Sumo & Cirque du Soleil

It's summer time here in Nagoya. The rainy season is coming to an end which means that there are a lot of outdoor activities and festivals in town. Over the past couple of weeks, Kim and I have done a lot of things.

We met a couple that is from Hawaii and they are artists traveling and performing in Japan with the Cirque du Soleil. Tacia and Duke were kind enough to get us some amazing seats smack dab in the center of the stage ("Director's Seats"). Although it was not our first time seeing the show, it is always a fun experience. Kim was not suppose to take pictures but she turned off the flash and snuck a few shots :) We had a great time eating and drinking with them and wish them the best of luck as they move the show to Osaka!

The very next week, one of our friends entered a Sumo tournament hosted by the city of Nagoya and the Nagoya University. We went early as it was at the Nagoya Castle and wanted to enjoy the beautiful day. As we were waiting around, some people were trying to get more participants to fill in the extra spots. I of course had to consider the fact that "when in Japan, do as the Japanese do". So I signed up as well to participate in this unique experience.

I of course never did Sumo wrestling. I didn't even know the rules and still don't understand completely. The one Japanese guy that spoke English and coaxed me into signing up promised to teach me. Of course he disappeared somewhere and I never saw him again. I followed the crowd of participants, all of which ranged in size and age. There was an old Japanese man probably about 70 years old or so, wearing aviator sunglasses and a karate black belt. I thought he was the most intimating of the competition. He was like the old guy meditating on the mountain top and can kill you with his pinky finger.

Anyway, we headed to a tent were we were instructed to drop our shorts and put on the traditional Sumo attire called mawashi. I knew at this point that I was way in over my head. There were probably 300 or so people in the audience and I had to walk up on stage in a diaper with no shirt or shorts on.

There were 4 groups of wrestlers. I was in the armature division who went first. The winners wrestled by elimination and the last man standing won 2 tickets to Thailand and various other prizes like cases of sakes and beer.

When it was my turn to go, I was a bit nervous. There are a few traditional things that each Sumotori must do before entering and exiting the ring. We skipped the whole leg lifting and salt throwing part as that tradition is reserved for the professionals. My match lasted a whole 15 seconds. I ended up losing but I think I was robbed! Check it out...

The following weekend, was the Nagoya Sumo Basho. It comes to Nagoya once a year and is one of the 6 professional Sumo events through out Japan. We went on the first day which is one of the most exciting days to go. Sumo is interesting. It can take up to 4 minutes for a match to begin while each wrestler goes through a series of poses meant to intimidate his opponent. The tournament last for 15 days. Each day, begins at 8:00 in the morning and ends at 6:00 in the evening. The Sekitori are sumo wrestlers ranked in the top 2 divisions. They are dressed elaborately in silk embroidered garments that represent their character and name. More recently, they represent the wrestlers sponsor.

It was amazing that size really doesn't matter in Sumo. Smaller wrestlers were defeating larger wrestlers. There is a lot of strategy and technique that goes into this ancient Japanese sport. As the day progressed, Kim and I started to learn more and eventually picked our favorite wrestlers. Kim chose them mainly on the color they were wearing and how good their butts looked!

Overall, it was a fun experience. We learned a little more about Japanese culture and had fun cheering along with our friends.