Justin and Andy were able to experience Konishiki’s Sumo and Sushi event for the second summer in a row. Justin’s write-up about his experience is here. Andy’s review of last year is here. This post is Andy’s experience from this year.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tachiai (@tachiaiblog)

Andy’s VIP Experience

My wife and I had the pleasure of going to Sumo and Sushi again this year (2024). Frankly, my wife was skeptical of it last year but we had such a great time AND we were able to meet Justin and Heather, so it was a no-brainer to go again this year. Though, regretfully, I did not repeat my “in-the-ring” experience.

The Venue

The venue this year was the DC Armory which is very convenient to the DC Metrorail System. If you’re not familiar with DC or the Armory, you may remember the old RFK Stadium where the Redskins used to play during the hayday of the Hogettes. The Armory is across the street and basically right at the Stadium-Armory Metro stop. My wife and I were shocked that it only cost us $2 each way to get there from Bethesda. Usually during the weekday it would be quite a bit more expensive. Last year, the venue was nowhere near Metro so we drove…and paid about $30 to park. The free weekend parking at the Metro Station and cheap Metro rides were greatly appreciated.

Each time Konishiki’s crew is in town it has been around my birthday, so I treat the two of us to the VIP upgrades so we can avoid the lines. And believe me when I say there are lines. When you get to the venue, there is a line to get in. And when you are inside there are lines at the bar and merch stand. Since seating for each section is “first-come, first-serve” it is important to get in early to claim the best seats.

Doors open an hour before the show and the VIP entrance meant that my chronically late butt was able to avoid the line, get inside and have a great seat with no hassle. While we haven’t gotten the best VIP seats — like right in the middle — even the not-so-great VIP seats are still pretty good. We do not have some tall person’s head in the way, we’re not tucked away in a corner, food and drink are a few steps away. Last year, the VIP section felt a little cramped but there was a lot more space this year. The Armory was a lot bigger to accommodate a crowd that seemed easily two or three times as large as the audience in 2023. But I do concede that the VIP section is too far away from the dohyo for my phone to get the same amazing pictures Justin got from the Front Row. I think I will be doing the Front Row experience next year.

The Show

The show was broken into three “Blocks”: an introduction to sumo and the exercises and training, a more detailed description of rules, tactics and strategy, and lastly the exhibition bouts. As Justin said in his review, this year there was more of a focus on sumo and less on Konishiki’s personal back story. This allowed Konishiki to go into a bit more depth and explain more advanced kimarite.

There is so much material left to cover that Justin’s idea of a more advanced, “expert” session could be interesting. The roles of the yobidashi, gyoji, and shimpan are never really explained so maybe there is some room there? Konishiki made a couple of jokes about how the guys loved Five Guys burgers so my wife had the idea that having actual kensho-kin on the bouts would be a good addition and might make the bouts more competitive. They’re exhibition bouts and it would be really bad news if one of the guys got hurt. It’s not like Konishiki can call someone up from Juryo if Otani has to go kyujo. But it would be a good way to demonstrate what is going on in the ring.

The first two blocks were a bit of a lecture where the crowd was kind of just watching the demonstrations and listening to Konishiki. The crowd really got into the bouts. As far as the exhibition bouts go, Justin is right that it seemed to have more structure last year. Then, the bouts were a bit of a round-robin tournament. This year, they just seemed to be randomly taking turns and alternating between winning and losing. Not a big deal at all. It was just a little odd that “Osaka Joe” was declared the winner rather suddenly.

The interactive portion of the show was what really got the crowd going, though. The MC called several folks forward who had paid for the “Get in the Ring” option. Each participant got a big hand and a lot of support from the crowd. I would really encourage folks to go up and get in the ring. It was an amazing experience last year. I really wish I had done it this year, too. Maybe next year I will bring my own mawashi like the guys from the NYC Sumo Club. If you do not get in the ring, you are missing out. It is that simple.

How do you get into baseball? Watching a game, or by picking up a bat and ball? I say the latter. How do you get into football? Watching commercials during the Superbowl, or by tackling your brother-in-law at Thanksgiving? I say the latter. How do you get into sumo? Watching Higohikari get steamrolled each tournament, or by stepping onto a dohyo and getting thrown by Tooyama? I say the latter.

The Food

Since the event is called, Sumo and Sushi, I would be remiss if I skipped over the food. Last year, my wife and I were really impressed by Takara 14 because they did a great job — they actually had a real sushi chef making fantastic sushi to order. Also, the VIP section had table service last year. But this year, the food in the VIP section was really disappointing and we had to line up to pick from what was available, which was of poor quality and ran out quickly. If I had known, I would have opted for the Front Row with the “Love, Makoto” bento in a heartbeat since that restaurant is at the top of our regular rotation. That will probably be our option for next year.

One Suggestion for Next Year

I have already said that I will bring a mawashi next time. But frankly, I think that they should give a genuine mawashi to the folks who sign up for the “Get in the Ring” option. The crew could even work it into the routine by demonstrating how to put it on. If it was a genuine article, that would be a hell of a souvenir. If they offer a legit white practice mawashi like what is worn by sekitori to the folks who sign up for the VIP section, I will be the first one buying VIP tickets next year…especially if I can get some signatures on there.