Day 10, Monday, May 21st: Sumo Basho (and Soba)!

We are both up early as we are excited about our first day at sumo. Not many guests at breakfast this morning as we are pretty early. Lana reserves the airport shuttle for Sunday and our trip to Narita airport. Usual walk downhill to Shinagawa station. It is another beautiful warm and sunny morning! Many white collar workers are streaming up the hill given there are a number of office towers in the neighbourhood. So many people at the train station and in waiting for the passengers to leave the Yamanote train it seemed like they never stopped. How many passengers were in that car?   :-)

We take the Yamanote line eastward to Akihabara station and an easy walk to transfer to Sobu Line on Platform 6. Ryogoku Kokugikan (Tokyo sumo arena) is almost beside the train station. Lana remembers the front gates entrance so we are navigating quickly. Our tickets are checked and we are given an english program (yay!) and we take some pictures outside the arena. 

Yup, just like you may have read sometimes the Tokyo trains get crammed. While on the train Lana starts watching a Japanese show on one of the video screens about a girl who has a dream she is going to get married but then she reaches out her hand and finds two men who want to marry her. She wakes up and is very confused by the dream. She ends up meeting both men in real life--one seems very sad/serious and the other quite happy and outgoing. They end up living in the same building so now she sees them both every day. Lana googles this show and thinks it might be called Zendai Girl but is not sure? 

Google Map for getting from our hotel to Ryogoku Station (sumo arena).

Our two tickets for today's sumo basho.

We are in the sumo arena! So many fond memories from our last trip. At entry a lady helps us with how we will find our seats. We must enter on level two and through Gate 1. Lana figures out our seats by comparing the Japanese numbers to the seats. Very smart. (BTW - most people struggle finding their seats and that includes Japanese fans).

Very few people here at 09:20. We occupy two seats right at the railing so we can get a better view. It doesn't look like the ticket holders will be here for a while. We find an Arena Map in english--we notice that there is much more English since the last time we were here--we are not sure if this is because there are more non-Japanese speaking fans coming or because the Arena feels they should have it. While we don't expect much English--we do appreciate it when we find it as it does make things a little easier for us. There might be only a hundred people here. The sign in the window indicated that today's matches are sold out. Thanks to Naomi and Hikaru for getting us our sumo tickets. We love sumo so much that we want to see as many bouts as possible.

Concession inside the arena. 

Hand sizes of the giant rikishi at the train station. 

Lana in the arms of a rikishi.

Height comparison to some Yokozuna.

Yummy treats for 220Yen

Another rikishi-sized hand--Akebono was the famous Hawaiian Yokazuna--we met him several years ago when there was a sumo exhibition basho in Las Vegas. Lana shook his hand and got a picture taken.

Sink in the bathroom - on the left is the soap, in the middle is the water and on the right is the hand dryer! Love it!

Some interesting facts about Sumo (at least I think they are interesting):

• There are six (6) tournaments each year
• Tournaments run for 15 consecutive days
• Only men can be sumo wrestlers (rikishi)
• Sumo as a sport is at least 1500 years old
• It is Japan's national sport
• Originated as a performance to entertain the Shinto deities
• Rituals have a religious background and much of sumo is ritualistic
• The dohyo (ring) is made of clay and covered in sand and is sacred
• Chanko Nabe is the staple food of rikishi--rich stew of meat and vegetables
• No weight restrictions so you can bulk up to as heavy as you wish
• Some matches have smaller men against much larger men
• One match per day per wrestler 
• Lower ranked rikishi start in the morning and as the day progresses the caliber of the rikishi gets better
• RANKING HIERARCHY "Banzuke":
• Yokozuna (grand champion and very difficult to qualify and need to be elected to this rank based on record and character)
• Ozeki 
• Sekiwaki
• Komsubi
• Maegashira
• Juryo
• The rikishi move up and down in the rankings based on their won/loss records at each sumo basho - positive records can move up and negative records can move down
• The Yokozuna can never move down - if they start to lose too many matches they are expected to retire
• The top division of sumo is Makuuchi and the next division is Yuryo
• There are 42 rikishi in the top division of Makuuchi
• Next divisions are Makushita, San-Dan-Me, Jo-Ni-Dan and the lowest is Jo-No-Kuchi
• Suspended above the dohyo with cables is a roof resembling a shinto shrine
• The referees are Gyōji and are dressed in ceremonial kimono
• They enter the ring and call out sumo names of each rikishi in a specially-trained, high-pitched, singing voice
• The Gyōji signal play to begin with his fan
• During matches the Gyōji around the ring and shout words of encouragement to the rikishi
• There are no ties so if result of match is unsure they do another match immediately
• Slapping is allowed and can be a good strategy
• Some matches can last a couple of seconds and others will last much longer
• When the two rikishi blast from their crouches at each other there is a smacking sound from the mostly naked bodies colliding at huge forces
• The higher level classification rikishi will throw salt into the dohyo for purification

Sumo basho English program. We use this to follow the matches for the top two divisions. You can figure out the ranks of every rikishi and then the order of their matches/bouts. There is an East side and a West side. We did get lost following the program initially until Lana could start hearing the Japanese words/names and make out what the announcer was saying!!

