National Championships, Sumo Wrestling, Tokyo

by
Japan sumo wrestling Tokyo
The initial procession is quite an impressive display of the sumo physique.

For some reason the first day of the national Sumo Wrestling tournament in Tokyo reminded me a bit of bullfighting in Spain. There's a lot of traditional pomp, a lot of macho posturing, and some colorful costuming. And the sumo wrestlers are about as big as a bull, as well. But, in the end, it's more of a spectacle than a true sporting event. The local aficionados go in for it, but there are many, many tourists in the audience. In some ways, too, sumo reminded me of American football. Four minutes of fooling around, and about six seconds of action.

Nevertheless, here are a few action shots, too.

Japan sumo wrestling leg lift
I love the ceremonial leg lifts, and the loud bump when they put them down.

Believe it or not, the posturing, including the leg lifting, goes on for about four minutes before the bout starts. The bout then lasts, I'm not kidding, an average of about five seconds.

Japan sumo wrestling the initial push
There's a huge slapping sound when these guys slam together.

The initial push is important because sumo is really all about balance. The guy who can get it, and get a little leverage, will win.

Japan sumo wrestling the fall
When they both fall, who wins? Not the guy in the front row, I can tell you.

I'm not sure what the ruling is exactly when both guys fall out of the ring, but I wouldn't want to be under them when they land.

You can help yourself get ready for your own travels by reading our Get Started Planning Your Trip Now page.

We love traveling–with the right gear. We've gathered a lot of the stuff we use to make travel more pleasant and efficient all on one page. Shop our Travel Past 50 Amazon page to find our favorite gear. If you purchase something from the store, Travel Past 50, as an Amazon affiliate, may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Thanks.

Note: This post and other posts on TravelPast50.com may contain paid or affiliate advertising links.

Up Your Travel Skills

Looking to book your next trip? Use these resources that are tried and tested by us.

First, to get our best travel tips, sign up for our email newsletter.

Then, be sure to start your reading with our Resources Page where we highlight all the great travel companies and products that we trust.

Travel Accessories: Check out our list of all the accessories we carry to make getting there and being there a lot easier.

Credit Cards: See our detailed post on how to choose the right travel rewards credit card for you.

Flights: Start finding the very best flight deals by subscribing to Thrifty Traveler.

Book your Hotel: Find the best prices on hotels with Booking.com.

Travel Insurance: Don't leave home without it. We recommend Allianz Travel Insurance.

See all of the gear and books we like in one place on our Amazon shop.

2 thoughts on “National Championships, Sumo Wrestling, Tokyo”

    • Corinne, we did like it very much, but like I said, I almost found the spectacle to be more interesting than the actual wrestling. Our new Japanese friend, Keiko, says it’s possible to go watch them train, which I think would be more interesting than watching the actual tournament. Kris told me she found the referees more fun to watch than the wrestlers.

      Reply

Leave a Comment

If you liked this post, please share it.

Thanks.