OSSU! SUMO!!!!
So, today we got to experience sumo. And I don`t mean we sat around and watched. We learned actively. >.< At 9, we gathered at school and met our five new classmates - Sarah, Cameron, Dan, Paul, and Jamie. All are from the US except Jamie, who`s from Scotland. Nifty~~~ dialect, by the way! <3 Uh, Sarah`s from Chicago, Cameron and Dan are childhood friends from LA, and Paul`s from Virginia. Anyway, we had too many people for one mini-bus so we had to divide up into two. Alex and I ended up in the van with the four new guys. They seem cool enough. Cameron, Dan, and Jamie are all college-age.
Anyway, over an hour later, we arrive at Nagoya University and after trying to go the wrong way a couple of times, we figures out where we needed to park, and walked to the sumo building. It was a small, unairconditioned building, but the coach explained that they we unfunded and that they had built it themselves (or at least raised the money to do so - I didn`t catch what year it happened - if it was recently or further back in club history). Most of the area was taken up by a large dirt floor and a circle in the middle of it. Off on one end of the room, there was a sizeable wooden platform where they seemed to keep things, and had all their awards and tribute to kami or something... (I didn`t really understand if there`s a particular god sumo people go to or if it was just `kami` in general) One room off to the side was a small kitchen area and another door led to a VERY SMALL changing area, shower room (one at a time), and toilet (one at a time).
We came in, took our shoes off and were hanging out on the platform thingy. The coach talked to us some about sumo. Then we went in sets of three or four and had mawashi put on us. Mawashi is the sumo name for the fundoshi (underwear >_>) they wear during the match. Guys were wearing them over their boxers, but we girls got to keep our shorts. Thank goodness. It was all ready embarassing enough having a guy help you put enormous underwear on when you were WEARING shorts. >.< Most of the guys took their shirts off. Again, we got to keep ours. Once we were dressed, the coach was explaining more things about sumo and their particular team while the members changed. And they wore only the Mawashi. It`s gotta take a self-confident guy to do sumo, I think.
Then the club members watered and swept the ring (I`m not really sure why they spread water, maybe to keep the dust down, and sweaping aroudn the dust in the ring... I really didn`t get that either). Then we got to learn some of the warm-ups. When you think of sumo-wrestlers, do you think of them lifting one leg at a time and slapping it down? Well, we did that. It`s really hard! It`s for bulding leg muscles but also for balance practice. We did it, like, 12 times, and I was only able to do the first couple because then my balance, which is always rather poor, was all used up. ~_~
We learned how to sonkyo. Heck yeah! We did that in kendo! Standing on the balls of your feet, you squat, knees spread. From that position is where sumo wrestlers put theri hands on the ground and begin the match.
I forget when in the warm-ups it was, but we learned another ritual, done while in sonkyo, that sumo wrestlers do, symbolizing that they have no weapons and calling kami`s attention. Hands are held out to the sides, palms down, then brought together in the front, then a big clap (calls kami`s attention). Then, pinkies together, opened to show still no weapons. Then arms are opened and lifted, palms up to a little above the shoulders. This is for something like peace in the world... I don`t really remember. It was all explained in Japanese with some English phrases, becuase apparently the coach knows at least some English.
That done, we got to do a sort of walking exercise. It involved big, shuffling steps across the ring while holding your hands out like you`re about to grapple with somebody. For the most part, we all looked like idiots. Then we got to push them across the ring. We started in sonkyo-crouch position, then hands on the ground. Then, the wrestler we were up against, who was standing in front of us, arms spread, would slap the waistband of his mawashi to signal he was ready and we had to shove them, putting our hand just under their arms on their chest. We had to do it twice. He was so sweaty, my hands kept slipping. That and, no matter how unimpresive they look in clothes, or even when you first see them jsut in mawashi, they`re basically a wall of steel. I couldn`t really move him. He ended up kinda of scooting backwards for me. What a dear. I really appreciated it. And thanked him.
After that, we watched a couple of them go at it for a couple of bouts, then we could try. I passed, along with the rest of the girls, but most of the boys tried their hand at it. A couple of them - especially Dan - were pretty darn good at it. Some of the others... it was easy to tell that the wrestler let them win. Like, one was just leanign on Jamie, feet on the bags that marked the ring, laughing, and let Jamie push him out. Cameron didn`t get to win. It ended with the wrestler picking him up by his mawashi and carrying him out of the ring!
