Phew, what an exhausting but exhilirating weekend I had. As readers of the moblog will know, on Saturday, I went to Asakusa’s Sensoji Temple for the Sanja Matsuri, one of the three main annual festivals in the Tokyo area. And yesterday, I went to a Sumo tournament for the first time.
Sometimes it takes a tourist’s view to help put things into perspective. I’ve been feeling a bit down on Japan of late, for a variety of reasons. It may be ephemeral, the high of a non-plebeian, low-responsibility (thank you Naoko!) weekend that will wear off shortly, but as I was returning home last night it occurred to me that there’s no place in the world I’d rather be right now than in Japan.
Seeing a sumo tournament was something I had been looking forward to for a long time, and as I was going into Tokyo I was anxious, not so much in anticipation of the event, but rather that perhaps, like so many things in life, it would not live up to the expectations I had laid on top of it. But it lived up to the the advance billing and more. I think I could sense this the moment I got off the train and saw the large paintings of sumo wrestlers in the Ryogoku train station. And when I entered the arena, and I had my ticket torn by fellow Hawaii-bred Jesse Kuhaulua (now Oyakata Azumazeki, who wrestled as Takamiyama), I knew this was going to be a great day. (I was so in awe and not a little bit nervous that all I could do was mutter “Thank you” when he handed me back my ticket!)
I didn’t shoot much digital on either day, so here are a couple of “token” shots until I get back my film from the lab. I went a bit crazy with the analog, racking up about 25 rolls over both days. I even went out and bought a zoom lens, which came in handy for the sumo.
I was glad to read your blog today. Japan is truly a wonderful and exciting place to be nowadays. I, too, enjoy living in Japan so much that I cannot imagine living any place else right now.
I’m looking forward to my first trip to the sumo on Wednesday – glad to hear you enjoyed it as I’m a bit unsure.
Looks like you had pretty good seats for the sumo (or did you sneak into the good area early in the day before it filled up? 😉 I was way up in the gods when I went but still had a blast.
Can’t wait to more pictures. 26 rolls!? Good lord. Ought to be one or two shots that turned out.
Can’t wait to see your Sanja Matsuri images, Kurt. Having been to *quite a few* festivals in Japan over the past four years, I think that would have to be one of the most exciting: the sweaty bodies, the shouting and heaving, the amoebic crowd pushing and shoving, the photographers clambering over each other trying to get “the perfect shot”, and if you’re lucky…getting the chance to see semi-naked yakuza, tattooed from head to toe, clad only in a fundoshi. That kind of experience really reminds me what’s so unique and incredible about living in Japan.
jeremy-
yeah, I “snuck” up. actually, no one seems to check (or care much) up until around 3pm. I was in the first row for a while, but didn’t stay long as I started to have visions of getting crushed by tumbling rikishi….26 rolls, yeah I think shooting so much digital for the last year has made me lose perspective!
Lil-
I saw the tattooed yakuza! what a moment that was when his mikoshi came around the corner, it seemed like everthing at that moment went crazy, the crowd turned into some sort of nascent mosh-pit, i almost fell down, only to grab onto one of the screaming crowd-control cops imploring everyone to move back, and snapping pictures through it all. actually, there was a great shot to be had of the yakuza mikoshi in the background and some naked-but-for-his-fundoshi 2 year old on the shoulders of his father in the foreground, but I couldn’t get it! and somehow through all of this i managed to type my wife an email that simply read “suge-!” (WOW!)
speaking of…
i linked this in my “momentary sidebar,” but appropos to link it here too:
http://uk.fc.yahoo.com/030518/46/e0aaw.html