Arguably no Japanese industry was harder hit by the COVID-19 pandemic than businesses catering to inbound foreign tourists.

While it is true that footfall-dependent commerce such as restaurants and cafes struggled initially, a quick pivot to delivery-heavy operations while awaiting the return of domestic customers helped many survive.

The closing of borders however, followed by the slow pace of reopening, wreaked havoc on hotels and attractions whose clientele were mostly foreign visitors.

Sumo, with its image of being a conservative, traditional sport that’s mostly popular with older Japanese generations, might not immediately spring to mind when considering industries affected by a lack of international tourists.

But if you had walked the upper deck of the Kokugikan in Tokyo on any day of a tournament in 2019, you’d quickly reject that notion.

While foreign faces in the crowd may not have been commonplace in the more expensive box seats visible to TV viewers, large sections of the cheaper chair-style seating on the second floor were regularly occupied by tourists from abroad.

Three and a half years after a closed-door tournament was followed by a canceled meet, sumo has returned to normal, and tourists are once again accounting for a significant percentage of ticket sales.

The upcoming January tournament reflects that reality, with the meet on track to be entirely sold-out sometime in the next week to 10 days.

Already, the vast majority of premium seats and tickets for the most desirable days are gone.

It’s a situation that will leave many foreign sumo fans out in the cold both figuratively and literally, as much of the information available online is woefully out of date.

Unfortunately, travel-focused websites, as well as domestic magazines, continue to give ticketing advice that will almost certainly result in disappointment.

The most common mistake continues to be advising people to line up in the morning at the Kokugikan in order to get tickets.

While the Japan Sumo Association used to sell unreserved same-day tickets for the back row of the second floor on a first-come, first-served basis, that hasn’t been the case since early 2020 when the seats became purchasable online.

Part of the confusion may arise from the fact that the official ticketing site displays a map with the back row of the second floor still listed as general admission — the designation it had when it consisted solely of walk-up sales.

A ¥20,000 book of 15 general admission tickets — one for each day of the tournament — also continues to be recommended on sites heavily frequented by those planning trips to Japan. There’s only one problem: that deal was discontinued several years prior to the pandemic.

Even when information is up to date and correct, it often omits the reality of sumo’s current situation, namely the fact that when general sales start, most of the desirable seats — especially for weekends dates — are already gone.

Set allocations to teahouses and other businesses, combined with various presale lotteries — some exclusive to paid fan club members — account for the bulk of sumo’s premium seat purchases, and waiting till general sales start to try and acquire such seats rarely meets with success.

It should be noted that while fan club membership is open to anyone, information is only available in Japanese, and posts online about foreign-issued credit cards not being accepted are commonplace.

Things could soon get even tougher.

The Digital Agency announced in September that it plans to start working with private entertainment companies to enable the use of My Number identification cards at venues and events in order to improve the efficiency of identity checks for those purchasing alcohol, and to help curtail illegal resales.

Should a My Number card become a required part of ticket sales in Japan, it would seriously hinder the ability of fans that aren’t residents in the country to purchase seats to see their favorite rikishi in action.

Navigating the ever-changing waters of sumo ticket sales is a challenge, particularly when relevant information that’s accurate and in English is difficult to find.

Still, sumo authorities have made significant strides over the past few years to better accommodate the needs of foreign fans. The tournament experience is much more streamlined than it once was, and while ticketing still lags behind, that’s likely to see improvements in the near future.

In the meantime it’s not all bad news for foreign sumo fans — particularly those whose trip to Japan doesn’t coincide with the months, or locations, of the sport’s six yearly honbasho (official tournaments that count toward the rankings).

Tickets — particularly premium seats — for jungyō (sumo’s regional tours, which take place across the country between tournaments) are far easier to get than those of regular tournaments.

One-day events on the jungyō are particularly good for first-time sumo watchers, as they combine live action with meet and greet sessions and other activities not seen at honbasho.

Sumo has caught up to much of the rest of the sporting world in returning to post-pandemic normality.

Now it just needs ticketing — and available information on that topic — to follow suit.