3/22/05
Fun, Fat and a little Furry
So I finally made it to the long awaited sumo tournament. It was me and the boys, Philip, Jez and Matt. Matt is from New Zealand, has and plans to stay in this country too long for his own good, but is a fountain of sumo knowledge, and follows it on TV and knows all the players little quirks. We arrived at the sumo stadium around two in the afternoon when some of the less advance matches were going on. The best wrestlers and matches are left until the end of the day, between 4-6. We reserved a “box” which seats four people, but was really a 3ft by 3ft square with four cushions to sit on, a bit cramped but very Japanese. All around were Japanese families eating boxed lunches and munching on dried squid which smells like one would imagine it to. But for me at a sporting event, I was thoroughly entertained and enjoyed the spirit of it all.
There is a whole lot of ceremony to the event, as one might expect, but the gist of the match is one guy has one chance to push the other out of the ring or to get him to fall down inside the ring to win. The longest match I saw maybe lasted a minute and a half or two. Most were over in thirty seconds. It’s fun to take bets on who will win, because it isn’t necessarily the fattest, a certain amount of agility is involved. Longer than the match itself, it seemed, was the amount of time it took the “announcer” to sing the wrestler’s names, which comes out sounding like off-key moaning vowels.
Sumo wrestlers aren’t just Japanese either. There are some successful wrestlers from Korea, Mongolia, and Russia. They are required to grow their hair long so it can be slicked into the traditional looking topknot. They eat several large meals a day and try to sleep right after so as to not burn any precious calories. I’d say an average sized guy was 300lbs. But the biggest was nearly 400lbs. The scariest part was the occasional appearance of back and breast hair.
There is a whole lot of ceremony to the event, as one might expect, but the gist of the match is one guy has one chance to push the other out of the ring or to get him to fall down inside the ring to win. The longest match I saw maybe lasted a minute and a half or two. Most were over in thirty seconds. It’s fun to take bets on who will win, because it isn’t necessarily the fattest, a certain amount of agility is involved. Longer than the match itself, it seemed, was the amount of time it took the “announcer” to sing the wrestler’s names, which comes out sounding like off-key moaning vowels.
Sumo wrestlers aren’t just Japanese either. There are some successful wrestlers from Korea, Mongolia, and Russia. They are required to grow their hair long so it can be slicked into the traditional looking topknot. They eat several large meals a day and try to sleep right after so as to not burn any precious calories. I’d say an average sized guy was 300lbs. But the biggest was nearly 400lbs. The scariest part was the occasional appearance of back and breast hair.
I'm Coming Out
Here are some of the top wrestlers in their sort of "coming out" ceremony in which they wear not only the diaper, but also a decorative "apron" in front. So lets recap, these "men" must have long hair swept into dramatic up-do's, wear embroidered silky aprons, grow ample bosoms, wear silky diapers, and walk around barefoot while looking seemingly pregnant... hmmmmm.
Face Off
This match took place fairly early in the day, which is why I was able to get the close up wedgie shot. What you can't see is how remarkable close some people are sitting to the ring, and when someone gets shoved out, thats a whole lot of momentum and flesh to have smack into you.
Osaka Streets
This is the front of the sumo stadium. Apparently all of the flags were handmade. It is located right in the heart of downtown Osaka which made it strange to see the sumo wrestlers in traditional robes wandering the streets, walking past, or maybe into the McDonalds or a convient store...
Even Better Than the Real Thing
This is as close as I would get to the big fat men. Every other time I saw them they were beat walls with their hands and heads or just generally looking intimidating.
3/17/05
Call me Mrs. Robinson
So, some fun facts about the Japanese Public School System! First, the school year begins in April and ends in the following March, so I am currently coming upon graduation time. For me personally, graduation was that thing that happened at the end of high school and again at the end of college. But now in Japan, I must attend three graduations this week, Bisei Junior High, Elementary School and Pre-School. I was trying to explain to my fellow teacher that I didn't have these graduation ceremonies growing up, and the main was, no one really cares. For me, even the High School and College graduations I did attend were mostly going through the motions and a good excuse to eat elaborately iced cakes. High School Graduation I grabbed the diploma in one hand and twirled the lolly-pop I was enjoying in the other, and for college I walked through the line with headphones on listening to a soundtrack from a documentary about gypsies.
Graduations in Japan are a real flower fest, I've seen some wicked flower arrangements at these and graduating students also give their teachers single roses as a token of appreciation. The homeroom teachers got at least two dozen each. I got three roses, the highlight of which was Yuma's. Yuma is the tallest boy in school, with the deepest voice, and big dreams of being a break dancer/ DJ. The whole event must have brought out the adolescent in me because when this 15 year old boy gave me a rose I actually blushed.
