Asakusa

Explore Sumo Culture: Tokyo Half-Day Walking Tour

Tokyo, Japan

4 hours
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Sumo culture can be very confusing for visitors to Japan. This tour will reveal the secrets of sumo so that you can better appreciate the traditional Japanese sport. We will practice Sumo together as a group, and learn about the history of sumo and its precise rituals, which you will get a chance to try for yourself. Afterward, you'll take a walking tour of the area and visit a local restaurant, shrine, and temple.

Uncover the secrets of sumo on a guided tour
We will practice the Rituals - We will do Sumo training together.
Learn about the history of sumo and its rituals

What's Included

Certified tour guide.

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Kaminarimon
2-chōme-3-1 Asakusa, Taito City, Tokyo 111-0032, Japan
Meeting point next to "Koban sign".

Start time

10:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Asakusa

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

浅草相撲部屋

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed

Near public transportation
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers

Cancellation Policy

This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

52 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 52 reviews

Fun and educational sumo experience

William_C, Oct 2023

Ken and Shin were very friendly and knowledgeable instructors. We had so much fun learning some basic sumo moves and understanding more about the history of sumo culture. I would highly recommend this experience.

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Thank you for your Wonderful review. Great showing you Japanese Culture. Shin & Ken

Power and balance

Attila_K, Aug 2023

We enjoyed every moment spent with Ken. We specially loved his personal anecdotes. We are going to give a 5 Star feedback. Thanks

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Thank you for your Wonderful review. Great showing you Japanese Culture. Look forward to hearing about your time in Japan and Bali. Ken

The sumo tournament and...

mark_F, Jun 2023

The sumo tournament and visit to the Temple . Ken was a great host and made sure we all enjoyed purselves

Response from Host, Jun 2023

Thank you for such a nice review. Great showing you Japanese Culture. Ken

Highlight of Tokyo Visit

Lawrence_B, May 2023

This was a truly memorable experience. It was interesting to learn about the culture and training of Sumo wrestlers. My husband enjoyed the interactive nature of this tour, actually “fighting “ with the instructor. I highly recommend this tour

Response from Host, May 2023

Thank you for a wonderful review. Your comments mean so much to us. You made our day. As you know, this is our passion, sharing Japanese Culture. Ken & Shin

Sumo Wrestling - Beyond Art & Craft: It’s a Religious Ritual

RAJENDRA_S, Apr 2023

Yokozhuna is a childhood memory. Now seeing live sumo wrestlers in front of your eyes was indeed a breath taking experience. To top it up Ken the Guide and Li the trainer really put spice and life in the tour.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thank you for a wonderful review. Very happy you will have a lasting memory of Japanese Culture. Ken & Shin

fabulous

Sibyl_J, Apr 2023

so much good info on the sport and culture; also were lucky to see actual champion wrestlers training with each other

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Wonderful meeting you. You have great positive energy and spirit. Very happy you enjoyed the spiritual part of Sumo including Buddhist and Shinto culture. Of course, I Love your picture in Sumo attire. Your friend, Ken

Forget the rest, just go with the best!

Lee_N, Mar 2023

What can I say there are just not enough words to describe how awesome this tour is. Kenneth was super communicative, prompt to respond, helpful & extremely helpful right from the start of the booking process to the conclusion of the tour. He & his team were very informative, insightful, engaging, accommodating to everyone attending. The two Sumo athlete champions we met were so lovely, nothing was a problem for them & they were genuinely excited to impart their knowledge of their sport & culture. You could tell everyone involved spoke from their heart. Each & everyone of them were just so welcoming & passionate about what they do, to not just show us but to also teach us about the roots of Sumo & how it stems from & intertwines with the core principles of Samurai & Buddism culture… We learnt so much on this interactive & fun tour! Life is made up of memories & memories are made up of moments in time, this tour gave us all so many moments in time we will cherish forever. I thoroughly recommend this tour, Ken & his team….

Response from Host, Apr 2023

YOU Are amazing. Thank you from our hearts. Such a wonderful review. We are your new friends in Japan. Hope to meet again. Ken, Shin and staff.

Hands on Sumo experience

FRED_L, Mar 2023

The sumo athletes and the staff were very friendly and informative. I actually got to participate in a sumo match with a pro that I have never imagine in my life. It was an experience of a lifetime.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thank you for your Wonderful review. Great showing you Japanese Culture. Ken & Shin

What a sumo experience

LeeAnne_D, Mar 2023

Great experience! We had a lot of fun while simultaneously learning the sumo culture and way. The guides were flexible and truly had a passion for what they do. They led from the heart.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thank you for your Wonderful review. Great showing you Japanese Culture. Ken & Shin

Average random tour

Richard_T, Mar 2023

The tour advertised one thing and delivered another. The guide was awesome but the tour was below average for the price we paid. What was listed as the tour was very different as we couldn’t go inside any arenas or see any sumo culture more than one guy on the side of the road. Our tour took us to an animal and human graveyard which we weren’t expecting. We understood it wasn’t sumo season so perhaps a discount on ticket prices but we thought we would at least see sumo wrestlers training.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thank you for the nice comment about us. Regarding the comment about our Professional Sumo athlete, 100% terrible and disrespectful, referring to a professional Sumo athlete as "guy on side of road". Our tour is All about Sumo and Japanese Culture. The area you called a graveyard is an Extremely important Japanese Culture Buddhist Temple. Sorry you said such terrible comments. You should be ashamed.

