We absolutely loved the sumo practice. Our guide, Yukio Takahashi, was at the station to meet us. It was a small group. He gave us lots of information on the way to the stables. Watching the sumo practice was one of the most memorable experiences of our lives. It was a small room and they were practising right in front of us. Sometimes uncomfortably close :-). After the practice finished Yukio answered any questions we had and took us all the way back to the station.
If you visit Tokyo this is a must!
by Clare & Ronan (10/08/19)
This was the best thing I did in Japan. Yuriko was an excellent guide she was very knowledgable and friendly. We met her at the train station and she briefed us on the sumo wrestlers daily training which included history, important facts about diet and sleep as well as the different techniques that the sumo wrestlers use. Being up close and personal in the stable was such a great experience. You see and feel how hard these athletes work and how dedicated they are to their craft. Thanks!!
by Jennifer Mendez (10/03/19)
The sumo stable morning training watching tour was an incredible experience. Before watching the practice, the guide expertly explains the history of sumo wrestling and what one can expect to see. The practice is in an intimate setting which allows you to have a personal experience and to fully enjoy it. Our guide Yukio went above and beyond for us. My friend and I had a question about attending a baseball game and Yukio took time out of his personal day to help us secure tickets. I would highly recommend using this company to see a sumo stable practice.
by Pearl (08/25/19)
A wonderfully berserk insight into Japanese culture. Beauty and aesthetics, attention to detail, dedication at all costs and in any condition, honesty, and of course, athleticism. Sumo has it all. This is Japan ina microcosm. But please, don’t bring young children. Even being a foreign visitor is no excuse for rudeness.
by Culturelover1 (08/05/19)
Mr. Kazu is the best tour guide you can ask for! Mr. Kazu goes above and beyond to give you an excellent touring experience. Mr. Kazu gave us a history and cultural background of the Sumo wrestlers, explained the do’s and dont’s of Sumo, and much more. An added bonus - Mr. Kazu brought his own camera!! He took amazing photos for us and sent them to our personal email accounts.
He had extra time on his hands, so he took us to the Seafood Market after Sumo Practice. He took us to the best tuna nigiri in Tokyo. Oishi!
I’m glad I asked for Mr. Kazu’s business card, because I’m giving them to all my friends who are planning to visit Tokyo. Word of mouth is the best advertisement - and I am advertising him to all my friends!
I give Mr. Kazu a perfect score - 5 out of 5 stars!!
Arigato Gozaimas, Mr. Kazu (bow)
by Julia (05/28/19)
Fantastic experience that is well recommended!
The sumo training should not be missed if you're visiting. Japan Wonder Travel was also a great service-very well organised and know knowledgeable!
by Jen (05/16/19)
Our guide was the delightful Yeonmi who looked after us touring Tokyo. nothing was ever a problem, She took us to markets for the best price for things for a grandchildren, we ate lovely lunches in tiny restaurants, and went to places we would not have found without a guide. Sumo practice was fun, the trains and various transport we went on was excellent. No need for private cars/taxis.
we would ask for Yeonmi again
by Ronda & David (05/14/19)
This was a phenomenal experience! We would highly recommend Japan Wonder Travel for guiding you through the world of sumo. Our guide was highly knowledgeable and extremely friendly. We could not have had a better experience with Japan Wonder Travel! We recommend them highly!
by saavy traveller (01/07/19)
This was a great value actvity tour! The company was responsive and communicative via email. Their instructions were easy to follow includng directions to the meeting point and pictures of the meeting point at the train station. Our guide was very pleasant and informative. She walked us to the stable and gave us history and facts on sumo as we walked. She answered our questions and also gave us the guidelines for behavior once inside the sumo stable.
Watching the sumo training was a really unique experience and highly recommended even if you are in Tokyo during a tournament.The training is rigorous and the discipline required to train at that level is incredible.
One thing to note is that we were asked not to take pictures durng the training. Another tour group entered the stable about 30 minutes after we arrived and the people in that group immediately began taking photos and videos. No one asked them to stop but I think it was rather disrespectful of the training and the sumo wrestlers. So, perhaps photos are allowed but I highly recommend that you wait til after the training is done and focus on the wrestlers while they are training. It is truly a unique cultural experience.
I highly recommend the sumo training visit! The guide and the company were top notch!
by The Dude (12/24/18)
It is with pleasure that I take the time to write a review on this tour. It was an excellent experience and something you must experience when going to Japan. I was thrilled watching the Sumo training and really enjoyed watching this martial art in action.
Yuri, our tour guide, as absolutely sensational. She was always accommodating and went above and beyond to make sure we were informed of what was occurring during the Sumo practice. She also helped us get home and showed us a PASMO card.
