See a Sumo Wrestling Practice at a Sumo Stable Japan

“We stood outside of a sumo stable in the Ryogoku district of Tokyo, one of the places where wrestlers practice and live, hoping they would allow visitors to watch as they refined their craft. No such luck. [...] After about two hours, the wrestlers put their hands into a prayer pose, looked up and thanked the gods. I would have been thanking them for actually having survived the last two grueling hours of practice at the sumo stable. As we left the sumo stable, we saw the wrestlers in the alleyway hanging up their belts, chatting amongst each other and washing the dirt off their bodies with just the water from a spray hose. The sense of camaraderie is evident, the battles in the ring forgotten already.”