New IG Arena set to dial down temperature at Nagoya Basho, in a good way

Japan Times

09-07-2025

Few cliches in sport are as universal as athletes and fans relentlessly complaining for years about the facilities at their home arena, only to immediately turn nostalgic about the same venue as soon as a move to a new stadium is complete.
Pillars blocking sightlines, narrow concourses with no view of the field, poor concession stands, cramped dressing rooms and concrete-like playing surfaces all quickly turn from grievances to wistful posts on social media.
Whether it's the Boston Garden, Dublin's Lansdowne Road or the Houston Astrodome, nothing gets a sports fan misty-eyed quicker than reminiscing about former home grounds — particularly once they've been demolished or rebuilt.
Even sumo has a certain section of its fan base that pines for the long gone Kuramae Kokugikan in Tokyo. The fact that it was used in the James Bond film 'You Only Live Twice' also means the arena has many fans who never once set foot inside it.
But given that rising temperatures over the past couple of decades had made watching sumo in Nagoya each July an increasingly uncomfortable experience, it'll probably take quite a while longer for the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium, also known as Dolphins Arena, to be regarded in anything close to the same manner.
And with IG Arena getting glowing early reviews as the Nagoya Basho's replacement venue, that may come even later than usual.
As the upcoming July Grand Sumo Tournament is the first event to be held in the new venue, there has been no fan feedback as yet, but, based on various news reports over the past several months, the sumo-watching experience in the IG Arena should be very comfortable.
Box seats that are larger than those in other venues are a long overdue improvement. The fact that the current dimensions have remained the same through decades of people getting larger and taller on average has long been a source of complaints among sumo fans.
The cheaper chair seats, meanwhile, have higher and more comfortable backs while the stands are at a steeper angle, giving fans a feeling of being closer to the action.
While Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium had its faults, it had arguably the best overall seating arrangement, with all seats having good sightlines. |
John Gunning
As would be expected from any fully fitted modern venue, IG Arena also boasts video screens hanging from the ceiling, premium lounges from where you can watch the action while dining and socializing, and 20 different kinds of food and drink outlets.
With the Japan Sumo Association's showpiece in Nagoya only utilizing less than half of IG Arena's maximum capacity in 2025, however, it remains to be seen just how many of those amenities will be used, or in what way, by that organization over the next few years.
Given that sumo has seen demand for tickets far outstripping supply over the past few years, IG Arena's capacity of roughly 17,000 had many fans hoping that it would be easier to attend sumo in central Japan's biggest city.
Unfortunately, that didn't turn out to be the case, with the number of tickets available at the new venue not significantly different from how things stood at the old one.
At least for those who do manage to get tickets, the experience should be far less taxing than at the old venue, where poor cooling infrastructure created a less-than-enjoyable experience for athletes and fans alike.To be fair, sumo's previous home in Nagoya isn't all that different from many aging venues up and down the country, but none of those had to host a two-week tournament in the middle of July.
Perhaps no sight personified the Nagoya Basho more than thousands of spectators furiously cooling themselves with hand-held fans that were routinely distributed by sponsors at the event.
For the wrestlers, it was even worse, as in addition to the increased toll heat takes on larger bodies, ineffective air conditioning and the humidity in the arena made the dohyō slicker than in other tournaments and regularly seemed to cause rikishi to lose their footing.
But undoubtedly even those annoyances will eventually change to foibles that gave the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium 'character,' in much the same way its predecessor's far worse conditions are now the source of tales in bars.
The Kanayama Gym — which was used until 1964 — was a converted aircraft hangar. Inside, it was so hot and humid that pillars of ice had to be placed in the aisles and oxygen tanks made available for fans who found breathing difficult.
In fact, the conditions were so steamy that the Nagoya Basho was nicknamed the "Tropical Tournament." For all its faults, the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium had arguably the best overall seating arrangement, with all seats having good sightlines and even the cheapest tickets providing an experience that felt close to the ring.
Souvenir stalls in the corners also meant you could shop for sumo merchandise without having to miss the action — something that isn't even possible in the Kokugikan in Tokyo.
With Nagoya Castle being just a five-minute stroll from the entrance of the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium, there was also a unique point of interest available for anyone wishing to take a short break from sumo.
The IG Arena is in the same general location but not quite as close to the castle. However, the amenities and dining options in sumo's new Nagoya home should provide far more reasons to stay in the arena than in either of its predecessors.
A wrestler once described the conditions in Nagoya during the July meet to me as 'a special kind of hell.' That was said with a feeling of dread as the tournament approached, but perhaps before long it will become just another quirky feature in nostalgic tales of venues gone by.