Sumo Time

Going to watch a sumo wrestling match is not something I had honestly thought I would ever do. However after Loney Planet recommended a visit to the Ryogoku, and a bit of research showed that our visit to Tokyo coincided with one of six tournaments held during the year, it seemed like an experience that would be uniquely Japanese and shouldn't be missed.

Sumo matches start at 8:30 am and last until dinner time. We decided to arrive around 2:30, when the wrestlers who were considered to be professional sumos started their matches. I thought I may get tired of watching hours of sumo, but I found myself getting quite involved. Watching these two huge guys try to trip each other was very intense and when one went down it was like the high I get from watching figure skaters fall, but maybe even better.

The point of sumo is to either force your opponent to step out of the ring or to cause any part of your opponent's body to touch the ground (besides his feet). There is no weight classes in sumo, so it really is a case of bigger is better. Each match has a lot of lead up, with opponents staring each other down, throwing salt to purify the ring, and doing the ever-popular feet stomp to attract the attention of the gods.



The matches were punctuated by speeches and traditional ceremonies. The head of the sumo association spoke, flanked by the highest ranked fighters. There was also a ceremony where the fighters wore traditional aprons.





Overall, I would say it was a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone travelling through Japan at the right time. The yakatori (chicken on a stick) was delicious and I came away with some great souvenirs (including a magnet with a picture of my favourite sumo). Who knows, maybe I'll even become a sumo buff and start following the matches back home.