We went to the final night of one of the big tournaments of the year. This is the Sumo Chairmen and the top guys from each stable. Closest to us is the Bulgarian, Kotooshu who is currently my favorite because he's such a stud...
See? Stud.
To his left is Hakuho who was 14-0 and tonight would wrestle the grand chamption, Asashoryu.
We were prettyclose. It's a good stadium though. I think he's thanking people for coming?
They turned to each section and bowed. The guys in black beside the ring are judges. There are four, one on each side.
I can drag Matt anywhere as long as there's beer. Aquarium, temple, sumo--all have beer.
This guy rules. He gets almost vertical when he stomps. Not only does this stretch muscles but it's an old ritual of scaring away bad guys from the ring before wrestling. (By “bad guys,” I mean evil spirits and devils, not muggers.
These are B level guys which is why the seats aren't packed yet. The guy on the left behind the sweeper is the one I had my photo taken with in Yokosuka...
Kaio from East Stable, (in purple,) and Kotooshu from West (in black) get ready to wrestle. Both were 9-5 this tournament up until this point.
Both are Ozekis meaning they've won enough to be promoted to this high rank. If they lose badly two tournaments in a row, they are demoted. Right now, they've just clapped their hands twice and spread their arms in a swooping motion with palms up. This shows they are carrying no concealed weapons.
lanterns that decorate the halls of the sumo stadium
shrine outside the stadium. we stopped and prayed before heading out.
each sumo wrestler has his own flag...
we went strolling around tokyo and over this bridge...
santa gomi
We stopped in Yokohama for some food after the tournament. We found this delicious Izakaya, (drinks and great food,) and since I couldn't read the menu I just asked for a few things that I knew. This was what we got when I asked for “sashimi.” WOW!!!
You're looking at raw fish, prawns and octopus with freshly grated ginger and wasabe on a bed of plum leaves and a pine frawn. I love how they used the fish carcas as garnish. He was fresh. Wouldn't be surprised if they had a tank in back!
Matt fell asleep right when we got hom.
