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Tokyo Grand Sumo Tournament Tour: Group Experience with Expert Sumo Guide
4.9
42 Ratings
Sumida City
Join our Tokyo Grand Sumo Tournament Tour for a group experience like no other! Get insider knowledge from an expert sumo guide and explore the sumo town of Ryogoku. Indulge in a delicious chanko-nabe lunch and enjoy prime seating to witness the thrilling sumo bouts.
Duration:
6 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Ryogoku - This part of the itinerary is for all travelers except for those who chose the “Without morning tour” option.
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Nomino Sukune Shrine
Visit this shinto shrine where the founder of sumo is enshrined. Learn from the guide how he instigated sumo 1500 years ago; how a ring entering ceremony is held here when a new grand champion (Yokozuna) comes into being; that Japan Sumo Association visits it to pray for a successful tournament 3 times a year. -
Edo Noren
Feel the atmosphere of old Edo (as Tokyo was called before). See a full-scale sumo ring. Learn from the guide so many stories about sumo observing the ring. -
Kokugikan arena
See many colorful banners with wrestler’s name written on each of them around the front gate. View the drum tower. See all the awards given to the grand champion. Visit the sumo museum. -
Sumo stables
Visit a couple of sumo stables to learn where wrestlers live and train.
What's Included
- All fees and taxes included
- Comprehensive information package with tournament info, sumo ranking, and wrestler profiles
- Headsets provided for groups of 3+ for clear guidance
- Expert sumo guide providing insights in English
What's Not Included
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off
- Drinks for the chanko-nabe lunch option; to be ordered separately.
Additional Information
The intimate tour of Tokyo’s grand sumo tournament offers live commentary from a knowledgeable sumo guide. Headsets are provided for attendees to listen to the guide without any struggle.
Rather than solely viewing the sumo match, participants will also:
- Explore Ryogoku, the town renowned for sumo. Embark on a walking tour to witness sumo-related landmarks and check out sumo stables from the exterior where the wrestlers reside and practice. The insightful guide provides abundant sumo-related information, significantly enhancing the tournament experience by familiarizing attendees with important sumo locations prior to the match viewing in the arena.
- Have the option of lunch at a chanko-nabe restaurant. This specially nutritious meal serves as the core of the sumo wrestlers’ diet, assisting in weight and muscle gain.
- Benefit from an earphone guide system, assuring clarity of the guide’s commentary even from afar.
We offer several alternatives with varying rates based on your seat location in the arena. For more information, refer to the seat map available in the photo section of this page.
- Each option is described below.
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- 1PM - with chanko-nabe dinner option 1PM - 3PM: Visit sumo-related historical landmarks and sumo stables 3PM - 6PM: viewing bouts at the arena 6PM - : Chanko-nabe dinner
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- 3PM - with chanko-nabe dinner option 3PM - 6PM: viewing bouts at the arena 6PM - : Chanko-nabe dinner
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- 1 PM - without chanko dinner option 1 PM - 3 PM: Visit sumo-related historical landmarks and sumo stables 3PM - 6PM: viewing bouts at the arena
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- 3 PM - without chanko dinner option 3PM - 6PM: viewing bouts at the arena
- Please note that there are two different meeting points depending on which option the participant will choose: in terms of starting time, one meeting point for 1PM starts and the other for 3PM starts.
- Each participant will receive 1) A pamphlet showing photos and profiles of wrestlers with English translation; see the photo section. The guide will walk them through it as they watch fights. 2) A cheer-up towel for a particular wrestler. The guide will teach each participant how to use it when the wrestler is about to fight; cheering up a particular wrestler will increase joy of watching.
- We are going to use Chair B seats in the arena. Unlike box seats where four spectators are seated on a 1.3m x 1.3m flat square floor with cushions, you can sit comfortably in a chair all the time.
Location
Ryogoku Kokugikan National Sumo Arena
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(42 Ratings)
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Erinlj9238hl
May 30, 2024
Amazing sumo tour! - Taka was an amazing tour guide! Very knowledgeable, answered all of our questions, took us on a super cool tour of the stadium and surrounding areas, and even got us a picture with some of the sumo wrestlers! I would absolutely recommend this to everyone!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bogey831
May 26, 2024
Bucket list! - We initially were going to purchase tickets on our own. Instead we did it through guide and we were not disappointed. Jeff took us around the local area around the arena including where the sumo wrestlers lived. He explained everything that was happening during the matches. This was my wive’s bucket but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Would highly recommend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gregnca
May 25, 2024
Fun Sumo Tour - Our tour guide Yuki was well experienced in leading fun and worthwhile Sumo tours. The meeting place was easy to find and we learned a lot about the Sumo culture, the history, their training, and the tournament itself. Lots of fun. Yuki is a wonderful guide.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Grace_g
May 25, 2024
Japan trip &’Sumo - We love sumo &
our tour guide Ali was very nice & informative.She knows what she’s doing by heart.Lucky to get tickets by reserving it months before.It’s the 2nd to the last day of the tournament & I could it’s the highlight of our Japan trip.
Review provided by Viator
Jens-peter
May 23, 2024
Inside tour of sumo wrestling - Aki, our guide, was very professional and care taking. Before the event we had the chance to browse around the neighbourhood of the sumo arena learning a lot about the history and Shinto backgrounds of sumo wrestling. Underpinned by visiting a sumo house and the ‘sumo’ Shinto temple. As mentioned meanwhile learning on the go the details and specifics of the sumo wrestling. All in all a very interesting and knowledgeable day with Aki
Review provided by Tripadvisor
752oritk
May 23, 2024
Sumo is exciting - The sumo experience is amazing. Hirosuna the guide was fun and attentive. The seats were in the upper balcony rows so you could see vividly the whole arena, but a bit from afar, yet the view was clear and the fights thrilling. We even got a cheering sign to go for our champion (which won the fight!)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Debbiem1976
May 21, 2024
A very enjoyable day! - Our guide, Sally, seemed to really enjoy sumo, and that carried through in her knowledgeable presentation. I also enjoyed the walk around the different sights of Ryogoku.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Y6652lbcarlos
May 20, 2024
Spirituality and clashes of modern sumo - This experience was very interesting and exciting. I have to thank the guide Yoko and her helpers who were invaluable, I thank them warmly.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ivaylo
May 17, 2024
Perfect experience. - I'm a big sumo fan. I always wanted to watch sumo in person. That's why I was very happy to visit the May tournament in Tokyo.
Our guide Aki is very knowledgeable and nice lady. She knows everything about sumo. It is nice to talk with her.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chantal_f
Jun 5, 2024
Better off going on your own - I read the mixed reviews and unfortunately this was on the worse end for me. I was fortunate to be seated beside the guide (seats were assigned by the tour organizer), and peppered him with questions throughout the tournament. This is the reason I didn’t give a 1 star.
He was a nice guy, and answered my questions, but as a guide he wasn’t prepared to give info throughout the match to everyone in the tour group. As we were all seated in a row, you were reliant on earpieces to hear anything he wanted to share. He didn’t share anything unprompted, so clearly hadn’t spent too much time actually prepping to guide us through the experience. For anyone not seated beside him, I’m not sure how much they actually got out of the experience.
They gave us a little handout with a booklet and some other goodies. That turned out to be key, as I was able to use the information in the booklets to understand what was happening, and who the wrestlers were.
I would say, if you can, just buy the tickets yourself when they come for sale. It’s much cheaper, and with a little googling you can find the rules.
Similar to others, it seemed like some groups had a very organized guide. But for the price and the fact that you don’t know if your guide will be great or not, I would not recommend this experience.
Review provided by Viator
