Visiting Japan

[Doyobi]

Hi all,

It seems that I have found a sponsor for a one week trip to Japan,

to see the second week of one of the Tokyo bashos ;-). That means

January or May, isn't it. There would be so many things to do, probably most of them I don't even now yet :) ... I would like to meet othe sumoforum memebers, and see some matches together at the Kokugikan, maybe visit a heya, Sadogatake would be nice because I like those guys, and I could talk with Kotooshu in his native tongue (my girlfriend is Bulgarian and I'm learning from her)

If anyone could give me advice what to do, please help me:

Should I search a hotel in the vicinity of Kokugikan? How important is this?

What seats to buy? How to buy tickets? I don't speak any Japanese aside from what I learned reading Shogun.

I don't know what else to ask now, but I'm eagerly awaiting any suggestions.

Cheers

D.

[Jejima]

Tokyo bashos are January, May and September.

To meet up with sumoforum members, put out a message nearer the time that you are going, to find out who is around (either living there or also there on a visit for the basho). You should be able to rustle up enough for a sumo fan chanko nabe meal at least. It is a good idea to send a message to the sumo mailing list too to grab fans from there.

To visit a heya, the 'correct' way is to ring up in advance - in Japanese - and make sure that it is okay to come (should be). Follow the keiko watching rules (no flash photography, no talking, sit still - and don't stick out your legs etc). Remember that the rikishi are in the middle of the basho, and so may not want to talk with you - even in Bulgarian. You may get lucky, but you should really let them take the initiative if it is more than a 'ganbarimasu'. Turn up early.

You don't need to get a hotel in the vicinity of the kokugikan. The subway is good, and the station is just a few minutes walk away. Plus you may get to see rikishi riding the subway.

As long as the kokugikan is not sold out, (be careful on weekends), buy the cheapest tickets available on the day (get there quite early to make sure they're not sold out), and then sit on a ring-side cushion. If you behave yourself, and shuffle around a bit (when the real cushion owners turn up), you should be able to have a great seat all the way up to (at least) the Yokozuna Dohyo-Iri.

If you are asked (politely) to leave, see if there are any empty masuseki seats available to move into, otherwise, head up to the upper level (where your cheap seats are situated at the back), and sit on the best seat still available (Nodding yes...)

Hi all,

It seems that I have found a sponsor for a one week trip to Japan,

to see the second week of one of the Tokyo bashos ;-). That means

January or May, isn't it. There would be so many things to do, probably most of them I don't even now yet :) ... I would like to meet othe sumoforum memebers, and see some matches together at the Kokugikan, maybe visit a heya, Sadogatake would be nice because I like those guys, and I could talk with Kotooshu in his native tongue (my girlfriend is Bulgarian and I'm learning from her)

If anyone could give me advice what to do, please help me:

Should I search a hotel in the vicinity of Kokugikan? How important is this?

What seats to buy? How to buy tickets? I don't speak any Japanese aside from what I learned reading Shogun.

I don't know what else to ask now, but I'm eagerly awaiting any suggestions.

Cheers

D.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Mark Buckton]

some good info above from Jejima there Saturday-san,

Leave it till nearer the time (say a month before you come) and PM me - will see if I can help you out.

On SF member came over recently and he may have some good advice too. He is on hols now IIRC so giv e him a while to find this post / thread.

[Jonosuke]

l,maybe visit a heya, Sadogatake would be nice because I like those guys, and I could talk with Kotooshu in his native tongue (my girlfriend is Bulgarian and I'm learning from her)

If you are planning to visit Sadogatake Beya, keep in mind that it is located in Chiba Prefecture, not in Ryogoku so depending on where you are staying, it could take a bit of time. ShiroiKuma trained at Naruto Beya which is pretty close to Sadogatake so he should be able to give you more information.

Jej's advice is succinct and helpful. Unless you are targeting your visit on weekends, then there is no problem buying tickets and I would buy a cheap seat unless you have a couple of other people to go with you. If you are getting a Masu Seating, you may want to get there early (I believe the box opens at 9 AM or a bit earlier). If you are early, you can practically sit on the first or second row of Sunakaburi as long as you quietly are watching the bouts. Unlike Jej, my luck usually runs out of early Juryo bout as I tend not move into another Masu seat as I often go so many days in a row for almost all day that I get recognized and I feel badly.

If you are willing to sacrifice watching higher Makushita bouts, you can walk out of the buidling to one side or the other and see sekitoirs walking in and out of the building as they get out of cab. Of course they will be in no mood to talk to you or take a picture with you.

If you are buying Masu seats from a Chaya, they may ask you if you want a souvenier/bento set. If you never got the set before, you may find it interesting to see what's included as different chayas give you a different set (based on price of course) but asking for the set can easily double your admission price.

I always recommend anyone who is thinking of commuting to the Kokugikan or thinking of using trains and subways to get around in Tokyo to purchase a pre-paid card. It frees you from always having changes in your pockets and not needing to figure out how much it will cost to get to your destination but also not have to line up at ticket machines after the basho. A definite timesaver in my opinion.

If you are thinking of staying around Ryogoku, check my posts on this forum - I believe it's pinned somewhere.

Edited October 14, 2005 by Jonosuke

[Mark Buckton]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4356986.stm

there are other considerations too.

[Gacktoh]

If you are planning to visit Sadogatake Beya, keep in mind that it is located in Chiba Prefecture, not in you from always having changes in your pockets and not needing to figure out how much it will cost to get to your destination but also not have to line up at ticket machines after the basho. A definite timesaver in my opinion.

↑Very ture!

The January Tournament　→January 8-January 22

The May Tournament　→May 7-May 21

The January Tournament　→September 10-September 24

Sadogatake-beya→千葉県松戸市串崎南町３９　

　　　　　　　　　　　　MatsudoCity in Chiba

　　　　　　　　　　　　松飛台→Matsuhidai Station　

TEL:０４７－３８９－９２３５　（before１６：００）

[Otokonoyama]

An example of transportation times & costs;

Train Info. 01/16/2006

Departs Tokyo Station on the Musashino Line

Rapid train

06:55am (departs)

07:36am (arrives)

[41min.] 31.9km - fare is 450yen

*get off the train at*

Higashi-Matsudo Station

*transfer to the*

Hokuso Line

07:40am (departs)

07:41am (arrives)

[1min.] 1.4km 200yen

Matsuhidai Station (your destination)

For more examples, or to enter your own data (in English or Japanese), visit the main page for Jorudan. The Yahoo! Japan homepage also has a similar service...

Edited December 7, 2005 by Otokonoyama