Andy and Justin attended Konishiki’s Sumo And Sushi event for the second year in a row. We are splitting our reviews into two posts, one from Justin, one from Andy.

Justin’s Front Row Experience

I attended Washington DC Sumo and Sushi last night and had a fabulous experience.  There were two things I changed from last year that I think helped elevate my enjoyment. 

First, I got the front row seating plan. Last year, I just got the “Sushi and the Show, which did not include the front row seats.  The front row seats were fantastic. Not only did I get a better view of the sumo – but I was able to interact with the wrestlers (lock eyes, give thumbs up, cheer to support them, etc.).  Stoic as the wrestlers are, they still react when they hear their old ring names (not their American friendly nicknames).  When they were first introduced and I flashed them the rally towels, their reactions were of shock, surprise, and delight. 

The front row also offered a higher quality bento, plus one free drink.  They did not skimp on the sake.  The bento was from “Love, Makoto” and had a premium piece of fatty tuna in the sushi, as well as a good mix of seaweed salad with seared tuna, other nigiri and rolls, karaage, and shrimp tempura.  It was a major upgrade from last year’s provider (who was not so memorable that I cannot even recall the name). 

The seats were great, the food was excellent, and the sake helped make the ticket selection a major upgrade from last year’s experience.  The Front Row package also included a picture with the wrestlers afterwards, something I did not get to experience last year.

The other thing I changed from last year was that I did not purchase a “get in the ring experience”.  I am a little sad not to have done this again – but I have lost 45 pounds since then and want to retire with an unblemished career record.  So, instead of being on the stage – I brought some fire to the stage.  I made rally towels with the individual wrestler’s shikona and waved them around whenever they were on the dohyo.  They were a bit surprised, honored, and humbled to see this and to hear me cheering for them. Being in the front row and seeing their reactions gave me a more personal interaction with the troupe than other spectators. 

At the photo opportunity, I presented them with the rally towels as a little gift of my appreciation.  You can see from the photos that they did really appreciate this little boring token (tsumaranai mono desu kedo…).  I asked about Sawada’s recovery, and they were shocked to get the question and said that he was “Ganbarizing” in his recovery.  The Sumo and Sushi staff at the photo op said that nobody ever gave the sumotori a gift before!  The bottom line is that you can get close to the Sumo Experience if you just put yourself out there and do something unique.  

Looking Ahead

When they come back to DC, I will go again and will be doing the Front Row experience.  If Sawada/Chiyonoshin/Enya can make a recovery – I would love to challenge him in the ring again. I would gladly do what it takes to see him healthy enough to get back on the dohyo!

One difference in the show from last year is that Konishiki, who was kind enough to sign the rally towel I made with his shikona, spoke more about sumo in general as opposed to his personal experience as a young man with the sport.  While it was interesting not to hear the same stories twice, I believe the sumo newbies actually got more from the personal stories.

It was easier to empathize with him last year – as a child who got a strange opportunity to go to Japan and then had to adjust to a completely different way of life – with the brutal training techniques and schedule.  It was more clear to the audience to see the matawari (splits) and hear from Konishiki about his first mornings in the stable when he was made to do these exercises.  People could empathize with the pain he had to endure before achieving his success.  I think that he spoke more to the American crowd last year than this year.  

If I were to recommend one other change for the organizers, it would be to make one of the showings an “expert” show – for people more familiar with sumo – one where the sumotori could also talk about themselves and their challenges and experiences – one with more demonstrations of kimarite, and a more structured elimination tournament to determine the session’s champion – either round robin or tomoesen.  I recall that they seemed to have a more structured format last year – this year they just seemed to be taking turns until the time for the session was up and whoever won the fight was the night’s champ.