I did not plan my stay in Tokyo to last for a week! But Tokyo kept on seducing me with things to be seen and things to be done like a skilled lover.
Not lucky enough to catch the cherry blossoming season in Japan, but lucky enough to visit during the grand sumo tournament. Even luckier to manage to buy a ticket from the black market and get it delivered to the hotel. Today, Monday the 22nd of May is the Sumo day.
The day of the sumo competition starts at 8:30 in the morning and lasts until around 6:30 pm in the afternoon. It’s divided into three divisions where the beginners level takes place in the morning until around 2 PM where the intermediate level takes place, followed by the advanced professional level. I read online that many people start going in the early afternoon, when the games are more interesting and the wrestlers are more famous. Luckily there was an old Japanese lady who speaks English sitting in front of me and eager to explain everything without sparing any details. I also had no shame in bombarding her with questions about the game and the competition.
There I was sitting, surrounded by a sea of passionate spectators. The roar of the crowd signaled the next match. Before the wrestlers even stepped onto the ring, a series of captivating rituals took place. The rhythmic stomping of the wrestlers’ feet during the ritual and the throwing salt through the air added add an air of mystique to the event.
As the matches started, I thought I would be there just to enjoy the event without much interest. But slowly, I got involved with the matchs, checking the record of the players of the upcoming match and asking my new Japanese old lady friend about why that wrestler is popular. For example, one was much lighter than the rest of the wrestlers, another was climbing the victory ladder very fast, while Asanoyama was just good :). The wrestlers displayed different technique, ranging from brute force to agility and trying to trick the opponent. You lose if you go out of the ring or if you touch the ground with your hand. The lady told me, this is why in the arena they sell only chicken meat, since it stands on two legs and never walks on 4 legs, which would be a loss in sumo! The explosive moments when one wrestler forced the other out of the ring or made them touch the ground were met with thunderous applause, igniting an electrifying energy in the crowd.
You can watch the highlights of the day’s matches here.
Leaving the grand tournament, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for having witnessed this spectacle. This concluded my visit to Tokyo and I then took the direct bullet train to Kyoto, my next destination.
Since I am discovering artificial intelligence a bit more, here is a photo of two ancient Egyptians playing Sumo
Now if you merge the photo with one of my photos from this trip:
The future is going to be interesting!