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Hey all, I have to turn to the infinite wisdom of the people here because I'm travelling to Japan again after a long time and would like to visit a heya or watch morning practice. I've searched the forum and googled for some options, and while there are quite a few tour companies willing to offer trips (often for a substantial sum), I thought to myself there must be a better way to find options. Excluding the tours offered by tour companies I haven't been able to find much current information so I thought maybe someone here can offer some tips as to which heya are easier to visit and open to visitors outside tours. I'll be in Japan in the second half of October, mostly around Tokyo. I'm travelling with my family, including two kids (10 and 8 years old) who are also interested in seeing sumo life and practice. I've seen some heya don't allow kids under 11 years or so, is that a common restriction with most heya? If yes, then are there any other alternatives I could consider to show the kids something about sumo life? I guess I could visit the Kokugikan/sumo museum and have chanko somewhere, but are there any activities that I haven't thought of? Anyway, so far I've identified the following options for watching practice: Arashio beya -- free of charge, easily accessible calendar on the website which outlines which days are open for watching practice. However, the second half of October is not populated yet in the calendar. Maybe the info will appear later? As far as I've gathered visitors can watch the practice through a window on the street or something similar, is that the case? https://arashio.net/tour_e.html Nakamura beya -- seems like they've set up an exclusive relationship with one tour company to offer keiko tours both in the morning and afternoon (I know in other heya practice is traditionally always in the morning, so the afternoon option would make it easy with kids who are not particularly happy to wake up super early). There's also an express option which might be good for kids who could get bored watching hours of practice. However it's paid -- 10 000 yen for express and 16 000 for the full practice, and I'm not sure if kids are welcome or not. Also I'm not too keen on paying a hefty amount for 4 people. https://nexspark.jp/ Tatsunami beya -- as recently announced on this very forum by @Vancouver BC Sumo Fan, they have a newly launched international fan club, though the website doesn't mention keiko watching. Would that be an option? I also found this pretty useful short guide, though again it doesn't mention if kids are mostly welcomed or not. A few of the heya mentioned there as visitor-friendly like Musashigawa have updated their policy and don't accept any visitors for morning practice outside the koenkai or introductions. https://blog.gaijinpot.com/how-to-watch-a-sumo-morning-training-session/ So in short, if anyone has recent tips or places for visiting keiko, I'd be very thankful. Alternatively, are there any heya besides Nakamura which are taking visitors in the afternoon for example? I guess not but still would be good to know. Both me and my wife speak Japanese so I could contact some heya myself, but I don't feel comfortable doing so out of the blue so maybe someone has any pointers as to which heya could be willing to accept outside visitors. Any piece of information would be helpful!

Takayasu, Kirishima and Tobizaru are back on the jungyo, joining at the Kanazawa City General Gymnasium. . Takayasu had been absent since the 7th due to acute back pain. "I was unable to move (due to back pain)." He withdrew and sought treatment, and said, "I've somehow managed to get back to being able to do sumo." During keiko, he energetically lent his chest to Juryo Oushouumi (local boy) and Shirokuma, both from the same Ichimon. In particular, he gave "loving care" to Oushouumi for three minutes, repeatedly rolling him over until he was covered in sand. "He's a local hero (in Ishikawa), so I tried to liven things up.." The crowd responded accordingly. With six days remaining in the jungyo, he added, "I was doing well at the beginning (of the tour), but then the pain suddenly started..." As a native of Ibaraki Prefecture, he commented, "I'm sorry I had to miss the local tour. I'll continue to do the fundamentals properly and train while monitoring my physical condition. The most important thing is to avoid injury. I want to watch out for a relapse and see it through to the end." Kirishima had been absent since the 13th. He revealed that he injured his right wrist during a bout on tour, and that tests revealed that "the bone was cracked." Although he received treatment during his absence, he is still not fully recovered, but said, "Time has passed and I'm feeling much better. I won't push myself too hard, and I'll just do what I have to do." On the 13th day of the Nagoya tournament in July, Tobizaru submitted a medical certificate stating "subluxation of the right elbow joint, damage to the medial collateral ligament in the right elbow, and osteoarthritis of the elbow," and withdrew from the tournament. On this day, his first day back in action, he did not train, but he did take part in the bouts.

Banihana, the love I got as a foreigner at Tatsunami, Kokonoe, and from random Japanese people because I was wearing sumo clothes...is something I will treasure for a long, long time. I will be fair and say that my friend at Tatsunami was already working on ideas for an international fan club...I just gave them the last push and advice that got it over the finish line. For the record; I am the first, official member of Tatsunami Beya's International Fan Club. My pal sent me an advanced link to join before the email was sent. To all others...ho...lee...F$@#$^FGHBSRCK!!!!! Have I got some stories to tell you all about visiting Tatsunami, meeting Chiyonofujis' wife and seeing the original Kokonoe beya where The Wolf trained AND STEPPING ON THE DOHYO...ending in Chironofuji's wife laughing at my Terunofiju shirt and PATTING ME ON THE BELLY...and later also dropping BIG stacks of yen at the official grand sumo merch store at the Kokugikan. I will have to organize it all in a post and get all the pics together. Can confirm Yarden was still training at Tatsunami on August 6 when I visited. Delightful guy. If you're doing anything less than wishing him the best and hoping for his dreams, man, give your head a shake. He does not live there. I personally saw him walking in for training. He and Syunrai also sing a mean rendition of Happy Birthday though. August 6 is my birthday. Yes, I have video proof. Alright, the jet lag from Tokyo to Vancouver is killer.