Graduations in Japan are a real flower fest, I've seen some wicked flower arrangements at these and graduating students also give their teachers single roses as a token of appreciation. The homeroom teachers got at least two dozen each. I got three roses, the highlight of which was Yuma's. Yuma is the tallest boy in school, with the deepest voice, and big dreams of being a break dancer/ DJ. The whole event must have brought out the adolescent in me because when this 15 year old boy gave me a rose I actually blushed.
Taste of Sucess
Graduation in Japan does reap some tasty benefits, but it's not about the cake here, it's all about the bento, baby. O bento, or roughly translated, Honorable Boxed Lunch, is something Japan does very well, or very bad depending on where you get it. It generally consists of tasty bits of fish, raw, cooked and fried, as well as a light dotting of veggies, fruit, and rice or sushi.
With Honors
Here is a graduating wee one standing next to the Graduation Giraffe. What might catch your eye are her "fancy" socks, these "fancy" socks are reserved for special occasions such as graduation or Culture Day. "Fancy" socks are worn by little girls, generally go up to the knee and end in large protruding ruffles.
3/6/05
Valley of the Dolls
This weekend was spent in the quaint town of Katsuyama, where my friend Chris lives. The event on Tap was the O Hina Matsuri, or Girls Festival, which is basically a large display of large sets of ornate dolls. The dolls are put on display around March 3rd for any little girls a family might have to promote their happiness. The displays are then swiftly taken down because as supersition has it, if the dolls are left “on the shelf” too long it means the girl will be late getting married. Families are very concerned about their girls getting married swiftly, at 25, I am nearing “Christmas Cake” status, meaning on December 24th everyone in Japan buys a Christmas Cake, and those not bought and left over on the 25th are old and unwanted, so same is supposed to go for woman. I like to think I do not need consumer validation to know I am a quality, tasty looking cake, made with love and fresh ingredients, and that I can live a full cake life both on or off the shelf.
Luckily, this intense girlishness was balanced out by something not so girlish; monkeys. Chris befriended a delightfully sweet Japanese woman named Nao, who drove us up to a nearby waterfall. The highlight of the waterfall was wild monkeys live there! I’ve been dying to see some monkeys since I got here. And I got an eyeful, about 50 some monkeys were frolicking about, and they were so used to the tourists you could get really close to them, there were baby monkeys, and even baby monkey making!
Luckily, this intense girlishness was balanced out by something not so girlish; monkeys. Chris befriended a delightfully sweet Japanese woman named Nao, who drove us up to a nearby waterfall. The highlight of the waterfall was wild monkeys live there! I’ve been dying to see some monkeys since I got here. And I got an eyeful, about 50 some monkeys were frolicking about, and they were so used to the tourists you could get really close to them, there were baby monkeys, and even baby monkey making!
Oishikatta!
To go along with doll viewing, little cakes and tea help set the mood. These are mochi cakes, which is rice that is beaten into a soft dough, sweetened, steamed and wrapped around anko, which is a sweet red bean paste. I will miss these dearly when I leave...
Look, it's Nature!
Behind me is actually an impressive waterfall, but this photo is not doing it justice, and those little gray lumps are the monkeys.
Monkeys to Suit
Here is a baby monkey hitching a ride on it’s mother’s back. As far as mood lifters go, monkeys are just as good as chocolate, I was enchanted with them on site.
3/4/05
A Vision in Green
It's Jez, seen here with the most 70's like hair and expression to match anyones reaction to really 70'sish looking hair. He has posted an equally unflattering picture of me on his blog, so in all fairness, this was my only option. I suppose that describes our friendship as well, slightly antagonistic but all in fun. He was a psychology major, which makes him a good companion for people watching, he also has a seemingly unlimited capacity for pulling all nighters, McDonalds, and funny hats.
The ladies behind him aren't his backup singers, it's Zoe and Ilana, his fellow Australians...
The ladies behind him aren't his backup singers, it's Zoe and Ilana, his fellow Australians...
The C's
You might say Claire is my roommate here. I invade her apartment in the city nearly every weekend, throw my belongings all over the living room, use the shower, cook copious amounts of food in the kitchen, eat her chocolate, and drink her divine coffee. The good thing for her is she never has to make her own coffee or breakfast on the weekends, there is always some waiting for her, and it is really the only way to wake her up, she is blessed with the ability to sleep in long powerful chunks. Claire likes to shop and eat at the same times as I do, which is basically all I require from a good girlfriend, and it doesn't hurt that she has good taste in movies, is well traveled, and has an entertaining vocabulary, both in English and Japanese.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
