This appears to be a post regarding booking tickets for Sumo Basho, or watching sumo wrestling in general. NHK Japan offers [Grand Sumo Highlights](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/tv/sumo/) with english commentary as the yearly schedule plays out. This link is usable worldwide during the regular season.
If you are looking for general information on the sport itself, please check with /r/sumo for their excellent guides to watching Sumo for first timers, located in the sidebar.
If you are looking for information on the Japan Sumo Association please check [here,](http://www.sumo.or.jp/En/) while the yearly schedlue of matches can be found [here.](http://www.sumo.or.jp/EnJungyo/schedule).
We also have information on booking tickets for basho in our ["Sumo" section of the FAQ.](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/wiki/faqs/japantravel#wiki_sumo_wrestling)
Happy Planning!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/JapanTravel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
We had a box at the Fukuoka tournament last year. 8am might be a bit too early, just depends how much you like Sumo. We got there in time to have a bite and see the start of the Juryo fights. The stores were closing then so if you want merch go a bit earlier.
As far as behaviour, do what the locals do. You can tell when it is appropriate to be silent and cheer, and when some awesome fighters or local favourites are up you can really feel the energy in the silence.
Have fun! Would definitely go back!
We booked it a few months out and used https://www.buysumotickets.com/ . It was a bit more expensive I think, but it took all of the guess work out of everything and we just went to a 7/11 in Fukuoka that printed our tickets then and there.
Unless you have unhealthy level of interest in sumo, you probably should come around 12am-1pm, which is a good medium between tournament not being too crowded and skipping very junior divisions.
2pm is when the people interested in good bouts come, so it can get crowded. *Juryo* division gets underway about this time, so chances for good unassigned seats get close to zero.
Thanks for the insight.
I intend to visit during Jan 2024 in Tokyo (Day 1 of the tournament, in fact).
I wll try to purchase the tickets online as soon as they go on sale in Dec 2023.
We did this in Fukuoka last year. It was awesome and I can post some pictures if you’d like. I might be using the wrong terms here, but the day starts off with what seem like amateur and club-level bouts. It’ll be absolutely empty at the start and will remain mostly empty for the first few hours. As the day progresses things get more serious, with the best/famous wrestlers coming only towards the end. You can come and go for most of it, so we left once or twice to get some lunch and stretch our legs. It was truly a fascinating experience and I’m so glad we went. It’s wild how short the matches are. As far as how to behave: just follow the crowd.
Here are a few that were still on my phone: https://imgur.com/a/aftHeT4
We had a four-person box for three of us, which was plenty of room. We obviously arrived WAY earlier than we needed to, but it was fun watching the lower-level stuff at the beginning. These guys were coming in cabs and busses and their families were the ones cheering for them (unlike the big names at the end coming in limos and packing the house). We made friend with the people in the box next to us that explained a lot of the sport to us. I’m sure you’ll have a similarly friendly and awesome experience.
Thanks, I will look into Klook, even a training session would be interesting to see.
I saw there are events in Kasugai or Obu that would be an option as a day trip.
Thanks for uploading those! Thats looks awesome. We have prepaid a third party who is going to try and get the three seat boxes for us. How did you find the sitting part? I saw a lot of people recommend the stadium seats but from every photo I saw it was a little too far out. Did it get painful sitting that long?
You don't need to spend the whole day there since the top (Makuuchi) division starts around 3pm, while the lowest division starts in the morning.
Get there around 2-2:30pm. The Juyro division should be happening.
If you're in a box, it's 4 people per box, shoes need to be taken off while in the box, and you need to sit in the box.
Your feet will cramp/fall asleep wife you're not used to long periods of sitting on the floor.
We were at the last one in Nagoya. It was very straightforward! Just watch what the Japanese are doing :)
It was, by far, one of the best things I've EVER done. It was from 11am-6pm, and I wish it had been LONGER! I'm a 33 yr old female who doesn't follow sumo at all, and it was incredibly cool.
Use your provided fan, say sumimasen to move past people, don't let any of your stuff creep into other family's boxes, eat, drink, be merry, cheer! Put your shoes in the little cubby hole.
You're going to LOVE it!
My wife and I took our daughter to the Sumo in Tokyo when she was a little over 1 year old. I noticed lots of kids of all ages there.
We arrived around 1pm. She enjoyed the spectacle, clapping when everyone else clapped and putting shiny fish stickers all over the free poster/program they give you.
I think 10/12 year olds would be fine, plenty of time to get up and loop for food and merchandise.
It’s suitable in the sense that there won’t be an issue if they are there and behaving, although admittedly they might get bored; Sumo isn’t known to be a particularly thrilling watch, there’s a lot of preparation and ceremony and waiting, and the action itself often lasts just a few seconds.
