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November 03, 2025
 

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John Gunning
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Feb 13, 2019
Wrestlers put aside differences to promote U.S. sumo
Kelly Gneiting is a religious fundamentalist.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Feb 6, 2019
European sumo overcomes schism to build popularity
What do Baruto, Dejima, Kotomitsuki and Goeido have in common besides being ozeki who have won championships?
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jan 30, 2019
Tamawashi put on thrilling show during run to first title
Just prior to the 2018 September Tournament, while sitting in a sweltering Ryogoku Kokugikan and watching the Yokozuna Deliberation Council practice session, I grabbed a quick selfie with a couple of rikishi standing over my right shoulder.
SUMO
Jan 27, 2019
Sumo 101: Special prizes
The Emperor's Cup isn't the only prize awarded on the final day of a sumo tournament.
SUMO
Jan 26, 2019
Sumo 101: Tickets
Sumo tickets go on sale roughly about six weeks before the start of every tournament.
Japan Times
SUMO
Jan 25, 2019
Sumo 101: Sumo's birthplace
Ryogoku is the center of the sumo world.
Japan Times
SUMO
Jan 24, 2019
Sumo 101: Koenkai
On the surface sumo generates income the same way as most other sports —through ticket sales, merchandising and sponsorships.
Japan Times
SUMO
Jan 23, 2019
Sumo 101: Trading cards
With a sport as ancient as sumo, trading cards aren't the first things that spring to mind when you think of memorabilia.
SUMO
Jan 22, 2019
Sumo 101: Keshō-mawashi
One of the first orders of business for a rikishi promoted to sumo's second-highest division (jūryō) is getting a keshō-mawashi (ceremonial apron-style belt).
SUMO
Jan 21, 2019
Sumo 101: Pre- and post-bout rituals
From once they are called to mount the dohyo, makuuchi division wrestlers have four minutes to prepare for their bout.
SUMO
Jan 20, 2019
Sumo 101: Akeni
Sekitori (wrestlers in the top two divisions) have a lot of accouterments.
Japan Times
SUMO
Jan 19, 2019
Sumo 101: Championship portraits
One of the most striking features of Ryogoku Kokugikan is the ring of giant portraits hanging from the rafters.
SUMO
Jan 18, 2019
Sumo 101: A wrestler's typical tournament day
The six annual honbasho (tournaments) are the fulcrum around which the sumo world turns.
SUMO
Jan 17, 2019
Sumo 101: Retirement ceremonies
Now that Kisenosato has retired, one of the first orders of business for him will be arranging a retirement ceremony.
SUMO
Jan 16, 2019
Sumo 101: Stable locations and layout
The majority of sumo stables are concentrated in a couple of locations not far from Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.
Japan Times
SUMO
Jan 16, 2019
Despite injuries, Kisenosato embodied rikishi ideals
Kisenosato's retirement, while both inevitable and expected, casts a pall over the ongoing tournament.
SUMO
Jan 15, 2019
Sumo 101: Banzuke
All professional sumo wrestlers are listed on a 58x44 cm sheet of paper that is released about two weeks before the start of each tournament.
SUMO
Jan 14, 2019
Sumo 101: Sanyaku
Sanyaku is the collective noun for the three ranks below yokozuna.
SUMO
Jan 13, 2019
Sumo 101: Becoming a rikishi
How does a person go about becoming a professional sumo wrestler and what is the initial process like once you sign up?
SUMO
Jan 10, 2019
Hakuho and rivals seeking to taste success in opening tournament of new season
After one of the best years in the ring the past couple of decades, sumo heads into the final January tournament of the Heisei Era poised on the edge of its own era change.
Anime isn’t competing with Hollywood — it’s beating it
After its July release, “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — Infinity Castle,” an animated feature adapted directly from a TV arc, became the highest-grossing Japanese film ever.
The unstoppable rise of konbini tourism
Guests typically follow Ryo Ito’s lead as he weaves through the narrow, colorful aisles of convenience stores.
Dodgers clinch back-to-back World Series titles as Blue Jays downed in thriller
Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and teammates celebrate after winning the World Series against the Blue Jays. Yamamoto was named MVP for the series.
Woman, 69, arrested over 1999 Nagoya housewife's murder
A police sketch released in 2020 of a woman spotted near the scene of the 1999 murder of a housewife in Nagoya's Nishi Ward
How airlines are refining their in-flight food in Japan's tourism boom
All Nippon Airways' gourmet program, The Connoisseurs, showcases the Japanese concept of "shun" (peak season for ingredients), giving passengers a preview of the refined cuisine that awaits them in Japan.
The unstoppable rise of konbini tourism
Guests typically follow Ryo Ito’s lead as he weaves through the narrow, colorful aisles of convenience stores.
Anime isn’t competing with Hollywood — it’s beating it
After its July release, “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — Infinity Castle,” an animated feature adapted directly from a TV arc, became the highest-grossing Japanese film ever.
Oasis returns to Japan after 16 years — and fans can still sing every word
Liam Gallagher commanded the stage with effortless charisma during Oasis' Tokyo Dome set on Saturday.
At Japan Mobility Show, BYD gears up to conquer Japan's EV market
BYD Auto Japan President Atsuki Tofukuji unveils the Racco at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo on Wednesday.

Podcast

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

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo
Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo

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