Sunday Sumo's!!

 

"If you've half a mind to join the hash, that's all you need!"

  (a popular Hash House Harriers' motto)

Well that was us on Sunday......I wanted to..he didn't want to.....that sounded like half a mind to me!!

After the run in Roppongi on Friday night, we really weren't too sure about doing another run, but the Sumo HH Run was being held in our area and it was an absolutely beautiful day. All we had to do was ride our bikes to the starting point, no trains, it doesn't get much easier than that. Riding your bikes through Chinatown on a Sunday is a major feat and the weather meant the place was very busy. The Yokohama Marathon, starting in Yamashita Park, had also been run in the morning so as usual it was all happening! Never a dull moment here!!!

It wasn't a big group running, about 20, but it was an enthusiastic one. For us it's great just having interaction with such a diverse group ...young US soldiers, Japanese, expats from all over and, today, even three dogs. Actually only one of them ran part of the way.

We even had live 'pre run' entertainment.....Christmas Carols on the ukulele!!

 2.30pm arrives.......Time to get moving, it's getting a bit cool.

It's a bit hard stopping and taking photos on a run and then running to catch up, so I decided not to take any pictures this time. It was our home territory after all! Runners darted in all directions trying to find the trail at the first checkpoint and the group quickly split.

Hashing is based on the old British game of 'Hares and Hounds' and was started by a group of British officers in Kuala Lumpur in 1938. A run usually has 6-7 checkpoints. Throughout the course there are arrows, marked in chalk or flour, and check backs then a checkpoint. A checkpoint is marked by a circle and runners head off in each direction finding the course. Once found a whistle blows and to the cry of 'On On' everyone follows, leaving a mark for those behind.

Pleasingly we both stayed with the 'forward group' and managed to stay on course. We ran along the foreshore, up the hill into the Yamate area, back down the hill and then back up again, up and down copious amounts of steps, out the back of Ishikawacho Station, towards Saguragicho, then towards the area near the ferris wheel. Some took a shortcut at this stage but I stayed with the group.

Finally after 9km's we returned to the starting point. Very quickly, as we stood in the shadows of the trees, our hot bodies cooled down. The days have been clear and sunny but by 3-3.30pm there is a definite chill in the air. It was decided to move to a sunnier location so the group moved off to a warm spot against a wall down near the foreshore. As usual, beer and wine was to be had and plenty of food was available to replenish our exercised bodies.

It's a lovely opportunity to chatter to others and find out about their lives in Japan.....where they live and come from, what they do etc etc.

 The live entertainment continued...............

 ....and I enjoyed chatting with 'Chucky Chunda', her Hash name not her real name.

'Chucky Chunda' is married to an Englishman and they wanted to give their dog an English name.

Please let me introduce you to 

'Sir Tristan Tansy'!

 How English is that?

'Sir Tristan' enjoyed lying flat on his belly to absorb the last of the warmth from the paving!

 

By this stage we were keen to get on our bikes and ride home......we were very, very cold! We rode all the way at 'break neck' speed. Heaven help any pedestrians in our way!

'On On'  

beckoned the hot, Radox filled bathtub!!