by Jen Ruhl
Fat men body-slamming each other, the Emperor of Japan, and lots of beer - sounds like a great combination for weekend fun! On January 18th, AJET organized an excursion to see the Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo.
The highlight of the evening was the surprise appearance by Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. Most of us got suspicious early on because of the increased security, and all the people in black suits rushing around by the Imperial family's box seats. Before the upper division's bouts, the Emperor and Empress arrived and waved to the crowd. Everyone (almost) rose to their feet for the national anthem and to try to get a peek at the Imperial couple. It was quite exciting!
AJET has had good luck 2 years in a row at the sumo tournament (last year they witnessed former Yokozuna Takanohana's last bout before he retired). This year, besides the Imperial visit, they also saw Yokozuna Asashoryu's 8th win on his way to a perfect 15-0 record (the first time this has happened since 1996).
Overall, it was a very fun evening. Unfortunately, my photos didn't turn out very clearly, but hopefully someone else who attended will have some nice shots to share!