Japanese-On: sumo practice, salt factory and oysters on the beach

A couple of weeks ago, I had an opportunity to visit a sumo house and watch their practice with another spouse, Tim and his friend Max. Practice was on a Friday from 7 to 9 am so Max picked us up at the crack of dawn to ensure we saw everything! I figured I'd be home by 10ish so of course I only drank a cup of coffee that morning - little did I know, our day ended up being filled with random adventures and I didn't end up coming home until 4 that evening! (Tim and I definitely felt some guilt throughout the day b/c both of our spouses were working their tails off during Parent-Teacher conferences!!)

I had no idea what to expect at a sumo practice but this experience was beyond my belief - it changed the way that I viewed sumo wrestling. I was afraid I would actually giggle at the attire and the size of some of these men but truly, it was the farthest thing from my mind when I watched them. There were times when I may have had a closer view than what I would have preferred but the rituals and skills that they portrayed during practice where mesmerizing. When we first arrived it was absolutely silent on the property. You would think having about 20+ people on the grounds you would hear some ruckus but not here. We quickly took off our shoes, shuffled into the practice area and sat down. For most of the time, we were the only "outsiders" at practice and I was the only female in sight. Luckily, 2 other ladies showed up about half way through. Max explained to us that the younger and lower ranked wrestlers practice first and then they go back and make breakfast for the other wrestlers. You quickly witness the respect that each of the men have for eachother and their coaches. In sumo, a white belt is considered the highest of belts (like a black belt in karate). It is very honorable for a house to have a white belt. In this house they have 1 white belt and another that is about to become a white belt.

After practice, Max quickly scooted us out so we would be able to meet some of the wrestlers as they were leaving. Max has been coming to this house for years so he knows quite a few of them and their stories. Hoshikaze (which means star wind) is Mongolian and he is about to become a white belt. (he's in the blue belt in the pics below) Max informed us that each of the wrestlers is named by their boss (coach) and all the names of the wrestlers in this house end in -kaze. The other wrestler, Takekaze is in the white belt below (and yellow towel).