Tap Your Way to Sumo Greatness

For all my talk of the skills Japanese toys impart, I can’t resist starting with one that doesn’t require much effort at all, just because it provides so much accessible fun--Dan Dan Sumo だんだん相撲. The “dan dan” in Dan Dan Sumo is onomatopoeia for the tapping sound the levers make as combatants seek to knock over their opponent’s wooden avatar before their own takes a tumble. The only real trick to the game is to keep your own taps subtle as the over enthusiastic tend to knock down their own piece after the game has barely started. There are other variations of the sumo toy theme than the one shown in the video below. Since this is the only version I have, I can’t say which one is the best. Let me know if you find a good one.