Boys in training

At a Tokyo university that shall not be named, I was startled by, and drawn to, loud male shouting. Imagine my glee at discovering these college students simultaneously pushing each other into stretching poses and shouting at full volume. I have no idea what they were saying, but the camaraderie and aggression made a sublime pairing. Later, I spotted them running around the campus carrying 2 liter plastic bottles full of water. Their faces mixed determination with exhaustion. This was *very* moe.

Sumo fun

My first sumo was lots of fun. We had a good view of the big boys, including top player Hakuho, seen here flipping his opponent. Lots of butt cheek, aggression, ritual, cheering, and drama. I was surprised to see such a variety of attendees, including foreigners, old ladies, business men, mob-looking types and their girlfriends, and school children.

Many of the star sumo players are foreign, including Mongolian Hakuho and Bulgarian Kotooshu. They are surprisingly flexible, and able to withstand lots of flipping, falling, and even crashing off the stage into the crowd.