Basho attendance

[CT3* 331]

Yesterday I sat next to an Australian family of 5 and they said that they got their tickets on Monday at the box office

Very good seats too. I was surprised.

side note: pretty surreal to see so many tourists with great seats packing up and leaving before the ozeki battles even begin.

[Akinomaki 39,790]

Day 4 also had a full house, with 9994 spectators - close to the full capacity of 10668 (sell-out is given with 10610 - there are 4 person masu-seki with only 2 sitting and maybe similar reasons for that).

On the way to 15 days a full house. (Today was a full house, too.)

http://www.daily.co.jp/newsflash/general/2015/01/14/0007657947.shtml

Of course not all spectators with tickets actually have to be in the hall and of course not all tickets that are sold to sub-contractors etc. are really in the hand of spectators, so tickets may be available via other routes even though it is declared a sell-out. And the contingent given to oyakata and tanimachi etc. may also not be fully used, leaving the seats empty.

It rarely ever is a 100% packed house.

[Akinomaki 39,790]

TV-ratings for Day 1 have NHK ozumo at 15.6% between 17-18h, which is 11th place - after Kyushu day 1 with 16.2%, sumo on shonichi is again in the rankings.

http://www.sankei.com/entertainments/news/150115/ent1501150001-n1.html

[CT3* 331]

Akinomaki

Thanks for the useful info in your post. I noticed the most empty seats on Day 4 even as the full house banners were unfurled. Even entire rows were empty in the upper section. Still, great to see and feel so much enthusiasm in the stands.

[Akinomaki 39,790]

15 days of full house are guarantied, for Tokyo again of course after Hatsu 1997. Advance tickets for the rest of the basho are sold out, only the 350 each tickets-for-the-day remain.
http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/sumo/news/f-sp-tp3-20150121-1424636.html

As usual after the basho I'll re-post here the details for each day, which I show in my daily pic-posts.

Edited January 24, 2015 by Akinomaki

[Akinomaki 39,790]

First sell-out for a day 12 again since when ? - 18 years of course, but the Aki basho.

http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/20150122/sum15012220540007-n1.html

TV-ratings for the NHK ozumo broadcast 2nd half of makuuchi were 17% for day 7 and 16.9% for day 8, thus in the top 10: fittingly 7th and 8th place. Kyushu had 15.7/16.0% for days 7&8.

Day 6 had 15% (25th), day 5 14.8% (28th). Day 2 was parallel with Asia-cup soccer Japan-Palestine (which had 16%) and still had 13.9%

http://www.sankei.com/entertainments/news/150121/ent1501210001-n1.html

[Akinomaki 39,790]

A graph with full house numbers per year, last year had 58. 2011 the low with 13 - Haru basho canceled, Natsu with free entrance (and no cup).
The 666 full house days in a row were between Kyushu 1989 and Natsu 1997.
The article names 90% full as yardstick for a full house - other sources say 80% are enough.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/sumo/20150124-OYT1T50085.html

[Akinomaki 39,790]

A recap of the 15 days of full house - NOT 15 days sold-out like reported in articles in English - and even the 9 sell-out days the NSK announced on their Twitter are not all at full capacity - and Day 6 is none.

Day 1 - full house with sell-out (10610 spectators)
Day 2 - full house with again sell-out (10610 spectators) on New-Adults-Day
Day 3 - full house with 9377 spectators - not bad for a day 3
Day 4 - full house with 9994 spectators
Day 5 - full house with 9815 spectators
Day 6 - full house with 10661 spectators - more than the first 2 sell-outs, but is not counted as sell-out
Day 7 - full house with 10668 spectators - top sell-out at full capacity
Day 8 - full house at full capacity with 10668 spectators + the imperial couple - top of the top attendance
Day 9 - full house with 10502 spectators
Day 10 - full house with 10359 spectators
Day 11 - full house at full capacity again with 10668 spectators
Day 12 - full house at full capacity again - and should remain so till the end - with 10668 spectators
Day 13 - full house - at full capacity, what else?
Day 14 - fully sold-out full house of course
Day 15 - impossible to be not a fully sold-out full house

[Hakuhonofan 334]

Younger women drove the fifteen days sell-out crowd during Hatsu basho 2015, the first time it happened since 18 years.

Someone from a tea house where tournament tickets available explained, during WakaTaka era, there were many women in their 40s attending. Now there were increasing number of women in their 20s to 30s.

Popular wrestlers like Endo, Okinoumi, Sadanoumi and strong, unique wrestler like Ichinojo could be behind this success. It was said that these women not only were interested in the wrestlers, but also to Johnny type young ushers and referees.

JSA's promotion through Facebook and LINE, also frequent kimono/yukata days where attendees wearing them could shake hands with popular young rikishis/yobidashis/gyoujis, made younger women more likely to attend.

During Endo and Okinoumi carrying princess event last February, there were as many as 8000 applicants rushed in after the announcement.

