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August 16, 2025
 

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John Gunning
SUMO
Sep 20, 2018
Sumo 101: Winning techniques
The Japan Sumo Association lists 82 different ways to win a bout. These winning techniques are called kimarite and the applicable one is announced in the arena immediately following each fight.
SUMO
Sep 19, 2018
Sumo 101: Sumo school
Sumo is a Darwinian world, but even in this harsh unforgiving environment, new recruits aren't given a "Battle Royale"-style "here's your mawashi — try to survive" induction.
SUMO
Sep 18, 2018
Sumo 101: Heya (Stables)
Sumo isn't really a sport in the true sense of the word. It's a combination of sport, religion and entertainment wrapped up in a quasi-monastic and militaristic lifestyle.
SUMO
Sep 17, 2018
Sumo 101: Ryogoku
Sumo is Japan's national sport and can be seen from one end of the country to the other in both official tournaments as well as regional tours.
SUMO
Sep 16, 2018
Sumo 101: Sekitori
The number of sumo wrestlers rises and falls as the popularity of the sport waxes and wanes.
SUMO
Sep 15, 2018
Sumo 101: Tegata
Sumo might be a sport steeped in tradition but its governing body has a very modern approach to merchandising.
Japan Times
SUMO
Sep 14, 2018
Sumo 101: The Topknot
It's common to smell sumo wrestlers before seeing them . . . and not in a bad way.
Japan Times
SUMO
Sep 13, 2018
Sumo 101: Ringside judges
Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones aren't the only all-powerful "Men in Black."
SUMO
Sep 12, 2018
Sumo 101: The Emperor's Cup
"To the victor go the spoils" is a phrase that could have been coined for sumo.
Japan Times
SUMO
Sep 11, 2018
Sumo 101: Ring names
A sumo wrestler's shikona, or ring name, can reveal much about his history and heritage.
Japan Times
SUMO
Sep 10, 2018
Sumo 101: The belt
Sumo wrestlers on overseas tours have been called 'naked goodwill ambassadors'.
Japan Times
SUMO
Sep 9, 2018
Sumo 101: The Ring
Sumo tournaments take place on a raised ring called a dohyo. The kanji characters for dohyo (土俵) literally translate as clay and rice straw bales — the two materials the ring is made of.
SUMO
Sep 8, 2018
Expect the unexpected in wide-open Autumn Basho
The Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament gets underway on Sunday at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Sep 5, 2018
Sumo's Yokozuna Deliberation Council plays important role in overseeing sport
Kisenosato put in a strong performance at the Yokozuna Deliberation Council soken training session on Aug. 31.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Aug 29, 2018
Unsung yobidashi keep sumo running smoothly
Who spends the most time in a sumo ring?
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Aug 22, 2018
English sumo broadcasts bring together diverse cast
In last week's column, I talked about overseas tours by the Japan Sumo Association and also mentioned the live sumo broadcasts with English commentary on NHK.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Aug 15, 2018
Overseas tours an unfortunate victim of sumo's recent popularity
The world of sumo has seen many changes over the past decade.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Aug 8, 2018
Entering sumo world not something to be taken lightly
In lifting the Emperor's Cup last month, Mitakeumi became the fourth Japanese wrestler to win a championship in the past two years.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Aug 1, 2018
Grueling summer tours offer mixed blessing for sumo
Sumo's summer regional tour is already under way, snaking around Lake Biwa and across central Japan towards the Kanto region.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jul 25, 2018
Mitakeumi earns spoils of victory
The Nagoya tournament ended with the Emperor's Cup being handed to arguably the most surprising top division champion in eight years.
The indelible memory of being a part of Unit 731
Hideo Shimizu, 95, says he cannot forget seeing the prisoners' bloody wills scribbled on the walls of prison cells at Unit 731 in 1945.
Japanese star convicted of indecent assault in Hong Kong
J-pop idol Kenshin Kamimura leaves the West Kowloon Law Courts on bail in Hong Kong on Wednesday, after he was found guilty of indecent assault of a woman who worked as his interpreter at a restaurant in Mong Kok district in March this year.
Tens of thousands left stranded at Osaka Expo by train service interruption
Visitors rest inside the Osaka Expo venue early Thursday morning
Welcoming foreign residents benefits Japan, three quarters of economists say
The streets of Tokyo's Ginza district in April. The number of foreign residents in Japan hit a record high at 3.76 million as of the end of last year, comprising just over 3% of the population.
Hiker missing in Hokkaido after bear attack found dead
The Rausu mountain range at Hokkaido's Shiretoko National Park. A man in his 20s who went missing after being attacked by a bear while hiking on Mount Rausu has been found dead.
The indelible memory of being a part of Unit 731
Hideo Shimizu, 95, says he cannot forget seeing the prisoners' bloody wills scribbled on the walls of prison cells at Unit 731 in 1945.
Will Ishiba's critics be able to garner enough support for a leadership race?
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's political survival likely hinges on whether a leadership race will take place within the Liberal Democratic Party following its decision to have its election committee canvass the opinions of party members and prefectural chapters on the subject.
Hidden rosters and the legacy of Japan’s germ warfare
Katsutoshi Takegami, 77, in his storehouse attic where he discovered his father's Unit 1644 documents
Osaka Expo highlights the challenge of holding events in Japan's scorching summer
People huddle near a large fan blowing icy-cold mist at the Osaka Expo on July 12. Amid Japan's relentless summer heat, organizes have put myriad measures in place in order to keep guests safe.
At Himawari Shokudo 2, Italian food with a Japanese soul
At Himawari Shokudo 2, chef Hozumi Tanaka serves Italian-inspired fare with a focus on Toyama produce, such as this appetizer of lightly blanched "hotaru ika" (firefly squid) served atop mixed wild plants and a crepe prepared from "yamato-imo" yam.

Podcast

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

Longform

Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers
By Tomoko Otake

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