Big Boys

Tokyo, Japan

Sorry it's been so long since my last update. Japan has been such a refreshing country that I haven't had the time to stop and make a post. There is so much to do and see here.

Juan joined us yesterday, bringing our beaner/honky ratio up to more reasonable numbers. Today, we all went to Nagoya to see the Sumo tournament. There was some confusion on our way there, but we eventually made it to our destination (God bless our JR Passes. They have saved us so much money and time so far.).
Watching the matches was quite the experience. There's a lot of tradition and pomp associated with each confrontation, easily outlasting the actual physical match. But, after watching a few dozen, you get into it. The bluffing and intimidation involved in the pre-fight ritual becomes very apparent.
There is one match in particular that sticks in my mind. I don't remember the two rikishi, but they were two rather unremarkable (relative to other sumo wrestlers) examples. One of them (we'll call him Frontalot) was making a very big show out of his preperation. Throwing salt high in the air, flexing, grunting, and generally showboating. The crowd was loving it, and it was obvious that the guy was trying to rev himself up, and psyche the other guy out. But, the other wrestler (we'll call him Ice Cube) wasn't phased. When face-off time came up, Cube hunkered down and patiently waited while Frontalot continued his antics. After a false start by Frontalot, the match was quickly finished by a single well-placed facial slap by Cube. He sent Frontalot into a very embarrasing sprawl in the dirt. After almost three minutes of chest-beating and preperation, the match was finished in three seconds.