Everything You Need to Know About Sumo in Japan 💪🏻

Sumo is a Japanese style of wrestling between men and serves as Japan’s national sport. Its origins go back to ancient times, when it was performed as a form of entertainment for Shinto deities.

The rules are simple: the wrestler who either leaves the ring first or touches the ground with any part of his body other than the soles of his feet loses. Matches take place on a raised ring made of clay and covered with a layer of sand. A bout usually lasts only a few seconds, though in rare cases it can go on for a minute or more. There are no weight classes in sumo, meaning wrestlers can easily find themselves facing someone several times their size. As a result, gaining weight is an essential part of competing successfully.

Six tournaments are held each year: three in Tokyo (January, May, and September), one in Osaka (March), one in Nagoya (July), and one in Fukuoka (November). Each tournament lasts 15 days, during which wrestlers compete in one match per day, except for lower-ranked wrestlers who compete slightly less often.

How to Watch a Sumo Tournament

The best way to see sumo is to attend a tournament. Not to actually participate - just to watch from the sidelines :) Sumo ticket sales usually begin about a month before each tournament. Tickets can be purchased in advance through the official association website or via buysumotickets.com. Alternatively, tickets can sometimes be purchased at convenience stores or at the stadium itself.

Three types of seating are available:

Ringside seats:

These are the most expensive and hardest to get. Spectators sit on cushions placed on the floor and are exposed to the (real) possibility of a wrestler landing on them during a match.

Box seats:

The first floor of the stadium is made up of Japanese-style box seating. This means removing your shoes and sitting on cushions. Tickets are sold per box, not per person - so even if two people use a box designed for four, all four tickets must be purchased. It’s a bit unusual.

Balcony seats:

On the second floor, there are several rows of Western-style seats. Even if advance tickets are sold out, a limited number of same-day balcony tickets are often available at the stadium.

Tournament Day

Lower division matches usually start around 8:30 AM, second division matches from around 3:00 PM, and top division matches from around 4:00 PM. When divisions switch, there is a ring-entering ceremony, which is quite interesting to watch on its own. The highest-ranked wrestlers usually compete just before 6:00 PM.

It’s recommended to arrive at the stadium for the top division between 3:30 PM and 6:00 PM.

Visiting Sumo Stables

If you really want to see sumo but your trip doesn’t fall on tournament dates, the best alternative is to visit a sumo stable and watch a morning training session. Sumo stables are where wrestlers live and train together - everything happens there, from sleeping and eating to intense daily training. Even their free time is spent there, and everything is carefully structured by the stable master. There are around forty stables, most of them located in the Tokyo area.

However, only a small number of stables accept visitors, and they usually require tourists to be accompanied by someone who speaks Japanese and is familiar with sumo etiquette. Visitors are expected to strictly follow the rules and not interfere with training. In practice, this means sitting on the floor and watching training for about 2–3 hours.

Various companies, such as Klook, offer stable tours. Prices are usually around ¥10,000 (~$65–70 USD) per person, and about ¥4,000 (~$25–30 USD) for additional group members.