The Changing Face of Sumo Wrestling

Charges
Michinori Yamada, right, is the coach of the winning Saitama Sakae high-school team. He acts as teacher and surrogate father to the young me in his program. "Japanese families used to send their boys to sumo stables to ensure they got enough food," he says. "Now, Japanese kids eat what they want, they go to college and they don't want to work so hard."

• Cleaning Up Sumo
• Japan's Stagnant Economy