Ohtori spent his two-decade sumo career struggling for wins so he could to move up the ranks of Japan's traditional sport, but now he is fighting to entertain a different crowd: curious tourists.
He is one of six former wrestlers putting on sumo demonstrations catering to overseas travelers, who are returning in droves after a two-year COVID-19 blockade as the weaker yen makes such trips cheaper than they have been in decades.
"I want foreigners and Japanese people alike to have a greater understanding of sumo," said Ohtori, 40, whose full ring name, Koto-ohtori, means "harp phoenix."