then pick ourselves up, and head
back into the ring
This morning I woke up in my capsule in the hotel in Osaka with Yoshi at the curtain ready to start the day. We took advantage of all the grooming products that are complimentary in the washroom and headed out for the day. Despite a comfortable rest in the capsule, I definitely felt like I hadn't slept very much since leaving Tokyo. The two of us headed to Abeno Harukas, the tallest building in Japan. The building just had it's grand opening in March, so it is a new spot to check out. Even for people from Osaka. After a brief visit, Yoshi and I headed to Namba to meet my other friend.
At this point, things got a little bit confusing, as the other friend we met is also named Yoshi. Yoshiya (from now on), who I had been staying with is born and raised in Japan. The Yoshi we met grew up in Canada, but his family is Japanese and he's been living in Osaka for the last three years. I attended UBC with him and we share a lot of friends back in Vancouver. We found him near Namba Station, after a bit of confusion. Who would think that Exit 15B and Exit B15 are two totally different places?!
It was cool to see Yoshi and catch up a bit. Reminiscing about UBC while in Osaka is a bit of a trip. Yoshi was nice enough to show Yoshiya and I around some really cool parts of Osaka. We checked out the area around Namba Station which has some amazing long covered strips of shopping that seemed to stretch for miles. Then we walked over to Ame-mura, or Amerikamura, which means American Village. The district is very interesting, with it's own Statue of Liberty and tons of "American" shopping. There's a lot of hip hop culture around and it's very interesting to see the Japanese take on some of the styles. There's a lot of Jordan brand products kicking around and some very interesting basketball jerseys, both old and new. Yoshi made me laugh by pointing out a Scottie Pippen jersey which had Pippen written on both the front and back. He was also full of good information about some famous spots I might never have known were famous without him pointing them out. Such as Triangle Park in Amemura, the Ebisubashi Bridge, which is another place with a reputation for picking up girls and the famous Glico "Running Man" sign (read a little more about those last two here).
For the final part of our stay in Osaka, we had to experience some of the culinary delights Osaka is famous for. For that we continued to explore the Dōtonbori area, which is associated with the term kuidaore and the character Kuidaore Taro. According to Wikipedia the term kuidaore means "to ruin yourself with the extravagance of food. But it is also associated with a longer term that incorporates the phrase "eat 'til you fall". Yoshi introduced us to the term and walked us down "Eat 'til you fall" street where we got to see the character Kuidaore Taro, who is famous for eating until he falls. Apparently he is visited by sumo wrestlers before the tournament in Osaka each year as well. The three of us started some eating of our own, buying some amazing takoyaki and a beer from a street stand. It was incredibly tasty and the beer was positively mood-altering under the baking sun. Then we headed inside to a restaurant for some air conditioning and okonomiyaki. Having eaten delicious okonomiyaki several times already in Japan I was excited, but in no way prepared for how good this would be. It definitely ranked among the most delicious meals I've ever tasted. I'm still baffled by how a dish that is primarily cabbage and cooked in front of you on your table could be so incredibly delicious.
Having eaten substantially but not enough that we would fall down, Yoshiya and I said goodbye to Yoshi and headed on the train back to Nagoya. I would have loved to spend more time in Kyoto and Osaka, but I had to go for the whirlwind trip because of my timing and Yoshiya and I had a great reason to rush back to Nagoya. SUMO! We got back into town and made our way to the stadium, which is located right next to Nagoya Castle. Unlike in Tokyo, I managed to get a ticket, though Yoshiya and I did have to buy expensive ones, because there were almost no seats still available. In North America we use the term Box Seats at stadiums frequently, but I never knew how inaccurate it was until I went to sumo. You actually sit on a box, which has a small space for your shoes and bag at the back and is sectioned off with metal poles. The box platform seats four, but is just a square, so two people sit in front of two others, everybody on pillows. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but very cool.
The sumo battles were very entertaining, as was the ceremony attached to every aspect of the sport. Even the modern advertising that was shown in the ring between match-ups had to be on traditional sumo banners. The introductions of the wrestlers were fantastic and old skinny men sang their names before they battled. The crowd also really gets into it, shouting things out on cue and cheering on their favourites. One rather drunk guy really got behind a young hot shot sumo named Endo, screaming out his name over and over. "ENNNNNN-DOOoooooOOOOO!" The crowd thought it was hilarious. There were also many women and children who were just as into the sport as the men, despite it being a men only sport, and a very niche one at that. I was surprised to learn from Yoshiya that one fan tradition is to throw your pillow at the ring when you are unhappy with the referee's decision or with the outcome of a match. I didn't fully believe him until I saw it with my own eyes. We also saw a referee get knocked down by a sumo, which is supposedly very rare. It was an incredible experience going to sumo and I'm so happy to have been able to do it in Nagoya. After the tickets sold out in Tokyo I didn't think I'd get the chance, so it was awesome that I did and that I got to share the experience with Yoshiya, since it was his first time going to it live as well.
After the match Yoshiya and I walked around the outside of the castle grounds for a bit, then went to eat some Nabe. Nabe is a Japanese hot pot dish, which is more commonly eaten in winter, but I was definitely on a roll trying out the famous foods of Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka, so we figured why not go for some. It was again delicious. I fear if I lived in this region of Japan I might have to become a sumo myself.
To cap the day off, I took a nap while Yoshiya completed some work to prepare for his week ahead and then we watched a movie. It was really nice getting to spend so much time with Yoshiya and at least a few hours with some other really good friends on my adventure outside of Tokyo.
Today's haiku are fairly obvious in their references to Osaka's fame and sumo, but I should take a minute to explain more about yesterday's reference to Osaka as the Second City. That term is often used to describe Chicago in the context of the United States and I have a theory that it Osaka and Chicago share many similarities. They are both the second huge city in a highly populated region of their country. They are both famous for food. They both have some famous Skyscrapers and architecture. They are both famous for comedy. AND they are probably the last two places in the world where Scottie Pippen jerseys are for sale. I shared my theory and reasons, except for that last one, with Yoshi while I visited and he didn't shoot it down. So I think I'm onto something.
Pictured: Buzz in Ame-mura and Osaka's Glico sign.
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