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Starts at 8:30 or 9 with the lower division bouts. These combats are developed quickly, there is little preparation; the contestants climb into the ring, are presented by the referee, they greet, throw salt on the ground, bend over and BAM!, they attack. This is very welcome because the average length of a sumo bout is only 6 seconds.

Unfortunately there are hardly any public at this time because no one can withstand an entire day at the stadium, so viewers reserve themselves for senior fighters. On the other hand, these combats, requiring less preparation and paraphernalia, are the most dynamic and entertaining.

At 15:00 th second category, the Juryo, start fighting. The stadium is starting to get full progressively. Still, having a look all around me, there was no one, including myself, that at some point in the tournament did not cast a nap.

And at 16:00 the Makuuchi bouts start. At this time, as a viewer, an internal struggle was killing me:

• On the one hand, you want to stay to see the Yokozuna, they are the great champions, even more after a very long day at the stadium.
• On the other, the damned first class fighters have a habit of preparing for about 5 minutes while greeting, dropping salt to the floor, now I bend down, I concentrate, I want my face to look bad to intimidate the opponent, oh no I’m inattentive, I get up, I go back my corner, I think again, I concentrate, yes I am now concentrated again, throw more salt to the soil, I bent down, looked at him, he has intimidated me so I get up again … The first combat, OK I can handle it; the second, fine I can do with it; the third I started to feel pissed off; by the tenth combat you’re about to get up and scream them or leave incensed because they never finish, but of course, you do not go because Yokozunas are the last to fight … for 6 seconds.

Therefore, my recommendation is that sumo is another attraction, unique in Japan and can be very interesting and entertaining, but definitely you should choose between watching many bouts in the morning or few in the afternoon. Going all day will make you beg for you own Harakiri.

∇ Destinations / ∇ Japan