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April 26, 2025
 

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John Gunning
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Aug 7, 2019
Kids tournaments provide much more than just recruiting grounds
You can become a professional sumo wrestler at 15 years old.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jul 31, 2019
Rikishi pulling their weight in buildup to RWC in Japan, but rugby's gain could be sumo's loss
The 2019 Rugby World Cup is less than two months away.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jul 24, 2019
Kakuryu adds to solid resume with latest win
Yokozuna Kakuryu lifted the Emperor's Cup last Sunday after a final day defeat of fellow yokozuna Hakuho.
SUMO
Jul 21, 2019
Sumo 101: JSA chairman
The Japan Sumo Association's highest authority is the chairman of its board of directors.
Japan Times
SUMO
Jul 20, 2019
Sumo 101: Non-traditional training
Sumo is often described as a lifestyle rather than a sport.
SUMO
Jul 19, 2019
Sumo 101: Press club
Sumo receives extensive coverage year- round in the Japanese media.
SUMO
Jul 18, 2019
Sumo 101: Tsukebito
Sumo is a life built around the carrot and stick approach.
Japan Times
SUMO
Jul 17, 2019
Sumo 101: Regional tours
An oft-heard refrain from fans new to sumo is that wrestlers get paid huge sums for just a few seconds work each day.
SUMO
Jul 16, 2019
Sumo 101: Futabayama's win streak
Sumo fans these days have the privilege of being able to watch the greatest rikishi of all time live in the ring.
Japan Times
SUMO
Jul 16, 2019
Kids sumo offers wrestlers an early start
As outlined in a previous Sumo 101, joining sumo is often a matter of just getting in touch with a stable.
SUMO
Jul 14, 2019
Sumo 101: Shikiri sen
There are two parallel white lines in the center of every sumo ring known as shikiri sen.
SUMO
Jul 13, 2019
Sumo 101: Joining sumo
Virtually every athlete on teams like Real Madrid or the Chicago Bears came up through a youth system or showed promise while playing in high school or college, with many of them already well versed in their sport of choice by the time their age hits double figures.
SUMO
Jul 12, 2019
Sumo 101: Wakanohana-Tochinishiki rivalry
As with boxing, wrestling, MMA or any other activity where two contestants face off in a ring, great rivalries are the lifeblood of Japan's national sport.
Japan Times
SUMO
Jul 11, 2019
Sumo 101: Teahouses
There are many ways to purchase sumo tickets.
Japan Times
SUMO
Jul 10, 2019
Sumo 101: Kokugikan
Three of the six yearly Grand Sumo tournaments are held in Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.
SUMO
Jul 9, 2019
Sumo 101: Non-Tokyo tournaments
There are six honbasho (official tournaments) every year. They take place in the odd-numbered months, with half being hosted in Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.
SUMO
Jul 8, 2019
Sumo 101: Charismatic rikishi
One of sumo's most defining features is the stoicism of its wrestlers.
SUMO
Jul 7, 2019
Sumo 101: Tied bouts
Every sumo bout ends with a winner declared.
SUMO
Jul 4, 2019
Title appears up for grabs at upcoming Nagoya Basho
Commentators often divide sumo into eras, each defined by its outstanding rivalry.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jul 4, 2019
Nagoya Basho historically significant for foreign wrestlers and sumo fans
When you think of the Nagoya tournament what first comes to mind?
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

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