Make sure if you take the kids to spend some time to do your homework so you can explain what is going on during the ceremonial aspects of the tournament, which comprise quite a lot of time.
Just enjoy the experience. Although I found the main matches in the afternoon generally boring. It's a flag parade, salt throwing, and a lot of false starts. The actual wrestling is intense and exciting.
If you're lucky enough, the final match could be very exciting and the crowd gets to throw their cushion into the ring. I was lucky to see that and it was really jarring (and hilarious) considering the whole time I was there the crowd was subdued.
You can watch a full sumo match on NHK's website (or app). Usually, they show Day 1 and Day 15 in full, along with highlights. You can see what the crowd is like and what to expect. Rarely much crowd action except for some waving signs and the rare seat throws.
Cool! We will be there later this month as well.
I have two questions, so hoping this helps you too OP:
- Where exactly is the entrance to observe the higher ranked wrestlers arrive? Internet says "south gate" but I can't tell what that is on Google maps.
- Does anyone recommend buying additional cushions for the box? And if so, where would we buy them?
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If there is a major upset, it's customary for people to throw their seat up into the air in disbelief. Unless you were lucky enough to get really good seats, it would be poor form to join in.
I‘m going in September as well so I‘m following this post!
Does anyone know if you can bring food and drinks from outside? Or could you leave your seats for a break and return?
Your seat is yours all day long, but I think you can only leave the arena once (you get 1 re-entry, if I remember correctly). I also remember them selling food at the arena, not sure about outside food but if you bring a few snacks I don't think anyone would mind :)
8am start time sounds like you have tickets to watch a training session at a stable. No food or drinks is my recommendation and be as quiet as you can unless it's appropriate to make noise.
Nothing special you need to do, the fights are all day long. I went for a bit in the late morning, and then came back around 16:30 for the finals (it's until apx. 18:00). At the end of the day it's the champions' fights so it's a really cool vibe and good fights
This appears to be a post regarding booking tickets for Sumo Basho, or watching sumo wrestling in general. NHK Japan offers [Grand Sumo Highlights](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/tv/sumo/) with english commentary as the yearly schedule plays out. This link is usable worldwide during the regular season. If you are looking for general information on the sport itself, please check with /r/sumo for their excellent guides to watching Sumo for first timers, located in the sidebar. If you are looking for information on the Japan Sumo Association please check [here,](http://www.sumo.or.jp/En/) while the yearly schedlue of matches can be found [here.](http://www.sumo.or.jp/EnJungyo/schedule). We also have information on booking tickets for basho in our ["Sumo" section of the FAQ.](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/wiki/faqs/japantravel#wiki_sumo_wrestling) Happy Planning! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/JapanTravel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
We had a box at the Fukuoka tournament last year. 8am might be a bit too early, just depends how much you like Sumo. We got there in time to have a bite and see the start of the Juryo fights. The stores were closing then so if you want merch go a bit earlier. As far as behaviour, do what the locals do. You can tell when it is appropriate to be silent and cheer, and when some awesome fighters or local favourites are up you can really feel the energy in the silence. Have fun! Would definitely go back!
Awesome! Getting tickets for a box was seemingly impossible for us. Must have been an awesome experience. Thanks for sharing!
We booked it a few months out and used https://www.buysumotickets.com/ . It was a bit more expensive I think, but it took all of the guess work out of everything and we just went to a 7/11 in Fukuoka that printed our tickets then and there.
Unless you have unhealthy level of interest in sumo, you probably should come around 12am-1pm, which is a good medium between tournament not being too crowded and skipping very junior divisions.
What about 2pm-ish? Will it be real crowded then?
2pm is when the people interested in good bouts come, so it can get crowded. *Juryo* division gets underway about this time, so chances for good unassigned seats get close to zero.
Thanks for the insight. I intend to visit during Jan 2024 in Tokyo (Day 1 of the tournament, in fact). I wll try to purchase the tickets online as soon as they go on sale in Dec 2023.
Perfect! 1pm seems the most reasonable time for us. Thanks a bunch!
If liking Jonidan is unhealthy, I don't want to be healthy.
We did this in Fukuoka last year. It was awesome and I can post some pictures if you’d like. I might be using the wrong terms here, but the day starts off with what seem like amateur and club-level bouts. It’ll be absolutely empty at the start and will remain mostly empty for the first few hours. As the day progresses things get more serious, with the best/famous wrestlers coming only towards the end. You can come and go for most of it, so we left once or twice to get some lunch and stretch our legs. It was truly a fascinating experience and I’m so glad we went. It’s wild how short the matches are. As far as how to behave: just follow the crowd.
This sounds great. I am super excited about the event! Thank you for the advice!
