Osumo 2018

[roots reggae]

I've been watching sumo on NHK for seventeen years.

Yesterday, I made the trek to Tokyo to see what it's like in person. Arrived at about 1:30 PM to the Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo's National Sumo Hall. At that time the stadium is mostly empty with only die-hard fans or tourists in attendance that early. Since I normally turn on the NHK broadcast at 5:00 PM, I did not recognize very many, since they are usually younger wrestlers on their way up, mixed with a few damaged or aging, sometimes both, sumo wrestlers such as Gagamaru and, a little later, the fan favorite, Aminishiki.

My seats were pretty far from the action, the row just below the oxygen mask level of the ‘jiyu seki’, or ‘free-seating tickets’. And, a gaijin woman who outweighed most of the wrestlers sat on my right. Now, before you start fat-shaming me, please allow me to say I found her to be a charming and nice person. Neither of which stopped the overflow of her body over the armrest of my seat. The seats are designed for the Japanese frame and my 192 cm & 86 kilogram self, made a tight squeeze as was.

In an unusual twist, the tournament was decided in a match that occurred just after 5:00 PM, when the better wrestlers have their matches, which usually end around 6:00 PM. The new father, Tochinosin, from what Westerners call the former Soviet Republic of Georgia, and natives refer to as Sakartvelo, clinched the title with a impressive win over Shohozan.

I'm not a big fan of yokozuna Hakuho, but I was still pretty disappointed not to see him wrestle. He pulled out of the tournament early with injuries as did yokozuna Kisenosato. The remaining yokozuna, Kakuryu fought a ferocious battle with ozeki Takayasu, that ended with the yokozuna taking a vicious fall.

So, I'd really like to try to get better seats for the May tournament. I'm not talking the mats on the first floor, but rather the A level arena seats-on the first row, seats 32,33-41,42-46, or 1-5, 6-14, 15-23, on the opposite end.
If anyone has any strategies to help me get one of these seats, please let me know.

Bird's Eye View

Injured former Ozeki Terunofuji vs. injured Ikioi

Tournament Champion Maegahira 8 Tochinosin wins over Shohozan

The Heaviest in the Makuuchi Division, Ichinojo defeats Takarafuji

Yokozuna Kakaryu attacks Ozeki Takayasu

 

[joeking]

　The Travel agents sell packages, so you get a bento etc and a closer seat, or at least that's what I got when my parents visited me 20+ years ago. It was fun, but had more fun at 花相撲, the matches done outside the honbasho.

 

[RIDER 00]

By them online at eplus when they go on sale. You'll first have a chance at a lottery, then if you don't get one, you'll have to try to get one on a first come first served basis. Tickets for weekdays should be a lot easier to get than the weekends, especially days 14/15.

 

[roots reggae]

By them online at eplus when they go on sale. You'll first have a chance at a lottery, then if you don't get one, you'll have to try to get one on a first come first served basis. Tickets for weekdays should be a lot easier to get than the weekends, especially days 14/15.

The way I understand it, tickets go on sale for the May tournament 10 AM , Saturday, April 7th from the official site and other place like convenience stores.

http://sumo.pia.jp/en/

I looked up eplus, never heard of it. So eplus is a self-service ticket electronic ticket vendor located at the convenience stores? What is the advantage of ordering there, I assume at 10 AM the first day of sales, compared to my home computer on the official site-in English?

Also, I'd really like those seats, or close to them, in the first row balcony A level arena seats.

 

[RIDER 00]

The way I understand it, tickets go on sale for the May tournament 10 AM , Saturday, April 7th from the official site and other place like convenience stores.

http://sumo.pia.jp/en/

I looked up eplus, never heard of it. So eplus is a self-service ticket electronic ticket vendor located at the convenience stores? What is the advantage of ordering there, I assume at 10 AM the first day of sales, compared to my home computer on the official site-in English?

Eplus is an online ticket vendor for all events from sports, music, to stage performances.

http://eplus.jp/sys/main.jsp

<Sumo>
https://eplus.jp/ath/word/5838

They sell sumo tickets too and are one of the main vendors for them.
If you're wondering why it's so hard to buy tickets at other places, it's because most people use eplus.

 

[RIDER 00]

The way I understand it, tickets go on sale for the May tournament 10 AM , Saturday, April 7th from the official site and other place like convenience stores.

http://sumo.pia.jp/en/

I looked up eplus, never heard of it. So eplus is a self-service ticket electronic ticket vendor located at the convenience stores? What is the advantage of ordering there, I assume at 10 AM the first day of sales, compared to my home computer on the official site-in English?

Also, I'd really like those seats, or close to them, in the first row balcony A level arena seats.

Just to add on, the advantage is that eplus has a pre-order lottery system that let's you pre-order for a major event and if you win the lottery, you get the tickets before it goes on sale to the public.

If you miss out on the lottery, you have to try to buy it when the remaining tickets go on sale.

 

[roots reggae]

Just to add on, the advantage is that eplus has a pre-order lottery system that let's you pre-order for a major event and if you win the lottery, you get the tickets before it goes on sale to the public.

If you miss out on the lottery, you have to try to buy it when the remaining tickets go on sale.

Thanks! Looks like I'll need my wife's help to navigate the site in Japanese.

It's a good time to ask. My birthday's this week. Also, since I've been limited in getting around, she really encourages me to get hobbies.

Normally, everything's a trade and this would cost me a Coach bag-still might.