Btw - one of the guys in the club was really cute. Like, heck yeah~ Even after he changed, he was walking around in jsut his boxers... but I guess that`s nothing when you`ve been wearing a mawashi around... much more revealing! And I think he`s the only one who didn`t shower before we left anyway, so he was still probably grody. He was sweet. He talked to me a moment or two. I had laughed at some things he said to someone else (who hadn`t understood) and he said he thought I understood Japanese pretty well and asked how long I`d been in Japan. <3
We had chanko for lunch. It was nabe. ^_^ They had a special little pot for me without meat. Theirs, on the other hand was an ENORMOUS pot with about 8 or 10 packs of meat in it. Yorn ate like, 7 bowls. Dan had at least 4. Yorn said she still wasn`t full. I couldn`t really finish two, but was still a little hungry when we got back to school. So yeah, we ate while sitting on zabuton (floor cushions) on the platform then thanked everyone and went home. At school, we all went over to Domy (a really close supermarket) and got ice cream. ^_~*
I caught the right bus home. I asked one bus driver if he was going to my stop and he said no, but told me which one to get on. It pulled in shortly threafter and he even got off his bus to make sure I had seen that that was the correct one. That was sweet.
I used my house key for the first time. Cool. When Yasuko-san and Hiroshi-san got back from the store, Hiroshi-san and I had some cake and tea. ^_^ And we all talked for like, an hour, then I remembered I had to go to the store and buy a contact lense case because I can`t find mine, and I wore contacts today for sumo. I bought one. When I was heading home, Yasuko-san came around the corner. I think she was coming ot make sure I found it okay. ^_^ They`re really too sweet to me. Sunday we`re all going (Yoshiko-san too!) castle-seeing!
Word of the Day: chanko
Meaning: food served in a sumo place or made by a sumo wrestler, usually eaten by sumo wrestlers
Tidbit: Apparently most Japanese think that chanko is some specific recipe, secret all but to sumo wrestlers, but it`s actually anything cooked in a sumo place or by someone who does sumo. As the coach tod us, it can be really fancy Italian food, but it`s still just chanko.
Pronunciation: chyawn-ko
Tonight`s dinner is going to be omurice and potato salad. I`m excited to try omurice. ^_^ And the potato salad! It`s funny! Yasuko-san was mixing carrots and cucumber in with whipped potatoes and mayonaise and putting them into a bowl. I asked what she was making and she said potato salad! I told her that in the US it`s usually cubed potatoes... but I`ve never seen whipped. ^_^ It`s kinda pretty. I said I want to make it at home and show people and she said we`d do it together next time.
Anyway, over an hour later, we arrive at Nagoya University and after trying to go the wrong way a couple of times, we figures out where we needed to park, and walked to the sumo building. It was a small, unairconditioned building, but the coach explained that they we unfunded and that they had built it themselves (or at least raised the money to do so - I didn`t catch what year it happened - if it was recently or further back in club history). Most of the area was taken up by a large dirt floor and a circle in the middle of it. Off on one end of the room, there was a sizeable wooden platform where they seemed to keep things, and had all their awards and tribute to kami or something... (I didn`t really understand if there`s a particular god sumo people go to or if it was just `kami` in general) One room off to the side was a small kitchen area and another door led to a VERY SMALL changing area, shower room (one at a time), and toilet (one at a time).
We came in, took our shoes off and were hanging out on the platform thingy. The coach talked to us some about sumo. Then we went in sets of three or four and had mawashi put on us. Mawashi is the sumo name for the fundoshi (underwear >_>) they wear during the match. Guys were wearing them over their boxers, but we girls got to keep our shorts. Thank goodness. It was all ready embarassing enough having a guy help you put enormous underwear on when you were WEARING shorts. >.< Most of the guys took their shirts off. Again, we got to keep ours. Once we were dressed, the coach was explaining more things about sumo and their particular team while the members changed. And they wore only the Mawashi. It`s gotta take a self-confident guy to do sumo, I think.
Then the club members watered and swept the ring (I`m not really sure why they spread water, maybe to keep the dust down, and sweaping aroudn the dust in the ring... I really didn`t get that either). Then we got to learn some of the warm-ups. When you think of sumo-wrestlers, do you think of them lifting one leg at a time and slapping it down? Well, we did that. It`s really hard! It`s for bulding leg muscles but also for balance practice. We did it, like, 12 times, and I was only able to do the first couple because then my balance, which is always rather poor, was all used up. ~_~
We learned how to sonkyo. Heck yeah! We did that in kendo! Standing on the balls of your feet, you squat, knees spread. From that position is where sumo wrestlers put theri hands on the ground and begin the match.
