35. Sumo: Uniquely Japanese

In the first half of this episode Michael and Jordan discuss the origins, traditions, and rules of Sumo (Japan's national sport), including the dangers of sitting ringside, the oddity of seeing very smaller wrestlers going up against much larger wrestlers, and the banzuke ranking system. Then in the second half, they discuss the different kinds of seating in the sumo arenas, how audience members throw their seat cushions when a lower-ranked wrestler defeats a yokozuna, the "stables" that wrestlers live in, the famous chanko hot pot dish they eat, and how it is possible to meet the wrestlers at small/local exhibition matches. Finally, in this week's English Tips segment, Michael (the Fox) and Jordan (the Tanuki) talk about the English vocabulary that we use for signs and advertising.Follow OnJapanTime on Instagram for content related to this episode, including this week's English tips, behind the scenes photos, and more!Instagram: www.instagram.com/onjapantimeSend us a DM! We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions, and will do our best to respond to any queries on a future episode.On Japan Time was created by California natives Michael Larsen and Jordan Johnson at Aichi Toho University in Nagoya city. In their weekly podcast, they discuss life in Japan in a way that provides cultural insights from the perspective of long-time foreign residents. OnJapanTime also features an English tips segment for non-native English speakers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.