When the Grand Sumo Tournament arrived in London this October, the city reacted as if a global pop star had touched down. For five days, the Royal Albert Hall transformed into a dohyō (sumo ring), alive with roaring crowds. It was a collision of worlds: ancient Japanese ritual unfolding in a Victorian concert hall usually reserved for symphony orchestras.
Sumo’s first visit to London in 34 years sparked an electric response. Tickets disappeared almost immediately; social media feeds flooded with viral clips of rikishi wrestlers cycling on Lime bikes and selfies snapped outside Buckingham Palace; and suddenly Britain had discovered a new sporting obsession.
But beyond the spectacle, something more interesting happened: fans began planning trips to Japan explicitly to experience sumo in its homeland. What started as a novelty became a catalyst for travel.
From viral moment to travel motivation
Sports tourism has exploded in recent years – from cricket fans turning New York into a temporary Mumbai during the T20 World Cup, to Formula 1 followers building holidays around race weekends.
Expedia’s latest annual trend report has named “Fan Voyage” as a defining travel trend – a move away from generic spectator sports and toward deeply local, culturally expressive athletic traditions. For Gen Z and Millennial travellers especially, the draw isn’t the scoreboard but the ceremony, the atmosphere, and the chance to feel part of a community. Think Muay Thai in Bangkok, curling in Canada – and now, increasingly, sumo wrestling in Japan.
For many British travellers, the London tournament planted the seed.
“We didn’t come to Japan for sumo,” says UK visitor Max Johnson, who attended the November tournament in Fukuoka with his partner, Dolly, “but once we realised it was on during our trip, we thought – we have to try to see it.”
They secured tickets through an international booking service that bundled seats with an English-speaking interpreter and a short pre-match introduction. “We did pay a premium for the experience, but it was absolutely worth it,” Max says. “Without that support, we wouldn’t have been able to access tickets at all. You need a Japanese phone number, and everything sells out in minutes.”
Inside the sumo experience
Sumo has always been more than a sport in Japan. With origins tracing back over 1,500 years, it is a form of budō – a Japanese martial art – deeply rooted in Shinto ritual, with purification ceremonies, salt-throwing to cleanse the ring, and bouts that often unfold in near silence, punctuated only by the crowd’s gasps.
A day at the sumo begins early, with lower-ranked wrestlers competing from the morning and building towards the top-division matches in late afternoon. The rhythm is slow and ritualistic – nothing like the endless entertainment breaks common in modern sport.
“It felt more like cricket or golf than football,” says Dolly. “Long stretches of quiet, everyone eating bento and sipping beer – then these explosive bursts that last seconds. When the top wrestlers came out, the atmosphere flipped. People went feral.”
The pair sat near a Bulgarian couple who had planned their three-week Japan itinerary specifically around the tournament. “He was a super-fan and knew every wrestler,” says Max. “Once he started explaining the rankings and storylines, it all clicked. I’d give it 8/10 as a casual observer – 10/10 if you go in informed.”
Even outside the ring, the culture felt unexpectedly intimate. “The wrestlers walk the same corridors as spectators; no bodyguards, no swarms of camera phones. People bowed and let them pass – it was incredibly respectful. You’d never see that around top athletes in the UK.”
A growing reason to travel
Luxury hotels are noticing the shift. At FUFU, a collection of ryokan-inspired resorts across Japan, interest in traditional cultural experiences – from canoeing on Lake Kawaguchi to rickshaw rides in Kyoto – has surged since borders reopened.
“Second- or third-time visitors increasingly want experiences rooted in local culture,” says a FUFU representative. “They’ve already done Tokyo and Kyoto. Now they want to feel the real Japan. Sumo fits that – a national sport with deep tradition.”
At Janu Tokyo, concierges say many guests now plan stays around professional tournaments in January, May and September, with tickets often arranged well in advance through overseas agencies to meet rising international demand.
Behind the scenes at the stables
If the arena is the public face of sumo, the sumo-beya – the wrestlers’ training stables – are its soul. These traditionally private spaces are rarely open to outsiders.
At Aman Tokyo, Chief Concierge Shuta Takeuchi explains how the hotel created its “Sumo Behind the Scenes” experience:
“We wanted to offer guests privileged access to parts of Japanese culture that are normally closed,” he says. “By partnering with trusted contacts in the sumo world, we bring guests into the stable to watch morning practice. Afterwards, they can speak with wrestlers and try simple movements themselves.”
What fascinates guests most, he says, is the contrast: “Their physical presence is immense, but the rituals are graceful. People are moved by the discipline and the sense of community.”
Requests have grown steadily since 2022. “Travellers now want depth over spectacle. Sumo embodies living Japanese tradition.”
Why sumo resonates in 2025
Sumo sits at the intersection of sport and ceremony. You don’t need to understand every rule to follow the drama: push your opponent out of the ring, or make anything but the soles of their feet touch the ground. The silence before a bout can feel sacred; the eruption of sound afterwards feels cathartic.
It is, in many ways, the opposite of modern stadium sport – and that’s the attraction.
Who is travelling for sumo now?
It’s not just die-hard sports obsessives. The new wave of sumo travellers spans a surprisingly broad spectrum:
The cultural super-fans booking their entire itinerary around tournament dates, often following the six-city national circuit like a pilgrimage.
The second-timers who have already ticked off Tokyo–Kyoto–Osaka and are now hunting for experiences with more depth and cultural resonance.
The luxury travellers are choosing exclusive hotels for rare behind-the-scenes access to stables and morning training.
The casually curious, who first encountered sumo through viral clips from the London showcase and now want to witness “the real thing” on Japanese soil.
And this isn’t an age-bound trend: multi-generational families, solo travellers in their sixties, and couples in their thirties are all showing up ringside – proof that the appeal of sumo stretches far beyond demographics.
How to plan a sumo-focused trip
Know the calendar. Six major tournaments (honbasho) run annually: Tokyo in January, May, September; Osaka in March; Nagoya in July; and Fukuoka in November.
Book early. Ringside box seats sell out in minutes; English-friendly third-party platforms fill the gap.
Add context. Visit the Sumo Museum, eat chanko-nabe (protein-packed hot pot that fuels sumo wrestlers), or stay in Ryogoku, Tokyo’s sumo district.
Be respectful. Sumo is a sacred sport with deep spiritual roots – treat the arena like a place of ceremony. Keep voices low, avoid stepping onto the ring platform, and follow local etiquette.
Manage expectations. Tournament days are long, quiet, and contemplative until the stars walk out – and chaos erupts.
More than a trend
Sumo’s rise says something about what travellers want now: authenticity, emotional connection, and experiences that feel rooted in place – not manufactured.
“I thought I was going for the spectacle,” Max reflects. “What stuck with me was the atmosphere, the respect, the feeling that you were witnessing something that matters deeply to people here. It makes you want to come back.”