Tokyo Grand Sumo Tournament Tour: Group Experience with Expert Sumo Guide
5.0
40 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.
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
    1. 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
    1. 3PM - with chanko-nabe dinner option 3PM - 6PM: viewing bouts at the arena 6PM - : Chanko-nabe dinner
    1. 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
    1. 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.
Location
Ryogoku Kokugikan National Sumo Arena
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(40 Ratings)
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Journey80223
Feb 6, 2024
A truly memorable day - Our tour guide Akimi was very well prepared and knowledgeable. As it can be a little confusing for first time visitors, she made sure to teach us how to get around the stadium so that we can be independent. I do recommend taking the option for a tour before the tournament because it gives you a quieter environment to ask questions and learn about sumo. My family had so much fun cheering for the sumo wrestlers! We even received some free souvenirs from the Akimi. There’s lots of delicious snacks and souvenirs you can buy while inside the stadium. I highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Patty_f
Jan 27, 2024
Must-do experience! - This tour was so great! The tour around the neighborhood was nice, it really gave a good backstory to the tournament. The chanko lunch was nice, but beware if you are not a fish eater, there's a lot of fish mixed into the hotpot so everything(meat, vegetables)has that flavor. The tournament was fantastic and I really got into the matches, albeit I'm not really a sports fan. Our guide was super knowledgeable, and explained everything and answered all our questions, I would have been lost without him. There's a lot of ceremony and drama that makes the matches very entertaining! If you are in town when there's a tournament, I HIGHLY recommend doing this!
Review provided by Viator
Sazaniasa2024
Jan 26, 2024
Sumo experience Japan - Satomi was amazing, she guide me through the all experience incredibly. Highly recommend the experience with Satomi.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
88nathanielm
Jan 24, 2024
Very awesome tour - Great experience, everything was made so that we could understand what was going on in the sumo matches, yoko was always there to help us understand the situation. I had a great time, I highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Luc
Jan 22, 2024
Walking tour for introduction of sumo culture. Tasty chanko lunch. Great afternoon in the sumo arena. - Very nice Sumo themed experience. The walking tour in the morning was very useful to learn about the whole sumo culture: life in a sumo stable, the different sumo divisions, sumo and Shinto and lots of other information on japanese culture. Chanko lunch was a very tasty broth with different vegetables, meat and fish. The afternoon in the Kokugikan Sumo Arena was the highlight of the day: watch the athletes fight. Thanks to tour guide Aki’s insights, I could easily understand what was going on. For the top division Aki had even prepared a folder with the athletes’ profile to introduce each fight.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kevin
Jan 21, 2024
The shocking Japanese national sport - sumo wrestling - I am very excited to experience the wonderful traditional Japanese sumo competition at Ryogoku Arena, the holy land of sumo. Before the game, the professional tour guide led us to learn more about the traditional Japanese sumo culture with strong cultural color. The charming sumo competition must be to experience
Review provided by Tripadvisor
N6199nybenr
Jan 21, 2024
Really great tournament! - Was a fantastic experience! The guides were execellent and very friendly. Learnt a lot about sumo and had a wonderful time! 😊 Do go buy a ticket!! 🙌🙌
Review provided by Tripadvisor
F4838qvelisabetha
Jan 19, 2024
Amazing day - Amazing day with our guide Yoko who walked us through the suburb of Ryogoku. She explained Sumo wrestling in detail and talked us through the tournament. Very knowledgeable guide! Loved the whole day and would do it again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Darik_j
Sep 21, 2023
Sumo tour - Very nice tour, I got to learn a lot about sumo I didn't know before and enjoyed the matches greatly.
Review provided by Viator
Jakgav
Sep 17, 2023
Fantastic day at the sumo - Brilliant day at the sumo. Our guide Yoko was very friendly and knowledgeable. Started with a tour of the stadium where we learnt about the history and rules of sumo. Would recommend this tour if you're lucky enough to be in Tokyo when it's on.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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