Sumo at Yasukuni Shrine

THE HIGHER-RANKING WRESTLERS LEAVE THE STAGE AFTER THEIR INTRODUCTION

In the (seemingly many) years that I've been living here in Tokyo, I'd never been to see the Sumo held at Yasukuni Shrine - Japan's most famous sport at its most infamous shrine.

I've been to see Sumo tournaments at the official Sumo hall in Ryogoku and they are great fun, so it didn't take long to get me to agree to the outdoor one. Very, very fortunately that Friday April 5th turned out to be the only day of sun in a rather bleak month and we could enjoy sumo out under the sun and the cherry blossoms (now referred to by our group as "Sumomi" - Sumo+Hanami) with beers and snacks . The outdoor event not counting towards the tournament results, it is also more relaxed on the wrestler side, as you sometimes see them joke around and pat each other backs. If you're lucky, you might be able to get autographs and chat with the wrestlers which is usually very difficult. Everything was so perfect that even the annoyingly drunk woman and her boyfriend in front of us suddenly didn't seem that bad and their ears actually framed my pictures quite interestingly.

If you happen to be in Tokyo around then, definitely check it out. It's free, too! *First come, first served*