1080 tailgrab, into a switch frontside 720, linking up a pair of 540s, finishing strong with a frontside 900 melon grab, and a final Method. Speaking through a Japanese translator, Tomita shared, 'I'm so happy to win the inaugural Snow League event—this feels like the start of something big!' When asked what the victory meant to her, she said, 'It's hard to put into words, but this is so awesome!' The 25-year-old was emotional, revealing that it had been a challenging season leading up to the event. Despite the nerves, she delivered when it mattered, claiming the win in front of a cheering crowd in Aspen. In the third-place matchup, it was 16-year-old Gaon Choi (KOR) claiming the win—Choi had shown a fierce competitiveness earlier in the day, going back-and-forth with Tomita in the semifinals before falling to her in the third run. In her head-to-head battle with Mitsuki Ono (JPN), Choi won both of the first two runs to take third place, with Ono finishing in fourth. In the men's semifinals, a showdown of a trio of Japanese stars and a rising American battled it out for the top spots on the podium. Ayumu Hirano (JPN), the top qualifier coming into the finals, was relegated to the third-place matchup after losing an exciting semifinal battle against Totsuka. In the other semifinal, 16-year-old Alessandro Barbieri (USA) lost out to Ruka Hirano (JPN), with the Japanese star winning the first two runs to claim victory. The final featured Totsuka (JPN) going against Ruka Hirano in a matchup that saw both athletes put down immaculate first runs, with Totsuka edging out Hirano. It was in the second run that Totsuka soundly defeated Hirano, posting the highest men's run score of the day at 96.5. Totsuka dropped in on the right side, firing into a nearly 13-foot switch backside double cork 1080 Japan, into a backside 900 mute, and linking up back-to-back 1440s, going frontside triple cork 1440 Indy into a switch frontside triple cork 1440 Indy that had the crowd go wild. Speaking in his native Japanese, Totsuka said through an interpreter, 'To win [the Snow League] in these conditions was incredible.' When asked what it was like to be the winner of the first-ever Snow League event, Totsuka said it was an incredible feeling, and the fact that the legend, Shaun White, had created this event and to be able to win it was so much fun. Ayumu Hirano faced the young Team USA athlete Alessandro Barbieri in the third-place matchup, who, in a valiant attempt to beat Hirano, put together a run that he had never stomped before. Barbieri said, 'Just landing that run was enough for me to throw everything [he threw his helmet and snowboard in excitement]. Even if I didn't win the round, I was still buzzing from it.' Hirano answered back to beat Barbieri in both runs to take third place on the podium. Beyond the prestige of a podium finish, today's Snow League Finals Day presented athletes with a high-stakes opportunity to earn a share of the groundbreaking $1.6 million purse spread across the four snowboarding events. Competitors vied not only for the inaugural Snow League title and critical World Championship Standings points but also a share of the $370,000 prize purse in Aspen, divided equally between genders. Men and women's podium finishers earned $50,000 for first, $20,000 for second, and $10,000 for third. All finalists earn prize money, with $5,000 for fourth and $2,500 each for fifth through eighth. Additionally, each of the 36 athletes receives a $5,000 appearance fee, further reflecting The Snow League's commitment to advancing snowboarding competition. The first event of The Snow League in Aspen Snowmass set the bar for the remainder of a groundbreaking first season of competition. Up next will be Event Two at Yunding Secret Garden in China, to be held December 4–6, 2025. The stars of snowboarding will face off again to earn points and challenge for the top spot in the Snow League World Championship Standings. Additionally, Freeskiing will make its debut as the ski athletes are set to join the snowboarders in China, as the future of winter sports competition expands to a new discipline. Fans can enjoy on-demand replays of the inaugural Snow League event in Aspen available on Peacock and are also invited to watch the Encore Presentation of Event One of The Snow League on the NBC network in the United States on Saturday, March 29 at 1:00 p.m. ET and on Warner Bros. Discovery's linear channels in Europe on Tuesday, March 25, at 8:00 p.m. CET. About The Snow League Launched in June 2024, The Snow League is the first professional winter sports league dedicated to snowboarding and freeskiing. Founded by three-time