Thank you very much for your help and I look forward to doing a similar Sumo activity when in Japan again.
by T & T (11/02/18)
Watching a morning practice at a sumo stable in Tokyo was an awesome experience. Our guide Yuriko was wonderful. She is passionate about watching this national sport and shared her enthusiasm teaching us about the life of a wrestler, what it takes to be a champion and the Shinto beliefs within the competition. Yuriko pointed out among the wrestlers we saw that morning, was a visiting professional wrestler training for the upcoming Grand Sumo Tournament and a “rising star”.
by Patrice (09/11/18)
This was a great experience. Our guide, Yoshika met us at the train station for a short walk over to the stables. Along the way she explained the history and details of sumo. We were able to sit up close and watch them practice. We also saw a ritual of them blessing the sand for good luck. So unique. We were there for 3 hours and then we got to take a picture with a few of the guys. A really neat tour to see the intensity these gentlemen train with. Highly recommend this!
by Kim (08/30/18)
Great tour, really helpful and friendly guide. Excellent way to get to see Sumo Wrestling as real tournaments are not regular and hard to get tickets for. This tour allows you to watch training matches and routines for two hours. You get to meet some of the wrestlers and get a picture with them afterwards too! Well worth doing when in Tokyo.
by Joe (08/02/18)
My son and I got to sit and watch a great bunch of Sumo wrestlers engage in many matches and training exercises in front of their master instructor. It was a fantastic up close experience with an amazing guide who explained the history of sumo to my son.
by SanDiego (06/14/18)
My wife and i joined the Sumo morning training tour last week. It was a terrific, behind the scenes experience and we thoroughly enjoyed. The short walking tour of the area afterwards was also enjoyable.
by Tanner (05/28/18)
My boyfriend and I loved the tour! Our guide was very knowledgable and extremly kind. She also translated so we could have a chat with the sumo wrestlers at the end of the tour and took pictures of us. Furthermore she informed us about other events taking place near the stable. Highly recommended!
by Sina (05/18/18)
Most interesting : our guide, Yuki, was able to provide us with much information regarding sumo wrestlers and their life so it was more meaningful to us as we watched. We were seated close to the ring and this gave us a better view.
by She (05/17/18)
Great experience to take part of in Tokyo. I can highly recommend it.
by Maria (02/14/18)
We had the most wonderful time on our sumo stable tour. We weren't sure what to expect but to be honest, it exceeded any expectation, above and beyond, that we had! It was the highlight of our trip and I can't recommend it enough. Yuriko from Japan Wonder Travel was absolutely gorgeous. She had extensive knowledge of the history and tradition involved with sumo along with great visual examples for us to understand further and know what to look for during the training season. We walked for around 10 minutes and stopped at Hakkaku sumo stable. We walked in, sat down and were immersed in this beautiful, powerful and amazing sport.
During the training, Yuriko explained anything that was interesting or important via pen and paper (as you are not allowed to speak). We had visuals of the sumo in front of us with their height and weight along with their ranking.
Whilst watching the sumo train, we were lucky enough to have the number one Japanese sumo, Yokozuna (grand champion) Kisenosato turn up. This was a rare opportunity to watch one of the greats in action. We also saw many other known sumo such as Okino umi, Hokuto fuji and Mitoryu.
We also saw Kitanofuji (former stable master) and Maino umi (former wrestler and commentator about sumo). It was amazing and all three of us were in awe of what we were witnessing.
After the amazing training session, we left and then had some photos with some of the sumo who were outside cooling down. They were friendly, cheerful and full of life after this very intense session! They were more than happy to have a chat and answer questions whilst Yuriko translated for us.
I honestly can not tell you how magical our experience was but it topped off our trip and I will always remember the sumo. It was definitely worth booking and I can't recommend the tour with Yuriko enough. Thank you for making our last day in Japan, one of the most memorable!
by Ali (01/11/18)
I had the most wonderful and memorable tour! It was really an up close view of the sumo when they trained. It was beyond my expectation and it was due to my very good guide Yuki-san! Once we reached the stable, we were not allowed to talk. Yuki-san explained to me what to expect and gave me some information when we met at the train station. When we were there, she had on hand an iPad and showed me pictures of who's who were in the training. She also prepared a note book and pen and wrote down things to look out for and for me to ask questions, otherwise, I would have been quite lost! I'm quite sure the other tourists did not know the man arrived later was the Stable Master and a former Grand Champion and the photo hanging on the wall was him when young. After the training ended, I was surprised that the sumo were friendly and nice when we asked to take photos with them, that's after a very tough, long training session! While on the way back to the train station, Yuki-san brought me to the free exhibition next to the sumo stadium, it was not part of the tour but she did it anyways. I'm very glad to sign up for this tour with Japan Wonder Travel and I'm even happier that Yuki-san was my guide. I would give her 10 stars if I could!
by Selina (09/19/17)
The Sumo tour was excellent. Very up close and personal. The tour guide also spoke about some of the other attractions we past on the way to the stables, which was really good. I would recommend this tour to anyone looking for the authentic Japan.
by Pam (08/13/17)
We booked this tour a couple of days in advance when we saw it pop up on the Viator website. We initially wanted to go to a show, but all of the tickets were sold out. The practice was actually better though, I think, because we were right up close to the wrestlers and even got to meet them afterwards :-) This was such a cool experience and our tour guide Yuri was so thoughtful and knowledgeable of the subject. The only bad thing (which turned out perfectly actually) is that the tour description on the website said the practice would last 3 hours, but it was really only 1.5 hours. This is not a problem at all. That timeframe was actually good enough to see what we wanted to see. So yep, we definitely recommend this outing...totally worth taking some time to do!
by JVana (05/31/17)
It was a great honor to be in the presence of strong, hardworking sumo wrestlers and get to see and know the way they live. This was truly an experience to remember! :)
by shinecarrot (01/22/17)
