sumo finals
We have been dreaming about going to Japan for ages and we were finally doing it. We also LOVE Japanese food so were very much looking forward to 2 weeks of it. We had decided to do the Bunnik Tour – it appeared well organised and the itinerary was exactly what we were after. We arrived in Tokyo and the city is so fast paced and busy yet very civilised. Bright lights, lots of traffic and extremely polite people. Our first touristy thing was visiting Edo-Tokyo Museum and it was there that we met this fit and lively 88-year-old man who was there with his grandson and wanted to practice his English with us. So after we exchanged a few sentences and pleasantries, we parted ways only to bump into one another again about half an hour later. And he had purchased us a lucky cat charm as a gift. It was a very humbling experience. It pretty much set the mood for the rest of the stay in Tokyo.
We had also arranged to get Sumo wrestling tickets separate to the tour and the only day we were able to get tickets were for the biggest event – the Sumo Final Day. Nothing bad or inconvenient about that at all! We were so fortunate to be able to watch several matches and although have no idea of the rules, cheered when the crowd cheered and clapped when the crowd clapped. To top off our Sumo finals experience, we had arranged to meet really good friends who were in Japan the same time as us. We booked Gonpachi for dinner which is the restaurant that inspired the restaurant scene in the movie “Kill Bill” – very very cool.
And who says Japan is expensive? It’s far from it! The food is so unbelievably cheap and if you like sushi train – you can indulge in sushi for only about $10 (admittedly, we did have a great exchange rate).
View more pictures from our trips in Photo Gallery
wise monkeys abroad 