Grand
Sumo Tournament, Osaka Municipal Gymnasium
The entrance to
the tournament. Where's Erik??
There he is,
checking out the flags' traditional bamboo frame. Erik's not as
cool as he looks.
Let the sumo
begin! An introduction ceremony for the lower-ranked sumo
wrestlers.
This is as close
as I got to the action. Trust me, these guys are bigger than they
appear.
Erik, Kari, and
Sara can't get enough.
Here we
go. The combatants bow before their match. Wow.
Crowded place.
Woo! A
match with a yokozuna, a Grand Champion. He lost!
The neon lights
along Osaka's Dotombori River. After seeing the Grand Champ lose,
it was time to hit the town.
Sumo was
actually very exciting. Mainly because we had a little bet going
on. Which I lost.
Sumo involves a
lot of fat guys, a whole lot of tradition, and too much fun. The
atmosphere in the arena really was something like a baseball game;
people selling peanuts and what not, and lots of people talking but
only watching the sport when something exciting was going on.
When exciting sumo was going on, everyone had their eyes riveted on
the ring, hung in complete suspense as to who would be the
victor -- and that was sport at its best. A great time was
had by all!
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