watching sumo live?
Aug 18th, 2005, 09:09 PM
#1
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watching sumo live?
i may have a chance to watch 1 day of the september tournament in tokyo. due to my schedule, i will probably only be able to watch from 2:30 to the end (instead of the whole day).
is it worth the money to watch it live? tickets are pretty expensive and the most I could afford are Arena A seats. will i be able to see the action well from there? or am i better off just watching it on tv?
any tips/suggestions on how to watch/experience sumo? anyone been before?
thanks!
is it worth the money to watch it live? tickets are pretty expensive and the most I could afford are Arena A seats. will i be able to see the action well from there? or am i better off just watching it on tv?
any tips/suggestions on how to watch/experience sumo? anyone been before?
thanks!
Aug 19th, 2005, 03:50 AM
#2
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mrwunrfl on this board and others have been to sumo grand tournament in Tokyo. I don't know where these seats are in the arena. I went in Osaka to the grand tournament last March. It was spectacular, a highlight of the trip. GEtting there at 2:30 is not a problem at all, in fact unless you just want to watch all day it is optimal to get there at that time as that is when the best matches start. In the arena in Osaka we got chair seats. I did not want to sit on the floor on the mats (which are more expensive and some are closer, but not al lof them are closer- we had people on the mats right in front of us). We used binoculars but we could definitely see the matches without them- we just wanted to see the guys close-up. I have a link to very good site that has everything you want to know about watching sumo and sumo life:
http://www.scgroup.com/sumo/faq/index.html
Also, I recall from mrwunrfl's pictures of his time at the Tokyo tournament that the seats in Tokyo are MUCH nicer (padded) than the ones at Osaka.
GO. I don't think you'll regret it. The flags outside the arena are spectacular, you'll see the sumo wrestlers walking around outside, it is just something very Japanese that you can't experience like that anywhere else.
http://www.scgroup.com/sumo/faq/index.html
Also, I recall from mrwunrfl's pictures of his time at the Tokyo tournament that the seats in Tokyo are MUCH nicer (padded) than the ones at Osaka.
GO. I don't think you'll regret it. The flags outside the arena are spectacular, you'll see the sumo wrestlers walking around outside, it is just something very Japanese that you can't experience like that anywhere else.
Aug 19th, 2005, 05:51 AM
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Bonjour Tjhsu,
Lucky you, definitely go. Going to see sumo live in Tokyo implies visiting the Kokugikan, a truly amazing piece of architecture, enjoying the ambiance, sampling the food, shopping for souvenirs, etc.
From 2:30 you'll see all the better matches (from the near-professional of the higher Makushita ranks), the colorful entrance of the higher ranked rikishis and of course of the Yokozuna. Take a small radio so you'll have the English language commentary of each match.
See the Sumo association website http://www.sumo.or.jp/eng/index.html for informations on what's going on during the tournament. They sell or give away "specials" (autographed pictures or hand prints of wrestlers, special food, various trinkets) on some days.
You can have a chanko meal nearby afterwards (see www.banzuke.com for a great article on how to make chanko, the special sumo stew).
Lucky you, definitely go. Going to see sumo live in Tokyo implies visiting the Kokugikan, a truly amazing piece of architecture, enjoying the ambiance, sampling the food, shopping for souvenirs, etc.
From 2:30 you'll see all the better matches (from the near-professional of the higher Makushita ranks), the colorful entrance of the higher ranked rikishis and of course of the Yokozuna. Take a small radio so you'll have the English language commentary of each match.
See the Sumo association website http://www.sumo.or.jp/eng/index.html for informations on what's going on during the tournament. They sell or give away "specials" (autographed pictures or hand prints of wrestlers, special food, various trinkets) on some days.
You can have a chanko meal nearby afterwards (see www.banzuke.com for a great article on how to make chanko, the special sumo stew).
Aug 19th, 2005, 06:41 AM
#4
The A seats, at 8200 yen, are very good/ excellent. The reason the prices in the lower areas are so much more expensive (36,800 and up) is mainly because they are boxes for FOUR people (thin futon on top of tatami mat, I think).
The arena is sort of like a rectangle. The short sides are East/West and the long sides are North/South. The sumo wrestlers are divided into two groups Nishi (west) and Higashi (east). The main "front" of the tournament is one of the N/S sides (kita=north, minami=south). You want to sit on that main side (kita, I think) because then the sumo wrestlers will be entering from the corners on the far side of the arena. They will then be approaching you as they enter and step up to the dohyo in the center. Also, the "referee" will be facing you and you will see the rikishi from the side rather than from behind one of them.
Looks like the link that emd gave explains the orientation of the dohyo in the arena, the respective K/M/H/N sides, etc.
If you can get B seats (4900 yen) on the correct K/M side, then that would a good choice. They are not that much farther away than the upper A seats.
