Tokyo Sumo Morning Practice Tour: Real Stable Viewing & Guide
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(378)
Our guide was wonderful! Truly an amazing experience and honor to witness the sumo morning training. Was also educational. Questions and photo at end 10/10
We profoundly appreciate your exceptionally enthusiastic feedback on your recent sumo stable observation. It is genuinely rewarding to learn that our guide was truly wonderful! It was clearly an outstanding experience and a profound honor to witness the sumo morning training. It was also evidently very insightful. The opportunity for questions and photographs at the conclusion was unequivocally a "10/10." Your outstanding comments will certainly be shared with the guide; they will be absolutely thrilled to know the profound impact they had on your cherished 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.
Yuriko was wonderful as our guide
We profoundly appreciate your positive feedback. It is incredibly rewarding to learn that Yuriko was truly wonderful as your guide! Your excellent comments will certainly be shared with Yuriko; she will be absolutely thrilled to know the profound impact she had on your cherished 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 memorable adventure on your next visit to Japan.
If you’ve never been to a Sumo studio or a sumo tournament you have no idea what you’re getting into. My jaw dropped to the floor more times than I can remember and the time flew by so quickly because I was having so much new found love for this ancient tradition. Now I know I love Sumo and will make it my life mission to attend to a tournament. That said, I recommend this tour to anyone passing by or coming to Tokyo, it is a no brainer and I wish someone had recommended me this tour before. Zero regrets!
We profoundly appreciate your exceptionally enthusiastic and heartwarming feedback on your recent sumo stable observation. It is genuinely rewarding to learn that your inaugural visit to a sumo stable and tournament was an utterly captivating revelation, profoundly surpassing all expectations! Your consistent astonishment and the rapid passage of time, fueled by a newfound passion for this ancient tradition, truly resonate with us. It is wonderful that this experience ignited a profound appreciation for sumo within you, inspiring a life mission to attend a tournament. Your fervent recommendation for anyone visiting Tokyo, deeming it an absolute "no-brainer" and expressing a wish for earlier discovery, is deeply cherished. Your resounding "Zero regrets!" truly delights us! We are deeply appreciative of you taking the time to share your perceptive insights. We eagerly anticipate the opportunity to welcome you back for another unforgettable experience on your next visit to Japan.
A truly authentic experience.
We profoundly appreciate your enthusiastic feedback. It is incredibly rewarding to learn that this was a truly authentic encounter! Your delight truly resonates with us. We are deeply appreciative of you taking the time to share your perceptions. We eagerly anticipate the opportunity to welcome you back for another memorable adventure on your next visit to Japan.
Great sumo stable; perfect for a first time traveler to Tokyo
We are truly delighted to receive your excellent feedback. It's wonderful that it was a great sumo stable, and perfect for a first-time visitor to Tokyo! We deeply appreciate you sharing your insights. We eagerly anticipate the opportunity to welcome you back to Japan for future captivating cultural immersions.
It was a fascinating experience. Our guide explained what was happening the right amount and at the right level.
We are truly delighted to receive your excellent feedback. It's wonderful that your experience was so fascinating! Your guide clearly explained events with the precise amount of detail and at an appropriate level, greatly enhancing your understanding. We will certainly convey your high praise directly to your guide. We deeply appreciate you sharing your insights. We eagerly anticipate the opportunity to welcome you back to Japan for future captivating discoveries.
We are a family of 4 with teenage daughters and we all enjoyed this experience. Our guide was very nice and the wrestlers and coach were all welcoming.
We are truly delighted to receive your excellent feedback. It's wonderful that your family of four, including your teenage daughters, all cherished this experience. Your guide was clearly very amiable, and the wrestlers and coach were all welcoming. We will certainly convey your high praise directly to your guide. We deeply appreciate you sharing your insights. We eagerly anticipate the opportunity to welcome your family back to Japan for future captivating cultural immersions.
This was such an interesting tour. A chance to see Sumo wrestlers during their off season. I loved learning about the life of a sumo wrestler. The tour guide was very knowledgeable. Thank you to the sumos who allowed us to watch. This is a must see event for everyone visiting Tokyo, Japan.
We are truly delighted to receive your exceptional feedback. It sounds like a profoundly captivating excursion, offering a unique opportunity to witness sumo wrestlers during their off-season. We are particularly pleased that you gained such valuable insights into the daily lives of these athletes. It is gratifying that our guide's extensive knowledge enriched your understanding, and we appreciate the sumo wrestlers' gracious permission for you to observe. Your strong recommendation for this essential experience in Tokyo is deeply valued. We profoundly appreciate you sharing your memorable journey. We eagerly anticipate the opportunity to welcome you back to Japan for future captivating cultural immersions.
Good opportunity to understand the world of sumo a little better. Experience to do in addition to the basho. However, during the competition, this experience is not available. It started early in the morning with a short introduction to sumo. Then, heading on foot to the stable. Silent and seated observation of the practice. With an opportunity afterwards to take a photo
We had the best time and watching the training was truly awe inspiring. Everyone at the gym was so nice and our guide Sho was brilliant. She was so nice and insightful and I would heavily recommend this experience.
It is truly gratifying to receive your excellent feedback. We are so pleased that your time was exceptional, and that observing the practice was such a profoundly impressive spectacle. It sounds like the entire facility was very welcoming, and we are particularly delighted that Sho, your exceptional guide, made such a remarkable impression with her gracious and perceptive insights. We will certainly convey your appreciation to Sho; she will be immensely encouraged by your kind recognition. We deeply value your strong endorsement and sincerely hope to welcome you back to Japan on a future occasion.
