My Weekend (sumo, shrine, etc.)

Ok my posts tends to get long and maybe a little pointless...
But this one should be alright, I hope.

Also, thank you for the comments and emails I've received. I'm sorry I haven't really responded at all, but I do read them when I have the chance.

Now, some other things I've noticed about Japan!
Since Japan is very densely populated, many things are narrow. Some streets, especially in residential areas, are quite narrow (cars have to slow down when passing each other, and often one car has to pull over to the side). In the neighborhood of where I live, sidewalks are hard to find. Hallways, like the one outside my bedroom, can be fairly narrow as well. Houses tend to be very close to each other, too. Closer than some laws in the U.S. would allow, it seems.
Also, another thing I'm getting used to is the hand-motion for "come". People extend their arm straight out in front of them, with the palm facing down, and wave the fingers inward in a beckoning motion.


Now, about the weekend. On Friday after school I went to a nearby arcade with the others for a little while. I tried Dance Dance Revolution and I did purikura again.
On Saturday, in the afternoon, I went to a sumo wrestling tournament! It was indoors (thank God for air conditioning) at a place near Nagoya castle. There were many fights, or matches or whatever, between two people, with teams (or sides) divided into east and west.
The matches didn't take long at all. Instead, the preparations did. That's when it's slow. The wrestlers would stand but then they'd go to the edge of the ring to get water and a little towel and then throw more salt across the ring. They'd kind of slap themselves lightly and lift their legs slowly and stomp down. That's nice and all, but after watching them do all that over and over you start to wish they'd just get on with it and start.
Although it's called wrestling and it's physical and whatnot, I don't find it particularly violent. Nobody gets beat up or is really injured. They just fall. The wrestler loses when he leaves, or steps outside of, the ring or when a part of him (other than his feet) touch the ground. There are various techniques, such as pushing or lifting or tripping the opponent.
Another thing that I find unique is that the wrestlers can appear to be out of shape. They tend to be fat. They need to be big and they need to be strong, but they also need balance. That's another reason I thought it was amusing that McDonald's did a lot of sponsoring.
There were a lot of other non-Japanese people in the audience. I heard a number of Americans. Not only that, but some of the sumo wrestlers are foreigners too.








On Sunday I visited a shrine with my host family. (I plan to add pictures, but it's possible that I'll have to wait until I return to the U.S. to do it)

First you wash your hands.
The second picture is of me, my host sister, and a miko (which, according to a book, is an "unmarried woman in the service of the deities").





Yesterday, Monday, was a holiday: Marine Day. I ended up having a very long and busy day. My host mother's friend has a daughter who is my age. We met over a week ago and made plans for yesterday. First Saki, who is also 17, and her little sister Miki and I went to do karaoke. I'm not much of a singer at all, but I still really enjoyed it. We went out for lunch, and Saki, Miki, their mom, and I visited a lot of stores and did a bit of shopping. We also did purikura. Later we returned to their house and watched TV for a while. I had dinner at their house too, and I also met Saki's brother and father. They are all very friendly. I enjoyed spending the day with them.

Today the AFS classes went on another field trip. This time it was to a little shop place to make our own fans.

It's awfully hot in Nagoya. Really really hot and humid.