Sumo

If you visit Tokyo in January, May, or September, you’re in luck. That’s when the sumo grand tournaments occur in Tokyo. They are all in Ryogoku at the Kokugikan arena. There are also sumo grand tournaments in Osaka (March), Nagoya (July), and Fukuoka (November). I urge you to visit if you have the opportunity. 

As soon as you leave the train station and head towards Kokugikan stadium, you will catch glimpses of giant men surrounded by their adoring fans asking for photos and autographs. Usually, the fans are very small women, so the dichotomy is striking. These athletes are absolute rock stars in Japan. Seeing them up close is something. The heaviest sumo wrestlers weigh over 600 lbs. They also have fantastic nicknames based on their characteristics: “Meat Bomb” due to his size, “Sumo Genius” due to attending college, and “Prince of Sumo” due to his good looks.

When I went, I knew next to nothing about sumo. That didn’t stop me from marveling at the incredible combination of strength, speed, explosiveness, flexibility, and balance that was displayed by these athletes. The bouts are quick. Very quick usually —like a short play in American football. 

There is a lot of ceremony and preparation between bouts and between rounds. The referees wear incredibly intricate and beautiful outfits. The sumo don’t wear much clothing at all. The entire experience is filled with spectacle, pageantry, and insane athleticism. It’s extremely entertaining and a Japanese experience like no other.

After watching a bunch of sumo, head over to a chankonabe restaurant and eat some of the food the sumo wrestlers are famous for eating in order to bulk up. Chankonabe is a one-pot stew filled with heaps of protein and vegetables.

Buta no Kakuni

Buta no kakuni (also shortened to buta kakuni) is braised pork belly slowly simmered in sake, soy sauce, and sugar.  This is true Japanese comfort food. I could eat buta kakuni every day. 

I was introduced to this dish by my boss when I lived and worked in Nagoya. He took me to a small mom-and-pop restaurant and ordered buta kakuni for me. It was a revelation. The pork was so tender and flavorful. It just melts in your mouth. 

After moving to Tokyo, I needed to find a good place that made this. So far, my favorite is Gohanya Isshin in Daikanyama (They also have a location in Kyoto). It’s popular, so expect a line at lunch, and for dinner, it’s best to make reservations. Daikanyama is a hip, trendy neighborhood, so while you’re there, check out the various boutique shops in the area.

Embrace Your Hobbies

Japan is a great place to dive deep into one of your hobbies or interests. You can join a hiking group, cooking class, or sports activity session, to easily interact with locals (and maybe other foreigners) and make friends to hang out with throughout your vacation.

Hobbies are taken very seriously here. It’s common to see a beginner in any arena buy the best, most expensive gear for that particular pursuit. This is not frowned upon in any way. In the States, you’d be laughed at if you outfitted yourself with the most high-end equipment before acquiring any degree of skill in a given activity. In this respect, the ability to completely dive into something in Japan is a freeing and open-minded approach.

People work hard in Japan. The work culture is renowned for long hours and lack of vacation. Death by overwork is a thing. So being allowed to go all in with hobbies fits into a work hard, play hard mentality.

There are numerous opportunities to get into any area that interests you and use that to go deeper into Japanese culture. It doesn’t even have to be a thing that is specifically Japanese (bonsai, kintsugi, flower arranging, tea ceremony, calligraphy, etc.). You could go hunting for vintage cameras, searching for rare/niche vinyl in the numerous record stores, explore traditional techniques in pottery, hike the Nakasendō, see how many different styles of ramen you can try, take a cooking class on making sushi/tempura/tamagoyaki or go skiing in Hokkaido. Because Japanese culture respects tradition and innovation, you will find that many hobbies, interests, and sub-genres are represented by people who’ve taken the time to explore and master them and are willing to share their expertise.