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October 11, 2025
 

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John Gunning
Japan Times
SUMO
Mar 21, 2019
Sumo 101: Could-have-beens
Sumo has no shortage of legends.
SUMO
Mar 20, 2019
Sumo 101: Bow-twirling ceremony
Every day of a sumo tournament concludes with a bow-twirling ceremony, called yumitori-shiki in Japanese.
SUMO
Mar 19, 2019
Sumo 101: Brothers in sumo
Normally, brothers in sumo can't fight one another.
Japan Times
SUMO
Mar 18, 2019
Sumo 101: College graduates in sumo
New entrants into the world of sumo generally fall into three groups.
SUMO
Mar 17, 2019
Sumo 101: Nicknames
All sumo wrestlers have a shikona (ring name).
SUMO
Mar 16, 2019
Sumo 101: Manga
Sumo is currently experiencing a boom in popularity overseas.
Japan Times
SUMO
Mar 15, 2019
Sumo 101: Closed stables
There are currently 46 heya (stables) in sumo.
SUMO
Mar 14, 2019
Sumo 101: Souvenirs
Sumo is a unique sport and its merchandising reflects that fact.
SUMO
Mar 13, 2019
Sumo 101: Sword bearers and dew sweepers
Every time a yokozuna performs the traditional ring-entering ceremony, he is flanked by two attendants.
SUMO
Mar 12, 2019
Sumo 101: Wakaimonogashira and Sewanin
The world of sumo has many behind-the-scenes characters that help keep the sport running smoothly.
SUMO
Mar 11, 2019
Sumo 101: Pusher-thrusters
When many people think of sumo, they imagine two large men locked in a vice-like grip straining to force each other out of a ring.
SUMO
Mar 10, 2019
Sumo 101: Juryo
The lion's share of media attention in sumo goes to the top (makuuchi) division.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Mar 7, 2019
Sumo lacks marquee rivalries of recent times
The upcoming Spring Grand Sumo Tournament seems to have everything going for it.
SUMO
Mar 7, 2019
Hakuho, other challengers ready to chase spring glory
The Osaka Basho, which gets underway on Sunday, is arguably the most wide-open tournament sumo has seen in years.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Feb 27, 2019
Terutsuyoshi adds flair to makuuchi division
It's late February, which means all 650 or so wrestlers of the Japan Sumo Association have decamped to Kansai and are deep in preparation for the upcoming Spring Tournament.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Feb 20, 2019
Sumo in Heisei Era defined by dominant foreign yokozuna
The upcoming Spring Grand Sumo Tournament marks the end of an era.
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.
Takaichi's PM bid faces further headwinds with coalition split
LDP leader Sanae Takaichi and Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito attend a party leaders' meeting on Friday in Tokyo.
Powerful earthquake strikes off southern Philippines
Authorities inspect a damaged wall and a car outside a mall in Butuan, Philippines, on Friday, after a major earthquake struck the area.
Japan to move toward five-year integrated bachelor's-master’s programs
Japan plans to introduce nationwide five-year bachelor's-master's programs to raise graduate school enrollment and train more highly skilled professionals amid a shrinking workforce.
Tokyo named world’s best big city for second straight year
Tokyo was ranked the world's best large city for the second year in a row in the Conde Nast Traveler's 2025 Readers' Choice Awards.
Chemistry Nobel winner Kitagawa says downtime helped him think up new material
Susumu Kitagawa speaks to reporters at Kyoto University on Wednesday after receiving the news that he had been awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry the same day.
A Japanese comedian walks into an Aussie bar … and stays there
Takashi “Waka” Wakasugi stopped by the Tokyo Comedy Bar in Shibuya Ward last month following his stint at Edinburgh Festival Fringe performing his show “Comedy Samurai.”
Chemistry Nobel winner Kitagawa says downtime helped him think up new material
Susumu Kitagawa speaks to reporters at Kyoto University on Wednesday after receiving the news that he had been awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry the same day.
University of Tokyo lands its highest spot ever in global higher education ranking
The University of Tokyo in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward
Tokyo named world’s best big city for second straight year
Tokyo was ranked the world's best large city for the second year in a row in the Conde Nast Traveler's 2025 Readers' Choice Awards.
With nuclear sub proposal, Japan faces array of political and tech challenges
The Jingei, the third of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Taigei-class submarines, was commissioned in March last year. It is equipped with lithium-ion batteries, enabling it to have a longer diving time and cruising distance than older models with lead-acid batteries.

Podcast

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

Longform

Growing families are being priced out of Tokyo’s condo market, forced to choose between downtown convenience and suburban space.
Is living in central Tokyo still affordable?
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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