The Asakusa Sumo Club

It was drizzling lightly, but Asakusa was busy as always. We had two tickets to watch a demonstration at the Asakusa Sumo Club, something we had both been really looking forward to.

We collected our tickets and entered the small and traditional stadium where the MC, an American expat and sumo superfan, introduced himself and the sport to the spectators.

Tickets to the show came with all-you-can-eat chicken hotpot called chanko nabe, fried chicken, inari zushi (a type of sweet sushi rice wrapped in a fried tofu skin), edamame, and cake rolls. This is a typical meal served to sumo wrestlers, who can eat upwards of 10,000 calories in a day!

Sumo is the national sport of Japan, but it's far more than just a game. Rooted in centuries of tradition, earliest records of Sumo date back at least 1500 years, and originated from an agricultural ritual dance performed in prayer for a good harvest. Over time, sumo evolved from sacred ceremony into combat sport, with rules formalized during the Edo period (1603–1868). By the modern era, sumo had cemented itself as Japan’s national sport, with professional tournaments drawing massive crowds and media attention.

Every match begins with ritual: wrestlers clap their hands to attract the attention of the kami (gods), stomp their feet to drive away evil spirits, and purify the ring with salt before combat begins. The dohyo (sumo ring) itself is treated as a sacred space, constructed freshly for each tournament and symbolically representing a Shinto shrine.

After everyone had the chance to toss salt into the ring, the demonstration began. First, we learned about the rules of sumo, including how to score as well as illegal and disqualifying moves. This was followed by three rounds of wrestling and the crowning of a champion for the evening.

Both of the wrestlers who put on the demonstration were real retired sumo wrestlers. After the fight was finished, there was time for a Q and A session where we were able to ask anything we wanted to know about the life of a sumo wrestler.

Professional sumo wrestlers live under strict traditions and discipline. Most join the sport in their teenage years and reside in training stables called heya, where they train daily, follow hierarchical rules, and live communally in a quasi-monastic or military lifestyle. It's not an easy life, and wresters train for hours every day of their life.

I had a blast at the sumo show. Sumo is taken very seriously, but there's also a deliberate element of slapstick. After all, it was a form of entertainment developed long before computers or television and meant to appeal to people from all walks of life.

The demonstration was super fun, a little bit cheesy, and extremely educational and entertaining. I admit, I really didn't know anything about sumo, and hadn't really had an interest in it before, but I'm so glad that we were able to get tickets to the show. It ended up being one of the most fun things that we did during our time in Tokyo.