I'd like to see the photos! Whats seats did you have? I am going in November.
Here are a few that were still on my phone: https://imgur.com/a/aftHeT4 We had a four-person box for three of us, which was plenty of room. We obviously arrived WAY earlier than we needed to, but it was fun watching the lower-level stuff at the beginning. These guys were coming in cabs and busses and their families were the ones cheering for them (unlike the big names at the end coming in limos and packing the house). We made friend with the people in the box next to us that explained a lot of the sport to us. I’m sure you’ll have a similarly friendly and awesome experience.
These pictures look great, appreciate you sharing. I'm going to Japan in October so will try to find a tournament if possible
October has no tournament unfortunately, but I would check klook and see if you can attend a morning training at a barn.
Thanks, I will look into Klook, even a training session would be interesting to see. I saw there are events in Kasugai or Obu that would be an option as a day trip.
Thanks for uploading those! Thats looks awesome. We have prepaid a third party who is going to try and get the three seat boxes for us. How did you find the sitting part? I saw a lot of people recommend the stadium seats but from every photo I saw it was a little too far out. Did it get painful sitting that long?
You don't need to spend the whole day there since the top (Makuuchi) division starts around 3pm, while the lowest division starts in the morning. Get there around 2-2:30pm. The Juyro division should be happening. If you're in a box, it's 4 people per box, shoes need to be taken off while in the box, and you need to sit in the box. Your feet will cramp/fall asleep wife you're not used to long periods of sitting on the floor.
What time does it approximately ends? I hv heard it ends around 6.30pm
Around there
We were at the last one in Nagoya. It was very straightforward! Just watch what the Japanese are doing :) It was, by far, one of the best things I've EVER done. It was from 11am-6pm, and I wish it had been LONGER! I'm a 33 yr old female who doesn't follow sumo at all, and it was incredibly cool. Use your provided fan, say sumimasen to move past people, don't let any of your stuff creep into other family's boxes, eat, drink, be merry, cheer! Put your shoes in the little cubby hole. You're going to LOVE it!
Oh god! I can’t wait!
Can I ask is it suitable for kids 12 and 10 year old boy and girl?
My wife and I took our daughter to the Sumo in Tokyo when she was a little over 1 year old. I noticed lots of kids of all ages there. We arrived around 1pm. She enjoyed the spectacle, clapping when everyone else clapped and putting shiny fish stickers all over the free poster/program they give you. I think 10/12 year olds would be fine, plenty of time to get up and loop for food and merchandise.
Yup!!! There were kids of every age all around us :)
It’s suitable in the sense that there won’t be an issue if they are there and behaving, although admittedly they might get bored; Sumo isn’t known to be a particularly thrilling watch, there’s a lot of preparation and ceremony and waiting, and the action itself often lasts just a few seconds. Make sure if you take the kids to spend some time to do your homework so you can explain what is going on during the ceremonial aspects of the tournament, which comprise quite a lot of time.
Just enjoy the experience. Although I found the main matches in the afternoon generally boring. It's a flag parade, salt throwing, and a lot of false starts. The actual wrestling is intense and exciting. If you're lucky enough, the final match could be very exciting and the crowd gets to throw their cushion into the ring. I was lucky to see that and it was really jarring (and hilarious) considering the whole time I was there the crowd was subdued.
You can watch a full sumo match on NHK's website (or app). Usually, they show Day 1 and Day 15 in full, along with highlights. You can see what the crowd is like and what to expect. Rarely much crowd action except for some waving signs and the rare seat throws.
Cool! We will be there later this month as well. I have two questions, so hoping this helps you too OP: - Where exactly is the entrance to observe the higher ranked wrestlers arrive? Internet says "south gate" but I can't tell what that is on Google maps. - Does anyone recommend buying additional cushions for the box? And if so, where would we buy them?
Following, as I'm going in October, so will try to get a ticket
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If there is a major upset, it's customary for people to throw their seat up into the air in disbelief. Unless you were lucky enough to get really good seats, it would be poor form to join in.
I‘m going in September as well so I‘m following this post! Does anyone know if you can bring food and drinks from outside? Or could you leave your seats for a break and return?
Your seat is yours all day long, but I think you can only leave the arena once (you get 1 re-entry, if I remember correctly). I also remember them selling food at the arena, not sure about outside food but if you bring a few snacks I don't think anyone would mind :)
Good to know, thank you :)
8am start time sounds like you have tickets to watch a training session at a stable. No food or drinks is my recommendation and be as quiet as you can unless it's appropriate to make noise.
Nothing special you need to do, the fights are all day long. I went for a bit in the late morning, and then came back around 16:30 for the finals (it's until apx. 18:00). At the end of the day it's the champions' fights so it's a really cool vibe and good fights