Sumo

I take back my comment about having the biggest norks in this country. I would say, gram for gram, that the sumo wrestlers far outweigh me. Thankfully, even with the chanko-nabe dinners I've been indulging in lately, the similarities end there.

Yesterday, we headed to the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo to check out the first sumo basho (tournament) of the year, where we were treated to some serious sumo action.

The Sumo Wrestlers are big boys. And considering their girth, they are remarkably fast and agile. Of particular note is my favourite "psych out" technique, a high side-kick with mid-air butt-slap (very difficult to emulate at home, I tried it...).

Hands-down favourite sumo hold is the atomic wedgie, where each wrestler grabs hold of their opponent's mawashi (loin-cloth up the buttocks) and hikes it further up their crack to establish aerial propulsion. Considering that sumo traces its origins back to Shinto fertility rites, I'm not sure this is a good thing. Great to watch, though.

Sumo is a winner with people like myself and Matt, who have attention-deficit. Each bout lasts about 5 minutes, of which all of 10 seconds is the actual slap-fest. The rest is psych-out moves, throwing of salt onto the dohyo (the wrestling ring that women are forbidden to enter due to their reported "uncleanliness", but that's another story) to purify it, and malevolent "come on baby, bring it home to papa" stares.

I always thought big boys in loin-cloths slapping each other like malevolent toddlers would be a great afternoon's entertainment. Turns out I was right...