3. Tokyo: Sumo Tour with Premium Sumo Tournament Ticket
Welcome to the sacred place of Sumo, Ryogoku. Sumo match has been held in Ryogoku since early Edo period, which is about 400 years ago. Therefore, a city of Ryogoku has strong historical connection with Sumo, and most importantly, there is Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo hall where the grand sumo tournament is held 3 times a year. In this tour, a local guide will take you some historical places of Sumo and share the basic knowledge and fun facts of Sumo to enjoy the Sumo tournament fully. Sumo has a long history and is mentioned in ancient myths featuring Japanese gods. From there, it developed into a Shinto ritual for the nobility and was favored by samurai as a form of training. In the Edo period (1603-1867), sumo became a big entertainment loved by the common people. However, sumo has a long history and because of its strong traditions and customs, there are many rules and cultures that are difficult to enjoy if you don't know them. In this tour, you will visit the Ryogoku Kokugikan directly after the tour, so before going, our guide will explain the history of sumo while walking through the streets of Ryogoku, tipping you to enjoy watching sumo more. First of all, this tour is for people who would like to enjoy Sumo tournament fully and includes S-ranked 2nd-floor Sumo ticket, offering an exceptionally exclusive experience, typically reserved only for citizens of Japan. Through this tour, we walk around a city of Ryogoku, a sacred place for sumo, and will take you to several places where our guide give you cultural and historical tips to enjoy the Sumo tournament at last. We will start explaining with the basic rules of sumo and the relationship between Ryogoku and sumo. Afterwards, we will share more and more by walking through the town. After walking around Ryogoku city, we will take you to a restaurant where you can eat chanko-nabe, the traditional meal eaten by sumo wrestlers to build their huge and strong bodies. The restaurant is also decorated with equipment worn by sumo wrestlers, and by eating the same lunch as the wrestlers, you will understand the secret of their strength. During lunch, our guide will give you some quizes about what you should know in order to enjoy the Sumo match more deeply. After enjoying chanko-nabe hotpot, we will walk around Ryogoku a little more. We will stop at a sumo souvenir store and a Japanese sweets store, both of which are only available here, and then head to the Ryogoku Kokugikan. This is the time when the higher-ranked rikishi enter the Ryogoku Kokugikan, so if you are lucky, you may be able to see them up close. We have prepared premium tickets for you in the S seats on the second floor, which is located at the first three rows from the front. Once you are here, all you have to do is to enjoy the sumo match as much as you want based on the knowledge you have gained from the tour!