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Osaka sumo tickets for the March tournament
Fast answer
Osaka sumo tickets for the March 2027 tournament go on sale on February 6, 2027, and the 2026 list, not yet revised for 2027, ran from 3,500 yen for a chair to 60,000 yen for a box of four guests.
Buying rules
Compare 3 alternatives
What a visit costs for your group
Enter how many are coming and compare a live show, a hall show and a guided tournament visit
- Live show and ringRetired wrestlers · starting at, per person $62
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View - Namba hall showBento or snack · starting at, per person $92
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View - Guided tournamentOsaka in March · starting at, per person $126
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From-prices on GetYourGuide, shown at the ECB reference rate. Your exact price is confirmed during booking.
Advance sales open in early February, boxes and chairs cost very different amounts, and a bought ticket cannot be changed. Here is how the system works and what to check before you pay.
Editorial team, osakasumo.top · Updated November 6, 2026 · Quick read: 6 min
Basics
- Sale dateAdvance sales for the March 2027 tournament start on February 6, 2027.1
- Two seat typesFloor boxes sit four guests; chair seats are single seats like a stadium.2,3
- Price spanThe last Osaka list, from 2026, ran from 3,500 yen for a chair to 60,000 yen for a box. Fees are revised from January 2027.4,5,6
- FeesThe English-language service added 2,000 yen per ticket and took credit cards only.7
- No changesA purchased ticket cannot be changed or cancelled for any reason.8
When the March tickets go on sale
The Osaka tournament is the March basho, and the Japan Sumo Association publishes its sale dates years ahead. For 2027 the tournament runs from March 14 to March 28, and advance tickets go on sale on February 6.1 The ticket service's English home page repeats the same sale date, so you do not have to guess which of two sources to trust.9
The pattern is steady from year to year. The 2026 sale opened on February 7 and the 2028 sale is listed for February 5.10,11 If you are planning around a trip, put early February in your calendar and have your card ready before the sale opens.
Notice the order of events. The ranking list that decides who fights whom is announced on March 1, which is after tickets are on sale, so you buy before you know the final lineup.1 There is nothing to wait for. A look at the November 2026 tournament shows the risk of waiting: its English ticket page announced that every date was sold out and that nothing would be sold on the day.12
Seat prices side by side
Boxes and chairs on the last Osaka list (old prices), in yen
| Seat | Who sits | Weekend and holiday | Weekday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box seats S | Four guests | 60,000 | 56,000 |
| Box seats A | Four guests | 52,000 | 48,000 |
| Box seats B | Four guests | 42,000 | 40,000 |
| Box seats C | Four guests | 38,000 | 34,000 |
| Chair seats B | One guest | 5,500 | 5,000 |
| Chair seats C | One guest | 4,500 | 4,000 |
Box prices are per box, chair prices per guest, tax included, before fees.5,14,4 The Association's own page lists chair C at 4,000 and 3,500 and says prices vary by venue; fees are revised from January 2027.6,16,17
Box seats or chair seats
Sumo sells two kinds of seat, and the same two kinds apply to EDION Arena Osaka sumo tickets. A box seat, called masu-seki, is a Japanese-style box where you sit directly on the floor, and an arena seat is a chair, much like a seat in a typical sports stadium.3 The choice matters more than the price tag suggests, because you will spend many hours in the seat on a long tournament day.
In a box you remove your shoes and sit on one of the square cushions provided, and the basic rule is that four guests share one box.2 A box is sold as a unit, so a pair of travelers either fills it with two friends or looks for the special box built for two that the ticket office offered in March 2026.14 Floor seating suits people who are comfortable sitting cross-legged for a while.
Chairs are simpler. You buy one seat for one guest, and the seats are priced in letter grades from SS down to D in the last Osaka list.4 If you have a bad knee, a bad back or small children, a chair is the practical answer. Children aged 4 and older need their own ticket, and there is no special children's discount.15
Chair seat prices
Weekday chair seats on the last Osaka list, in yen
- Chair SS11,000
- Chair S8,000
- Chair A6,500
- Chair B5,000
- Chair C4,000
- Chair D3,500
Weekday prices per guest, tax included, from the March 2026 Osaka list; SS and D cost the same on every day.4
What the seats cost
The Association gives approximate prices on its how-to-buy page, and it says plainly that prices may vary depending on the venue.17 For a box of four it lists Masu Box B at 42,000 yen on weekends and holidays and 40,000 on weekdays, and Masu Box C at 38,000 and 34,000.18 Those are prices for the whole box, not per head.
