Japan's de facto national sport (although this is not an official status) is the enthralling and at times bewildering spectacle that is sumo.
Deeply rooted in Japan's culture, sumo has a history of over 1,500 years. Legend has it that the very survival of the Japanese people balanced on the outcome of a sumo match between the gods, and indeed sumo originated as a form of Shinto ritual. Though it has developed into a professional sport, elements of these rituals are still apparent, from the use of salt to purify the ring, to the shrine-like roof hanging above.
Sumo tournaments, or basho, take place every two months in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka and are a truly fantastic way to spend the day. Though the pre-bout antics are strict and formalised, the fights are a spectacular blur of flesh, noise and power as the two man mountains attempt to push, pull or slap each other out of the ring, or onto any part of their body other than the soles of their supersize feet.
Though quintessentially Japanese, in recent times the number of foreign wrestlers has gradually increased and a growing number of non-Japanese excel at the sport and the complex set of cultural traditions it carries.
Take a bento lunch box, grab a beer and cheer on with the crowd as they rally their favourite rikishi to victory!
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