Fat People *Do* Get to Have Fun

Yesterday (Sunday) I, a friend, and another gaikokujin from my dorm (who I hadn't met before Saturday) left home at 6:00 AM to go see sumo. By the time we got to the arena, there were over 140 people in line. (Among them was a friend of mine whom I had invited.) Nonetheless, there were plenty of tickets left, and we got nosebleed access to sumo matches that ran from mid/late-morning to the evening.
Sumo is actually quite a rapid sport - once the match starts. Prior to each match, a man in a kimono comes out and sings something or other (which shows you how sumo used to be more closely associated with ceremonies than it is today). The contestants get on stage, then take their time stomping their feet, slapping their bodies, and putting their fists on the ground. Sometimes they throw salt into the ring, though I can't remember what the purpose of that is. They'll put their fist to the ground, facing each other and seemingly raring to go, then break off - and do so multiple times. Finally, through some process I don't understand, they fight.
There is generally no pussy-footing in a sumo match. The fight always begins with the two fighters charging right into each other. Naturally, there is grappling, but there is also plenty of hitting as well: you can assault your opponent anywhere above the belt so long as you don't make a fist. As is famiiliar to most people, the goal is to either knock one's opponent to the ground or push him out of the ring (which, incidentally, is made of bags of rice (I think)).
The lower eschelons fought first. As time went on, higher level wrestlers came out, leading up to the grand sumo matches, when the stadium was, while not filled to capacity, flush with cheering fans. There were charges, slaps, attempts at tripping, times when the man about to be pushed out of the ring swivelled or whatnot and turned the tables, dodges, and plenty of instances of smaller opponents using their lower center of gravity to their advantage. Two of the matches required the five judges to confer on the results; one of these meetings led to a rematch promptly followed by a false start, leaving no victor until the third round.
At the end of it all, we saw, as we left, a bit of the ceremony celebrating the (or a...there were three final matches between six wrestlers, so I'm not sure what article to use) champion's victory. He got to hold a giant cup, take some sort of symbolic arrow (though I don't know how permanently), and receive cheers. As we left the stadium, we noticed a Toyota of some sort parked facing the gate, with a row of cameramen ready to film what we presumed to be an imminent scene of the victorious champion driving off. (Although sumo has lost popularity due to a recent scandal involving Russian wrestlers who smoked marijuana, wrestlers still have plenty of fans who will cheer for them individually when they get in the ring to be introduced in their fabulous aprons.) Baseball games back home may involve a fake sumo contests with people in padded suits acting ridiculous, but many Japanese love the sport. I must say, there were some good matches.
I got a good souvenir from the trip, too. The first 100 people in a certain line received an autograph from a former sumo wrestler. I and a friend got in that line, and we have the illegible posterboard signatures to prove it. (Seriously, though, it's sorta cool.)
This is a normal week (save the lack of the usual Monday morning Japanese quiz), so there won't be as much traveling. Nonetheless, I hope to do something (or many things) interesting Saturday and/or Sunday. I'll be sure to write about them!

P.S. I do have some photos to post, but I'm a very lazy person. Also, I have no photos for some of what I've done because my camera's gone a bit haywire, and my new, flat-as-a-pancake Japanese phone had a low battery yesterday. Stay tuned.