The tournament calendar decides what you can watch. Here is 2027 month by month, for tournaments, morning practice and shows.
The short answer
The best time for sumo in Tokyo is a tournament fortnight: 10 to 24 January, 9 to 23 May or 12 to 26 September 2027, the only weeks with ranked bouts in the city. Morning practice pauses during those 15 days and for 7 to 10 days after each one, and the weeks before a Tokyo tournament are the usual time for it. Shows with former wrestlers run all year, including the cherry blossom weeks, when the tournament is in Osaka.
Pick a day, or the first and last day of your stay in Tokyo. We check the booking calendar of every sumo option and show which ones still have places.
Meal: Not included, chanko dinner can be added
Meal: None
Meal: None
Meal: None, chanko lunch as a paid option
Sumo in Tokyo follows a fixed calendar. Ranked bouts only happen at the three Tokyo tournaments, morning practice only between them, and the shows with former wrestlers do not depend on either. The table puts the three side by side for 2027.
| Month (2027) | Tournament in Tokyo | Morning practice in a stable |
|---|---|---|
| January | 10 to 24 January at the Ryogoku Kokugikan; general sales opened on 5 December 2026 | None from 10 January until around the start of February |
| February | None | Possible; check the dates, as the wrestlers leave for Osaka in March |
| March to early April | None; the tournament is in Osaka from 14 to 28 March | May be limited during the Osaka tournament and shortly after |
| April to early May | Sales for May open on 10 April; Golden Week runs from 29 April to 5 May | The weeks before the May tournament are the usual time |
| May | 9 to 23 May | None from 9 May until around the start of June |
| June to August | None; Nagoya hosts a tournament from 11 to 25 July; sales for September open on 7 August | Possible; may be limited around the Nagoya tournament |
| September | 12 to 26 September | None from 12 September until early October |
| October to December | None; Fukuoka hosts a tournament from 14 to 28 November; sales for January 2028 open on 4 December 2027 | Possible; may be limited around the Fukuoka tournament |
Tournament and sale dates from the Japan Sumo Association’s schedule; sale dates in Japan time. The practice weeks follow the rule that stables pause during a tournament and for 7 to 10 days after it.
What you watch, where you meet and whether a meal comes with it, listed the same way for every option. Each card opens to the rest of the listing facts.
A guided day at a Grand Sumo tournament with the ticket included. The operator runs it at all four tournament venues (Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka); in Tokyo it meets in Ryogoku, the district of the Kokugikan.
The operator works with group allocations that the sumo association releases four to seven weeks before a tournament. If no tickets come through, you are offered a rebooking or a refund. Otherwise the booking is non-refundable.
Seats are chairs on the second floor: B or C class in the standard option, S or A class closer to the ring in the premium option. Up to 20 guests sit together with an English-speaking guide, who explains through audio headsets; a booklet with the ranking list is included.
Ryogoku; the exact meeting point is sent by e-mail at least one week before the date.
Facts from the operator's sumo listing as of October 2026; the booking platform shows the current terms.
Morning practice in a sumo stable, explained by a sumo journalist, followed by a walk through the surrounding neighbourhood.
It is the longest of the practice visits on this site.
Ryogoku station on the Toei Oedo line, exit A2.
Facts from the operator's sumo listing as of October 2026; the booking platform shows the current terms.
A visit to the morning practice of a sumo stable with an English-speaking guide. The listing describes it as real training, not a show; which stable you visit is not named.
The meeting time is 07:45. Phones may not be used during practice, and children pay the full price.
Ryogoku station on the Toei Oedo line, exit A3, at 07:45.
Facts from the operator's sumo listing as of October 2026; the booking platform shows the current terms.
A small-group visit to the morning practice of the Tamanoi stable, which the listing names in advance. You watch the daily drills such as shiko, teppo and butsukari from close by.
There is no commentary while the wrestlers train, and the guide who comes along explains the history, techniques and rituals of sumo. A souvenir photo with the wrestlers happens only if the day allows it. A separate, more expensive option adds a chanko nabe lunch with the wrestlers.
In front of the entrance of the Tamanoi stable, where the guide waits with a sign. The nearest station is Daishimae on the Tobu Daishi line, about 15 minutes on foot.
Facts from the operator's sumo listing as of October 2026; the booking platform shows the current terms.
Each Tokyo tournament opens and closes on a Sunday, and general ticket sales open on a Saturday four to five weeks before the first day. Several Japan travel guides report that weekend days, the final day and the whole January tournament sell out on the first day of sales. The guided tournament day receives its seats four to seven weeks before the tournament and is non-refundable once booked. A tournament day happens indoors, so weather plays no part. The 2027 tournaments with sale days and seats.
There is no practice to watch during the 15 days of a tournament, and the wrestlers usually rest for 7 to 10 days after it. A Japan travel guide on stable visits names the weeks before a Tokyo tournament as the best time. The tournaments in Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka matter too, because the wrestlers travel to them, so check the booking calendar for your exact dates. Morning practice, with the rules at the ring.
Late March and early April 2027 have no tournament in Tokyo: the wrestlers compete in Osaka from 14 to 28 March, and the next Tokyo tournament opens on 9 May. During the blossom weeks a show is the realistic way to see sumo. Golden Week, from 29 April to 5 May 2027, falls just before the May tournament, when the stables prepare and the shows are in heavy demand. Sumo shows compared.
The Japan Sumo Association has also set the Tokyo dates for 2028: 9 to 23 January (sales from 4 December 2027), 14 to 28 May and 10 to 24 September.
During a Tokyo tournament, from 10 to 24 January, 9 to 23 May or 12 to 26 September 2027: only then are ranked bouts held in the city. Shows run all year, and morning practice takes place between the tournaments.
Shows, yes. There is no tournament: in 2027 the March tournament is in Osaka from 14 to 28 March, and the next Tokyo tournament starts on 9 May. Morning practice may be limited around the Osaka weeks.
Outside the tournaments. Stables do not train for visitors during the 15 tournament days and usually rest for 7 to 10 days afterwards; the weeks before a Tokyo tournament are the usual time.
On a Saturday four to five weeks before each tournament: 5 December 2026 for January, 10 April 2027 for May and 7 August 2027 for September, Japan time.
Type, ranked bouts, area and length for each booking.
See the comparison