Guide · Culture
Sumo tournaments 2027: dates, tickets and stable visits
January is 10 to 24 Jan 2027 in Tokyo, with sale from 5 Dec 2026. Last-known chair seats start at $23 (¥3,500). Stable-visit rules were not found.
Four sumo tournaments (basho) are listed for 2027: Tokyo on 10 to 24 January, Osaka on 14 to 28 March, Tokyo on 9 to 23 May and Nagoya on 11 to 25 July, per the Japan Sumo Association schedule. January tickets are on sale from 5 December 2026. Last known seats start at $23 (¥3,500) on weekdays, but the 2027 tiers are unclear right now. September and November 2027 dates, later sale dates and an official stable-visit rule are not found.
The association’s site blocked automated reading, so the dates and prices here come from search summaries of its pages. This guide sits in the Culture hub.
When are the 2027 tournaments?
January is the only 2027 tournament with a known ticket sale date.
| Tournament | Dates | City and venue | Ticket sale |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10 to 24 Jan 2027 | Tokyo, Ryogoku Kokugikan | From 5 Dec 2026 |
| March | 14 to 28 Mar 2027 | Osaka, EDION Arena Osaka | Not found |
| May | 9 to 23 May 2027 | Tokyo, Kokugikan | Not found |
| July | 11 to 25 Jul 2027 | Nagoya, IG Arena | Not found |
| September | Not found | Not found | Not found |
| November | Not found | Not found | Not found |
Each listed run lasts 15 days, from a Sunday to a Sunday, so the final days are 24 January, 28 March, 23 May and 25 July. Tokyo hosts two of the four listed runs, and Osaka and Nagoya each host one, which means a separate trip for those cities.
The last known November tournament was in Fukuoka: 8 to 22 November 2026 at Fukuoka Kokusai Center, per secondary reports.
Which tournament fits a winter trip?
January and March are the two that fall in the cold months. January’s run starts on 10 January 2027, after the New Year shutdown, when many shops, banks and restaurants close on some days between 29 December and 4 January. It ends on 24 January, ahead of the Sapporo Snow Festival (4 to 11 February 2027; see Sapporo Snow Festival 2027). Osaka’s March run, 14 to 28 March, falls at the end of winter. The May and July runs fall outside the cold months.
January seats are on sale from 5 December 2026, so you can fix the seat before the rest of the trip.
How much are sumo seats?
Last known seat prices run from $23 (¥3,500) to $270 (¥42,000), and the 2027 tiers are unclear right now. The figures below come from the association’s English ticket page, tax included.
| Seat | Weekday | Weekend and holiday |
|---|---|---|
| Chair C | $23 (¥3,500) | $26 (¥4,000) |
| Chair B | $32 (¥5,000) | $35 (¥5,500) |
| Box C, per box | $220 (¥34,000) | $245 (¥38,000) |
| Box B, per box | $260 (¥40,000) | $270 (¥42,000) |
Dollar figures use about ¥155 to US$1 and are rounded; you pay in yen, so check the rate.
Weekends cost more. The premium is $3 (¥500) per chair seat, $26 (¥4,000) on Box C and $13 (¥2,000) on Box B. Each listed run has two Saturdays and three Sundays, so weekend prices apply to five of the 15 days, plus any national holiday.
A box holds about four people, and its price is per box, not per person. At last-known prices, two people in weekday Chair C seats pay $45 (¥7,000) in total, and four people in a weekday Box C pay $220 (¥34,000) for the box, about $55 (¥8,500) each. Prices vary by tournament and venue. Cheaper upper seats were not retrieved, so a tier below Chair C may exist, but none is confirmed. Treat the table as a last-known guide, not a quote.
How do you buy tickets?
Buy online through the English ticket site linked from the association’s English ticket page. It takes credit cards. The association also publishes an English venue guide as a PDF.
- Choose the tournament and a weekday or weekend, since prices differ.
- Note the sale date: 5 December 2026 for January.
- Buy on the English ticket site when the sale opens, by credit card.
Older English leaflets also describe same-day general-admission tickets bought with cash at the box office. Whether that still applies is unclear.
For the November 2026 tournament the sale opened on 19 September, about seven weeks ahead, per secondary reports. Those reports also say the final days and weekends sold out within hours of the sale opening.
Before you book January seats are on sale from 5 December 2026. The sale time and the 2027 seat tiers are on the association’s English ticket page.
Can you visit a sumo stable?
Individual visits normally need advance contact in Japanese or a tour, per secondary travel guides; the association’s site lists no visitor rule or booking process. What the association does publish is narrower.
- Stable opening for youth groups: a free programme in the Tokyo area.
- Public practice at the Kokugikan: the Yokozuna Deliberation Council has run free public practice there in past years. The format was a queue and a quiet audience. No 2027 date is found.
Of the two, only the public practice is open to people who are not in a youth group.
The same guides say visitors must stay quiet, that photo rules vary by stable, and that minimum ages run from 6 to 12 depending on the operator. These are the operators’ conditions, not the association’s.
Before you book Ask the operator for the age limit, photo rules and cancellation terms before you pay for a stable visit.
The Kokugikan also houses a sumo museum on its first floor, listed on the association’s site. Its hours and admission are not found.
Where next?
Related traditions are in Samurai castles and history and Ninja museums at Iga and Koka. For another ticketed performance, see Gion Corner in Geisha and Gion etiquette. Shrine and temple visits have separate rules in Temple and shrine etiquette. Every culture page is in the Culture hub, and the culture guide gives the overview.
Quick answers
When is the next sumo tournament in Tokyo?
The January tournament runs 10 to 24 January 2027 at Ryogoku Kokugikan, with advance sale from 5 December 2026. The next Tokyo date after that is 9 to 23 May 2027, per the Japan Sumo Association schedule.
How much are sumo tickets?
Last known prices run from $23 (¥3,500) for a weekday Chair C seat to $270 (¥42,000) for a weekend or holiday Box B, priced per box of about four people. The 2027 tiers are unclear right now, and we did not retrieve cheaper upper seats.
Can I buy sumo tickets from abroad?
Yes, online. The association's English ticket pages link to an English ticket site that takes credit cards. Sale dates for tournaments after January were not found.
Can I watch morning practice at a sumo stable?
Normally only with advance contact in Japanese or a tour, per secondary guides; no official visitor rule or booking process was found. The association has run free public practice at the Kokugikan and stable openings for youth groups.