Happy New Year! It’s 2020! What are your New Year resolutions? What will you add to your bucket list this year? How about experiencing Japan’s national sport? The Tokyo Grand Sumo Tournament starts in Tokyo at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan (Ryōgoku Sumo Stadium) on January 12th and runs until the 26th.
Unfortunately, advance tickets are all sold out, according to the Nihon Sumo Kyokai Official Grand Sumo website, but don’t fret! You can purchase same day unreserved tickets at the venue each morning from 7:45 am. Arriving as early as you can will increase your chances of getting good seats, and help you avoid long lines at the entrance.
Luckily, the Grand Sumo Tournament takes place at six different venues all over the country throughout the year. This means you have two more chances in May and September in Tokyo, or you can travel to Osaka in March, Nagoya in July, or Fukuoka in November. All the information you need is on the official website in English.
In the meantime, if you can’t make it to Ryōgoku Sumo Stadium in January, there’s plenty the uninitiated can do to prepare for attending the remaining parts of the tournament during the year.
Watch the Grand Sumo Tournament on NHK
The first time I watched sumo wrestling on TV, I wasn’t so impressed. But the more I watched, the more it grew on me. Now I find it really entertaining to see the enormous, physically fit men wearing colorful mawashi (loin cloths), lifting their legs higher than most of us could, and grappling in a malicious dance until one is thrown out of the dohyō (ring), nearly crushing the spectators, or crashing to the floor with incredible impact. The grand gestures of pre-bout salt throwing are fun too; each wrestler has his own style of flinging a fistful of salt into the air. And as the tournament progresses through the day, the growing number of bookmakers parading the ring at the beginning of each division shows the popularity and monetary worth of the revered rikishi (professional sumo wrestlers).
While watching on TV, observe the layout of the stadium and you’ll see how close the ¥30,000 box seats are to the dohyō, as well as how far back the cheapest seats are situated. Depending on where you sit, the experience is quite different. So if you want some of that ‘close-up’ action, be sure to check the website above about a month in advance and jump on those tickets.
Read about The History of Sumo
Learn the simple rules and who is who among the sumo wrestlers; especially the Yokozuna, who is the reigning champion of the highest ranking division; the Makuuchi. The Makuuchi division consists of 42 sumo wrestlers who are mostly Japanese. But there are also some who are originally from Mongolia, Brazil, Georgia, and Bulgaria.
Visit Ryogoku
You can visit several museums in the vicinity of the stadium, and also experience eating chanko nabe, the ‘sumo stew’, at one of the many nearby restaurants. Sumo wrestlers devour this daily to maintain their health and weight.
Visiting a sumo training stable and watching an early morning training session is also possible at a few stables if reservations are made in advance. Being fluent in Japanese is a requirement for the visit, or at least being accompanied by a fluent speaker. And just so you know, there are also strict rules that you must observe during visits. Guided tours are also a possibility if you’d rather take that route.
Don’t forget to check the official website around a month in advance of the tournament you choose to attend. Tickets really do sell out quickly!
Try something new this year! Watch sumo!
Photo by Bob Fisher on Unsplash.
