Tokyo Sumo Morning Practice Tour at Stable
Description
If you want to watch the REAL Sumo wrestlers up close, this is one of the closest you can get! 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(10mins 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 outside of the stable!
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet your guide 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.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Minimum age is 12 years old (Kids 11 and under cannot enter the stable)
- Please be aware that depending on the option plan, the meeting location may differ, so please check your confirmation email.
- Please use the restroom before arriving at the meeting point.
- The practice/tour may be a bit shorter or longer than expected depending on the content of the practice
- Cellphones must be on silent
- Photos are OK but only without the flash or shutter sounds
- Unauthorized use of the photographs taken is strictly prohibited. Please be aware of image and privacy rights violations.
- Videos are not allowed
- Eating and drinking is not allowed（**Please be aware that it is hot in Tokyo in summer, and there will be no air conditioning on the tour. Since it is so hot, guests are allowed to drink water and sports drinks inside the stable during the month of Summer. We also recommend that you bring something like an ice pack or cold towel to help keep you cool.**）
- Sunglasses and hats are not allowed in the stable
- Once you leave the sumo stable, you cannot re-enter.
- Please watch the practice silently and respectfully
- Please do not step down onto the ring or the sandy ground area. The ring is a sacred place for the wrestlers.
- Please do not stretch your legs toward the ring. It is considered impolite to show the soles of feet to the wrestlers.
- You cannot ask wrestlers to take a photograph with you while the practice is still going on.
- Please do your best to NOT leave the sumo stable in the middle of the practice, and try to stay and watch the practice until the very end.
- Please be very careful not to interfere with the sumo wrestlers concentration.
- For those interested in seeing sumo, but can't fit this tour into your schedule, have a look at our other sumo tours! Please search "Sumo Morning Practice Tour in Tokyo, Sumida city" or "Tokyo Sumo Morning Practice Tour with Audio Guide" to find them.
- If you are not feeling well, please refrain from joining the tour.
- After meeting up, we may take a train to the stable
Reviews(368)
Amazing experience! This felt authentic, the tour guides were efficient, friendly and the commentary was useful and interesting. If you are not able to see a match, this must be the second best thing. Highly recommend!
Amazing experience, exactly what I was looking for, as a Martial Artist I wanted to see real practice not a show and is exactly that, real practice, real professional Sumo, practicing for the upcoming tournament, my guide Okunga San was incredible, super knowledgeable about everything and extremely kind, perfect English overall superb experience will keep on the look out for any other tours he has recommended 100%
we learned so much about Sumo! would highly recommend this to anyone even if you only have a passing interest in Sumo. our guide was fantastic
A great way to see, feel and understand Sumo
This was a great experience. We learnt so much about the sport and life style of the wrestlers. It Was amazing watching them train.
Very exciting to watch a practice. Non-stop action. Commentary from guide was extremely interesting and specific to the sumo practice venue. Highly recommend.
Our family really enjoyed this sumo experience. You are right up close to the sumo ring as they practice. It was so interesting to see how they train and interact with their teachers. Afterwards there was a short photo op with a couple of the sumos. This was definitely worth the time and money!
Absolutely awful experience. The address for the tour was wrong. I spent an hour on the phone trying to resolve this but I got no help other than an email from the tour operator that didn’t make sense. Spoke limited to no English on the phone. Viator would not issue me a refund.
We are profoundly sorry to learn of the absolutely awful experience you encountered with your recent booking. We deeply regret that incorrect location details were provided, leading to considerable frustration and wasted time trying to resolve the issue. We understand the immense disappointment and inconvenience this must have caused. Your detailed feedback is being taken with the utmost seriousness and will be thoroughly reviewed internally with our operational teams to address the accuracy of our information and the quality of our communication support. This is crucial for preventing any recurrence of such distressing situations. We truly appreciate you bringing these critical points to our attention, as this feedback is vital for our continuous improvement. We hope to have an opportunity in the future to restore your confidence in our services should your travels bring you back to Japan.
Great experience of a traditional training session for Sumo wrestlers. Our guide Noriko was lovely and very knowledgeable. Must do if you like Sumo.
Aki is super nice and friendly. Super guide! She also speaks very well English and French ;) and share her local tips 👍👍
