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April 01, 2025
 

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John Gunning
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Apr 10, 2019
As basho sellouts continue, regional tour offers peek behind curtain
Within 90 minutes of going on sale, tickets for the upcoming Summer Grand Sumo Tournament were all snapped up.
JAPAN / Heisei Icons
Apr 4, 2019
Takanohana: The nail that sumo pounded down
In sumo's 2,000-year history, few men have been as steeped in the sport's traditions as Koji Hanada.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Apr 3, 2019
New ozeki Takakeisho can draw strength from stable
Takakeisho is sumo's newest ozeki.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Mar 27, 2019
Dominant Hakuho continues to redefine greatness
Sumo columnist James Hardy once bemoaned the difficulty of doing daily tournament reports, saying, "There are only so many ways to write A pushed out B."
SUMO
Mar 24, 2019
Sumo 101: Instant replay
One of sumo's most distinctive sights is its ringside judges.
Japan Times
SUMO
Mar 23, 2019
Sumo 101: Retired stablemasters
As with most top-level athletic endeavors, 30 seems to be the age when many rikishi either hang up their mawashi or see a noticeable decline in skills and performance.
Japan Times
SUMO
Mar 22, 2019
Sumo 101: Consistent losers
Ted Williams famously said, "Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of 10 and be considered a good performer."
Japan Times
SUMO
Mar 21, 2019
Sumo 101: Could-have-beens
Sumo has no shortage of legends.
SUMO
Mar 20, 2019
Sumo 101: Bow-twirling ceremony
Every day of a sumo tournament concludes with a bow-twirling ceremony, called yumitori-shiki in Japanese.
SUMO
Mar 19, 2019
Sumo 101: Brothers in sumo
Normally, brothers in sumo can't fight one another.
Japan Times
SUMO
Mar 18, 2019
Sumo 101: College graduates in sumo
New entrants into the world of sumo generally fall into three groups.
SUMO
Mar 17, 2019
Sumo 101: Nicknames
All sumo wrestlers have a shikona (ring name).
SUMO
Mar 16, 2019
Sumo 101: Manga
Sumo is currently experiencing a boom in popularity overseas.
Japan Times
SUMO
Mar 15, 2019
Sumo 101: Closed stables
There are currently 46 heya (stables) in sumo.
SUMO
Mar 14, 2019
Sumo 101: Souvenirs
Sumo is a unique sport and its merchandising reflects that fact.
SUMO
Mar 13, 2019
Sumo 101: Sword bearers and dew sweepers
Every time a yokozuna performs the traditional ring-entering ceremony, he is flanked by two attendants.
SUMO
Mar 12, 2019
Sumo 101: Wakaimonogashira and Sewanin
The world of sumo has many behind-the-scenes characters that help keep the sport running smoothly.
SUMO
Mar 11, 2019
Sumo 101: Pusher-thrusters
When many people think of sumo, they imagine two large men locked in a vice-like grip straining to force each other out of a ring.
SUMO
Mar 10, 2019
Sumo 101: Juryo
The lion's share of media attention in sumo goes to the top (makuuchi) division.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Mar 7, 2019
Sumo lacks marquee rivalries of recent times
The upcoming Spring Grand Sumo Tournament seems to have everything going for it.
Japan's biggest beef bowl chain Sukiya to shut nearly 2,000 stores after rat and bug contamination
Zensho Holdings, operator of fast-food chain Sukiya, said it will close all of its stores in Japan, except for a small number in shopping centers, between Monday and Friday following recent contamination incidents.
Alert raised for volcano in southwestern Japan
Shinmoedake, a volcano located between Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures, in November 2019
Japan considers all possible options as Trump threatens new auto tariffs
Subaru cars awaiting export at a port in Yokohama on Thursday.
Nankai Trough earthquake could kill 298,000 people, government says
Residents participate in an evacuation drill held with West Japan Railway in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, in January 2024 to prepare for a Nankai Trough earthquake and a possible tsunami following the quake.
A Canadian made a weekend trip to Costco a Japanese pastime
Under the watchful eye of Ken Theriault, Costco representative director and Japan country manager, the American membership-model wholesaler has flourished in Japan.
A Canadian made a weekend trip to Costco a Japanese pastime
Under the watchful eye of Ken Theriault, Costco representative director and Japan country manager, the American membership-model wholesaler has flourished in Japan.
Tokyo tech failures lean into misfortune, mistakes and missteps
Tsuyoshi Domoto in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on March 28. As an entrepreneur, Domoto experienced plenty of setbacks but maintains a positive attitude and continues to pursue his dreams.
Who among the opposition would join the ruling coalition?
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba enters his office in Tokyo on Friday.
Traveling the Three-Star Road, the tourist route made from thin air
Scenes like this snow-covered bridge leading to the village of Shirakawa-go are what make the Three-Star Road worth traveling — its name notwithstanding.
Recent spate of wildfires in Japan and South Korea linked to climate change
Smoke and flames rise from a wildfire in Andong, South Korea, on Tuesday.

Podcast

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