Among the activities associated with this country, also called the land of the rising sun, there is perhaps none which is as iconic of Japan as is Sumo wrestling. Steeped in thirteen centuries of history and tradition, Sumo originally served a religious and cultural purpose as a means of entertaining the deities to ensure a good harvest for the season. Over time, as Japan became embroiled in wars, Sumo was transformed into a form of military training, exclusively practiced by samurais and beyond the sight of the common man. Feudal lords, with their share of warriors, also conducted their own tournaments in their castles, which was aimed at increasing the one on one mortal combat skills of their warriors.

Opponents start by performing the chiri-chozu, where they squat across each other, extend their hands, then clap once. After this, each opponent performs the shiko, which is best described as an exaggerated act of foot stomping ritual. Then each opponent takes a fistful of unrefined salt and throws it over the ring, as a purification ritual. Salt was believed to have purifying power over evil spirits, while purity and purification rituals play a very important role in Shinto rituals, which was once the dominant religion in Japan. The main objective of a Sumo encounter is to get an opponent to step or land outside the competition circle, or get any part of his body to touch the ground. The first person to get his opponent to do so wins. Most moves such as pushing and shoving, lifting, heaving, slapping and other similar moves are allowed, while punching, hair pulling, kicking the vital areas, and eye gouging are not. It consists of a 30 foot loincloth tightly bound and called a mawashi, which is used during training as well as official competitions. A length of twisted string, called a sagari, is tucked around the front of the waist portion of the belt. The sagari represents the sacred ropes that hang in front of Shinto shrines.

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Tae kwon do is a martial art and combat sport originating in Korea. It aims to achieve modesty, perseverance, self control and indomitable spirit. Through devoted training one can gradually attain mental and physical fitness. By practicing and repeating each step to perfection, we become more patient. Self-confidence is attained through the power of one’s body and the knowledge of how to use it at any place and in any situation. Sparring helps us build humility, courage, alertness, and accuracy and develops self-control. By doing patterns, we increase our flexibility, grace, balance and co-ordination. Through discipline and interaction with others, we learn co-operation and mutual respect. Prejudices are not welcome and we soon learn that racial barriers only stand in the way of our training. Along with developing a healthier, leaner and more flexible body, we also increase endurance through a typical training regime. The health-related effects of training are numerous.

Taekwondo has been under constant evolution for over several thousand years. However, it was not until the 1950s that Taekwondo was standardized and organized by Gen Choi Hong Hi and the sport was brought outside the Korean borders, at first to Vietnam and the US, and later to the rest of the world. Today, Taekwondo is organized in three international federations: the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), with headquarters in Seoul, Korea; the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF), with headquarters in Austria; and the Global Taekwondo Federation (GTF) with headquarters in Korea. Taekwondo has recently been declared an official Olympic sport with the first competitions held during the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, in 2000

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The martial art of Kung Fu is an exchange of culture, a type of exercise, and also a way of defending yourself. The art is very popular throughout the world, also being known as Gung Fu, Wu Shu, and even Kuo Shu. It shares some common traits with Karate, such as using both hand and foot techniques. Kung Fu is one of the most popular forms of martial arts - and also one of the oldest.

Kung Fu is a martial art that can be learned by anyone. It does take a strong desire, just like any other martial art. It has a rich heritage, and a proud legacy. Kung Fu is indeed a deadly martial art, if used in the wrong ways. There are variations of Kung Fu as well, which include the infamous five animals - Tiger, Dragon, Eagle Claw, Crane, and the Snake.

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