By Ikuko Kitagawa / Japan News Staff Writer

12:44 JST, January 2, 2026

Among the high-end boutiques and fancy restaurants in Tokyo’s fashionable Ginza district can be heard the sounds of grunts and groans. And occasionally some laughs.

On the underground floor of a 10-story mixed-use building, the press was given a sneak peek of a restaurant that features a combination of sumo and washoku cuisine in an English-speaking atmosphere that will have its grand opening next week.

“Our core target is tourists from English-speaking countries,” said Yutaka Sugimoto, inbound business division chief of Hanshin Contents Link Corp., which will open the Sumo Live Restaurant Hirakuza Ginza Tokyo on Wednesday. “We offer an accessible experience, giving introductions to sumo culture through intense matches.”

A regulation-sized dohyo ring is set up in the middle of the restaurant, where rikishi fight while also teaching the basics of sumo. Everything from the food service to the performances, including the sumo commentary, proceeds in English.

Building on the success of a similar-style sumo entertainment hall in Osaka that attracted over 50,000 guests over 1½ years since opening in 2024, the Osaka-based developer chose Ginza as the site of its........

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