According to a recent Expedia trend report, sumo, a sport often associated with ancient rituals and pure strength, is experiencing an upswing in interest from travelers around the world. It seems that after years of declining interest (and scandal-induced setbacks), Japan’s national sport has bounced back to again fascinate the world. But why now?
At sumo culture’s core is “Grand Sumo,” the official professional tournaments known as honbasho, which are the only events that count toward wrestler rankings. Since 1958, there have been six honbasho each year. Each lasts for 15 days, with three in Tokyo and one each in Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka. It’s run by the Japan Sumo Association (JSA), the governing body that regulates matches and rankings. During the tournaments, top-tier wrestlers called makuuchi compete every day, while more junior wrestlers, called jonokuchi, wrestle only a few times.
The clearest proof of sumo’s recent rise in popularity comes from attendance numbers at 2024’s honbasho. All 90 tournament days completely sold out in 2024, marking the first time that’s happened in three decades. The Japan Sumo Association reported record revenue in 2024 and frustrated fans are often complaining online about inflated prices and tournaments that sell out in minutes.
Sumo has always been popular in Japan, but the international interest is fairly new. In some ways, it’s similar to martial arts and wresting in the US, with ongoing storylines. In 2025, a new yokozuna (Grand Champion) was crowned, creating opportunities for rivalries and challengers. It’s not as scripted or dramatized as US wrestling, but still gives fans an opportunity to connect with and follow their favorite athletes.
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In Japan, foreign visitation is booming. In 2025, visits have exceeded 3 million per month, making every month of 2025 busier than its 2024 equivalent. As tourism grows, visitors may be seeking uniquely Japanese experiences, and sumo fits that niche.
2025 marks the first time in 30 years that a full Grand Sumo tournament has happened outside of Japan, taking place in October 2025 in London. Just a few years earlier, in 2022, the Sumo Association also launched an English-language YouTube channel (Sumo Prime Time), which now has nearly 100,000 followers. And in 2023, Netflix released Sanctuary: an eight-episode drama about the world of professional sumo, giving Western audiences an inside look at the sport.
Looking forward, there’s no sign that the interest in sumo will slow. According to the recent Expedia Unpack ’26 Travel Trends report, 57 percent of travelers say they’re likely to attend a local sporting event while on vacation, with that number rising to 68 percent for Gen-Z and millennial travelers. In the same study, 72 percent of travelers say they’re prioritizing experiences that allow for cultural connections instead of just visiting landmarks, and 48 percent said unique cultural experiences are one of their top three travel motivators.
The history of sumo in Japan
A sumo athlete in Japan, circa 1905. Photo: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division/Public Domain
Sumo is Japan’s oldest organized sport and its national sport, with a history more than a thousand years old. According to the Kojiki chronicle, from 712 CE, sumo started with a wrestling bout between the gods Takemikazuchi and Takeminakata to determine who would control the Japanese islands. Early competitions were held to entertain the gods and ensure good harvests, and while the goals have changed, you can still see evidence of that in modern-day salt purification and ring-blessing rituals before matches. By the eighth century, sumo was part of imperial court ceremonies, and in Japan’s medieval era, samurai used sumo as combat training.
The modern-day version of sumo, or at least something close to it, began during Japan’s Edo period (1603–1868), when professional wrestlers performed in public matches. During this time, the sport began to develop standardized rules and ranking systems, and Tokyo became the center of sumo activity. After Japan ended its system of feudal rule in 1868, sumo continued to grow, with the Japan Sumo Association formalized in 1925 and the six-tournament format established in 1958.
Modern-day sumo athletes training in a stable in Japan. Photo: boybehindacamera/Shutterstock
In the late twentieth century, foreign-born champions began to enter the sport, opening the fan base beyond Japan. However, the sport faced some serious controversies, many of which seemed to run against sumo’s reputation for discipline and tradition. In 2007, a trainee named Takashi Saito was fatally beaten during “disciplinary training” at his Tokitsukaze stable (sumo training facility), and his stablemaster was later convicted and sentenced to jail. In 2010, a match-fixing scandal rocked the sumo world, when a series of text messages in which dozens of wrestlers agreed to throw bouts became public. The JSA punished 20 wrestlers and cancelled the tournament for the first time ever in 2011.
The sport has also suffered from accusations of gender exclusion, as women are still banned from entering or touching the dohyō (sumo ring). As recently as 2018, female medics that entered a ring in an attempt to aid a collapsed person were told to leave. The JSA later apologized, but still hasn’t changed the rule.
However, with sumo quickly becoming popular on the international stage, and the country anxious to capitalize on its many international travelers, it doesn’t take a giant stretch of the imagination to think that the sport may change and adapt more in the coming few years than it has in the last 200 years.
How to attend a sumo match as an international visitor
Photo: J. Henning Buchholz/Shutterstock
Sumo is still one of the most uniquely Japanese activities available to visitors, and it’s fairly accessible, even if you don’t speak Japanese. Tickets to official honbasho events are available on the JSA website, or through official sites like Ticket Oosumo. Prices vary by seat, with the most affordable arena seats in upper levels usually costing around 3,800 to 5,000 yen, or about $25–$30. Seats closer to the ring, where you sit on cushions and have a better view, can be closer to 10,000 to 20,000 yen, or around $65–$130. Sitting close to the ring may be a better choice for non-Japanese speakers, as you’ll need to rely more on watching the match, rather than listening to a narrator. However, English pamphlets and digital guides are sometimes available for purchase.
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Given sumo’s popularity, you’ll want to look for matches as soon as you know your travel dates, or even schedule your trip to Japan around a match. However, if you can’t attend a match in the official six tournaments, you may be able to find tickets to a jungyō (travel) event. They’re more casual, often without assigned seats, and you can sometimes even meet the wrestlers after the matches. They’re hosted at community centers and shrines, and can take place throughout the country. Travel matches usually happen either before Tokyo’s big May tournament, or in October and November. The best way to find jungyō events is to keep an eye on city tourism board event calendars, checking multiple ticket-selling websites, or following sumo accounts on social media, like @WCsumo and @SumoKyokai (don’t forget to click “see translation” if you don’t speak Japanese.)
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