Quote Originally Posted by Norm View Post
Unfortunately, the sumo season did not start until September, so we did not see any matches. I had never heard of chankonabe, so did not get to try it. But it looks like a healthy meal (I had a look on the internet). The kilt I wore was a light, ripstop utility kilt so it really did help with the heat, as well as utilizing a fundoshi with it. So how did the Japanese people respond to your wearing a kilt? It would be nice to start a trend with the Japanese adopting the kilt for their very hot and humid climate. Yet I know that it is very hard for any of them to step out of the mold and try something unique or different. Your kilt is nice; great color scheme. So, how long did it take you to learn Japanese? I did manage to learn hiragana and katakana, but kanji was a brick wall. Thank you for your post!
Chankonabe is the staple of the sumo diet. So it's worth trying, if you're ever in Ryōgoku again.

The kilt is a Craig ancient. I like that it's our family tartan, as it's definitely different from the most common tartans.

Japanese people would normally react with interest to the kilt. I've had a reaction or two in public before, which is fairly rare for Japanese people, who are more likely to not want to bother other people. I feel like to many of them it's an interesting piece of foreign culture. I can't see it becoming too much of a trend over there, though, as they feel strongly connected to their own culture.

As far as learning Japanese. I have a university degree in Japanese Studies, so that's where a lot of my Japanese comes from.