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Tokyo Sumo Morning Practice Tour
4.9
163 Ratings
Chuo City
Experience an intimate and traditional Sumo encounter in Tokyo with our Sumo Morning Practice Tour. Get up close to the wrestlers, feel the intense atmosphere, and learn about the history and traditions of Sumo.
Experience an intimate and traditional Sumo encounter in Tokyo with our Sumo Morning Practice Tour. Get up close to the wrestlers, feel the intense atmosphere, and learn about the history and traditions of Sumo.
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Ryogoku Station Gallery - Meet your guide at 7:45am 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…
- Ryogoku Station Gallery - Meet your guide at 7:45am 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.
- Ryogoku - 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.
- Sumo Museum - If we have time, we may stop by.
- Ryogoku Edo Noren - We may stop by and see all of the shops if we have time.
- Ryogoku Kokugikan - If you want, we can walk past Kokugikan, where the Grand Sumo Tournament is held in Tokyo.
What's Included
- Photos with wrestlers (depends on the day)
- Local, professional guide
- Sumo stable entrance and watch the real practice closely
- Photos with wrestlers (depends on the day)
- Local, professional guide
- Sumo stable entrance and watch the real practice closely
Additional Information
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…
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!
- 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
Location
2-chōme-59-3 Nihonbashihamachō
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(163 Ratings)
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Jennifer_b
Feb 8, 2025
Sumo is fascinating and... - Sumo is fascinating and an important part of Japanese culture. Our guide was very knowledgeable and kind and it was such an interesting experience.
Review provided by Viator
Krobar-oz
Jan 19, 2025
GENTLE 'GIANTS'. - tickets to sumo tournaments are extremely difficult to obtain ... BUT ...
an early start / meet in the shadow of the imposing skytree followed by a brisk stroll will have you arriving at a hidden 'stable' - nil 'geegees' - but instead you will be privileged to enter an enclosure [heya] that has an almost spiritual resonance = welcome to the morning practice session of a small group of gentlemen who have dedicated themselves to the ancient art of sumo - these guys train every day to try and achieve the status of recognized [& paid] sumo wrestlers - while there is nil commentary the approx two hour session is fairly self-explanatory as these 'big fellas' practice their art - and 'hard yakka' it is for their entire session - despite the physicality of the profession there is still a calming / non aggressive atmosphere that pervades and you will leave their 'home' with an appreciation of the effort required to master this beautiful piece of japanese culture - あなたに祝福を.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Goplaces68030350934
Jan 7, 2025
Experiencing the intensity of sumo training beyond TV broadcasts - I observed a sumo morning practice at a sumo stable near Ryogoku Kokugikan. Our guide, Yuriko, who is a veteran sumo guide, made the experience incredibly meaningful. She succinctly explained the flow of the morning practice and the dos and don'ts, which allowed us to observe without any confusion.
On the way from Ryogoku Station to the sumo stable, we saw a picture depicting sumo matches from the Edo period, which helped us understand the history of sumo.
We observed the practice up close for just under an hour, experiencing the intensity of the training that can't be seen on TV broadcasts of official ground tournaments. Finally, we were able to take pictures with the sumo wrestlers, making it a valuable memento.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Perkosontour
Jan 5, 2025
Sumo training session - This was an amazing tour. You get to see an authentic Sumo training session at an authentic stable. We had the privilege of seeing 4 professional wrestlers amongst the trainee wrestlers which was exciting. Highly recommend this tour. Note: if you are not prepared to be respectful for those 2 hours, please don’t attend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Emma_w
Dec 15, 2024
Unforgettable authentic experience - This was an unforgettable experience! Watching an authentic sumo morning practice up close was truly amazing. The wrestlers are huge and very powerful. Especially the sound of the wrestlers crashing into each other was much louder than I expected. As I watched, I could easily tell who the senior wrestlers were, and it was nice to see the seniors giving advice to the younger ones. In addition, it was very nice to have the opportunity to ask the master questions directly and take memorable photos with the wrestlers. I highly recommend this experience!
Review provided by Viator
Diana148
Dec 10, 2024
Excellent tour - This was a really great experience. The guide (Yuri) who took us gave us all sorts of useful information about Sumo, the stable we visited and the competitors in training that we saw. We were close to the ring and got excellent photos. I am so glad we did this rather than a tournament (even if we could have got tickets). I really recommend this
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Claudia_m
Dec 10, 2024
Sumo training - This was a great experience. To be able to witness the sumo players do their daily training exercises gave us a realistic sense of their routines and lives as professional sumo players.
I think I might have liked this even more than going to a competition. Our guide (Take) was very nice.
Review provided by Viator
Sharon_t
Dec 8, 2024
Mesmerising experience - It was incredible and wonderful watching the Sumo practice. We sat hypnotised for 2 hours. The wrestlers were very concentrated, and deep inside their practice. We sat near them but they were not bothered at all. Seeing them felt as a complete zen experience. The tour was just amazing and one of the best adventures we had in Japan so far!
Review provided by Viator
Aimee_d
Dec 6, 2024
Awesome experience - The practice was amazing to watch and our tour guide Yuriko made it an even better experience. Truly immersive and highly recommend. Yuriko was knowledgeable and a great guide!
Review provided by Viator
181fumitakak
Dec 24, 2024
Morning practice tour of the Sumo stable - I participated in the beginning of December.
I didn’t want to tour in English from the beginning, but I didn’t have a morning rehearsal tour in Japanese, probably because I suddenly thought of looking for one the day before, so I went on an English tour.
(There was information online that if there was an opening on the day, individuals could dive in for free, but I wanted to make sure I could, so I applied for the tour.)
There were several travel agencies that offered tours where you could observe morning rehearsals, and the reason I decided to do this was because it clearly stated where and when to meet.
On the day, I saw a foreigner who had signed up for a morning rehearsal tour with another travel agency but was having trouble knowing where to meet.
(The tour agency guide I joined was an experienced and kind person who called the tour agency he was planning to attend, confirmed the meeting point and showed him around the taxi stand.)
The order of the morning practice tour was to walk to the Sumo stable while listening to the guide's explanation in English, observe the Sumo morning practice, take a question and answer session when you leave the room, and then dissolve when you get back near the station. (The rooms available for the tour seem to change every day, and that day was at the Tokitsukaze stable.)
By the way, since it was an English tour, all the customers except me were foreigners, and some of the participants were from Vietnam? There was also a couple who only spoke French from
There happened to be another customer who spoke both English and French, who interpreted the guide's English into French.
As I was Japanese, my guide told me that I could use Japanese, but I felt bad for the other participants and joined the conversation in English.
When you visit the morning practice,
・No private language
・Prohibition of sitting with legs outstretched (sitting in the seiza or chin on the zabuton)
・Photographing is OK, but flashing is prohibited
It was.
My tour consisted of about eight people, and halfway through the tour I saw about 13 more people from different companies on English tours, so I took a little more than 20 people in total.
It should be noted that private language is not allowed during the practice, so there is no explanation from the master or guide, and I just sit by and watch the sumo wrestlers do it silently for about an hour and a half, so for some it may be more like pain than boredom.
For those who like sumo maniacally, I think it will be a valuable opportunity.
At the end of the rehearsal, he took a group photo with the sumo wrestlers.
But I haven't received that photo data...
Could you please upload it to the website or the guide's social media even now (-people-)
The price is slightly higher and there is no explanation in the middle of the training, but it was also a good opportunity to learn English and, most importantly, to actually see the morning training of sumo wrestling.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
