A Sumo Experience at Asakusa Sumo Club Annex Tokyo
”Here are your husband’s belongings” the polite young woman said to me, handing over Mr Fletche’s wallet and his glasses. ”Is he…. dead?” I asked, trembling. To be honest, I wondered how on earth I’d navigate my way around Tokyo alone if he was. Google Maps and I aren’t friends at the best of times.
Readers, Mr Fletche wasn’t dead. He was however, preparing to take on one of two massive sumo wrestlers at Asakusa Sumo Club Annex. I’ll let you know how THAT went a little later on 😉
We visited Asakusa Sumo Club Annex as part of our jampacked 9 day visit to Japan, exploring Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. You can view all the rest of my Japan content here – and there’s a lot to share!
**This blog post may contain affiliate links. This means that if you go on to make a purchase or booking after clicking through one of my external links, then I may make a tiny bit of commission, at no extra cost to you!**
Planning our visit to Asakusa Sumo Club Annex
When we were Japlanning – I’ve coined that term now and will use it at every opportunity – there were certain quintessential Japanese experiences we wanted to tick off the list. And what’s more Japanese than sumo wrestling? After all, who doesn’t want to see two gigantic, nappy-clad clad men throwing salt at each other? We’d missed Grand Sumo season in Tokyo, so instead we looked for something a little less competitive and a little more entertaining.
Asakusa Sumo Club offers a fun-filled and family-friendly experience which lasts a couple of hours and includes a hearty hot-pot meal, a geisha dance and a lighthearted look at the world of sumo. The shows feature retired professional sumo wrestlers, so its both educational and theatrical.
I’d slept a bit on making our booking, and the original experience I’d bookmarked was unavailable for the evenings we’d be in Tokyo. A bit of digging and I found a similar experience, based at the sister venue Asakusa Sumo Club Annex. It turns out the Annex is a newer venue (opened February 2025) billed as a “luxury” experience. although standard admission costs are the same at both.
Looking at the photos and videos from both, it looks like the seating at the Annex is a little comfier, the venue is smaller and more intimate, and food is better presented in a beautifully decorated bento box. The show itself is the same though!
I booked our Asakusa Sumo Club Annex experience through Get Your Guide. Our tickets were standard seats at £79 per person, and included a sumo entertainment performance, a traditional chanko-nabe hot pot meal, one complimentary drink, a Japanese dance performed by a geisha, a printed commemorative photo and a souvenir goodie bag. There are four shows daily, at 12:00, 15:00, 18:00 and 20:30; I suggest booking at least a month in advance to guarantee your preferred date and timeslot.
Our Asakusa Sumo Club Annex experience
I’d booked our Asakusa Sumo Club Annex experience for 6pm on our first full day in Tokyo. Any later and I knew we’d run the risk of jetlag getting the better of us – as it was I snooze on the train all the way back to our Shinjuku hotel. We’d already had a full day exploring Meiji Shrine, Harajuku and Shibuya before making our way over to the historic neighbourhood of Asakusa.
Despite Google Maps trying to send us to some public toilets, we located Asakusa Sumo Club Annex, just around the corner from their sister venue. We arrive on time, and we’re greeted effusively and shown to our seat, carefully circumnavigating the sumo ring in the centre of the restaurant. Despite booking the cheap seats, we’re shown to a comfy sofa seat on the second row. I think we’ve been promoted. Although sadly only to a better seat, not to the all-you-can-drink offering.
Google Map Location. The correct one, not the public toilets
Eat like a sumo
I was expecting a small dish of hot-pot (chanko nabe) and nothing else. In fact, Mr Fletche and I had shared a dish of takoyaki from a street food vendor beforehand, in fear of going hungry. What I wasn’t expecting were two bowls filled to the brim, one with the aforementioned chanko nabe, and another with a sukiyaki made with A5 premium wagyu beef in a sweet soy sauce broth, topped with grilled tofu, spinach, onion and boiled egg. There is also rice. So much rice. We start to regret the takoyaki. To finish, there’s a silky-smooth matcha milk pudding.
