Luck beyond bounds.

Alright, now we`re caught up to today.

So I wake up, turn on the TV, and what do I see, but a Japanese newscaster in NYC doing a segment on BROOMBALL!!!!! It was nuts, and a great way to start off the day. I ate all of my food (I bought like 10 mikan the previous day, so it was a bit redundant, but the Japanese pop those things like candy). Nobody was to be found when I tried to checkout, so I left my key on a note by the door, and I hoped they got it.

I get to the train station, and I see there`s a train for Tokyo leaving in 5 mintues, so I haul and get on it.

Now. A bit about the shinkansen. There are two types of seats: Reserved and non-reserved. To get a reserved seat, you buy at ticket at the office ahead of time. The non-reserved ones, at least for cool people like me who have a rail pass, are obtained by showing your pass to the guy at the ticket gate, and finding a seat after he lets you pass. In a 12 car train, there are about 6 reserved ones and 6 non. So I jump on the train at car 6, and walk all the way to car 1, looking for a non-reserved car. None were found, and it wasn`t too busy, so I sat down. The train takes off and the voice tells me:

``All seats on this train are reserved``

I was not where I should have been. On the plus side, it was a super-ultra-express to Tokyo, with like 3 stops. It went REALLY FAST. So I`m sitting there, praying that nobody finds me, when the conductor comes to me and asks me something. I know what he was after, but I feigned ignorance.

``Ticket``

Oooh! Ticket, that`s what you wanted! I showed him my rail pass, hoping for the best. Thankfully, he let me stay, and I think he put me into his computer, which was good, because at the next stop the train filled up. To capacity. Somehow, nobody had a ticket for my seat. I love technology.

So I get to Tokyo, and today is Sumo day for me. I showed a bunch of Mexicans to the hostel, because they were needing one and looking lost, and then I walked to the arena to try my luck. There were no cheap day-of seats left, so I bought one of the cheapest reserved seats and walked in.

Sumo is cool. It`s steeped in tradition and religion and culture in a way that nothing else is in this world today while still being accessable, and even really popular. (sorry for the spelling, but japanese computers wont correct my spelling, and now they will not let me add apostraphes..)

So I went in, had some of the porridge that sumo wrestlers eat (liver, veggies, broth.. yum!), and went to the center of the arena to sit on the aisle and watch the matches nobody cares about from up close.

When the big ones started, a security guard ran around and started kicking everyone out of the aisles (lots of tourists got booted), but I saw her, and jumped onto a vacant pillow (right, no seats, pillows) 5 rows from the action.

And I stayed there a good long time. Throughout most of the matches, I was right at the front. When the top ranking fighters made their entrance, so did the rightful owners of my seat. I got up to leave, and this guy behind me in the 4 cushion box seats motioned me to sit near him. So I stayed right up front till the end. (I found out later that he was squatting too, as this really friendly Japanese family behind me explained to me, and everyone around me kept saying 'lucky seat!' (look, I found the apostraphe). They had a 24 year old son too, and he didn't speak any English.

Anyways, Sumo was amazing. They really get into the higher profile matches, and everyone yells and screams and claps and goes nuts. I wish I understood a bit more of what was going on, but as I watched more I got more. It seems as if every little motion has a meaning, and depending on how long a squat is held, they can intimidate the opponent and draw cheers from the crowd. Wild, I tell you. You had to be there.

Anyways, back at the hostel, doing laundry, I have the exact same bed as I did last time I was here. Guess it was free. Kyoto tomorrow, and down south for the next couple of days. I'm gonna go get me some tempura, cause I'm hungry.

Signing off!