Got that Sumo diet

Today we got up, packed our belongings in the respective shared locker areas and walked 10mins down the road to where we are staying next.

We continued walking for about two hours, through the heart of Tokyo toward our main event of the day: the Grand Sumo Tournament! Since we were set to arrive quite early, we took a detour past the Tokyo Parliamentary buildings (swarming with police) and walked by the massive Tokyo Imperial Palace (which we plan to explore later), before reaching the area we needed to be.

We had lunch at a little ramen spot, and Phill was finally able to enjoy some dipping ramen!

We then joined our tour group, where our host gave us an overview of the history and intricacies of sumo. It was fascinating to learn how deeply connected the sport is to Shinto traditions, everything from the ceremonial salt throwing to the elaborate ring-entering rituals has spiritual significance. Sumo has been around for over 1,500 years and was once a performance to entertain the gods!

Inside the sold-out stadium, it was packed, but we were glad to be part of a group. Our tour guide explained every part of what was happening and translated any interesting commentary being made.

To our surprise, we both really enjoyed watching the matches. The bouts were fast-paced and captivating, and we were given fact sheets and rankings for the wrestlers, which made it even more engaging.

By the time the tournament wrapped up for the day, it was 6 PM and raining, so we decided to catch a train most of the way back. When we went to transfer to a connecting subway, we realised the rain had stopped, so we walked the rest of the way.

We ended the night with some snacks and catching up on our shows.

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