Snapshots: TOKYO || Days 5 & 6 || Ryogoku Kokugikan, Takasago morning training, shinkansen ride

As avid sumo fans, we believe every visitor to Japan should watch sumo at least once. After all, it is Japan's national sport. There are six grand tournaments in a year, one in each odd month, and each tournament lasts 15 days beginning on a Sunday in the middle of the month. The January (Hatsu Basho), May (Natsu Basho), and September (Aki Basho) tournaments are held in Tokyo, the March (Haru Basho) tournament in Osaka, the July tournament in Nagoya, and the November (Kyushu Basho) tournament in Fukuoka. Tickets start selling online around five or six weeks before the start of each basho.