Sumo Morning Practice near Tokyo Skytree: Photo with Wrestler
Description
If you want to watch the Sumo wrestlers up close, this is one of the closest you can get! And in this tour, we could talk with stable master. So you could ask some questions directly. Let’s watch the wrestler’s morning practice right next to the ring and feel the intense and serious atmosphere. The sound of wrestlers colliding to each other, their breath and the scent of the fragrance they wear are something that you can never feel by watching any videos. You will meet with your knowledgeable tour guide at the station and walk to the stable(15 to 20 mins walk).Your guide will explain you about Sumo, its history, rules and regulations before entering the stable and then watch it together. You will see the unique traditional sports which is at the same time religious rituals, originally started to entertain the Shinto deities. If you are lucky, you will get to take photos with the wrestlers after the practice!
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet your guide at 7:30am at the nearby train station before making your way to the sumo stable. Get ready to get some amazing insight into this unique Japanese sport that originated from the religion of Shintoism. Learn from your guide about how the origin of sumo dates back at least 1500 years, and about how it preserves rituals and traditional aspects of Shinto while also being a major spectator sport in Japan. Before you take your seat on the ground in the sumo stable, learn about the six annual Grand Tournaments that all go on for 15-days. Three of them are in Tokyo, and one in Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka respectively.
Watch quietly and respectfully as the sumo wrestlers go through their daily routine. You are sure to be in awe as you see them going through their rigorous training, and you will gain a newfound insight into this ancient art. At the end of the practice, your guide will walk you back to the train station where you will part ways.
Take a photo with the sumo wrestlers and finish the tour *Please note that the practice may end earlier than usual, meaning the tour will be shorter than mentioned depending on the day
We start from the foot of Tokyo Skytree and back to Skytree after the tour.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- NO CHAIRS in the sumo stable. Please note, if sitting cross-legged on the ground for approximately 1.5-hours is not doable for you, we recommend you not booking this tour
- Please be at the meeting point at 7:10am. We will leave at 7:30 AM sharp, so please make sure to be there on time!
- In the case that you are late and will not make it to the meeting place on time, please send us a message. Then please go to the sumo stable by yourself. You will not be able to enter the stable without contacting us.
- No shoes on the raised wooden floor in the stable. Please take your shoes off as soon as you get into the stable.
- Please sit on the floor (cross-legged) and do not stretch your legs toward the ring. It is considered impolite to show the soles of feet to the wrestlers.
- No food, No chewing gum and candies, No smoke. You can bring and drink water.
- Please do not step down on the ring or the sandy ground. The ring is a sacred place for the wrestlers.
- Sunglasses and hats are not allowed in the stable
- Cellphones must be on silent. Photos are OK but only without the flash or shutter sounds
- You may take videos, but you cannot upload photos and videos on any social media platforms
- The practice/tour may be a bit shorter or longer than expected depending on the content of the practice
- For tournament season, the tour time would be different. So please check our direct message.
- Please watch the practice silently and respectfully
- Modest clothing only
- Do not stand up or move around during the practice.
- Minimum age is 6 years old(If your kids are noisy, move around, or cannot watch the practice quietly, you will be asked to leave the sumo stable during the tour.)
- Please follow the guide's instructions during the tour.
- Please try to use the restroom before joining the tour.
- It is about a 15 minute walk to the stable from the meeting point, so please bring a towel to wipe off your feet if you think your feet will get wet in the rain on the way there.
Reviews(57)
Very nice experience! We were lucky enough to be accompanied by our guide Aki, who explained all aspects of sumo training. A real authentic moment!
Thoroughly enjoyed enjoyed the experience of seeing Sumo wrestlers training and wrestling each other. The setting was great and well organised tour.
We profoundly appreciate your enthusiastic feedback on your recent sumo stable observation. It is incredibly rewarding to learn that you so thoroughly savored the experience of observing sumo athletes in their rigorous training and engaging in practice bouts! The environment was clearly excellent, and the exploration was meticulously arranged. We are deeply appreciative of you taking the time to share your perceptions. We eagerly anticipate the opportunity to welcome you back for another unforgettable experience on your next visit to Japan.
Was great! However we were in the 3rd row next to a wall hindering the view of the practice. Otherwise practice was amazing.
We profoundly appreciate your enthusiastic feedback on your recent sumo stable observation. It is truly rewarding to learn that the experience was outstanding! However, we sincerely regret that your seating location, adjacent to a wall, partially obstructed your view of the practice. Your candid feedback on this is invaluable. We are meticulously reviewing our seating arrangements to ensure all guests have an unobstructed and optimal viewing experience in the future. Despite this, it is wonderful that the practice itself was amazing. We are deeply appreciative of you taking the time to share your perceptions. We eagerly anticipate the opportunity to welcome you back for another unforgettable and perfectly viewed experience on your next visit to Japan.
