OK. Now, let's talk about our dinner in Osaka.
We've already eaten so much good food during our time in Osaka. I thought it would be hard to think of anything novel for us to eat for dinner.
Then, the lovely Ms YI thought of Chanko-nabe (ちゃんこ鍋 ), famous for its health and stamina benefits. What is Chanko-nabe? you may ask.
Well, it is a hearty stew-like soup made from chicken stock and containing chicken, pork slices, meatballs, mushrooms, vegetables and tofu. It is the staple dish of sumo wrestlers because the dish is very easy to digest and it is considered as the primary source of energy for sumo wrestlers. As a result, it has earned its rank as yokozuna (横綱), or grand champion, of Japanese foods. 
Here are the ingredients that go into the pot!
The dashi (stock) in which the food is cooked varies from stable to stable, but is usually flavored with soy sauce, miso, and/or sake. As sumotori tire of eating the same meal every day, the ingredients vary considerably. Some wrestlers grow to like the culinary duties more than the training itself and give up wrestling to become the chanko-cho, or chief chanko chef, of the Stable ("heya"/部屋).
In recent year, some more enterprising wrestler started opening their own restaurants. There are many such restaurants in and around Ryogoku (両国), where the Tokyo sumo stadium is located.
The restaurant that we visited in Osaka was opened by the 66th Grand Champion of sumo wrestling Wakanohana Masaru (若乃花 勝/born 花田 勝). Wakanohana belonged to the Futagoyama Stable (二子山部屋), which produced two Grand Champions. According to the restaurant's website, some of the former wrestlers of the Futagoyama Stable also work in the kitchen to prepare some of the dishes.
As for our meal, the food was excellent. The quality of the ingredients is not doubt the best and it was a very enjoyable meal. The service was also very good!
Here is the waiter serving up the meat balls, which were molded into their round shapes on the spot.
In particular, the Chanko Pot Dish that we had was very very delicious. The soup base was made from six original blended miso, and even Ms YI said it was very very good quality. As you know, we had been eating all afternoon but we wouldn't dare wasting such wonderful food. We even drank most of the soup in the end!
In addition to the meal, we also ordered some salad and beef tataki (牛肉のタタキ). 
The beef was lightly seasoned and it was very tender and tasty. I really wanted an extra portion but I was just too full!!
As for drinks, Ms YI recommended that we have the meal with shochu (焼酎) instead of sake (酒). Shochu tastes a bit more nutty and much less fruity than sake. We ordered a mixture of shochu which was served in different ways: (1) 'on the rocks', (2) diluted with hot water and (3) diluted with cold water. Because the drinks are diluted, it feels much less alcoholic than sake so we can drink more of it! Good theory, right? :P
It was a great meal, so I decide to take a photo in front of the restaurant! First time I've done that in my many great meals in Japan.
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