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September 18, 2025
 

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John Gunning
SUMO
Nov 25, 2018
Sumo 101: Illegal moves
Prior to their first live experience, many people are under the impression that sumo is a plodding sport in which two overweight men slowly try to force each other backward in a straight line.
SUMO
Nov 24, 2018
Sumo 101: Ring-entering ceremonies
A normal day of a sumo tournament starts around 8:30 a.m. and ends just after 5:45 p.m.
SUMO
Nov 23, 2018
Sumo 101: Wrestlers' clothing and footwear
Sumo is a world where success or failure in the ring has direct and tangible effects on a wrestler's life.
SUMO
Nov 22, 2018
Sumo 101: Museums
It's no surprise that sumo, an activity hundreds (possibly thousands) of years old, has several museums solely dedicated to its history.
SUMO
Nov 21, 2018
Sumo 101: Keiko (training)
Amateur sumo is a sport and nothing more.
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.
Wealthy foreign nationals picking up ultimate souvenir — a condo in Tokyo
A high-end property in the fashionable Daikanyama district in Tokyo
Japan dispatches five language education 'partners' to India
Five members of the Japan Foundation's Nihongo Partners program (front) gather at the Japanese Embassy in New Delhi on Monday.
Struggling train firm in Chiba Prefecture turns to self-deprecating humor
"Laughter is important when you're in a difficult situation," said Katsunori Takemoto, president of Choshi Electric Railway, on Aug. 5 in Choshi, Chiba Prefecture.
Japan's elderly population down at around 36.2 million
The estimated number of people age 65 or older in Japan stands at 36.19 million as of Monday, accounting for record 29.4% of the country's total population, according to the internal affairs ministry.
Japan’s front-line researchers see bright path ahead for dementia treatment
A scientist looks at scans of grains at the Memory Centre at the Department of Readaptation and Geriatrics of the University Hospital (HUG) in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 6, 2023.
Japanese athletes inspired by raucous home fans at World Athletics Championships
Fans cheer on the home favorites during the women's marathon at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Sunday.
Japan's major art events converge this fall
Shinji Ohmaki’s “Tokinokage” exhibited at Fuji Textile Week 2021 shows the use of fabric as art.
Tara Davis-Woodhall leaps to gold and finds redemption at world championships
Tara Davis-Woodhall celebrates after winning the women's long jump final at the World Athletics Championships at Tokyo's National Stadium on Sunday night.
An aesthetic escape to Hakone’s art-drenched hills
Between traditional examples of fine art and sleek, modern exhibitions that blend with nature, Hakone offers a unique escape from Tokyo's urban sprawl.
Niinami’s ouster quick but not unusual as corporations protect reputation
Takeshi Niinami resigns as chairman and CEO of Suntory Holdings.

Podcast

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

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’
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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