Sumo basho first page of program. Beautiful. 

Observations from day one at sumo:

• In the late morning a guy about two sections over was talking very loudly on this cellphone so I went over and stood beside him and then motioned for him to head for the exit. He got up quickly and disappeared. 
• Check this website for more info on sumo
• Prices at the many concession stands on our level are expensive - no different in North America at any sporting event
• Lots of choice in their concession stands from beer, sake, ice cream, hot dogs, burgers, Japanese cuisine, snacks, pop etc.
• You can walk outside the arena any time and enjoy the fresh air (unless you are in the dedicated smokers zone) and sunshine
• More people begin showing up around 13:30 although still tons of empty seats
• The Juryo Division attracts the first major crowd surge
• The major surge of newcomers is for the Makuuchi Division which features the very best rikishi
• Shorter and lighter rikishi can beat much heavier and taller rikishi
• We shared a bento box of pork cutlet and rice lunch for 980Yen
• The higher level rikishi are much more ritualized and each match can take quite a long time to actually begin
• For the two higher divisions there are processions of all the rikishi in that division (very colourful)
• There are two Yokozuna in this tournament and they have their own elaborate rituals which follow the Makuushi Division procession and are loudly cheered by the public
• The Yokozuna face north when undertaking their rituals
• We finally figured out which was East and West as the red banner on the corner signifies East and the white banner on the other corner signifies West
• At around 16:00 the arena is about 85% full
• There are many more Caucasian tourists at the sumo basho than the last time we were here
• A real buzz in the arena with the larger crowds and the elite rikishi are fighting
• The winner of the preceding match serves water to the next rikishi on their side of either east or west. The losing side rikishi gets their water from the next rikishi sitting on their side. 
• In the more important Makuuchi Division there is advertising before many matches by fellows carrying banners identifying their sponsors
• There is a break 1/2 way through the Makuuchi Division
• Some of the crowd are quite loud in yelling their support for their favourite rikishi
• We believe Ikioi and Abi are very much the crowd favourites as they get huge cheers of encouragement before their bouts and they both happen to win tonight
• We were checking for Caucasian rikishi in the higher classifications and there two fighting today being Tochinoshi - his record is 9-0 (from Georgia the country) and Aoiyama from Bulgaria
• The last match ended at 17:54 and we left

You think this is a mis-match for the smaller rikishi?

Picture of the dohyo with the roof above. This was first thing in the morning and you'll notice there is not very many people watching yet.

This guy was massive and in one of the lower divisions.

Rikishi getting ready for their bout. 

The judges who are seated around the dohyo will convene when it is uncertain which rikishi either touched down first or whose body landed out of the dohyo first. 

This is a mis-match!

Dohyo refresh video after so many fights the ring is swept and watered: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvjwXoJVIWM&feature=youtu.be

Sumo match big vs small--here you will see the slapping strategy mentioned earlier--we suspect this might just be the only option when you are much smaller and lighter than your opponent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a5LWZ8y3u0&feature=youtu.be

At the conclusion of the last match/bout there is another elaborate ritual, but we decide to head for the train station and try to avoid the stampede of other fans leaving. We want to get to Sarashina-Horii for soba. Another Anthony Bourdain recommended place that is 220 years old and is prized for their soba noodles. We check our Handy for directions via train system  and walking. It is about 30 minutes from the sumo arena. Given we really skimped on lunch we are pretty hungry. We arrive around 18:40 in the Roppongi Hills neighbourhood.

We don't have soba very often so this is a real treat and in Japan at one of the very best. We are seated at a hectagonal shaped table in a very busy and loud restaurant. Many locals here and the noodles are fresh and el dente. The have english menus so that is much appreciated. We figure out what we want to try and basically the idea is order one of their many soba and pair with various tempura dishes. The soba is delicious!!! By the way, the soba noodles are delivered COLD. You really need to know how to make and prepare these noodles.

GUIDE TO EATING SOBA from the restaurant:

1. use chopsticks and not your fingers
2. pour soba broth into a cup (not into the soba)
3. dip 1/3 of your soba noodles into the soba broth
4. put Yakumi (thinly sliced leek, some wasabi and some grated radish) little by little into your broth *wasabi is one of yakumi and increases appetite and inner body detox
5. slurp soba
6. drink sobayu (cooking water from the noodles) once you have finished your noodles

English Menu @ Sarashina-Horii.

Delivered first to your table. Soba broth and wasabi...You pour soba broth into bowl and add wasabi as directed above. 

Lana's order of Mori soba and Koebi (prawn) tempura.

Randy's order of Specialty white soba and Kakiage tempura (shrimp & vegs in a baseball shape).

You pour your soba cooking water into the bowl from the container above for your final tastes. 

On the way back to the train station to begin our trip home, Lana stops in a local Starbucks (they are everywhere!) and purchases some goodies for tomorrow that we can enjoy at the sumo arena. It is a beautiful night to walk home as it is neither cool nor hot. 

Walking stats for today: 6.5 kms, 9500 steps and 18 floors. Very frustrating with the blog tonight given the hotel internet was super slow or just not working. Uploading pictures can be very time consuming. By the time I have completed the first draft Lana is fast asleep.