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April 26, 2025
 

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John Gunning
SUMO
Nov 20, 2018
Sumo 101: Gyōji
Sumo referees are arguably the most elaborately outfitted arbiters in the sporting world.
Japan Times
SUMO
Nov 19, 2018
Sumo 101: Ozeki
Yokozuna are the stars of sumo.
SUMO
Nov 18, 2018
Sumo 101: Oyakata (stablemasters)
Sumo is not a team sport, but neither is it an individual one.
SUMO
Nov 17, 2018
Sumo 101: Tsuriyane (Raised roof)
One of the most striking sights in sumo is the giant roof suspended over the ring.
SUMO
Nov 16, 2018
Sumo 101: Kensho
One of the defining sights of a sumo tournament is the parade of brightly colored kensho banners around the ring before the highest- ranked wrestlers fight.
SUMO
Nov 15, 2018
Sumo 101: Shitakubeya (dressing rooms)
Whether in the Kokugikan in Tokyo, or at one of the regional tournaments in Osaka, Nagoya or Fukuoka, sumo wrestlers warm up and prepare for their bouts in dressing rooms called shitakubeya.
Japan Times
SUMO
Nov 14, 2018
Sumo 101: Tokoyama (Hairdressers)
Outside of wrestlers and stablemasters, there are three main jobs in the Japan Sumo Association: gyoji (referee), yobidashi (ring announcer) and tokoyama (hairdresser).
Japan Times
SUMO
Nov 13, 2018
Sumo 101: Nobori
Go to any sumo tournament and the first thing you'll notice is the array of giant colorful flags on bamboo poles in front of the stadium.
SUMO
Nov 12, 2018
Sumo 101: Chanko
Sumo wrestlers don't eat before training.
Japan Times
SUMO
Nov 11, 2018
Sumo 101: Shonichi
The first day of the basho brings plenty of optimism — and ceremony — for competing wrestlers.
SUMO
Nov 7, 2018
Higher-ranked wrestlers in driver's seat in Kyushu
November is upon us and that means the final sumo tournament of the year is just days away.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Nov 7, 2018
Wrestlers settle into unique Kyushu location
The ring purification ceremony for the upcoming Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament takes places at Fukuoka Kokusai Center on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 10 a.m.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 31, 2018
Sumo dominance down to heart over matter
The newly-released banzuke (rankings) for the upcoming Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament see Hakuho back in his old familiar 'Yokozuna 1 East' position.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 24, 2018
Sumo boasts rich history of multiculturalism
Visitors to Japan, encountering sumo for the first time, are often surprised to learn that not only are there rikishi from places as far afield as Georgia, Mongolia and Hawaii, but that foreigners have dominated the sport for the better part of a decade and a half.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 17, 2018
Kyushu Basho an underrated gem for fans
Sumo's Autumn Regional Tour has reached Kansai and will continue winding its way westward until it arrives in Yamaguchi prefecture at the end of the month.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 10, 2018
Departed yokozuna Wajima brought charisma to ring
Last week's column featured links between sumo and American football, including a mention of how yokozuna Wakanohana took up the latter sport after retiring from the raised ring.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 3, 2018
Sumo skills applicable on the gridiron, not in the ring
Former top-division wrestler Osunaarashi fell to 45-year-old actor Bob Sapp in his mixed martial arts debut this week.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Sep 26, 2018
Takanohana's departure marks end of era for sumo
Takanohana's retirement, announced on Tuesday, brings to an end the Hanada dynasty's 72-year-long involvement in sumo.
SUMO
Sep 23, 2018
Sumo 101: Hobbies
All sumo wrestlers get a week off starting the day after a tournament ends.
SUMO
Sep 22, 2018
Sumo 101: Senshuraku
The last day of a sumo tournament is called senshuraku and it's packed with all kinds of ceremonies and events not seen over the preceding 14.
Naked man’s rampage in Saitama linked to one fatality and 10 injured
Police believe Daisuke Nishimura may have been involved in roughly 20 incidents in the 90 minutes leading up to his arrest, including a fatal hit-and-run and multiple assaults.
Japan set to fine cyclists on the spot for rule violations from 2026
Under new rules, those who use smartphones while riding a bicycle would be subject to the maximum fine of ¥12,000.
Japan brings forward deadline for electronic travel authorization system
Japan is planning to implement by March 2029 a new online screening system in which foreign visitors who don’t need a visa apply for a certification before entering the country.
Built in a flash, Osaka Expo pavilions wrestle with sustainability
Kengo Kuma & Associates oversaw the construction of the Malaysia pavilion, which is encased in interwoven rows of bamboo that appear to ripple.
Social media helps fuel growing 'sex tourism' in Japan
People walk down a street in the red-light entertainment area of Kabukicho in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo on March 31.
Amid uncertain tariffs, is now the time to buy a new iPhone?
An Apple store in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward in September. Prices for the newest iPhone models start at around ¥100,000 ($700) in Japan.
Built in a flash, Osaka Expo pavilions wrestle with sustainability
Kengo Kuma & Associates oversaw the construction of the Malaysia pavilion, which is encased in interwoven rows of bamboo that appear to ripple.
Japan weighs using U.S. rice imports as tariff negotiation tool with Trump
A restaurant owner pours California-grown Calrose rice into a rice cooker at his restaurant in Tokyo
Is Japan’s parliament ready to welcome more youth to its ranks?
Lower House lawmaker Kai Odake in his Tokyo office on Wednesday
Crow meat, goat tartare: Mauvaise Herbe raises its game
Crow meat, shaped into a ball and attached to a foot of the bird, is one of the peculiar offerings of game at Mauvaise Herbe.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.
By Tomoko Otake

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027
Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

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