[Akinomaki 39,790]

TV-ratings for the NHK ozumo broadcast 2nd half of makuuchi were 17% for day 7 and 16.9% for day 8, thus in the top 10: fittingly 7th and 8th place. Kyushu had 15.7/16.0% for days 7&8.

Day 6 had 15% (25th), day 5 14.8% (28th). Day 2 was parallel with Asia-cup soccer Japan-Palestine (which had 16%) and still had 13.9%

http://www.sankei.com/entertainments/news/150121/ent1501210001-n1.html

Day 14 17-18h was in joint 2nd place with 22.1% and from 16:30-17 at 16th with 16%. Only day 12 also ranked in the top 30 list as 23rd with 15.4%.

http://www.sankei.com/entertainments/news/150128/ent1501280002-n2.html

Edited February 8, 2015 by Akinomaki

[Akinomaki 39,790]

A recap of the 15 days of full house (more than 80% full - seems to vary with the location), 8 of them sell-outs with 7200 spectators, all of last 5 days, the shuubansen.

2 basho in a row with 15 days of full house is the first since the Waka-Taka fever era, Hatsu 1990 till Haru 1997 with 44 in a row.

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2015/03/22/kiji/K20150322010031340.html

Day 1 - sell-out on shonichi - 14 years ago Osaka had 15 days of full house

Day 2 full house for Osaka after 14 years again with 6200 (86%) spectators

Day 3 - 6200 spectators

Day 4 - 6500 spectators

Day 5 - 6300 spectators

Day 6 - 6700 spectators

Day 7 - sell-out no. 2

Day 8 - sell-out no. 3 on nakabi

Day 9 - full house with 7200 spectators: same as sell-out, but I haven't seen the announcement

Day 10 - full house with 7200 spectators - all remaining days will be a full house

Day 11 - sellout - in the headlines for being rare on a weekday - thus days 9 & 10 were no sell-outs

Day 12 - hard to think the remaining days won't be a sell-out, all advance tickets are sold already

Day 13 - only sell-outs left this basho, only the few and cheap tickets for the day remain

Day 14 - sell-out no. 7 - the tickets for the day are usually gone in an instant

Day 15 - sell-out no. 8 on senshuuraku

And the TV ratings so far

Day 1 17-18:00h - 15.8% (9th place in the week till the 8th), last basho was 15.6%

Day 2 17:04-18:00h - 14.4% (23rd place in the week till the 15th)

Day 8 17-18:00h - 15.1% (15th place in the week till the 15th)

For the Kansai area (esp. Osaka) - none (17-18:00h) in the top 20

days 2->8: 11.3% -> 10.6% -> 11.8% -> 8.7% -> 10.3% -> 11.4% -> 14.1%

For Kanto (esp. Tokyo) between 15 and 12%

http://www.sankei.com/west/news/150321/wst1503210011-n1.html

Edited June 2, 2015 by Akinomaki

[Akinomaki 39,790]

Sumo 17-18h in the top 30 TV ratings for the last week
Day 12 14.5% (25th)
Day 13 14% (28th) - looks like no big expectations for Terunofuji
Day 14 15.4% (10th)
Day 15 17.8% (4th) - last basho 15.3%
http://www.sankei.com/entertainments/news/150325/ent1503250001-n1.html

[Akinomaki 39,790]

Ticket sales for the Natsu-basho started on the 4th. Sales for this first day were up 36% from last year.

http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/20150404/sum15040419480005-n1.html

I just barely got a 1 person masu seat for day 3, all those few seats were sold out in less than one hour for the whole basho. I had also tried for a tamari seat in the "seat lottery": one can apply for to buy the few apparently still available while the basho before lasts, but as expected I didn't get one.

[Akinomaki 39,790]

Again 15 days of full house for last basho, for Natsu also after 19 years again. 9 of them sell-outs with 10816 spectators and most other days not far from it.

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2015/05/24/kiji/K20150524010411750.html

I managed to get the day with the lowest attendance as planned, and was there for a sell-out day for the first time. Maybe next year will see 15 days of sell-out.

The numbers from sanspo

Day 01 - sell-out

Day 02 - 9718 spectators

Day 03 - 9678 spectators

Day 04 - 10360 spectators

Day 05 - 10262 spectators

Day 06 - sell-out

Day 07 - sell-out

Day 08 - sell-out

Day 09 - 10784 spectators

Day 10 - 10648 spectators

Day 11 - sell-out

Day 12 - sell-out

Day 13 - sell-out

Day 14 - sell-out

Day 15 - sell-out

I'm still doing the repairs of the news pages getting mixed up in Japan, I may add some more info later when I find some. Some index pages are still missing, that repair may take a while, and without them the news are hard to find.

