4 days ago
Sumo stable lets foreign tourists watch morning training sessions
Sumo fans from overseas watch a practice session at the Arashio stable in Tokyo's Chuo Ward on April 7. (Kensuke Suzuki)
In the battle for financial survival, some sumo stables are inviting overseas groups of tourists to watch their morning training sessions, an activity frowned upon by some in the industry.
Like so many things in Japan, sumo has become a huge draw for tourists from abroad.
So, stables lacking a wrestler to gain a sufficient level of funding are using the tourism boom to stay afloat.
On one morning in early April, the shutters at a building opened, revealing the practice area of the Arashio stable in the Nihonbashi Hamacho district of Tokyo's Chuo Ward.
On a sidewalk outside the glass walls were several dozen foreign tourists who had been waiting eagerly for a look inside.
The wrestlers, however, did not appear startled by the situation. The sounds of large bodies crashing together could be heard by those on the street.
Slightly after 8 a.m., 12 tour group members were ushered into the practice area, which has no raised seating area.
The tourists were seated on chairs as they listened through earphones to a Japanese guide who gave English-language explanations about the practice session.
They were allowed to take photos and videos, and they later posed with rikishi for commemorative photos after the practice session.
The 12 were on a group tour organized by a business with ties to Chuo Ward's tourism association.
The idea for such sumo tours was floated before the COVID-19 pandemic started.
Former komusubi Oyutaka, who was the Arashio stable's master at the time, and his wife weighed the option of turning their stable into a tourist spot.
The current stablemaster, former makuuchi division wrestler Sokokurai, who took over in 2020, decided to accept group tours in even-numbered months, when official sumo tournaments are not held.
'People have this image that sumo stables have rigorous rules and are hard for visitors to enter,' the Arashio stablemaster said. 'I hope those who have taken a look inside and have learned about the fun of sumo will go on to visit (Ryogoku) Kokugikan (to watch bouts).'
The Japanese Sumo Association grants subsidies under such designations as 'rikishi development expenses.' They are the main revenue source for sumo stables.
Rikishi development expenses and other grants are worth around a combined 1.8 million yen ($12,500) a year per rikishi, meaning the number of wrestlers in a stable has direct bearings on its management conditions.
The number of wrestlers in the sumo world recently dipped below 600 from more than 900 three decades ago.
'We live in a time when sumo stablemasters have to think about matters of management on their own,' said the Arashio stablemaster, a native of China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region
To secure new revenue sources, some stables have signed sponsorship agreements with corporations for taking part in events. Others are also inviting visitors from abroad to watch practices.
Some sumo stables are averse to accepting foreign tourists out of concerns the 'guests' may be unfamiliar with sumo culture and could disturb the concentration of rikishi, leading to injuries in practice, according to sources.
Some stables refuse to let anyone attend the training sessions.
The Arashio stable has rules for visitors on group tours, including 'keep quiet' and 'no flash photography.'
Still, on certain days, more than 200 cameras are trained at its practice hall from the other side of the glass walls.
Tanji, a makushita division wrestler in the stable, was asked if he felt embarrassed by all the exposure.
'Oh no. I think the situation is just right for us to get accustomed to because we are seen by so many people at official sumo tournaments,' Tanji, 18, said, smiling. 'Actually, I rather feel embarrassed when no one is watching.'
The fee for viewing the Arashio stable morning practice tour is 13,000 yen per person. A nearby sumo goods shop is operated by individuals with connections to the stable.
A growing number of people are visiting Japan from overseas to watch sumo bouts. Commercial group tours are now so popular that some sections of audience seats are filled with visitors from abroad on certain days.
Tickets for such tours have been sold out for eight consecutive official tournaments since the January tournament last year.
