Morning sumo practice in the Kitanoumi-beya

Sumo, Kitanoumi-beya, Koto-ku, Tokyo

Sumo, Kitanoumi-beya, Koto-ku, Tokyo

I got up early this morning to go visit the morning sumo practice, keiko, at the Kitanoumi-beya in Kotu-ku, Tokyo. We were instructed not to talk, move, or show the back of our feet out of respect to the training sumo wrestlers and trainees. One hour watching these men train for the upcoming tournament in Osaka went by quickly.

Sumo has a history of over 1400 years and is a national sport of Japan. We were told that the men all live together in a large room in the back of the beya, the sumo stable, practicing hard everyday. The stable master looks after them like a father. The life of a sumo is devoted to training, and in modern Japan it is sometimes hard to find young boys who want to devote their lives to the way of the sumo.

Every year there are 6 sumo tournaments in Japan, all lasting 15 days. I am looking forward to seeing the tournament at Kokugikan in Tokyo in May! Tickets can be found here and or on sale from the middle of April.

Thank you to SWEA Japan and Koko English-speaking Volunteer Guide Association (http://koto-guide.blogspot.jp/) for arranging the trip!

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