Fame comes easy to Doug Brittain, a four-year resident of Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture. Last August, the 28-year-old assistant language teacher became the grand champion in the island's annual Akadomari Sumo tournament.
It was Brittain's fourth year competing in the event. Toppling his opponents in seven consecutive matches, Brittain walked away from the tournament winning four big bottles of sake, four boxes of bath salts, seven coupons for stay at a local hotel, a massive trophy, a heavy plaque and a painful scratch across his right nipple.
"Though I was really quite exhausted by the fifth round, my coworkers really love it when I enter sumo tournaments because I always win a few big bottles of sake, and I don't drink," Brittain says.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.