Amazing Experience!

Glenda_F, Mar 2023

This was our favorite experience so far!!!! The knowledge they have of the Japanese culture and Sumo is incredible! We loved meeting a real sumo wrestler and the extra of going to a temple and learning so much about their traditions. We loved everything!

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thank you for your Wonderful review. Great showing you Japanese Culture. Ken & Shin

Disappointing & Misleading

Rahman_H, Mar 2023

The Secrets of Sumo Culture was a disappointing tour. I originally booked this tour on Viator website because it advertised watching real sumo wrestlers practice in Japan. Even the main photo on the tour page advertised photos of sumo wrestlers (wrestlers as in plural) practicing in their training stables, which is not something you will see on this tour. To quote what the tour page said "Watch wrestlers train...". We instead met one wrestler and saw him give a demonstration on the street until it was cut short because the police arrived due to a noise complaint. The group was in good spirits until we realized that this was not a legit tour (A reason why you might see a lot of the group smiling in photos is it was during the beginning of the tour before we realized this was not the tour that was advertised). When everyone on the tour realized we were not going to visit the wrestlers' stables, everyone started to leave the tour one by one. When I asked the host about visiting the stables he went into a long diatribe about the history of the stables, but got really defensive when asked if we can see them. Instead, we were given a tour of a gift shop and a small museum walkthrough at the Sumo arena. I would not recommend it.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Our Sumo athletes are Sumo professionals. We are all passionate about Sumo Culture. One of the athletes has been training for 20 years. 1 training as a Sumo trainer. And myself training for 4 years as an amateur Sumo. Sumo is part of the Culture in Japan. Everything we talked about has strong connection to Sumo and Japanese Culture. *Our professional Sumo athlete trained with another athlete and trained with guests. Saying not legit, is untruthful. The area we practiced is a Professional Sumo training area, identical to a stable ring. Only differece is in a stable athletes eat and sleep. Sumo athletes practice at the professional ring we trained at often, as I mentioned.

Informative and Fun Sumo

Regina_M, Jan 2023

I'd highly recommend this informative , fun filled experience I did today with my husband and 4 sons, Shen and Ken were fantastic hosts , nothing a problem , aiming to please us all the time. Showed us a few great lunch venues afterwards..which the boys loved.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Thank you for your Wonderful review. Great showing you Japanese Culture. Ken & Shin

Excellent Adventure

Vic_C, Oct 2022

The sensei (Guide Ken) knew his stuff, showed us inside Sumo and Japanese culture and made an exceptional experience a family experience as well

Response from Host, Oct 2022

Thank you for the great review. Wonderful meeting you. It's all about sharing experiences with new friends.

Fantastic Insight to Sumo

Ian_S, Sep 2022

Ken went above and beyond to us a little about the culture around Sumo and his inside knowledge ensured we got a perfect view. Highly recomended.

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Thank you for the wonderful review.

Amazing tour

Jessie_C, Sep 2022

We had this tour when typhoon 14 landing in south Japan. Ken was so nice to recommend us to combine the tour with tournament. We are so lucky to watch the tournament. The tournament just resumed after 3 years shut down because of covid. It was raining on and off. Ken, our guide, was very friendly with his passion and knowledge for sumo. We learned the culture and meaning from each movement of this sport. It’s a wonderful experience and we would love to do it again.

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Thank you for the wonderful review.

Japanese culture, temple-shrine-stadium and Sumo

Edith_D, Feb 2020

English tour guide, Kevin was excellent. We got to see around eight Sumos training at 9:15 for ½ hour including lots of moves, rituals and a photo op at the end. Our 4 hour walking tour of the Ryogoku district included a Buddhist temple, Shinto shrine, a lovely Japanese garden, a local sports center, and the Kokugikan Stadium. We finished with an Udon lunch in the area; all very satisfying and lots learned about the local Japanese culture.

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Thank you for the wonderful review.

Only culture and no Sumo fighting

Svetlana_N, Oct 2019

Was very disappointed of the tour organizer constantly rescheduling the tour and purposely moving it to the day that Sumo museum was closed and Sumo training was cancelled. The tour lack practical info and the guide was constanly loosing focus answering my questions, very "watery" comments. Liked the shrine and garden but we didn't see the real Sumo athlets fighting each other. Yes, it's simply two guys pushing each other but I wanted to SEE that. I would also shorten the tour easily to 2-2.5 hr. Overall, look somewhere else for Sumo practicing or do a reaserch and watch them for free at their school.

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Not sure why you would think "purposely" rescheduled when training closed. Of course we want training. Sumo schedule changes due to professional athletes schedule. We always inform our guests of the changes and offer 100% refund if a change affects the tour.