For chairs the same page lists Chair Seats B at 5,500 yen on weekends and holidays and 5,000 on weekdays, and Chair Seats C at 4,000 and 3,500.16 The Osaka ticket office's own March 2026 list is more detailed: chair grade SS cost 11,000 yen on every day, and the cheapest chair, grade D, cost 3,500 yen on every day.4 Notice that the two sources differ on chair C, which is a reminder that the final price is set for each venue and each year.
Higher boxes cost more. The March 2026 list showed Box Seats S at 60,000 yen on weekends and holidays and 56,000 on weekdays, and Box Seats A at 52,000 and 48,000.5 Ringside seats, at 20,000 yen for one guest, were sold only through the Japanese-language service.19 These are the figures of the last list, not new prices. The Japan Sumo Association's ticket page says admission fees are revised from the January 2027 tournament and that the ticket information for the March 2027 tournament is not yet published, so treat every yen figure here as a guide only.6
Pick your seat
Which ticket fits you?
Find your situation; the answer sits next to it
If I want the lowest price
A grade D chair
It was the cheapest seat on the March 2026 list at 3,500 yen on every day.4
If We are a group of four
A floor box
A box seats four guests and is sold as one unit.2
If I cannot sit on the floor
A chair seat
Chairs are like the seats in a typical sports stadium.3
If I want someone to explain it
A guided visit
The guided tournament experience comes with an English-speaking sumo expert.
If My dates may change
Think twice
Purchased tickets cannot be changed or cancelled for whatever reason.8
Three ways in
A chair, a box or a guided visit
Traditional
Floor box
A group of four
See the options
Guided
Guided visit
With a sumo expert
- Length4-hour visit
- GroupUp to 20 guests
- RefundsNon-refundable
Fees, payment and what happens after you pay
Add the fees before you compare prices. For the March 2026 tournament the English-language ticket service took credit cards only and charged 2,000 yen per ticket as a service fee.7 The Association's own page also says a handling fee is charged, so the number on the seat grid is not the number on your card statement.17
The tickets did not arrive by email as a PDF. They could be printed only at a Seven-Eleven store in Japan, using the details on the purchase completion screen and in the confirmation email.7 If you land in Osaka and your phone has no Japanese number, plan a stop at a convenience store before the tournament day, and do not leave it for the morning of the match.
If you wonder how to buy sumo tickets as a visitor, the English-language service is the route this guide follows. Read the refund rule twice. Ticket Oosumo states that tickets purchased for the March 2026 tournament cannot be changed or cancelled for whatever reason.8 It also warns visitors to be careful of ticket resale sites.13 A scalper's listing may look cheap or reassuring, but nothing on those sites changes the fact that the official service is the only source this guide can vouch for.
The ticket calendar
From sale day to the last bout
Feb 6, 2027
Advance sales open
Ticket Oosumo starts selling tickets for the March tournament in Osaka.9
Mar 1, 2027
Ranking list announced
The Association announces the sumo ranking list after tickets are already on sale.1
Mar 14, 2027
First day
The tournament opens at EDION Arena Osaka, the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium.1
Day of your visit
Doors and matches
In 2026 the arena opened at 8:45 on most days, and the top division started around 2 p.m.13
Mar 28, 2027
Final day
The last day of the March tournament ends the run of matches in Osaka.1
On the day: doors, re-entry and when to arrive
For the March 2026 tournament the arena opened at 8:45, with later openings on the final days, and a ticket covered all matches from morning till night.13 You can enter and leave during the day, but re-entry is limited to one time and you must be back by 17:00.13 Decide in advance whether a lunch break outside is worth spending your one return.
The day builds. Matches start in the morning with the lower ranks, and the main matches of the top-division wrestlers start around 2 p.m., finishing around 6 p.m.13 The national tourism organization gives a different figure, advising visitors with limited time to arrive around 15:00 to see the top division matches between 15:30 and 18:00 on the day.20 Two official pages disagree by about an hour, so aim for early afternoon if you want a margin.
The arena itself is in the Namba district in the center of the city, and it hosts the annual March tournament.21 The tourism organization says to expect loud cheering for wrestlers from the Kansai region, so bring your own enthusiasm.21 If you plan a late arrival, a chair is the easier seat to slip into, with no shoes to take off and no cushion to settle.