I was at morning keiko only once, Doreen took me there, otherwise I didn't like to rise up that early. Nowadays going there later is possible as well. The best entry ticket is a membership in the koenkai, but that costs a bit as well of course. It doesn't have to be an international one, if you have a way to pay the member fee - and some address in Japan to have the banzuke sent to. Else being taken there by a koenkai member. At the time you want to be there, preparations for Kyushu will be under way and many heya away on training camps - and the (uninjured) stars with tsukebito and locals at the Aki jungyo (no schedule out yet). Likely that will be not near Tokyo though.

contents later - blacklisted Those kyujo and not at the jungyo had the regular health check before the Aki basho today in the kokugikan Daieisho o o o o Endo oo Enho o o o Fukuzaki o Gyotoku o Chiyoshoma o Tsurugisho o o

More importantly: Moriurara!

Tamawashi continues to perform beyond his years. He also showed his vitality at the Nagoya basho. Tamawashi, now 40, is widely known as one of the most durable wrestlers in history. From his debut in the 2004 Hatsu Basho to the 2025 Nagoya tournament, he is currently breaking the all-time record for consecutive appearances (1,718 as of the end of the 2025 Nagoya basho). He has long been nicknamed the "Iron Man of Sumo." Not only is he durable, but his consistent strength is also noteworthy. At the 2025 Nagoya basho, where he competed as Maegashira 4W, he defeated one Yokozuna, one Sekiwake, and two Komusubi to finish with an 11-4 record, earning him his third Outstanding Performance Award. At the Aki basho, there's a chance he'll return to the Sanyaku ranks for the first time since the 2022 Kyushu basho. Judging by his impressive performances overcoming rikishi in their twenties, it seems likely he'll continue to demonstrate his high-level abilities for some time to come. On August 20, however, Tamawashi submitted a medical certificate to the Kyokai stating that he had "degenerative lumbar spondylosis and acute lower back pain," and multiple media outlets reported that he was withdrawing from the jungyo he was currently participating in. While the extent of his symptoms and their impact on the Aki basho are currently unknown, this is a worrying accident that could potentially affect his future career. Could this lead to retirement? Sumo is broadly divided into two styles: yotsu-zumo and oshi-zumo. In both styles, the lower back plays a crucial role in both offense and defense. The importance of the lower back is evident from the fact that rikishi regularly train by doing shiko to strengthen the muscles around the lower back and buttocks, and by doing matawari to develop flexibility in the hip joints and core strength. Injuring the lower back not only impacts matches, but can also lead to serious long-term risks of recurrence. Among active rikishi, the case of Takayasu, who was ranked at Komusubi West in the recent Nagoya basho, is well-known. Takayasu, who was kadoban at Ozeki at the 2019 Kyushu basho, suffered a slipped disc just before his bout on the 8th day, and was sidelined from that day until the final day of the tournament. This impacted him, causing him to lose his Ozeki rank. He has since frequently missed matches due to back pain, and was forced to withdraw from the ongoing jungyo. Lower back pain has also led to a number of rikishi leaving the dohyo in the past. Otowayama Oyakata (former Yokozuna Kakuryuu) missed the entire 2020 Aki basho and the 2021 Hatsu basho due to back pain. This meant that the Haru basho that year was a crucial stage for his future, but he decided to retire after suffering a strain in his left thigh just before the basho. Tamawashi is a rikishi who has honed his thrusting technique since his debut. However, due to the nature of the technique, which requires using the entire body to engage in offense and defense, it is said to place a greater strain on the body than yotsu-zumo. After more than 20 years of continuous, uninterrupted activity on the dohyo, significant fatigue may have accumulated in his lower back. It is also possible that the jungyos he had participated in up until this point contributed to the worsening of his symptoms. The Kyokai official website has a page detailing the jungyo schedule, titled "A Day in the Jungyo." According to this page, rikishi board a bus to the jungyo location the day before and participate in the jungyo from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM the following day. After the day's jungyo they immediately board a bus and head to the next location. It is not difficult to imagine that Tamawashi's body gradually wore down from repeated jungyos and long-distance travel without rest. Even if rikishi suffer an injury, they usually continue to compete on the dohyo without showing it. Tamawashi is a prime example of a rikishi who has never missed a tournament since his debut, so his decision to sit out the summer jungyo carries a heavy weight. There are about three weeks until the start of the next Aki basho on September 14th, and we can only hope that his symptoms will improve even a little during this time. Written by Masato Shibata, Sporting News

Day 2 of the health checks, more injured ones and lower ranked without jungyo duty - the NSK posted a set for both days o o o Asanoyama ooo Kiryuko o Tomokaze o o Akua o Suyama o Hatooka o o after the quite irregular unfazed (even happy) pics this time, at last an appropriate painful face, by Kaishin - I can attest that from the back of the hand it really is torture oo o o o Nabatame does it before the needle is even close o o but nothing while the blood is flowing o

Makushita 15 future hope Fukuzaki (started three basho ago at Makushita tsukedashi 60 and is 16-5 career) underwent a health check-up at the Kokugikan today. He went through the weight measurement and other procedures without any problems, but his arms were so thick that it was extremely difficult to find a vein for the blood test. The staff tried to find a vein three times, first on his right arm, then his left arm, and then on the back of his right hand, until they finally found a vein. "Blood draws are always difficult, and at regular hospitals, sometimes they stick the needle in four or five times without any blood. In comparison, I was glad they only had to stick the needle in once," he said with a smile. He became the first high school student to qualify for Makushita tsukedashi 60 status, and made his debut in Haru. "I'm winning more than I lose, but the veteran guys in Makushita and my veteran heyamates are strong. I need to train with the awareness that I'm a Makushita joi, but they're all strong, so it's often difficult to win. I still have a lot to improve," he said. The 18-year-old rising star with extraordinary arms is aiming to become a sekitori.