Japan has six annual grand sumo tournaments each consisting of fifteen days of bouts. They take place in January (Tokyo), March (Osaka), May (Tokyo), July (Aichi), September (Tokyo) and November (Fukuoaka).
Buying Tickets
For tournaments at Tokyo’s Kokugikan, the home of Japanese sumo, tickets start at 3,600 yen ($32) and go as high as 14,300 yen ($130) for ringside seats. Tickets can be bought on the day, or you can reserve them by phone and over the internet at the Japan Sumo Association homepage.
Getting There
The Kokugikan is only a few minutes walk from Ryougoku station on either the subway Oedo line or the JR Sobu line. Once you get to the station, just follow the signs.
Insider Tip
The big bouts take place from about 1600 onwards and then finish at exactly 1800. Until these bouts, most of the good ringside seats are unoccupied and you are allowed to use them until the ticket holders arrive. This really is a great way to get a very close view of the fighters and soak up the sounds and smells that make each bout so intense. Fights start from early in the morning with the most junior of fighters, but you don’t need to go that early to use the expensive seats for free. Going at around 1400 should give you an hour or so of close-up action between some reasonable fighters.
What Not to Do
Feel free to click away on your camera all day long and get up between the numerous bouts to buy food and drink that you can eat at your seat. In fact, pretty much anything goes at sumo. However, you should never enter the ring as it is considered sacred ground.