OMG, Sumo !
I’m a fan.
Homarefuji Yoshiyuki – one of my new favorite athletes
does he really weigh 360 pounds????
from the event program
So, obviously, the lady at the Tokyo hostel who totally hooked it up! There were around 1,000 people at the event, and when I arrived at the ticket table, before I told anyone my name, the women at the table saw me and started nudging each other and whispering. So I hand over this paper the lady at the hostel typed up for me, to tell them who I am and I’m that there to pick up my ticket. But before I can even give it to them, they hand me an envelope with my name on it and the ticket inside! I guess they knew that ‘Stephanie Harris’ would look exactly like me??😂
super stars
I can add this to the list of sports that I like to watch😊 This was a sumo exhibition, where the professional stars of the sport are there to be seen, sign autographs, and be funny (I can not believe how limber they are).
Then, the lower-level guys are actually wrestling each other for real, even though I don’t think it counts on their official records.
They did a skit with an actor… most of them just stood there and laughed:)
I missed the part with the kids wrestling against the pros, but it was at least cool that I got to see the little ones in the sumo garb😄 They also did the traditional stuff from a match / tournament, which includes singing… I guess to be a sumo wrestler you have to be willing to sing in front of thousands of people??!!
This was held in a small town in Fukuoka Prefecture, and it was five hours round-trip on the train to get there! It was totally worth the trip though… this was a bucket-list experience that I have now done and not been disappointed😍 Here are the rest of the pictures from my day.
messing around
they’re famous
the crowd
explaining technique
cool costumes (kesho mawashi)
big boys
squatting
beating up the ref
Next up: Osaka
Hiroshima
The main ‘tourist attraction’ is the A-Bomb Dome
a-bomb dome
On my first day in Hiroshima, I visited the Dome and the nearby Peace Memorial Park and Peace Memorial Museum. I didn’t take any pictures inside the museum, even though it’s allowed. It just didn’t feel right. The museum is well-done, fact-based (no politics until after you leave the exhibits), and personal. I like that the name and the focus is on peace and progress – forward-looking instead of stuck on the past. Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima, Nagasaki… all horrible.
cenotaph for victims; the granite marker says, “Rest in Peace, for the error shall not be repeated“
The museum was very moving, and I felt sad hearing the stories. I also felt slightly guilty in an odd way and wondered to myself, “Hmm, do they know I’m American? What do they think about that?” No one made me feel that way, it was just the fleeting thought that I had.
children’s peace monument
This past August was the 70th anniversary of the bombing, and there are some survivors alive in Hiroshima who participated in the commemoration. The atrocities from the bombing don’t define Hiroshima, in my opinion, but those who live here do still seem to reflect on what happened and pay respects to the victims. I guess that’s the best way to be.
young man bowing at cenotaph
My primary thought is the same: hopeful that something like this will never happen again.
Hiroshima has a main street called Hondori Street, which has all kinds of shops and restaurants, and it’s really fun to saunter through and see all of the people, lights, and STUFF.
the hondori street “shopping arcade”
hondori street intersection
I found a CLAW GAME WORLD (don’t know what is was actually called), and my head almost exploded…
They also decorate Peace Boulevard with lights for Christmastime and call it Hiroshima Dreamination😆
hiroshima dreamination
christmas lights
near my hotel
on peace boulevard
It’s a pretty little city, with hills in the background, and a river running through the middle, which makes for picturesque bridges and idyllic restaurants by the water.
bridge over motoyasu river
cute cafe along the water
bikes, bikes, biiiikes!
One of the tastiest foods that I’ve discovered since being in the country is called “takoyaki”. Or, as I call them, octopus balls😃 (ahem – paula, of course you would love them…) It’s a battered ball of octopus, onions and spices, and they use this special pan to cook them in (sorry for flipping the camera on the video:/)…
Next up: SUMO STARS!!!!!!!
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