Sumo and Pacing

Although we went to Sumo last time we came to Japan, it was just too cool to pass up. I had nosebleed seats, but didn't care and just went to relax and casually watch some bouts. I watched solid sumo from 9 to 5, with some Chanko Nabe for lunch (calorie dense soup that's a stable of the league sumo wrestler diet). Sumo originated in shrine traditions, and for the main matches that aspect is still well maintained. Competitors do the famous sumo stomp to remove evil spirits from the ring, throw salt to ward any others off, and in anime fashion drink cleansing water given to them from the opponent they last defeated. It's always fun to watch, and they are shockingly athletic and agile despite their size. There are no weight classes, so smaller opponents have to use leverage and speed against bigger contenders; and often with success! It's not just who is the biggest, but who uses their tools the most effectively. And to be fair, the smallest wrestler is still a huge human.
Afterwards, I was feeling ambitious and thought I would check out another concert venue Chris and I were eyeing. Basement Bar was a super tiny hole in the wall, and had some indie rock bands playing that night. One funny note, their bathroom "Rock" written in tape for the door lock is the peak of language humor (for those unaware, L's dont exist in Japanese and are typically replaced with R's).
While this trip has helped me feel young in body and spirit, I was definitely the old man there as all the band members were max early 20s with (I assume) their parents in the 15 person audience. It was still fun, and the "kids" shredded. I knew I had a big travel day tomorrow though, and chose to leave early. Probably should have skipped the venue and just rested, but at least I didn't stay out late. I'll need to be cognitive of pacing to not burn out my body on this long of a trip. I'm used to the natural pauses inherent with group travel; but now it's just myself telling me when to take 5 and slow down. It's good practice as I'm sometimes a caffeine laced flying roman candle burning at both ends. It's nice to take the slow morning or early evening and I'm appreciating them more. Czytaj więcej