We knew we wanted to go to some sort of sumo experience while we were in Japan. There are only 6 professional grand tournaments each year in Japan and even if you are lucky enough to be visiting while one is being held (which we were not), they are almost impossible to get tickets for.
Another less touristy and more authentic option is to go to a morning sumo practice in a sumo beya (sumo training and living facility). These are legitimate practices where you simply get to watch, with no explanations, announcements or fanfare. It seemed like it would be a really interesting and authentic experience but alas, a 7am meetup time was not in the cards for our family.
So we moved on to the sumo “shows”, knowing that these would be touristy but hoping to find something that would not be too cheesy and would also be educational. There are several popular ones in Asakusa (many of which include dinner) but after reading the reviews, we opted for the Shinjuku Sumo Show & Experience.
It was a bit of a hike from the train station and for some reason GPS took us to the back alley entrance instead of the one on the street. This was obviously a common occurrence because many of the back doors and windows of nearby businesses had signs stating they were not the Shinjuku Sumo Club. We eventually made our way to the street side, found the entrance, and headed up the stairs to the club.
The club featured a dohyo (wrestling ring) in the middle of a large room, with bleachers on either side. Each side had 2 sets of 4 rows that sat 5 people each, for a total of 80 seats. There was also a row of “ring side” seats, which were just chairs up against the wall next to the dohyo. They were nice wooden bleachers, each with a counter to lean on or to hold the food/drinks you could order by scanning the QR code on the menu.
The show itself is 90 minutes long, with an educational session, a match between two sumo wrestlers, and an audience participation opportunity. Shane was our host and he did an amazing job explaining the history of the sport before the wrestlers came out. Once they came out, Shane taught us the rules of sumo with the wrestlers demonstrating as he was explaining. They all struck the perfect balance between education and entertainment.
After we had learned all about the sport, the two retired sumo wrestlers competed against each other in a series of matches. One of the wrestlers was significantly larger than the other so the matches looked like they would be somewhat lopsided, but the smaller wrestler was actually much higher ranked in his weight class and was able to use his skills to offset the weight advantage of the other wrestler. Of course, the whole thing was staged so that each wrestler won an equal number of matches resulting in a dramatic tie-breaker. Each side of the room was assigned a wrestler to cheer for, and it was great fun to see them ham it up to the crowd for their support.
The wrestlers then took a break and we did a quick Q&A session with Shane translating between the audience and the wrestlers. Once they were rested and hydrated, we moved on to the interactive part of the show. Members of the audience volunteered to take on the sumo wrestlers in the ring. Everyone who wanted a chance got to dress up in an inflatable sumo suit and enter the dohyo with one of the sumo wrestlers. It was really entertaining to see people of varying ages, sizes, and physical abilities all try their hardest to push the wrestlers out of the ring. Of course, nobody could budge them but after a respectable amount of time, the wrestlers usually conceded and let themselves get pushed out.
Overall this was a super entertaining evening. We weren’t quite sure what to expect but found it to be so much fun. We learned a lot, laughed a lot, and got some great pictures with two really fun and kind retired sumo wrestlers. I highly recommend the Shinjuku Sumo Show for a touristy but not too touristy, authentic-ish sumo experience. As a tourist experience, their primary goal is to make sure you have fun, but they also make sure you gain a greater understanding and respect for the sport.