I forget when in the warm-ups it was, but we learned another ritual, done while in sonkyo, that sumo wrestlers do, symbolizing that they have no weapons and calling kami`s attention. Hands are held out to the sides, palms down, then brought together in the front, then a big clap (calls kami`s attention). Then, pinkies together, opened to show still no weapons. Then arms are opened and lifted, palms up to a little above the shoulders. This is for something like peace in the world... I don`t really remember. It was all explained in Japanese with some English phrases, becuase apparently the coach knows at least some English.
That done, we got to do a sort of walking exercise. It involved big, shuffling steps across the ring while holding your hands out like you`re about to grapple with somebody. For the most part, we all looked like idiots. Then we got to push them across the ring. We started in sonkyo-crouch position, then hands on the ground. Then, the wrestler we were up against, who was standing in front of us, arms spread, would slap the waistband of his mawashi to signal he was ready and we had to shove them, putting our hand just under their arms on their chest. We had to do it twice. He was so sweaty, my hands kept slipping. That and, no matter how unimpresive they look in clothes, or even when you first see them jsut in mawashi, they`re basically a wall of steel. I couldn`t really move him. He ended up kinda of scooting backwards for me. What a dear. I really appreciated it. And thanked him.
After that, we watched a couple of them go at it for a couple of bouts, then we could try. I passed, along with the rest of the girls, but most of the boys tried their hand at it. A couple of them - especially Dan - were pretty darn good at it. Some of the others... it was easy to tell that the wrestler let them win. Like, one was just leanign on Jamie, feet on the bags that marked the ring, laughing, and let Jamie push him out. Cameron didn`t get to win. It ended with the wrestler picking him up by his mawashi and carrying him out of the ring!
Btw - one of the guys in the club was really cute. Like, heck yeah~ Even after he changed, he was walking around in jsut his boxers... but I guess that`s nothing when you`ve been wearing a mawashi around... much more revealing! And I think he`s the only one who didn`t shower before we left anyway, so he was still probably grody. He was sweet. He talked to me a moment or two. I had laughed at some things he said to someone else (who hadn`t understood) and he said he thought I understood Japanese pretty well and asked how long I`d been in Japan. <3
We had chanko for lunch. It was nabe. ^_^ They had a special little pot for me without meat. Theirs, on the other hand was an ENORMOUS pot with about 8 or 10 packs of meat in it. Yorn ate like, 7 bowls. Dan had at least 4. Yorn said she still wasn`t full. I couldn`t really finish two, but was still a little hungry when we got back to school. So yeah, we ate while sitting on zabuton (floor cushions) on the platform then thanked everyone and went home. At school, we all went over to Domy (a really close supermarket) and got ice cream. ^_~*
I caught the right bus home. I asked one bus driver if he was going to my stop and he said no, but told me which one to get on. It pulled in shortly threafter and he even got off his bus to make sure I had seen that that was the correct one. That was sweet.
I used my house key for the first time. Cool. When Yasuko-san and Hiroshi-san got back from the store, Hiroshi-san and I had some cake and tea. ^_^ And we all talked for like, an hour, then I remembered I had to go to the store and buy a contact lense case because I can`t find mine, and I wore contacts today for sumo. I bought one. When I was heading home, Yasuko-san came around the corner. I think she was coming ot make sure I found it okay. ^_^ They`re really too sweet to me. Sunday we`re all going (Yoshiko-san too!) castle-seeing!
Word of the Day: chanko
Meaning: food served in a sumo place or made by a sumo wrestler, usually eaten by sumo wrestlers
Tidbit: Apparently most Japanese think that chanko is some specific recipe, secret all but to sumo wrestlers, but it`s actually anything cooked in a sumo place or by someone who does sumo. As the coach tod us, it can be really fancy Italian food, but it`s still just chanko.
Pronunciation: chyawn-ko
Tonight`s dinner is going to be omurice and potato salad. I`m excited to try omurice. ^_^ And the potato salad! It`s funny! Yasuko-san was mixing carrots and cucumber in with whipped potatoes and mayonaise and putting them into a bowl. I asked what she was making and she said potato salad! I told her that in the US it`s usually cubed potatoes... but I`ve never seen whipped. ^_^ It`s kinda pretty. I said I want to make it at home and show people and she said we`d do it together next time.