Dear Diary, 

I’m a bit of a martial artist back home. I’ve been practicing jiu jitsu for a few years, I've thrown in some Judo practices, a few Muay Thai classes, and some impromptu wrestling from other students. After having dabbled a little with these arts, I knew when I came to Japan, I had to experience something I couldn't get at home: Sumo; and luckily I am here during one of the three tournaments hosted in Ryogoku each year. Ryogoku is the ultimate sumo obsessed town. So much so they built a stadium that can seat over 10,000 people just for sumo tournaments and a museum dedicated to the origins of sumo and how it has grown is literally inside the stadium itself. 

So, I knew I had to get tickets, and boy, was it worth it. Stepping into the stadium was like stepping through time, but was I stepping into the past or the future? The first thing I heard were the beating drums and immediately my heart started to pace with it. The crowd was electric, filled with so much energy it was like entering a beehive. People were dressed in everything from traditional kimonos or yukatas to jean shorts and sneakers. 

But the most exciting part was obviously the sumo matches themselves. The matches were surprisingly brief, but so intense, and despite only lasting a couple of seconds, I felt like I was in the battle myself. Everyone who does any martial art knows that a minute or less can feel like an hour when someone is trying to slam you to the ground. The matches began with the wrestler on either end of the ring, or dohyo, and they performed their own rituals to prepare themselves physically and mentally. The goal of sumo is simple - knock the opponent out of the ring or make them touch the ground with any other part of their bodies besides the soles of their feet. Easy enough, right?  After the matches or during the breaks some of the athletes even get some quality time with their fans, taking selfies or signing autographs. 

Off to start training, 

Xoxo, 

Maria