What to See & Do in Tokyo - Tokyo - page 203

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There are two professional leagues, the Central and the Pacific, which play from April
to October and meet in the Japan Series. In Tokyo, the home teams are the Yomiuri
Giants, who play at the Tokyo Dome ( & 03/5800-9999; station: Korakuen or Suido-
bashi), and the Yakult Swallows, who play at Jingu Stadium ( & 03/3404-8999; station:
Gaienmae). Other teams playing in the vicinity of Tokyo are the Chiba Lotte Marines,
who play at Chiba Marine Stadium in Chiba ( & 043/296-8900 ), and the Yokohama
BayStars, who play in downtown Yokohama Stadium ( & 045/661-1251 ). Advance
tickets go on sale Friday, 2 weeks prior to the game, and can be purchased at one of many
Ticket Pia locations around town (such as the Sony building in Ginza or the Isetan
department store annex in Shinjuku; ask your hotel for the one nearest you), except for
the Giants, where tickets can be purchased only at Tokyo Dome. Prices for the Tokyo
Dome and Jingu Stadium range from ¥1,800 for an unreserved seat in the outfield to
¥6,000 for seats behind home plate. The Giants are so popular, however, that tickets are
hard to come by.
SUMO The Japanese form of wrestling, known as sumo, began perhaps as long
as 1,500 years ago and is still the nation's most popular sport, with wrestlers—often taller
than 6 feet and weighing well over 300 pounds—revered as national heroes. A sumo
match takes place on a sandy-floored ring less than 4.5m (15 ft.) in diameter; the object
is for a wrestler to either eject his opponent from the ring or cause him to touch the
ground with any part of his body other than his feet. This is accomplished by shoving,
slapping, tripping, throwing, even carrying the opponent. Altogether, there are 48 holds
and throws, and sumo fans know them all. Most bouts are very short, lasting only 30
seconds or so. The highest-ranking players are called yokozuna, or grand champions; in
1993, a Hawaiian named Akebono was promoted to the highest rank, the first non-
Japanese ever to be so honored. Nowadays, there are many high-ranking foreigners.
Sumo matches are held in Tokyo at the Kokugikan, 1-3-28 Yokoami, Sumida-ku
( & 03/3622-1100; www.sumo.or.jp; station: Ryogoku, then a 1-min. walk; Tokyo Shi-
tamachi Bus: Ryogoku Station). Matches are held in January, May, and September for 15
consecutive days, beginning at around 9:30am and lasting until 6pm; the top wrestlers
compete after 3:30pm. The best seats are ringside box seats, but they're snapped up by
companies or the friends and families of sumo wrestlers. Usually available are balcony
seats, which can be purchased at Ticket Pia locations around town and JTB travel agen-
cies. You can also purchase tickets directly at the Kokugikan ticket office beginning at
9am every morning of the tournament. Prices range from about ¥2,100 for an unreserved
seat (sold only on the day of the event at the stadium, with about 400 seats available) to
¥8,200 for a good reserved seat.
If you can't make it to a match, watching on TV is almost as good. Tournaments in
Tokyo, as well as those that take place annually in Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka, are
broadcast on the NHK channel from 4 to 6pm daily during matches.

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