170kg men in nappies

Our school trip from this term was to the sumo stable of the current Yokozuna (Grand Champion), Asashoryu. Witnessing the wrestlers training was pretty impressive - we'd checked them out on the stable website the day before at school, and so we knew that one of them weighed 170kg, and that most of them listed their hobbies as either 'gambling', 'slots', 'pachinko', or 'pachislots'. It was a striking demonstration of the senior-junior relationship in action, with the lower-ranking wrestlers bringing water to their superiors, and towelling off their sweat. Not entirely glamorous! Still, they seemed like a nice (if weighty) bunch, especially when they almost all put their glasses on when the training was over. Pictures are here - they have to be seen to be believed!

Always on the lookout for adventure, I decided it would be a good idea to cycle all the way across town to get there. I set off at 6.30 in the morning, but it only took slightly more than an hour. I grabbed a couple of photos on the way back.