Toudoukan, Gatoh Move & Yokohama

This week marks exactly one month that I have lived in Japan. It feels more like 6 months but hey, I made it a month. I finally was able to get a gym membership at a gym that is one block from my apartment. This place has everything, but i'm not allowed in the pool or saunas because of my tattoos. So I have the basic package of a weight room and a basic machine room. After one workout, I am incredibly sore. I have maintained active and worked out in my apartment almost every day but a month removed from weight training has me feeling dead.

For the 3rd weekend in a row, I spent all day Sunday in Tokyo. First I went to Toudoukan, a large wrestling store. It's famous for wrestling fans and I could spend all day there. I had a lot of plans for my day so unfortunately I couldn't do that. I did pick up quite the haul of random Japanese wrestling merch. After that, I explored the area around Suidobashi, popping into a couple more wrestling shops before I made my way to Ichigaya.

In Ichigaya, I went to the wrestling promotion Gatoh Move. Gatoh Move is very different from every other wrestling promotion because they don't have a ring. Instead, the wrestlers wrestle on a large futon, crammed in the smallest space I have ever been in. Words can't describe how bizarre this event was. The crowd is not allowed to take pictures during the show, but after the show, they give you hot tea and allow you to take photos while the wrestlers talk on the mat. 

The show was only 3 matches long but it was probably the most entertaining wrestling show I have ever attended. 

The next day, I ran a bunch of errands before I went to Yokohama to explore. I traveled to Yokohama Stadium where the baseball team the Yokohama Baystars play. I plan on attending a few games here when the season starts and I even bought a Baystars hat at a thrift store so I can fit in.

Yokohama is the second biggest city in Japan but it has a much different feel from Tokyo. I really enjoy Yokohama. I wish I lived here.

I ate dinner at a small restaurant called 4Leaf, ran next door to a pro wrestling bar and a punk bar. I can see myself spending a lot of time in this area. 

The restaurant owner was a huge wrestling and baseball fan and we had a nice chat via Google Translate. I told him who my favorite wrestler was and he gifted me an autographed ball from that wrestler. What a nice gesture. I told him next time I come back, I promise to be able to speak more Japanese.

I promise I will do more stuff in Japan that isn't wrestling related. I'm just trying to get all of my wrestling bucket list stuff out of the way first. Also I think it's going to be the best way for me to make friends here. I am also excited to find the local music scenes of Yokohama, Tokyo and even Fujisawa.

My co-workers use an app called Meet Up to make friends here and I am going to try it out soon. There are yoga and basketball events I plan to attend in the future. I've been talking to people on HelloTalk, an app designed for people to teach other people their language. Maybe i'll make some friends through this too.

Please enjoy this match from the Gatoh Move show I attended. I'm directly under the camera man so when the camera shakes, it's because he's elbowing me in the back of the head