Olympic gold medalist and entrepreneur Shaun White, Season One features a four-event global format boasting a $1.6 million prize purse, with athletes competing to earn points to determine the overall champions. The season kicks off at Buttermilk in Aspen Snowmass (March 7–8, 2025) and then moves to Yund and Secret Garden, China (Dec. 4–6, 2025), where 16 of the world's top freeskiers will join the roster at the Beijing 2022 Olympic venue. The League returns to Aspen (Feb. 26–28, 2026) and concludes at LAAX, Switzerland (March 19–21, 2026), where the first-ever Snow League World Champions will be crowned. The Snow League is powered by its sponsors, including the three Founding Partners, Marriott Bonvoy, INEOS Automotive and Pacifico®, which are joined in the Snow League family by Hublot and Tiffany & Co. Famous Last Words PR [email protected] Fast Alpine Coast Communications [email protected] Taub SOURCE: The Snow League Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 03/09/2025 06:08 AM/DISC: 03/09/2025 06:07 AM
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sena Tomita and Yuto Totsuka Take Historic First Wins at The Snow League's Debut at Aspen Snowmass
Celebrities including Nina Dobrev, J Balvin, Miles Teller, and more take in an action-packed afternoon featuring performances from Sofi Tukker and Big Boi ASPEN, Colo., March 09, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sena Tomita (JPN) and Yuto Totsuka (JPN) made history by winning The Snow League's inaugural event at Buttermilk at Aspen Snowmass in the women's and men's snowboarding halfpipe competition. Each earned a first-place prize of $50,000 out of a total prize purse of $370,000 for the event. Tomita and Totsuka took the lead in the Snow League World Championship Standings, claiming 100 points each, with three events remaining in Season One. In addition to the dramatic action in the halfpipe, The Snow League's inaugural event was highlighted by a surprise performance from Sofi Tukker, who took the stage for an energetic halftime performance. The star-studded crowd, including Nina Dobrev, J Balvin, Miles and Keleigh Teller, Julianne Hough, and Pom Klementieff, then watched Big Boi take the stage to close out the first-ever Snow League in style, with athletes, fans, and the Aspen vibe squad joining together to dance the afternoon away. The Snow League founder, Shaun White, reveled in seeing his vision come to life. White, who was on stage with the athletes to present the inaugural Snow League trophies, designed by Tiffany & Co., said, "I've never been so excited for a competition. There was so much drama, so much excitement," he beamed. "I don't know when I've been this excited for a competition—as a spectator watching the sport I love, it's been so amazing to see." Today's event at Buttermilk in Aspen, Colorado showcased a completely reimagined halfpipe finals format with eight men and eight women athletes pitted in head-to-head battles. The women's final saw a dramatic back-and-forth contest between the top athlete from qualifying, Maddie Mastro (USA) and Tomita. Each claimed a winning run in the best of three run format—first Tomita and then Mastro. This led to a third and final run, where Tomita rose to the challenge, overtaking Mastro by a mere 0.5 points to win. Tomita's final run saw her throw a huge 12-foot frontside 1080 tailgrab, into a switch frontside 720, linking up a pair of 540s, finishing strong with a frontside 900 melon grab, and a final Method. Speaking through a Japanese translator, Tomita shared, "I'm so happy to win the inaugural Snow League event—this feels like the start of something big!" When asked what the victory meant to her, she said, "It's hard to put into words, but this is so awesome!" The 25-year-old was emotional, revealing that it had been a challenging season leading up to the event. Despite the nerves, she delivered when it mattered, claiming the win in front of a cheering crowd in Aspen. In the third-place matchup, it was 16-year-old Gaon Choi (KOR) claiming the win—Choi had shown a fierce competitiveness earlier in the day, going back-and-forth with Tomita in the semifinals before falling to her in the third run. In her head-to-head battle with Mitsuki Ono (JPN), Choi won both of the first two runs to take third place, with Ono finishing in fourth. In the men's semifinals, a showdown of a trio of Japanese stars and a rising American battled it out for the top spots on the podium. Ayumu Hirano (JPN), the top qualifier coming into the finals, was relegated to the third-place matchup after losing an exciting semifinal battle against Totsuka. In the other semifinal, 16-year-old