[Held in September 2023!] Enjoy the thrill of sumo at Ryogoku Kokugikan! Reservations required for this sumo tour

The Tokyo Tournament is held three times a year in Tokyo. Sumo is Japan's representative sport, and only in Japan can you see such exciting matches! A pre-match lecture will put even first-timers at ease. Enjoy the thrill of sumo wrestling with cheering goods in hand. Light snacks will also be served while you enjoy the matches.

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Global Trust Networks

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Sumo wrestling is a traditional Japanese sport.

Sumo matches are broadcast on television in Japan, but it is not very familiar to people overseas, and when they see sumo wrestlers slamming into each other, they may wonder what kind of sport it is.

Sumo wrestlers are evaluated on a ranking list that shows their rank, called banzuke, and each wrestler trains hard every day in order to reach the highest level, but the results of their training are shown in tournaments called "basho."

In Tokyo, a tournament called the Tokyo Basho is held three times a year at the Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Hall, and it is always so popular that reservations fill up quickly. Why not take a Sunrise Tour and see this exciting competition?

Table of Contents
First, let's learn about sumo through a lecture!
Let's watch sumo wrestling!
Enjoy watching sumo on a sunrise tour!
Book a sunrise tour at GTN Haneda!

[Tokyo Tournament] Grand Sumo Tournament Tour (2nd floor S/A seats) with snacks and cheering goods

★Click here for the reservation page!

Grand Sumo Tour 2nd Floor S Seat

Grand Sumo Tour 2nd Floor Seat A

★Tour reservations can be made at the GTN Haneda store. Be sure to stop by when you arrive at Haneda Airport, the gateway to Tokyo!

*Please note that depending on the date, the reservation may be full by the time you contact us.

GTN Haneda Airport Garden Store

225 Haneda Airport Garden 2F, 2-7-1 Haneda Airport, Ota-ku, Tokyo 144-...

First, let's learn about sumo through a lecture!

To ensure that you can fully enjoy the viewing experience, a 20-minute sumo lecture will be given by a nationally-accredited guide-interpreter (English) with extensive sumo experience at the nearby Ryogoku View Hotel before the match. This is available exclusively to those who participate in the Sunrise Tour.

After the lecture, we finally headed to Ryogoku Kokugikan.

Inside the Kokugikan, you can receive the Kokugikan's specialty yakitori, a drink, and a towel as a cheering item.

Additionally, everyone who participates in the tour will receive a sumo booklet called "The Sumo" (in English) and a ranking list, so you'll be fully prepared to watch the match. After receiving your cheering goods, you can relax and enjoy the sumo match!

Let's watch sumo wrestling!

On the day of the tournament, matches are held in order starting with the lower-ranked wrestlers, so as the evening progresses, the level of the matches increases. The flow of a sumo tournament is as follows:

Around 3:40 PM, the Makuuchi and Yokozuna ring-entering ceremonies take place (no ring-entering if the Yokozuna is absent). Popular wrestlers wear colorful mawashi and circle the ring. This is the moment when the atmosphere in the sumo arena becomes lively.

Around 4:00 PM: Makunouchi bouts The Makunouchi wrestlers, the highest rank in the sumo world, take to the stage. A heated battle unfolds.

Around 18:00 Archery Ceremony After all matches are completed, a winner's dance ceremony is performed.

The viewing ends after the archery ceremony. *The tour ends here.

The Ryogoku Kokugikan is also home to a sumo museum and a shop, so there are plenty of places to enjoy in between matches, so be sure to stop by.

The only place in Tokyo where you can see sumo is at the Ryogoku Kokugikan (held in January, May, and September).

The Grand Sumo Tournament will be held in Tokyo next year according to the following schedule:

January Tournament: Sunday, January 14, 2024 - Final Day, Sunday, January 28, 2024

May Tournament: May 12th (Sun) - May 26th (Sun), 2024

September Tournament: September 8th (Sun) - September 22nd (Sun), 2024

If you have a chance to come to Japan, be sure to check it out.

Enjoy watching sumo on a sunrise tour!

This tour allows you to fully enjoy watching sumo wrestling at the Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Hall (Ryogoku Kokugikan: about a 20-minute walk from Sensoji Temple).

If you'd like to experience sumo, a sport that can only be seen in Japan, then this tour is for you.

[This course]

[Tokyo Tournament] Grand Sumo Tournament Tour with 2nd Floor S-Seat, Snacks and Cheer Goods

[Tokyo Tournament] Grand Sumo Tournament Tour with 2nd Floor A Seats, Snacks and Cheer Goods

* Tickets are currently on sale for dates from September 10th to 24th! (Seats are limited, so book early!)

*Please check the reservation status and remaining seats from the link above. As seats are limited, we recommend making your reservation early.

*Please note that depending on the date, the reservation may be full by the time you contact us.

【detail】

A nationally-accredited guide-interpreter (English) who is well versed in sumo will give a sumo lecture before the match, after which you will watch sumo, Japan's national sport.

This tour includes a light meal (Kokugikan's specialty "yakitori" and a drink) and a cheering towel (one per person). This plan allows you to enjoy watching sumo with a cheering item in hand while relaxing and enjoying a light meal.

All tour participants will receive a souvenir copy of the sumo booklet "The Sumo" (in English) and a sumo ranking chart. It provides easy-to-understand explanations of the origins of sumo, the rules of the matches, how to read the rankings, and how to enjoy the sport as a ritual.

Book a sunrise tour at GTN Haneda!

*The GTN Haneda Airport Garden Store will officially close on October 31, 2025

GTN Haneda Airport Garden store can make reservations for sunrise tours.

★How to get to GTN Haneda Airport Garden store!

If you go straight from the second floor arrival lobby towards the parking lot and bus stop, you will see the entrance to Haneda Airport Garden.

From the Haneda Airport Garden entrance, walk straight through the passage to the hotel entrance.

Once you find the Hospitality Center (information counter), walk straight along Haneda Sando on the right side and you will find the store.

GTN Haneda Airport Garden Store

225 Haneda Airport Garden 2F, 2-7-1 Haneda Airport, Ota-ku, Tokyo 144-...

Please feel free to come and visit us!

★Check out the video below for detailed directions!

https://www.instagram.com/gtn_haneda_airport_garden/

Written by

Global Trust Networks

Tokyo

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