Visitors to Japan have fun at a sumo show. (Koichiro Yoshida)

Photo/Illutration A visitor to Japan in a mock rikishi costume “challenges” a former professional wrestler during a sumo show in Tokyo’s Sumida Ward on Nov. 15. (Koichiro Yoshida)

In a dohyo ring, Jokoryu, a former komusubi, and Matsunoumi, previously a rikishi in the third-lowest “sandanme” division, prepared to square off to the delight of foreign and other visitors. 

A presenter was seen giving English-only commentary during the Nov. 15 show, including on sumo’s rules and prohibited techniques, while the two wrestlers gave a demonstration on the dohyo.

Non-Japanese participants, in mock rikishi costumes, were later given opportunities to “challenge” the former rikishi. A group-by-group commemorative photo session wrapped up the occasion.

A series of sumo shows that feature former professional wrestlers are a hit with non-Japanese citizens amid growing demand for inbound tourism, as the number of visitors to Japan has rebounded sharply.

The shows are being staged at Yokozuna Tonkatsu Dosukoi Tanaka, a “tonkatsu” (deep-fried port cutlet) restaurant in Tokyo’s Sumida Ward.

They were started in November last year by officials of KK Way, which operates the “Sumo Experience.com” website, including Yasuhiro Tanaka, the company’s 48-year-old business division chief, who is a former rikishi himself.

The company would previously rent space at venues, including “chanko” (hot pot) places and other restaurants, to organize sumo shows there.

However, it ended up with no venue for the shows, partly because one of the restaurants went bankrupt during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

KK Way officials obtained the government’s business restructuring subsidy to set up the new restaurant at the former site of a public bath, hoping to have their own venue for staging their sumo shows.

They installed a dohyo, which conforms to the standard of the Grand Sumo Tournament, in the middle of the dining hall so customers can watch a sumo show over a chanko or tonkatsu meal.

The shows are being staged from 1 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays every week. The Nov. 15 show was packed to capacity, with more than 50 participants from five countries including France, Britain and the United States.

Katie Buntin, a 30-year-old participant from Scotland, said she was traveling in Japan for two weeks with her husband. She said the hands-on sumo experience was very exhausting but fun.

Japan has mountains and rivers close to cities, creating a palpable and interesting contrast, Buntin said, adding the country is very friendly to travelers, with its low prices for food and other items and cheap transportation fees.

Tanaka said his company wanted to make sure that sumo is "understood correctly."

“We settled on what we are doing because we received requests for hands-on experiences," he said. "You are naked and weaponless during a sumo bout. I hope the hands-on experiences at this restaurant will allow the participants to feel the sumo spirit of truthfulness, honesty and fairness.”

Ayano Suzuki, 45, the CEO of travel agency Winds of Japan, was attending the show as a visitor.

“Our customers are traveling quite differently from what they used to before the pandemic,” she said. “More are having experiences with a high added value and staying at luxurious accommodation facilities. We want to offer more opportunities for presenting the genuine Japan, including the country’s traditional culture.”

The sumo shows are intended for non-Japanese citizens but are open to Japanese participants as well. Visit the Sumo Experience.com website for details.