Sumo wrestling.

When I was living in America and heard about Japan two things came to mind – sushi and sumo.  I have already experienced the sushi, but until a couple of weeks ago had missed out on sumo.  Sumo tournaments are only held a couple of times throughout the year around Japan and tickets can be hard to get because they sell out quickly.  So I enlisted the help of my Japanese friend and she was able to get her hands on two tickets.   

Here is what I saw and learned (through a combination of watching the tournament and reading Wikipedia).

This has nothing to do with sumo - I just thought it was so neat.
Kind of like a food truck, but not.

Sumo flags leading up to the stadium.

Pre-sumo parade.  It should be noted that it was HOT!

Finally got tickets!

Pictures with the champ...and some cartoon characters, naturally

The preparation for the bout often took way more time than the actual bout.
The wrestlers greet each other (I don't actually know that this is what they are doing, but in mind, it works) three times.

More greeting.

The actual wrestling often lasted less than a minute.
I saw one bout that took about 5 seconds.

The tournament lasts 15 days - starting and ending on a Sunday.  The champion wrestlers each have one bout per day.

The referee calls the match, but there are also judges around the ring (dohyo).
The man in black is a judge.

These are the higher-ranked wrestlers.

This is one of the sumo champions.
He shimmied up those white markings. 

The wrestlers throw salt into the ring in order to purify it.

More wrestling.

The bout ends when one of the wrestlers steps outside the ring or touches the ground with anything other than his feet.

The higher-ranked wrestlers have sponsors for each of their bouts.  Each of these flags represents $300 that will be presented to the winner of the bout.  Before each bout, the flags would be marched around the ring.
I saw it get up to almost $10,000 for a bout.

Canyoning.

Matt left again a couple of weeks ago and the last weekend that he was here we figured we would have a nice relaxing time together just enjoying each other’s company…instead we went canyoning.  We rented a van with a group of friends, drove three hours, and arrived in Minakami, a beautiful little adventure sports town in Japan.  We spent the day jumping off waterfalls, repelling down cliffs, and riding rapids with nothing but wet suits and helmets (and no previous training, I might add).  Even though I love nothing more than pizza and beer nights engrossed in a House of Cards marathon, canyoning was worth getting off the couch.

This was about a 60-foot waterfall.  They lowered you halfway down and then dropped you the rest of the way.
Can you spot the people at the bottom?

We repelled down the waterfall behind us.

Matt was really good at repelling and loved doing it.  I have a feeling this won't be his last trip down the ropes.  I, however, preferred jumping off the waterfalls rather than repelling down them.  It was hard for me to trust that rope.

Fields of green.

It is my favorite time of rice season – the rice fields are flooded with water and the stalks are a beautiful green color.  You can see miles and miles of green fields when driving through Japan and we get a little slice of this in our backyard.  In the early summer evening, the wind blows and the water trickles by and, I swear, it is heaven on earth.

Bon Odori.

Throughout August in Japan you can hear the sound of beating drums, see the red glow of lanterns, and smell the yakitori on the grill – all of which mean that it is Bon Odori.  Bon Odori is where the spirit of one’s ancestors is honored.  Festivals are held throughout the country in order to entertain and honor those who have gone before us. 

This year for Bon Odori a group from the base trained in traditional dances to be performed at a number of these local festivals.  We met for an hour and a half each week to learn the intricate art of moving our hands and feet to the music. 

I was honestly a little apprehensive to join in the festivities.  I have never been called a dancer and have no rhythm, two things that are typically needed for a performance in front of thousands of people.  But I have tried to embrace life here in Japan and want to leave with no regrets, so I figured that I should give it a try.  Plus, I could always hide in the back. 

I felt honored to be learning these traditions and to be performing with ladies from our neighboring cities who have been dancing for decades.  I ended up having so much fun and even danced on stage for a few of the songs.

Here are some pictures from the base Bon Odori festival.      

He's back!

Matt is back for just a bit and we have had such fun already.  And by such fun, I mean that both of us spent the weekend on the couch with the flu.  Glass half full, however, we were together and we finished Orange is the New Black in one weekend.