How to Do Same-Day Sumo
Jinichi SegawaEnglish Signage
The progress of the day can be a little confusing for first-time spectators, but you can find pamphlets and signs such as the one above all around the arena for guidance. The day will start with lower-ranked wrestlers and build up to the second-highest division, juryo, in the early afternoon, followed by the top-division makuuchi, which includes the yokozuna.
You'll also find English versions of the bout list so you can see which wrestlers will be facing off throughout the day. The wrestlers' names will be announced before the start of each bout, which you can use to figure out where you are in the schedule.
If you bring a radio, you can even tune into an English broadcast of the top-level bouts on the FM band (78.3MHz at Ryogoku Kokugikan). If you don't have your own, the arena will rent out radios for a deposit and a very small fee.
Sumo Culture
Yurakyara mascots are everywhere in Japan, and sumo is no exception. At the tournament, keep your eye out for a baby bird with a mountain-shaped torso named Hiyonoyama (essentially "mountain chick"). If you get the chance, try to snap a shot of yourself with this mountainous sumo bird!
At the souvenir shop you can buy T-shirts featuring popular wrestlers and other sumo-related memorabilia you can't buy anywhere else, with sizes going all the way to XXL. It's the perfect chance to get some souvenirs to remember your time spent at the basho!
Meals prepared and eaten by sumo wrestlers are called chanko. The most famous of these is chanko nabe, a kind of hotpot. Checking out a sumo tournament is the perfect chance to try chanko nabe as prepared by the actual sumo stables! You can see miso chanko in the photo above. You can also get special bento and other dishes, making this a great opportunity to try out some unique Japanese meals.
As you watch, the arena vibrates with roars from people cheering on their favorite wrestlers, and you'll hear the shout of "Yoisho!" as the yokozuna performs his ring-entering ceremony. It won't be long before you catch sumo fever and find yourself cheering along with the local fans!
