Of Fish and Kicks

Greetings, true believers! It has been over a month since I began my adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun and it doesn't look like my tales are going to end anytime soon.  Last weekend, my friends and I went to the Tsukiji Fish Market. It is one of the most famous fish markets in all of Japan, where fisherman auction off huge fish and sell their catches of the sea. the reason why we went is because it was about to close off to the public in a few weeks, so we jumped at the chance. We had to be up very early once again, at around 4 a.m. to attend the auction, which took place around 5:30 a.m. We arrived on time and found the market very easily. Here's what it looked like from the outside:

At the auction, we arrived to a huge complex, with busy fisherman, trying to get their products ready. Let me say, I have never felt more threatened in Japan in terms of my life; the fishermen were driving on these carts in high gear and showed no regard for civilians. Lanes were tight and there was only so much space one could move out of the way of these carts. It was a littler nerve racking at times. The market was only open until 10 a.m., so the fisherman had to ensure that their catches were the best they could be. I saw a ton of fish at the market, along with other crustaceans (but, I'll get to those later).

We traveled all the way to the end of the complex to witness a fish auction. The fish themselves were gigantic in size, about the size of a full grown man. Numerous announcers populated the area and the fishermen were seen as men, wearing blue caps. The fisherman bid for the best fish, in order to cut it up for themselves, and sell it for a larger profit. Most of the fish came from Japan, but some were from Sweden and Boston. Where the auction took place was pretty frigid; I could see my breath and most of the fishermen were wearing jackets. This was to keep the fish fresh and ensure that the meat did not go bad. Visitors were only given a few feet of space to watch the auction, as to not distract the people at work. Most of the fishermen were calm about the business, but this could have been in part to the culture or the lifestyle they lead. Here is an auction in process:

After the auction, I saw fish getting taking away or surveyors, examining the fish to make sure it was still good. 

The fish and other catches of the sea were varied and huge. All of the fish and crustaceans that were on sale at the market were meant to be eaten. That includes shrimp, king crab, eel, eggs, squid, tentacles, whale (?), and a host of other fascinating creatures. Here are some of the more interesting things I saw there:

While I was there, I had my first taste of tuna. It was so fresh because it probably just came out of the water. It tasted pretty good, with a hint of saltwater.

While I could talk more about fish and the market, when was the last time I talked about some good, old action? Well, you came to the right place.

Last Sunday, my friend and I attended a Karate Tournament in Tokyo. Temple University was giving away free tickets to the event and it was only thirty minutes from our dorm by train, so why not? 

We arrived at a big complex with many martial art enthusiasts from all over the city. Only the Japanese participated in this tournament and it was divided into men and women sections. There were more men than women, but the women did put up more energized matches. Here is the opening ceremony:

Before the opening ceremony and other video, fighters were numbered 1 - 100 and fought. The best of the best remained and that is where the opening ceremony and other video comes in. The video after the ceremony had fighters break boards and this was determined by who lasted through the preliminary rounds.  About 16 fighters entered the main tournament and proceeded to break about four boards each with their hands, feet and elbow (each was a round). The board function did not come until later upon determining a match (which I'll get to).

Matches had two fighters in the ring and sparring commenced. Karate is a contact sport, one that has lasted centuries in Japan. The fighters were placed to fight those of similar weight, but there were fighters who towered over their competitors in the ring. No gear was worn and the fighters went at it with their hands and feet.

Here are some interesting aspects of the matches themselves. The fighters would punch and kick each other all the time. The fighters displayed hardly any sense of pain or blocking, as fighters were pounded in the chest. Fighters kicked below the belt, but only the calf muscle was hit. No punches were towards the head and hardly any fighter raised his or her foot above their belt towards the chest or head region. Knees were allowed and the fighters would get in very close to execute a knee to the chest. The fighters did not grapple or throw each other down during the matches. Five referees were in the ring and determined who punched or kicked the most. Some fights last more than three rounds (about two-three minutes each) and if no winner could be determined, the fighters were led off stage to be weighed. It looked as if who ever weighed the less would be the winner, no matter what the points were. One match was inconclusive, even with the weight, and that is where the boards came in. Whoever broke the most boards at the beginning of the tournament was declared the winner.

Now that I have explained most of the details, here are some videos to go along with them. I could only videotape thirty seconds of fights or else they would not load on this sight. So I was able to break some fights up and manage them on my blog. Here  you go, true believers:

(This is one continuous match, only stopping to break it up into parts)

 

After the last few rounds of fighting, there were two fighters left for both the men and women's tournament. We had an intermission to watch a school of karate students perform, but the highlight was one warrior and six blocks of ice. The blocks of ice were about as thick as my head and were very heavy. Three tarps were put on the ring and three areas of ice were set up. The centerpiece had four blocks of ice set up and the fighter had to break all of them. Instead of explaining the next part, I'll just show it.

After the interesting intermission, the final matches began. The woman who who was middle-aged and a had a huge cheering crowd following her. It looked as if she was sponsoring a town, like fighters originally did centuries ago. The final match between the men was a bit dirty. Sadly, I was not able to videotape the whole match, as my battery died on my camera. The man who won used knees to the face. In the previous match, he won by a knockout, after he kneed the other fighter in the face. In the last match, the match seemed pretty even, until the end of the second round, when he kneed the other opponent four times and won the match. It was a bit of a letdown (I was cheering on the other fighter), but the final matches were exciting overall.

That's all for now true believers. Tomorrow I have off from school and another entry will be up guaranteed. I have a lot of studying to do because Midterms are this week at school. I will however, be able to put up some new info from Japan (I planned in advance). It will deal with my adventures being a kabuki actor. Don't know what that is? Stay tuned.

"An invincible determination can accomplish almost anything" - Thomas Fuller