Discover the fascinating world of sumo wrestling with our exclusive and exciting tours! Grand sumo tournaments occur in the odd-numbered months of the year. If you plan to travel to Japan during those months, you'll have the incredible opportunity to attend, and even join a guided tour with English support for the best experience. For a more personal, behind-the-scenes type of deal, check out the morning practice tours to see the wrestlers train at their stables (where they live and train) and possibly even eat and talk with them!
Since we have partnered up with various sumo stables, we can guarantee the best price for the sumo tours in Japan!
Here are our Tours:
Sumo Stable Tour Visit a Sumo Stable to See their Daily Practice
📣Limited Seats Available Now! Premium Box Seats on the first floor and S-Class Seats on the second floor are on sale!
🌟 Trending This Month:
Tokyo Sumo Tournament Tour, May 2024
Tokyo Sumo Tournament Tour takes place on May 12-26, 2024. Tours are available for any date, only through Japan Wonder Travel! This includes opening and closing days.
Book our tour now to watch the sumo tournament before they sell out!
💺Seat Types
Stand Seats: All on the 2nd floor of the arena, and they are individual fold down chair seats. These seats are divided into 4 different sections; S, A, B, and C-class seats. The S-class seats are at the very front of the 2nd floor seating and the C seats are at the very top. Although you may think that these might be the worst seats as they are the most high up, the arena itself isn’t all that big and you will have a pretty good view of the dohyo (sumo ring) no matter where you are watching from. Box Seats: All on the first floor, which give you a great view of the dohyo and bouts! They are cushion seats and there is no backrest. These seats come in a set of 4 seats, and you have to buy them as a package. It can be a little tough to get depending on the tournament and day. These seats are divided into 4 main sections; S, A, B, and C-class seats. The S seats are closest to the dohyo right behind the ringside seats, and the C seats are at the back of the first floor. Be aware that you need to take your shoes off when sitting here.
Box Seats on the first floor and S-Class Seats on the second floor are on sale!
On May 14 and 16, tours with a Box Seats ticket are available! You can watch the sumo wrestling on the first floor while a professional guide explains through earbuds.
We also offer S-Class seats for a limited number (14 seats per day), so please check the availability now to get a special opportunity!
🔭The view from Box Seats vs S-Class Stand Seats (example)
View from box seats View from S-Class Stand Seats
Tokyo Sumo Stable Tours
Attending a morning practice session is no small opportunity; we're lucky enough to have partnerships with various stables that allow this as many do not. Outside of their touring dates (odd-numbered months of the year), these exclusive viewings are permitted and offer an incredible glimpse into the intense world of sumo.
Tokyo Sumo Morning Practice Tours
Available in April! [and a few dates in May] Limited spots remaining
*Please note that the practice may end earlier than usual, meaning the tour will be shorter than mentioned depending on the day
📝What is a Sumo Stable?
Sumo stables are the places where sumo wrestlers reside and train together with their oyakata, the master of the stable. Though the number of stables may vary from year to year, currently, there are 44 of them in Japan and they are all located in the Kanto area. The wrestlers adhere to strict rules, share meals, and divide housework. They have a strict hierarchy by division, which means the lower-ranked rikishi are responsible for most of the chores and assist the higher-ranked rikishi with tasks such as running errands and even scrubbing their backs. The lower-ranked rikishi wake up early to prepare for practice and can only eat after the higher-ranked rikishi have finished their meals.
Sumo Grand Tournament Tour (Odd-Numbered Months)
Grand Sumo Tournaments take place six times a year, and Tokyo hosts the tournament in January, May, and September at the sumo stadium "Ryogoku Kokugikan." The March tournament is in Osaka, the July tournament is in Nagoya, and the November tournament is in Fukuoka.
Stand Seats: All on the 2nd floor of the arena, and they are individual fold down chair seats. These seats are divided into 4 different sections; S, A, B, and C-class seats. The S-class seats are at the very front of the 2nd floor seating and the C seats are at the very top. Although you may think that these might be the worst seats as they are the most high up, the arena itself isn’t all that big and you will have a pretty good view of the dohyo (sumo ring) no matter where you are watching from. Box Seats: All on the first floor, which give you a great view of the dohyo and bouts! They are cushion seats and there is no backrest. These seats come in a set of 4 seats, and you have to buy them as a package. It can be a little tough to get depending on the tournament and day. These seats are divided into 4 main sections; S, A, B, and C-class seats. The S seats are closest to the dohyo right behind the ringside seats, and the C seats are at the back of the first floor. Be aware that you need to take your shoes off when sitting here.
Sumo Tournament Tours for May (Tokyo), July (Nagoya), September (Tokyo), November (Fukuoka), and January (Tokyo) will be available about two months before the tournament starts.
👀Coming Soon:
Nagoya Sumo Tournament Tour in July will be available in May, 2024. If you are interested in, please come back to this page in May!
For further clarity, the full tournament schedule is as follows:
Month
Place
January
Tokyo
March
Osaka
May
Tokyo
July
Nagoya
September
Tokyo
November
Fukuoka
📝 About the Grand Sumo Tournaments
The bouts go on from morning to evening, starting with lower-ranked wrestlers at around 8:30 am. If you arrive at the stadium by 3:30 pm, you can catch the ring-entering ceremony of the stronger wrestlers. The bouts usually conclude by 6 pm. Professional wrestlers are categorized into six divisions, with Makuuchi being the highest and Jonokuchi being the lowest. After each tournament, the wrestlers’ rankings are determined based on their performance, and the number of matches varies between the divisions. Makuuchi has 18 matches, Makushita has 30 matches, Juryo has 13 matches, and Sandanme has 48 matches.
Ryogoku Kokugikan is located in the Ryogoku area, which is near other popular attractions in Tokyo. Some include Asakusa, Tokyo Skytree, and Akihabara. This eastern part of Tokyo in general is known for its well-preserved traditions from the Edo period.
Coming soon: Other Sumo Tours
Visit the Yokozuna's (Grand Champion) stable with us!
With a chance at seeing the reigning champion train, this tour is one nobody would want to miss- despite any level of sumo enthusiasm. Watch other professionals train side by side rookies staking their claims, and afterwards enjoy a homemade sumo feast featuring their famed Chanko Nabe.
