It’s the calm before the stomp. This week, the Royal Albert Hall will be filled with a clay circular ring covered in a layer of sand.
Over 40 Japanese juggernauts, all sporting greased-back topknots, boasting bulging bellies and weighing in at well over 300 pounds, will aim to slam each other to the ground, winning the plaudits of a palpable (and, probably by this point, vibrating) crowd.
