Meet the Masters
What you’ll do
Observe sumo wrestlers in authentic sumo morning training, held in their training dojo. Learn about the rules and culture of sumo from your guide as you witness this athletic tradition. After the training session, there may even be a chance to take a photo with a sumo wrestler.
Who can attend
Children must be 4+
Availability
Grand Tournament Schedule
During the Grand Tournament months (January, March, May, July, September, November), most sumo stables do not allow training observations as to not disturb the wrestlers or due the wrestlers simply not being in Tokyo (tournaments also take place in Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka).
If no training observation is available during the above periods, we will instead offer you an authentic demonstration by retired sumo wrestlers at no additional cost.
The rules for such a demonstration are less strict than for the usual training, allowing you to also interact with the wrestlers and ask them questions.
Session 1 (8:00-10:00)
What else you should know
Sumo wrestlers are working, professional athletes whose first priority is training, and all guest behavior should ensure that the wrestler’s can properly concentrate on their profession. Therefore, guests are kindly instructed to respect the space and listen attentively to the instructions provided by both the interpreter guide and sumo stable host.
Please note that if you need to leave the room for any reason, you will not be able to re-enter. If you must leave the room, please do so only between matches or when the floor is being swept, and in a quiet manner so as not to disturb the wrestlers.
Stable Rules:
You will be seated on the floor on a cushion.
Eating and drinking (including chewing gum) is not allowed.
Cell phones must be set to silent mode. When you take photos, please do so from your seat, without flash and shutter sounds.
Please do not wear sunglasses or hats.
Depending on the stable, taking videos are not allowed and any uploading of videos onto the internet will be strictly prohibited.
Please refrain from any behavior (talking, noises, movement) that may disturb the wrestler’s focus during training.
While rare, training sessions may be canceled on short notice by the sumo stable.
In such an event, you will be notified immediately and will receive a full refund or be offered an alternate experience, at no additional cost.
Access
30 ~ 50 minutes by car from Tokyo Station.
Private Guided Pick-up Service
If this option is booked, our interpreter guide will meet you at your designated pick-up location and accompany you to the experience venue, ensuring you arrive safely, comfortably, and on time.
Transportation costs are not included. Guests are responsible for covering taxi fares or any other transportation expenses.
Private sumo traning, full sumo power
The stable is quiet at first light, broken only by the heavy thud of bodies striking the clay ring. Wrestlers stamp, stretch, and charge across the dohyo, repeating movements with relentless focus as they prepare for another day of training. What unfolds here is both intense athletic discipline and a ritual tradition that has endured in Japan for centuries. Instantly recognizable, sumo wrestlers cut striking figures in their simple loincloths, hair tied in traditional topknots that echo theera of samurai. Behind the spectacle lies relentless discipline. Wrestlers train almost every day, rising early for demanding morning practice and devoting their lives in pursuit of becoming a sumo champion. In a private sumo training visit, receive rare access to the hidden world of sumo, all to yourself. Seated ringside inside a Tokyo sumo stable with only yourself and the wrestlers, observe the intensity of an authentic sumo morning practice and witness these formidable athletes firsthand.
Cancellation Policy
Please make your booking at least 7 days in advance. See cancellation policy here.
A detailed itinerary will be emailed to you once your booking has been confirmed.
