Getting tickets to the Tokyo Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan is always a bit of a struggle, but now there’s an easier option for English-speaking sumo fans.
Japanese travel agency JTB is bringing back its popular sumo viewing tours from January 2023, with tours available daily during the two-week tournament from January 8 to January 22. You will be accompanied by a professional English-speaking interpreter, who will provide detailed explanations on rules and specific sumo terminology.
You can watch the giant wrestlers in action from a reserved seat on the second floor and receive a free English booklet about sumo as well as a banzuke-hyo, a rankings table of professional sumo wrestlers.
What’s more, tour participants can have a group photo together with one of the famous sumo stable masters, who are retired sumo wrestlers. Note that the fee for the souvenir photo is not included in the tour price.
There are three different tour itineraries to choose from. Aside from the general sumo viewing tour (¥12,000-13,000 per person), you can also add a chanko-nabe dinner – a sumo wrestler’s traditional meal – to your experience (January 10, 11, 16,17; ¥17,500 per person). Or, join a half-day Tokyo sightseeing bus tour before watching the sumo in the afternoon (January 10, 12, 14, 16, 17, 19, 21; ¥20,000-21,000 per person).
The Tokyo Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan is one of the most important sumo wrestling events across Japan, so make sure to book early as tickets tend to sell out fast. Admission also includes access to the facility’s adjoining museum and souvenir shop.
More from Time Out Tokyo
Guide to Japan’s reopening for tourism: visa-free travel, valid vaccines, PCR tests and more
Ride Japan's first three-storey merry-go-round at Huis Ten Bosch this Christmas
The scaffolding around Miyajima’s floating torii gate has been removed
Get your coffee from a bear paw at this unique hole-in-the-wall café in Harajuku
Shibuya cancels New Year’s Eve countdown event for 2022/2023
Want to be the first to know what’s cool in Tokyo? Sign up to our newsletter for the latest updates from Tokyo and Japan.