[Akinomaki 39,790]

NHK (Kanto area) shonichi makuuchi 2nd half had only TV ratings of 11.8%, not in the top 30, after 16.2%, 15.6% and 15.8% the last 3 basho, in spite of Hakuho-Ichinojo for day 1 and sumo popularity on the rise.
http://www.sankei.com/entertainments/news/150513/ent1505130001-n1.html

From day 3 on the ratings enter the 12% range, day 4 was 12.9%, rank 28, day 7 had 14.2%, rank 15, day 8 13.8%, rank 18.
http://www.sankei.com/entertainments/news/150520/ent1505200002-n1.html

Day 15 had 19.2%, 3rd in the weekly rankings, (for the Kansai region 16.7%, also 3rd) last year for the Natsu basho was 15.6%, last basho 17.8%. Day 14 had 13.9%, rank 17, but that's it - has the popularity revival passed it's peak?
http://www.sankei.com/entertainments/news/150527/ent1505270001-n1.html
http://www.sankei.com/west/news/150530/wst1505300009-n1.html

[Akinomaki 39,790]

Nagoya has 15 days of full house guaranteed, after 17 years again, advance ticket sales are good. Head of sales Chiganoura-oyakata gives as one main reason Terunofuji's presence.

http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/20150708/sum15070805010001-n1.html

[Akinomaki 39,790]

As announced before the basho and reported several times during the basho: 15 days of declared full house (man-in-onrei 満員御礼), like was guaranteed by the sales.

But again, being falsely reported like every basho: NOT 15 days sold out (man-in fuda-dome 満員札止), only 8.

From the pic posts:

Day 1 - full house like it will be every day, a sell-out with 7500 spectators

Day 2 - full house with 6400 spectators

day 3 - full house with 6500 spectators

Day 4 - full house with 6200 spectators (82.5%) - the lowest this basho

Day 5 - full house with 6500 spectators

Day 6 - full house with 6800 spectators

Day 7 - 2nd sell-out (7500 spectators)

Day 8 - 3rd sell-out

Day 9 - 4th sell-out (Holiday)

Day 10- full house with 7100 spectators

Day 11- 5th sell-out

Day 12- full house with 7400 spectators

Day 13- 6th sell-out

Day 14- 7th sell-out

Day 15- 8th sell-out

Edited July 26, 2015 by Akinomaki

[Akinomaki 39,790]

Weekly TV rankings for the Nagoya basho - makuuchi 2nd half
For the first week, Day 1 was not on the lists
13th-19th
From Top 30 by Sankei and
(top 20 by Sanspo, where same programs with different times are dropped from the list)
11. Day 7 (6.) 14.6%
16. Day 5 (8.) 14.3%
18. Day 8 (9.) 14.1%
http://www.sankei.com/entertainments/news/150723/ent1507230001-n3.html
http://www.sanspo.com/geino/news/20150723/geo15072310000001-n1.html
20th-26th
08. Day 09 (5.) 15.5%
09. Day 14 (6.) 15.3%
11. Day 13 (7.) 15.0%
20. Day 12 (10.) 14.5%
20. Day 15 (10.) 14.5%
http://www.sankei.com/entertainments/news/150729/ent1507290001-n2.html
http://www.sanspo.com/geino/news/20150729/geo15072910000001-n1.html

[WAKATAKE 2,631]

So to refresh my once young mind of sumo definitions, I assume full house refers to the seats with the zabutons?

[Akinomaki 39,790]

Full house just means more than 80% tickets sold for regional basho, for Tokyo the percentage is a bit higher.

[Akinomaki 39,790]

Watching sumo is no. 5 on the list of what tourists want to do most when visiting Japan, after (1 to 4) Tokyo sightseeing, Kyoto's temples, onsen and shopping. Before (6 to 10) visiting Hokkaido, drums and similar traditional culture, Himeji castle (world heritage), sakura watching, Osaka at night.

http://japanese.china.org.cn/life/2015-09/10/content_36549753.htm

Edited September 10, 2015 by Akinomaki

[Akinomaki 39,790]

According to Pia there are only a few masu C seats remaining, but no chair seats at all, the whole basho is nearly sold out.

That leaves only the few tickets of the day - and tickets other providers (there are many tour providers) have bought and not yet sold (might be none also).

http://sumo.pia.jp/vacant/va09.jsp

Edited September 12, 2015 by Akinomaki

[WAKATAKE 2,631]

Unbelievable. I had thought about going but considering my financial situation, this saves me the trouble of even considering going. A lot different from when I attended 15 years ago, that was when we could just go up to the ticket booth and just buy it right there.

[Akinomaki 39,790]

If the few remaining tickets for the 3 days not yet sold out ARE sold (and that should be definite), it will be after exactly 19 years again a basho with 15 days of not only full house (guaranteed already of course) but total sell-out.

http://mainichi.jp/sports/news/20150913k0000m050027000c.html

[Akinomaki 39,790]

If the few remaining tickets for the 3 days not yet sold out ARE sold (and that should be definite), it will be after exactly 19 years again a basho with 15 days of not only full house (guaranteed already of course) but total sell-out.

Now it's definite: all advance tickets are sold now, only the 350 ones each for the day remain - you might have to line up the night before to get one.

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2015/09/14/kiji/K20150914011132940.html