Video
Grand sumo tournament guide: a quick five-step first-timer tutorial
Richard Fang - Travel Reviews and Guides in Asia on YouTube · Video data is requested only when you tap play.
Tickets that have been purchased cannot be changed or cancelled for whatever reason.
Checklist
Before you pay
Check3
- That the sale date, February 6, 2027, suits your trip
- How many guests share a box: four
- The 2,000 yen service fee on top of each ticket
Plan for3
- Printing tickets at a Seven-Eleven in Japan
- One re-entry only, back by 17:00
- Only the official service, as resale sites are risky
If you cannot get a ticket, or want a guide
Not every trip lines up with the first two weeks of March, and not every ticket request succeeds. A guided visit is one way around both problems: Viator lists a four-hour guided tournament experience with an English-speaking sumo expert and a reserved seat, and its Osaka option is the March tournament. It runs for groups of up to 20 guests, with a minimum of 15 needed to operate, from $126.
Read the terms before you book it. The listing reads non-refundable, all sales are final, which is the same hard line the official ticket service takes. The advantage is that the guide explains the rules and the rituals while the matches go on, which a first-time visitor on a plain ticket must otherwise work out alone.
If your dates miss March altogether, a live show with retired wrestlers works on any week of the year. The show this site sells meets at Sumo Studio Osaka, runs about 1.5 hours with a live guide in English and costs from $62, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before. It is a show, not a tournament, and the page on comparing Osaka shows sets out the differences.
FAQ
The short answers to your questions.
When do Osaka sumo tickets go on sale?
February 6, 2027.
Advance tickets for the March 2027 tournament go on sale on February 6, 2027, and the tournament runs from March 14 to March 28.1
How do I buy sumo tickets in English?
Through Ticket Oosumo English.
The Japan Sumo Association points buyers to the Ticket Oosumo English site, which for the March 2026 tournament took credit cards only.7
Can I cancel or change a sumo ticket?
No.
Ticket Oosumo states that purchased tickets cannot be changed or cancelled for whatever reason.8
Do children need a ticket for the tournament?
Yes, from age 4.
Children aged 4 and older need a ticket, and there is no special discount for children.15
What is the cheapest seat?
Chair grade D.
On the March 2026 list the cheapest chair, grade D, cost 3,500 yen on every day, before fees.4
Are box seats on the floor?
Yes, with cushions.
You remove your shoes and sit on a cushion inside the box, and four guests share one box.2
Can I buy tickets on the day?
Do not count on it.
The English ticket page announced for the November 2026 tournament that all dates were sold out and that no tickets would be sold on the day.12
Sources
- Japan Sumo Association (official site) · Grand Tournament Schedule ↩
- Ticket Oosumo (the Japan Sumo Association official ticket service) · March Grand Tournament ticket information ↩
- Japan Sumo Association (official site) · How to Buy ↩
- Ticket Oosumo (the Japan Sumo Association official ticket service) · March Grand Tournament ticket information ↩
- Ticket Oosumo (the Japan Sumo Association official ticket service) · March Grand Tournament ticket information ↩
- Japan Sumo Association · 令和九年三月場所（大阪）入場券情報 (March 2027 Osaka ticket information) ↩
- Ticket Oosumo (the Japan Sumo Association official ticket service) · March Grand Tournament ticket information ↩
- Ticket Oosumo (the Japan Sumo Association official ticket service) · March Grand Tournament ticket information ↩
- Ticket Oosumo (the Japan Sumo Association official ticket service) · Official Sumo tickets ↩
- Japan Sumo Association (official site) · Grand Tournament Schedule ↩
- Japan Sumo Association (official site) · Grand Tournament Schedule ↩
- Ticket Oosumo (the Japan Sumo Association official ticket service) · Official Sumo tickets ↩
- Ticket Oosumo (the Japan Sumo Association official ticket service) · March Grand Tournament ticket information ↩
- Ticket Oosumo (the Japan Sumo Association official ticket service) · March Grand Tournament ticket information ↩
- Ticket Oosumo (the Japan Sumo Association official ticket service) · March Grand Tournament ticket information ↩
- Japan Sumo Association (official site) · How to Buy ↩
- Japan Sumo Association (official site) · How to Buy ↩
- Japan Sumo Association (official site) · How to Buy ↩
- Ticket Oosumo (the Japan Sumo Association official ticket service) · March Grand Tournament ticket information ↩
- Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) · Osaka Sumo Tournament ↩
- Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) · Experience Sumo ↩
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