Sumo Wrestling

Sumo wrestling is an iconic symbol of Japan. A very honorable sport, thats origins come from legends. I got the chance to see a Sumo match and really learned about a different aspect of Japanese culture.

When walking around the Sumo town of Ryogoku you can spot sumo wrestlers everywhere. (My favorite moment was watching four sumo wrestlers pile into a small taxi cab and watch the car slowly sink down.)

Sumo, is a very slow sport. You will have about 5 minutes of ceremonial mannor in-between 5-15 second matches. The sumo wrestlers throw salt to purify the ring, and stomp to make the bad spirits go away. After a few repeats of this, they finally begin wrestling!

The rules in sumo wrestling are very simple: You lose if any part besides the bottom of your foot touches the ground or if you step or fall outside of the circle. (A lot more simple compared to American football which has over 350 rules!)