The blog for the Onion Hamburg Restaurant reports that Hatsuyo “The Witch” Sugawara set a record for its bunless 5 kilogram (11 pounds) burger challenge by finishing it in 47 minutes on July 20. In March, Mio “Sakura” Takahashi became the first person to complete the challenge. Her time was an hour and a half. Ms. Takahashi has an entry about the challenge in her personal blog.

Mainichi has an English article about Hatsuyo “the Witch” Sugawara’s victory in a women-only okonomiyaki (Japanese pancakes containing vegetables) eating contest in Osaka Wednesday:

Each okonomiyaki weighs one kilogram and measures 30 centimeters in diameter.

Hatsuyo Sugawara, a 44-year-old housewife from Iwate Prefecture, won the contest after eating 5.2 pancakes, and received 550,000 yen in prize money, a solid gold spatula, and the privilege of having the restaurant’s largest okonomiyaki named after her.

Mio “Sakura” Takahashi reports she finished second with a total of 4.7 pancakes.

Contest video

See also msn.co.jp

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Deresque has a blog entry with a lot of pictures from a lunch last month he had with 13 other competitive eating friends at the Grand Buffet Hawaiian Island in Tokyo. The fourteen eaters were grouped into 7 two person teams and each member was weighed before and after eating lunch at the buffet. The team with the highest combined weight gain was proclaimed the winner.

The top 5 single person weight gains were:
1. Takuya Yamamoto, 23.76 lb. / 10.8 kg (54.3 kg -> 65.1 kg), on #1 team
2. Mio “Sakura” Takahashi 15.2 lb. / 6.9 kg (31.3. kg -> 38.2 kg), on #2 team
3. Tomoko Miyake, 14.3 lb. / 6.5 kg (38.2 kg -> 44.7 kg) on #2 team
4. Asami “Essen” Miyanishi, 13.4 lb. / 6.1 kg (unlisted start & finish) on #3 team
5. Yamaguchi 12.32 lb. / 5.6 kg (60.6 kg -> 66.2 kg), on #1 team

Sakura Takahashi had the highest percentage weight gain, 38.2 / 31.3 = 22%, edging out Takuya Yamamoto, 65.1 / 54.3 = 20%

Sakura Takahashi has the following apology (automatically translated) on her blog:

“Originator! Gluttonous king decisive game”
You participated the case where method of my eating,
“It is ugly.”
With it received the comment which is pointed out.

With new this game advance, there is no room,
Clean of method of eating to, the air did not turn.
With this, we apologize to the person who is harmed feeling, from heart.
In addition, also the image for gluttony makes bad,
With that, to we applied annoyance also the gluttonous authorized personnel and TV station.

A space in this fall’s “Gluttonous King” contest has been reserved for a novice female competitor. The qualifier for this slot, which was won by Mio “Sakura” Takahashi, can be viewed at http://youtube.com/user/euromach2 Gal Sone serves as a co-MC.

R Suzuki reports that Sakura Takahashi won a qualifer for a spot this fall’s “Gluttonous King” contests which was restricted to novice females. In her blog, Ms. Takahashi announces that she intends to use her prominence as a competitive eater to promote environmental awareness: (automatically translated)

As for me, the habit of being connected to protecting such terrestrial environment, it has becoming aware first in everyone, and that really it can have practicing, doing the kind of activity which is appealed to keep it would like, that thinks that anyone can practice simply.