wrestlers get so heavy?
sumo wrestlers have to obey a strict diet to reach the right physical condition for wrestling. Their main meal every day is brunch, eaten at about 11:30 in the morning. They eat a special dish called chanko nabe, meaning “mixed pot,” a high-calorie stew made from seaweed stock and containing chicken, fish, prawns, tofu, beansprouts, cabbage, onions, and other vegetables. Senior wrestlers often eat several bowls of chanko nabe and several bowls of rice at each sitting. • Why is sumo Japan’s national sport? Has anyone chosen it to be such? Sumo isn’t an official national sport of Japan, but it’s the country’s oldest sport – over 1,500 years old! – and is considered by many to be the national sport. Though its popularity has been going down a bit in the past few years, it has been entertaining the Japanese public since around the Edo period (1603-1868); before then it was done mainly for ceremonial purposes. • Are some people excluded from sumo wrestling? Currently only men can become pro
