Day 21: The End is Here

It's always hard to say goodbye. We are sad to be leaving, but we were able to make the most of our final hours in Japan.

I went on one last run in Mitaka, and after breakfast, I was off to Yotsuya Station, where we went to tour guide's offices and wrote an essay reflecting on the trip. I am going to wait until after I get back home to publish the essay, along with some other thoughts on my experience, because I want to spend some more time thinking about it on the plane ride tomorrow. 

We finished writing around noon and were given free time for the rest of the day. Jamie and I decided to go to the Sumo Wrestling Museum. This was an easy choice, because one of my only regrets about this trip is that we were not in Tokyo while the annual sumo wrestling tournament was in town. It rotates around the country throughout the year and won't be back in Tokyo until September.

This was in the train station adjacent to the arena

We were determined to get a dose of sumo before leaving. We took the train to Ryogoku, home to the Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo's main sumo arena. Before heading to the museum, which is inside the stadium, we went looking for a place to have lunch. We were in the sumo mindset, so we had to find a chanko nabe restaurant. 

What is chanko nabe? Chanko is a stew packed with protein-rich foods such as chicken, swordfish, shrimp, and vegetables that sumo wrestlers eat to gain weight. A sumo wrestler would tell you it is the greatest food in the world.

I heard about Chanko at the beginning of the trip, when we were researching sumo and watched a YouTube video profiling the current sumo world champion, Ulambayaryn Byambajav. In the video, he talks endlessly about the benefits of chanko. The wonders of Chanko became a running joke in our group, so we had to try it before leaving for home. 

After reading some online reviews, we settled on a chanko place about a half mile from the arena, in a gritty, industrial neighborhood. When we walked in, we knew we were in the right place. The walls were decorated with large murals devoted to sumo, and in the center of the dining area, there was a large sumo practice ring. 

Unfortunately, nobody was practicing in the ring today

We took a quick look at the English menu (already knowing what we wanted) but were surprised to find that the only chanko listed cost 6600 yen, or about $60. Jamie and I thought the price seemed steep, but decided that after going to such great lengths to find some chanko, we would share the pot.

Shortly after we placed our order, Jamie picked up the Japanese menu and saw that it listed several different chanko options, most priced around 3000 yen. I'm going to assume that the difference between the menus was not an attempt to gouge English-speaking tourists and that the English menu's chanko was a larger portion of the most common version of the dish. In any event, we were able to change our order to the more reasonable 3000 yen version of chanko.

This chanko seems a little fishy

The waitress brought out a massive pot with all the ingredients. We put it on the stove on our table and let it simmer for 10 minutes. After the water started to boil, we began our feast. Jamie and I both agreed that the chanko tasted good. Was it the best thing we've eaten on the trip? Definitely not. But hey, part of the fun was just the experience of eating chanko in a sumo-themed restaurant. 

Digging in!

Aftermath

After lunch we went to the sumo museum, which was small but did not charge for admission. It had some interesting memorabilia and information about the history of sumo (most of it written in Japanese). We went to the gift shop, which was chock full of funny sumo-themed merchandise.

Entrance to the stadium

My bodyguard

Sumo is a sport filled with traditions and rituals, from the type of clothing worn to the movements before a fight, everything is orchestrated with a purpose

An example of the robes worn during the wrestlers as they walk to the ring

One of the most famous fights of all time--a battle between two of the greats

Yes, for $25, you too can have the face of a sumo wrestler

We took the train to Akihabra, Tokyo's electronics shopping district, an area popular among Japanese anime fans. Every store in Akihabra was massive, with departments on at least seven floors and tons of clerks milling around, trying to lure in buyers.

The area attracts an unusual mix of video gamer aficionados, anime devotees, and other non-conforming types, so it was interesting to just watch people going in and out of stores, carrying all sorts of strange cartoon figurines, robots, and other things not fit to print.  The neighborhood had a very Las Vegas-like feel to it, and I don't mean that in a good way.

Akhihabra - not going to lie, it was a strange place

One of the many huge electronics stores in the neighborhood

We returned to Kitchioji, where we made one last 7-11 run to stock up on Japanese snacks to bring home to share with our families.

One last walk home

I got back to my host family's home at about 6 p.m. They had bought a huge sushi platter, which was fantastic. They served homemade ice cream for dessert. We also exchanged gifts. They gave me a scrap book of photos from my trip, a large Japanese-style tapestry, and some chopsticks. Ruki, Kanon, and I played one last round of Wii U before heading off to bed.

Farewell sushi 

It will be very hard to say goodbye to my host family tomorrow morning because I have had such a wonderful time with them over the last three weeks. We have exchanged contact information and I plan to stay in touch.

Stay tuned for my last post on the trip that I will publish after the plane ride with reflections on my experience. I want to thank everyone who has read my blog. I have enjoyed sharing it with you, and I hope you were able to get a sense of what an awesome experience the trip was for me.