Ringside at sumo, and still checking the referee’s fan

For a first sumo visit, the upstairs chairs sound more tempting than their distance suggests. A spectator in A-section at the September 2024 tournament found the higher angle good for following the grappling, with small binoculars. Down at ringside, another fan sometimes had to check the referee’s fan to tell who’d won: the wrestlers had moved out of view on the far side. The close seats offer something else. A regular NHK highlights viewer winced at the sounds of the collisions from a ringside tamari cushion. Four hours cross-legged was tough, even with a chance to stretch during a break. Then there’s the shared outing. A first-timer at Ryogoku Kokugikan went with family, including his mother-in-law in her eighties. Four people left little room to spread out their yakitori and shumai in the masu floor box. What surprised him was hearing so many voices calling to wrestlers from around the hall, and the applause after a close bout.