You can rent or buy a radio set to listen to the on-the-spot broadcast at 78.3MHz. The "Engrish" broadcast starts at 4PM.
emd is right, 2:30PM is a fine time to get there. If you could get there at 1:55 then I think there is a ceremony at 2PM (another one at 4PM). Also, you could check on the time when they serve the chanko nabe and try that. No problem if you miss it. The line is long but moves quickly when they enter a big bunch of people at a time. It's 200Y or so for a bowl of sumo stew and adds to the whole experience. You ought to take a walk around the stadium, check out the souvenirs, go downstairs to see the view from there. Sort of like a baseball game, you can get up and walk about and not miss a whole lot of action. The best sumo is between 4PM and 6PM.
They have a program in English and as long as you know your compass points you will know who is who. In January, when you entered you were given a package of three apples (oishii desu) and a sumo calendar. Everybody is in an amused and/or excited mood, so it is a lot of fun.
You could bring some small binoculars. Definitely bring your glasses.
Is it worth it? I think so. If you were visiting Boston would you be better off going to Fenway for $75 or watching the game on TV?
The arena is sort of like a rectangle. The short sides are East/West and the long sides are North/South. The sumo wrestlers are divided into two groups Nishi (west) and Higashi (east). The main "front" of the tournament is one of the N/S sides (kita=north, minami=south). You want to sit on that main side (kita, I think) because then the sumo wrestlers will be entering from the corners on the far side of the arena. They will then be approaching you as they enter and step up to the dohyo in the center. Also, the "referee" will be facing you and you will see the rikishi from the side rather than from behind one of them.
Looks like the link that emd gave explains the orientation of the dohyo in the arena, the respective K/M/H/N sides, etc.
If you can get B seats (4900 yen) on the correct K/M side, then that would a good choice. They are not that much farther away than the upper A seats.
You can rent or buy a radio set to listen to the on-the-spot broadcast at 78.3MHz. The "Engrish" broadcast starts at 4PM.
emd is right, 2:30PM is a fine time to get there. If you could get there at 1:55 then I think there is a ceremony at 2PM (another one at 4PM). Also, you could check on the time when they serve the chanko nabe and try that. No problem if you miss it. The line is long but moves quickly when they enter a big bunch of people at a time. It's 200Y or so for a bowl of sumo stew and adds to the whole experience. You ought to take a walk around the stadium, check out the souvenirs, go downstairs to see the view from there. Sort of like a baseball game, you can get up and walk about and not miss a whole lot of action. The best sumo is between 4PM and 6PM.
They have a program in English and as long as you know your compass points you will know who is who. In January, when you entered you were given a package of three apples (oishii desu) and a sumo calendar. Everybody is in an amused and/or excited mood, so it is a lot of fun.
You could bring some small binoculars. Definitely bring your glasses.
Is it worth it? I think so. If you were visiting Boston would you be better off going to Fenway for $75 or watching the game on TV?
Aug 19th, 2005, 07:35 AM
#6
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BTW- I researched the radio part before I went. Florence, did you actually bring a radio? Because my research showed that U.S. radios don't work in Japan (maybe Europena ones do?) as you have to have their frequency to get the broadcast. Which means renting the little radio and headphones to get the commentary in English. And then it turned out that they don't have the radios available at Osaka tournemant anyway, they just have them in Tokyo. And i decided after going to the tournament that it would be distracting to hear it while watching. The matches go very quickly.
Aug 19th, 2005, 08:01 AM
#7
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yeah...i was wondering about that. i leave this sunday (going to m'sia beforehand), so i wont have a chance to pick up a radio, and i dont want to spend too much effort trying to get one while i'm travelling for just a few hours of commentary. sounds like renting at the tokyo sumo stadium is the best bet?
i did read about one radio that gets int'l frequencies, but forgot the name.
i did read about one radio that gets int'l frequencies, but forgot the name.
Aug 19th, 2005, 04:24 PM
#8
Both times that I went to sumo tournaments in Tokyo I chose not to rent the radio and I didn't bring one of my own. Might be distracting, might not hear it very well with the noise, and the Engrish might be difficult to understand. BUT, the best place to buy a cheap radio for use in Japan would be in Japan. Shouldn't be difficult to find one at all.
Aug 20th, 2005, 01:57 PM
#9
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thanks for all the useful info. 1 more question ...
... what's the best way to go about buying tickets ?? when I got to the website, it gives me a bunch of phone numbers to call but says I need to speak Japanese. i don't speak japanese! i'd like to order in advance to get the best seats.
... what's the best way to go about buying tickets ?? when I got to the website, it gives me a bunch of phone numbers to call but says I need to speak Japanese. i don't speak japanese! i'd like to order in advance to get the best seats.
Aug 20th, 2005, 04:05 PM
#10
You can get your tickets at the ticket window. Based on your itinerary thread I guess that you are planning to go see sumo on Sept. 13. That's good since it is not opening day or the final weekend. You could look into getting tickets when you are in Tokyo at the beginning of your trip. Otherwise, you might get some help in Kyoto or from your friend in Kobe. No worries.
