Sumo!!

The Sumo shrine at Sakarai
see all photos »

After returning from Hiroshima, the next day one of Jasmine's students invited us to a BBQ in the Sakarai orange groves. Naomi drove us to her house and from there we walked to a small clearing a few hundred meters from the orange groves, this inconspicuous sandy clearing under a canopy of trees, Naomi told us, was the birthplace of Sumo wrestling! Naturally we wrestled. After many photos were taken of our very poor wrestling attempts, we headed back to the grove and got under the tarpaulin cover of the BBQ site just as the heavens opened. The owners of the grove brought out the pre-cut meat and assorted vegetables for the BBQ - mushrooms, thinly sliced pumpkin, cabbage, something like a parsnip and corn on the cob - and left us to our cosy lunch.

We were encouraged, I swear
see all photos »

A Japanese BBQ is much different to an Australian one; we all (Me, Jas, Naomi, Naomi's friend and her son) sat around the BBQ which was essentially a sheet of chicken wire over a fire and all the food was thrown on together. Rather than waiting for everything to cook, taking it off and setting it out for serving, we each had a bowl full of sauce (mmm, delicious sauce, must check if it is imported to Aus) and picked things off the grill as they appeared ready. Just as we were finishing our meal, a large suction truck showed up to empty out the long drop toilet, good timing! After lunch we had a quick look in a local ceramics shop where we were gifted with little clay figurines and then Naomi drove us to Horyuji. By now the rain was pouring and we had to contend not only with the splashing school kid hordes but also a sea of umbrellas. Horyuji completed the trifecta, we had now been to the biggest, longest and oldest wooden buildings in the world!

this inconspicuous sandy clearing under a canopy of trees, was the birthplace of Sumo wrestling!

An orange Grove BBQ
see all photos »

Naomi proved herself to be one of the most gracious hosts I've ever met, claiming as she dropped us back at Jasmine's apartment that she would never forget me. Jas and I had dinner at a local Izakaya then grabbed some videos for a quiet night in.