Would you go head-to-head with a sumo fighter? It's possible

It's unlikely but true: I was once (twice, actually) an Australian national sumo champion. In the late 2000s, I dominated the Australian Sumo Federation's master's division - largely because I was the only registered competitor. I won the national title with a bye for two consecutive years, before retiring undefeated.

It was all a bit of a joke - since I had not actually trained as a sumo - but I have a certificate and a medal to prove my bona fides.

But it was only recently in Japan that I finally stepped into the sumo ring (or dohyo, as we sumo call it) for the first time.

I had signed up for the Sumo Show and Experience at a restaurant in the Ryogoku district of Tokyo, home to the grand Kokugikan National Sumo Arena, many "stables" of wrestlers, and several restaurants that serve chanko nabe, the chicken, seafood and vegetable stew that helps sumo reach their goal of 7000 calories a day.

Booths at the restaurant were arranged around the dohyo, so every diner had a view of the action. Before the performance, lunch was served - a small bowl of the famous stew and a large plate of pork or chicken in batter. The chicken was unexpectedly delicate; the chanko nabe, on the other hand, is just another hardship that sumo must suffer in pursuit of their vocation.

The show began with two retired wrestlers demonstrating their training exercises and moves that are permitted or prohibited in sumo. Most of this was new to me - which is strange, given my status in the sport - but I might've guessed you were not allowed to gouge out your opponent's eyes, even if we hadn't been shown a fantastic presentation involving prosthetic eyes.

The wrestlers then fought a best-out-of-three tournament (spoiler: the fat guy wins) and offered to take on anyone in the crowd. Customers were given the choice of wearing a sumo suit or just a mawashi loincloth. I thought the suit would be inflatable, for protection, but in fact it was cloth, for humiliation. Every challenger (except for one guy with a mohawk) also had to put on a plastic topknot, which always fell off.

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Seven people took a turn in the dohyo, and their efforts were often wildly funny - particularly the American woman who, when asked if she was ready, looked across at her mountainous opponent and spontaneously screamed, "Nooooooo!"

The challengers didn't so much wrestle the sumo as try to push them over. After a brief pantomime struggle, the wrestlers gave in and let them all "win". But the show was a true spectacle, since it depended entirely on the unpredictable antics of the challengers. When the fighting was over, every guest was given a chance to enter the dohyo and have their photo taken choking a sumo.

And that's when I stepped into the ring for the first time.

Where: Restaurant Yokozuna Tonkatsu Dosukoi Tanaka, 3 Chome-1-11 Tatekawa, Sumida City, Tokyo

When: The Sumo Show and Experience takes place every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 12.45pm.

How much: From 11,000 yen ($120) per person; half-price for children under 11, including a two-course lunch.

Explore more: sumoexperience.com