Vol.1

Grand sumo is a Japanese national sport which has a history of 1,400 years.

I was born and have been brought up in Japan all my life, but quite frankly Ifve never been to watch a real grand sumo match (ggrand sumoh points to professional sumo as compared to gsumoh which only indicates the sport in general).

The only grand sumo matches that Ifve seen were on TV, but shame on me, I never really learned to become interested in it although Ifm here to introduce Japanese stuff to you (It happens sometimes that you find yourself not knowing about your own country, right?).

So anyway, this time I decided to go watch one for the first time in my life.

To get there (get where!?cyoufll see in a moment) take the Chuo line from Tokyo to Akihabara and transfer to Sobu line which will take you to Ryogoku station. From Shinjuku station itfs a bit easier.
Just take the Sobu line for about half an hour.

"Kokugikan"
"Kokugikan" will come into your site
as you get off the train.

As you get off the train, rows of portraits of the successive champions welcome you and make you feel like youfre really in the town of sumo now.
The huge solemn building with the heavy green roof you find as you step out of the station is Kokugikan, the sacred ground of sumo and the stage of hot matches of the Tokyo Tournaments held in January, May and September.

I reached Kokugikan at a little past one in the afternoon but the entrance was already filled with people, and flags in many vivid colors were surrounding the building.

The rikishi (wrestler)'s names were written on the flags, and sumo fans coming to see the match took pictures in front of the flag with their favorite rikishi's name, or in front of the tower which held the yose-daiko, drums which told the opening and closing of the dayfs matches.