The Japan Guides

Tokyo's May Grand Sumo Tournament: Ten Days Still to Go

· 2 min read Travel News
Ryogoku Kokugikan sumo stadium exterior in Tokyo's Ryogoku district

Contents

  1. Schedule
  2. Tickets
  3. Getting There
  4. What to Watch For
  5. Combining with the Rest of Tokyo

The May Grand Sumo Tournament — known as the Natsu Basho — is running at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo through 24 May 2026. Ten competition days remain, and this is one of only three Tokyo-based grand tournaments held each year. If you are already in the city or planning a short visit before the end of the month, attending even a single session is among the most distinctive things Japan has to offer.

Schedule

The tournament runs on a 15-day cycle. Upper-division (makuuchi) bouts take place in the late afternoon and typically conclude around 6:00 pm. Lower-division matches begin from the early morning, so arriving at door-open time — 8:00 am — gives you a full day of wrestling for the price of one ticket. Most visitors find that the atmosphere builds steadily through the day and peaks during the final few makuuchi bouts.

Tickets

Advance seats across most categories have sold out, which is normal for this tournament. A block of same-day tickets is released at the Kokugikan box office each morning at 8:00 am. Demand is high: we recommend arriving by 6:30 am on weekdays and earlier on weekends. Some ringside box seats become available for individual sessions as bookings shift — check the Japan Sumo Association’s official ticketing page for up-to-date availability.

Getting There

Ryogoku Kokugikan is one minute on foot from the west exit of JR Ryogoku Station on the Sobu Line, and five minutes from Toei Oedo Line Ryogoku Station (A1 exit). From Shinjuku or Akihabara the Sobu Line runs directly to Ryogoku without a transfer. Getting around Tokyo covers IC cards and train options in more detail for visitors still planning their transport.

What to Watch For

This tournament has drawn particular interest following the promotion of two new yokozuna, sumo’s highest rank. Several high-profile wrestlers — including yokozuna Onosato and ozeki Aonishiki — withdrew before the start due to injury, reshaping the competition and creating space for lower-ranked wrestlers to make a run at the title. The Japan Sumo Association posts daily results and standings at sumo.or.jp.

Beyond the tournament itself, the Ryogoku neighbourhood repays an hour or two of wandering. The district’s chanko-nabe restaurants (the hearty stew eaten by wrestlers), sumo-themed shops, and the nearby Edo-Tokyo Museum make it easy to spend a half-day here even if same-day tickets prove unavailable.

Combining with the Rest of Tokyo

The Natsu Basho is one of the fixed calendar events that can anchor a broader Tokyo stay. Things to do in Tokyo covers the full range of options for visitors looking to build an itinerary around the tournament, and the Tokyo travel guide has neighbourhood and transport overviews for those arriving for the first time.