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October 11, 2025
 

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John Gunning
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Dec 12, 2018
Ticket sales brisk despite Takanoiwa scandal
Once again, sumo finds itself embroiled in a violence scandal.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Dec 5, 2018
Change in stable can revive wrestlers' careers
Takakeisho, winner of this year's Kyushu tournament, was pictured alongside his stablemaster on Nov. 26 holding up a large red sea bream and drinking sake from an outsized trophy at a celebratory event.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Nov 28, 2018
Takakeisho's victory may herald rise of new generation
Takakeisho's victory in the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament made him the third wrestler to lift a maiden Emperor's Cup in 2018.
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.
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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