So yes, there is definitely a bit of jet lag, but we were feeling pretty good. We slept comfortably, with the city lights acting as a bit of a night light.

We were a bit tired when we arrived, so besides looking at the city lights, we didn’t see much. Gazing out of the window this morning, we saw that we were not just near the Sumo Arena; we were actually directly across the street.

It rained a bit this morning, but by 8:00 am it stopped and it appeared we would just have a mostly cloudy day. The original forecast had called for an all-day rain, so we were extremely happy with just clouds.

Taking a deep breath, we headed out for a bit of a walk along the river. The language barrier can be somewhat intimidating. As we walked along, we had no idea what the various signs were saying, although there are some signs that did include some English. Google Translate was our friend.

Our ultimate destination today is the Asakusa Sumo Center where we have a Sumo exhibition and lunch scheduled.

We arrived earlier than necessary, so after looking around we made our way over to the nearby Senso-ji Shrine area.

Walking over was a real treat, as we had the opportunity to see so much of the vibrant surrounding area.

Arriving at the temple area, it was quite busy and extremely beautiful. We had arrived in the side-area near the performance pagoda and the five-story pagoda. There is an open area there where many people walk and also rest.

We strolled around a bit and then found two open seats to rest for a while. The clouds gave a slight sprinkle before passing and bringing bright sunshine.

Our seats were perfect for people watching. There were people from many different countries, some tour groups and, of course, many Japanese. My favorite were the people who came to the temple in traditional kimonos. There are a number of places that will rent kimonos, style your hair and some actually provide a photographer to capture the moment.

The temple area was crowded, but not as bad as I’ve seen it in pictures. People are respectful and very orderly as they prepare to visit the temple. Visitors can approach the temple, but only worshippers can enter into the temple.

These are a few pictures from around the gate area looking down towards the temple.

A large Buddha statue is next to the temple. The temple itself was dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy.

After a delightful afternoon of sightseeing and people watching, it was time to head back to the Sumo club.

Checking in, we were shown to our seats and immediately received our lunch and ordered a beverage.

When we finished our meal, it was time for the show to begin.

Out came our hostess – Lala – to welcome us and to talk a little about the origin of Sumo.

To begin the afternoon, we had the pleasure of a Geisha performing a traditional dance.

Next, Lala returned to prepare us for the exhibition. We learned a couple of cheers to work up the crowd and then the Dohyō (or ring) was blessed before the grapplers were introduced.

And next came the combatants:

We were seated on the West, so our guy to cheer on was Asanokuma. We had so much fun cheering them both on and shouting out our cheers during the action.

After their bout, there was an opportunity for the crowd to challenge the grapplers. No, I did not participate.

It was all great fun and then we finished off with a souvenir photo.

Afterwards, we walked back to the Senso-Ji shrine hoping that it would be lit up for the evening. Some lights were on, but not the main ones. Perhaps we can sneak back to see them lit before we leave Tokyo.

We made our way back to the hotel through the brightly lit streets, both thinking a little dinner would be good.

Once back at the hotel, we rested our legs for a bit before getting washed up for dinner. We decided to return to the hotel restaurant as we had enjoyed the previous evenings meal there (and didn’t want to walk again this evening).

Our server from the previous evening’s meal saw us walk in and excitedly ushered us over to a table. We had another wonderful meal and enjoyed the hospitality of the entire serving staff. We even got to meet and thank the chef as she crossed the room.

Sue started with a green salad, while I chose a shrimp cocktail, then we both had the confit chicken.

For dessert, Sue had a custard pudding, while I had a cheesecake with lots of fruit along with a special send off.

Again, the warmth of the staff was incredible. When we were leaving and stopped to say: “Gochisosama deshita” their eyes lit up with happiness.

With jet lag still present and all the walking today, it took no time to wash up and then fall asleep.

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Tonight we start the official tour and get to meet our travel mates. Before then, it was off for walk.

We headed down to the riverside and then took a little walk. The day is beautiful with blue skies, a slight breeze and temps about 23 or 73 back home.

Walking along, we came upon some reproductions of old Edo-era woodblock artworks that were gorgeous.

We then came up from the river on the opposite side of the Ryoguko Rail Station. We walked around the Sumo Arena and then cut through the APA Hotel. We thought we might grab a bite to eat in their cafe, but they had already stopped serving for lunch.

We continued back around the corner and saw our hotel just up ahead – so we knew we hadn’t gotten lost. Approaching the hotel, we ran into our server from the past two nights. She asked if she could take a picture with us.

A little walk back to the room provided an opportunity to rest up for the evening ahead – but we were still hungry. A little search of my sheets turned up a small Italian restaurant that was open all day long. So as they say, when in Tokyo…

It turned out to be less than a five minute walk to get there and there were a few people inside when we arrived. As this was our first outside the ‘hotel safety-net’ meal, we were a little nervous, but it was all for naught as they welcomed us heartily.

We tried the best Japanese we could muster and ordered a pizza each along with a carafe of Chianti wine. It was a small restaurant. However, we learned that they also had seating upstairs which made it a not-so-small restaurant.

Looking around the room, there was a cat motif and they were playing classical music. It was a little quirky, but we weren’t there to judge the decor. When our pizzas arrived, they looked delicious. When we tasted them, they WERE delicious ! I had one with prosciutto and arugula and Sue’s had salami and olives.

We both enjoyed them very much and cost wise, they were extremely reasonable. Hooray for our adventure. Afterwards, we walked back to the hotel and relaxed before meeting our tour mates.

As the seven o’clock hour approached, we headed down to the hotel lobby to meet the group. Fergal was waiting there when we left the elevator, then one by one the others arrived – sixteen in total.

After a brief time greeting and chatting, we headed out for dinner. We had about a ten minute walk over to an izakaya, which is sort of like a gastropub. People will usually meet there for drinks and small tapas style plates. We had a small section to ourselves with four separate tables. Fergal had pre-ordered a boat-load of food to be shared and then ordered drinks as required.

It was all good and everyone seemed to enjoy getting to know a little bit about each other. There are five couples and six single women in our group. We are a mix of Brits, Canadians and Americans.

Afterwards, we walked back to the hotel enjoying the lights.

Back up to the room for a little relaxation before turning in.

We made it through the days on our own without a problem. The anxiety has been washed away and replaced by happy anticipation.