Watched for 2 hours of intensive and backbreaking sumo practice. Even higher respect for the wrestlers now. Mako our guide is friendly and knowledgeable. A valuable and often overlooked experience for tourists in Japan. I do heard some people says the practice could be shortened to about 1 hour sometimes, which I think cannot be predicted.
We are profoundly grateful for your insightful feedback on your recent sumo practice observation. It is incredibly rewarding to learn that witnessing two hours of intensive and arduous sumo training instilled an even deeper respect for these dedicated athletes. We are especially pleased that Mako, our guide, was both amiable and extensively knowledgeable, making this a truly valuable and often overlooked experience for visitors to Japan. We also note your observation regarding the unpredictable duration of practice sessions, and we understand this is a natural aspect of observing authentic training. Your excellent comments will certainly be shared with Mako; she will be absolutely thrilled to know the profound impact she had on your day. We are deeply appreciative of you taking the time to share your perceptions. We eagerly anticipate the opportunity to welcome you back for another unforgettable experience on your next visit to Japan.
The main photo on your webpage showed two sumos exercising in full contact glory ! Sweating, emotionally charged and physically pushed to their limits! We did not have that. Our family traveled all the way to this country from Sydney Australia to experience sumos in action up close. I really wanted my kids to know what hard work really looks like. what we had were sumos doing push ups , stretching and everyday exercise. The most action we saw was one sumo pushing the other to the edge of the rope ring and other variations of. There was no full contact action . However, there was a bit of walking. The experience cost us close to $800 Australian for the four of us and there were more than a dozen customers that came along. Is a lot of money. It was for the lack of a better word “disappointing”. The sumos could have put in just a little more effort . My children weren’t able to appreciate the sumos artistry of full contact sports last time we came to Japan , as they were too young. We have missed the opportunity again and thats the biggest travesty, is that my kids will never experience the sumos awesome power , their grace in motion and their sheer professionalism at this point in their lives.
We did a few different tours while in Japan. This one was amazing, we were literally ringside for two hours watching these incredible athletes go through their paces. Next best thing to an actual tournament!
Brilliant and authentic experience watching the sumo wrestlers train which was made even better by Mako the tour guide who was impressively knowledgeable, friendly and passionate. The sumo wrestlers and the master of the stable were super friendly and professional. Mako also did a brilliant job answering any questions and acting as a translator when we’re asking the stable master questions. I would 100% recommend, trust me you won’t be disappointed.
This was a spectacular experience seeing authentic training by the sumo wrestlers. Miko was a brilliant tour guide and extremely knowledgeable, answering any questions we had. The sumo wrestlers at the stable were brilliant to watch and also very friendly offering a photo experience at the end. The master of the stable also gave us time to answer any questions giving detailed answers. I would recommend this experience to anyone as a must to do in Tokyo!
Sumo is such an interesting Japanese tradition and we really loved this tour! We all gathered just outside the Oshiage station. Thankfully, everyone was early or on-time. Our group was very diverse. My wife and I were the only Americans and there were people from all across Europe. I think 7 different countries in all. So that was an interesting cultural experience in itself. Our tour guide welcomed us at the meeting point and gave us an introduction to the stable that we would be visiting. It is the Oshiogawa stable founded by Takekaze Akira in February 2022. He retired in 2019 and reached the sekiwake rank (3rd highest) during his career. The stable has 6 wrestlers; the highest ranked being Yago and Amakaze. It was about a 15 minute walk from the station to the stable. It is quite hot in the summer, so I recommend bringing your own water and possibly a parasol for the trip. The stable is a multi-story building where the founder lives on the top floor, the wrestlers live on the middle floors, and the bottom floor is the practice area. Once inside the stable, we were give a cushion and asked to sit quietly, cross-legged on the floor. It was very enlightening to see the exercises that the wrestlers go through. On the tour, you are simply allowed to be a spectator at their daily practice. It is not a demonstration and nothing is contrived. I recommend watching the Netflix series, "Sanctuary," to get a better understanding of what is happening in the stable. After the practice completed, the founder met with us and graciously answered all of our questions. We then took a group photo and were allowed to take individual photos with two of the wrestlers. Our guide was very knowledgeable about Sumo and answered questions for us on the walk to and from the stable. It was a very unique experience and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
This trip was absolutely brilliant! It was great to see the sumo wrestling practise and learn more about the sport! Our guide Oku was knowledgeable and friendly and made us feel welcome and the sumo master also allowed us to ask questions and learn more! I’d highly recommend for an authentic experience and insight into sumo wrestling!