Alessandro Barbieri (USA) lost out to Ruka Hirano (JPN), with the Japanese star winning the first two runs to claim victory. The final featured Totsuka (JPN) going against Ruka Hirano in a matchup that saw both athletes put down immaculate first runs, with Totsuka edging out Hirano. It was in the second run that Totsuka soundly defeated Hirano, posting the highest men's run score of the day at 96.5. Totsuka dropped in on the right side, firing into a nearly 13-foot switch backside double cork 1080 Japan, into a backside 900 mute, and linking up back-to-back 1440s, going frontside triple cork 1440 Indy into a switch frontside triple cork 1440 Indy that had the crowd go wild. Speaking in his native Japanese, Totsuka said through an interpreter, "To win [the Snow League] in these conditions was incredible." When asked what it was like to be the winner of the first-ever Snow League event, Totsuka said it was an incredible feeling, and the fact that the legend, Shaun White, had created this event and to be able to win it was so much fun. Ayumu Hirano faced the young Team USA athlete Alessandro Barbieri in the third-place matchup, who, in a valiant attempt to beat Hirano, put together a run that he had never stomped before. Barbieri said, "Just landing that run was enough for me to throw everything [he threw his helmet and snowboard in excitement]. Even if I didn't win the round, I was still buzzing from it." Hirano answered back to beat Barbieri in both runs to take third place on the podium. Beyond the prestige of a podium finish, today's Snow League Finals Day presented athletes with a high-stakes opportunity to earn a share of the groundbreaking $1.6 million purse spread across the four snowboarding events. Competitors vied not only for the inaugural Snow League title and critical World Championship Standings points but also a share of the $370,000 prize purse in Aspen, divided equally between genders. Men and women's podium finishers earned $50,000 for first, $20,000 for second, and $10,000 for third. All finalists earn prize money, with $5,000 for fourth and $2,500 each for fifth through eighth. Additionally, each of the 36 athletes receives a $5,000 appearance fee, further reflecting The Snow League's commitment to advancing snowboarding competition. The first event of The Snow League in Aspen Snowmass set the bar for the remainder of a groundbreaking first season of competition. Up next will be Event Two at Yunding Secret Garden in China, to be held December 4–6, 2025. The stars of snowboarding will face off again to earn points and challenge for the top spot in the Snow League World Championship Standings. Additionally, Freeskiing will make its debut as the ski athletes are set to join the snowboarders in China, as the future of winter sports competition expands to a new discipline. Fans can enjoy on-demand replays of the inaugural Snow League event in Aspen available on Peacock and are also invited to watch the Encore Presentation of Event One of The Snow League on the NBC network in the United States on Saturday, March 29 at 1:00 p.m. ET and on Warner Bros. Discovery's linear channels in Europe on Tuesday, March 25, at 8:00 p.m. CET. About The Snow League Launched in June 2024, The Snow League is the first professional winter sports league dedicated to snowboarding and freeskiing. Founded by three-time Olympic gold medalist and entrepreneur Shaun White, Season One features a four-event global format boasting a $1.6 million prize purse, with athletes competing to earn points to determine the overall champions. The season kicks off at Buttermilk in Aspen Snowmass (March 7–8, 2025) and then moves to Yund and Secret Garden, China (Dec. 4–6, 2025), where 16 of the world's top freeskiers will join the roster at the Beijing 2022 Olympic venue. The League returns to Aspen (Feb. 26–28, 2026) and concludes at LAAX, Switzerland (March 19–21, 2026), where the first-ever Snow League World Champions will be crowned. The Snow League is powered by its sponsors, including the three Founding Partners, Marriott Bonvoy, INEOS Automotive and Pacifico®, which are joined in the Snow League family by Hublot and Tiffany & Co. For more information, please visit and purchase tickets to the event here. Follow The Snow League on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. PHOTOS: Please credit: Getty Images for The Snow League here. SNOW LEAGUE MEDIA KIT: Email media@ for access to The Snow League Media Kit, including high-res images, videos, and results for editorial usage. View source version on Contacts Jen Peros Famous Last Words PRjen@ Annie Fast Alpine Coast Communicationsannie@ Ilana Taub Gold Tree PRilana@
