Sumo-Size Me!

I crossed off another on a list of "to do's" in Japan today. I went to my first sumo match.

A full tournament lasts 15 days, from 8am to 6pm each day. Today was the 8th day so I felt like I was right in the middle of the slow-paced but nonetheless exciting action, which you can't tell from my horrible camera phone.

I said slow-paced because each of the 60+ daily sumo matches last anywhere from five to ten seconds, but they are prefaced by about 3 minutes of stretching, stomping, salt-throwing, mouth-rinsing, side-slapping, and false starts. Still, it was quite an enjoyable way to spend a Sunday afternoon; my mood only slightly spoiled by a reporter who asked if I was a sumo wrestler when I passed.