Alan Selby

FACING down a 27-stone wrestler in person wasn’t at the top of my to-do list when I arrived in Japan. But I was in his backyard in Sakurai, near where sumo started

2,000 years ago, so it seemed rude not to.

Seconds later I realised I had secured shiroboshi (victory) and honour for my family as my opponent now stood outside the ring, vanquished.

What happened in between is a bit of a blur, but I have a sneaking suspicion he may have let me win.

This kind of frenzy is a risk gaijin (outsiders) run when they visit Japan, desperate to take in as much of the country as they possibly can.

But if you take a leaf out of my book and set your sights on the area around Osaka, Japan’s second largest city, you’ll find there’s more to the country than just Tokyo.

In fact, this year’s Rugby World Cup will see Osaka’s Hanazono Rugby Stadium host four fixtures while England will kick off against the USA in Kobe, just half an hour away, on September 26. Handily,

British Airways has just resumed services to the region’s Kansai airport, meaning within 14 hours of wheels up earlier this month, I was standing aboard a yakatabune (traditional boat) with a bento food box beneath my nose.

We serenely glided down the Okawa River, with spring cherry blossom straddling its banks, and my jetlag melted away.

A relaxing half-day journey through centuries of feudal history continued from a vantage point atop 500-year-old Osaka Castle. These tranquil scenes, which often seem impossible in the capital, are welcome when you’re nine hours ahead following a 12-hour flight.

But after a short hop across Osaka’s compact centre the calm on this trip was soon shattered as a traditional sword was thrust into my hand and I did my level best to come to grips with the ancient art of Battodo (swordmanship).

As with so many elements of Japanese life and culture there is a right way and a wrong way to carry out even the most simple task.

I absolutely went about Battodo HISTORY Osaka’s 500-year-old castle