Chanko nabe is a nutritious and healthy hot-pot favoured by sumo wrestlers to replenish their energy, help absorb nutrients and build their muscles. The chanko nabe at Asakusa Sumo Club Annex is prepared by a former sumo stable chef.
Fight Night
Appetite more than sated, it’s time for the main event. We’re introduced to our compere for the evening, an affable Aussie who holds the whole event together well, engaging warmly with the guests, staff and wrestlers. He gives us a little background about the history and tradition of sumo, and tells us what we can expect from the next hour or so. There’s a performance of a traditional Japanese dance from a geisha, and a photo opportunity.
Then it’s time to meet our wrestlers (rikishi) and our announcer (yobidashi). Our host divides the room up so our “teams” have their own wrestler to root for. Its a small crowd – hence our promotion to the comfy seats I think! – but most of the crowd are engaged and get behind their wrestler. A bit like a pantomime, it’s also fun to boo the opposition 🤣 We’re taught the right words to encourage our wrestlers, including yoisho when the ceremonial stomp is performed, and ganbare which essentially means “hang on in there bab”.
There’s a demonstration of sumo techniques – including how NOT to sumo wrestle – before a three-round match. There’s crowd interaction and a comedy element but these guys are definitely not playing around when they grapple with each other.
Things we learnt about sumo
- The nappy is actually called a mawashi. It’s an illegal move to try and grab another wrestler’s mawashi from the front. Other illegal moves are eye-gouging, hair-pulling and punching (although slapping is allowed).
- Sumo is all about ceremony and rituals, from salt-throwing (shio-maki) to gestures (chiri-o-kiru) which show the gods – and their opponents – that they are not concealing any hidden weapons. Don’t ask where they might be concealing a hidden weapon, although our wrestlers gave us quite a good idea 🫢
- Shikiri is a psychological battle which can last up to four minutes before a bout. There’s staring, there’s crouching, there’s circling and there’s trash talk.
- A bout can only start once both wrestlers crouch and touch both fists to the ground
Let Battle Commence
Did I mention there’s audience participation? The wrestlers have shown us how it’s done, and suddenly they’re inviting audience members to challenge the pros. I suddenly find my sake very fascinating. There’s an American guy that can’t wait to get involved; his brother reluctantly joins before their mom decides she’ll have a go too. And then Mr Fletche says:
“I think I’m going to do it”
And then he’s off, before he changes his mind. The compere enquires whether I would like to join my husband but I gently point out that I am responsible for documenting this occasion. I’ve also just knocked back my sake.
Backstage, Mr Fletche and his fellow volunteers are getting suited up, hence the removal of any personal items. And the rather dramatic presentation of said items to their loved ones. We cheer as our brave Davids come out to face their Goliaths. Although the American guys already looked pretty Goliath-like. Their mom, less so. There’s some posing in an apron.
Mr Fletche selects his opponent. He picks “our” wrestler, hoping he’ll go easy on him. Then there’s some salt-throwing, and some ceremonial stomping. Mr Fletche proves he has no concealed weapons. No-one checks under his pointy hat. Then it’s fists down and time to fight.
I tire myself out shouting “ganbare “. It’s exhausting being a sumo cheerleader.
Oh yes, back to Mr Fletche. It’s like man meets mountain. Mr Fletche is NOT the mountain. Even with all his force he can barely move his opponent. Eventually, a gentle one-handed nudge sends Mr Fletche over the rope. It’s been a valiant effort but it turns out Mr Fletche isn’t leaving me for life in a sumo stable.
You can see Mr Fletche’s sumo debut fight here on Facebook!
Back in his own clothes and reunited with his glasses and wallet, there’s just time for both of us to have a final photo opportunity with the “cast”. The photos are printed out and we both get a little Asakusa Sumo Club Annex goodie bag.
I can’t speak highly enough of this show. I felt like we’d learned lots about the tradition, history and rules of sumo, whilst having an excellent meal and being supremely entertained. Of course, Mr Fletche’s foray into sumo is something neither of us will forget in a hurry.
Looks like a fun experience!