For fifteen days in November,
Fukuoka is unarguable.
The Kyushu Basho is one of Japan's six grand sumo tournaments and runs 15 days every November at Fukuoka Kokusai Center — 8 to 22 November in 2026. The 2026 general sale opened on 19 September and Ticket Oosumo now shows it sold out, with no same-day tickets on sale at all. Face values, for reference: chair seats ¥2,000–5,000 (~$13–33) a head depending on grade and weekday or weekend, four-person masu boxes ¥32,000–52,000 (~$213–347). If you hold a ticket, it's the best day out in Fukuoka; if you don't, watch Ticket Oosumo for returns and treat anyone else's offer as resale.
The smallest big sumo venue in Japan
What it isRyogoku in Tokyo is tiered and cavernous. Fukuoka's hall is far smaller, and the cheap seats can still see faces.
Six grand tournaments run each year and Fukuoka gets the last one — the Kyushu Basho, fifteen straight days in November, in a conference hall by the port that spends the other eleven months hosting trade shows. That sounds like a downgrade and isn't: the hall is compact enough that the cheap chairs sit closer to the clay than the good seats at Ryogoku. The Kyushu basho used to have a reputation as the easiest of the six to get into. For 2026 that reputation didn't hold: the general sale sold out.
How a day works. Doors open early and the lower divisions start around 8:30 to a nearly empty hall — atmospheric, free of crowds, and mostly attended by people who know exactly what they're watching. The top-division makuuchi bouts run roughly 16:00 to 18:00, and that is when the hall fills, the ring-entering ceremonies happen and the noise arrives. With a ticket, the efficient play is to turn up mid-afternoon and spend three hours on the good part.
Buying is the genuinely awkward bit, and it's why this page exists. There is no GetYourGuide or Klook product for basho tickets — the primary channel is Ticket Oosumo (sumo.pia.jp), which has an English version, alongside the other Japanese ticket outlets. For 2026 the fan-club and Ticket Oosumo pre-sales ran in August and September, the general sale opened on 19 September at 10:00 JST, and it is now marked sold out — and the page says plainly that there are no same-day tickets. Wheelchair seats are booked separately by phone from 22 October. English-language intermediaries such as buysumotickets.com and fukuokasumo.tokyo can't conjure seats that don't exist: anything offered now is resale, so check it against the face values below.
What a seat costs at face value
The pricesTicket Oosumo's November price list, weekday / weekend-and-holiday. Boxes are sold as a unit of four, cushions on the floor, shoes off.
| Seat | Price | Per person | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chair C — the cheapest way in | ¥2,000 / ¥2,500 (~$13–17) | ¥2,000–2,500 | WORTH IT |
| Chair B | ¥2,500 / ¥3,000 (~$17–20) | ¥2,500–3,000 | WORTH IT |
| Chair A | ¥4,500 / ¥5,000 (~$30–33) | ¥4,500–5,000 | WORTH IT |
| Masu C box, seats 4 | ¥32,000 / ¥34,000 (~$213–227) | ¥8,000–8,500 (~$53–57) | DEPENDS |
| Masu B box, seats 4 | ¥38,000 / ¥40,000 (~$253–267) | ¥9,500–10,000 (~$63–67) | DEPENDS |
| Masu A box, seats 4 | ¥44,000 / ¥52,000 (~$293–347) | ¥11,000–13,000 (~$73–87) | DEPENDS |
| Tamari ringside | ¥20,000 (~$133) | ¥20,000 | DEPENDS |
Also listed: a two-person 'rakuraku' masu C at ¥19,000 and wheelchair seats at ¥10,000 for a wheelchair user and companion. Boxes are the traditional experience and a genuine test of your knees; two people rarely need four seats when chair seats put you in the same hall. Any resale price far above these numbers is a markup, not a premium seat.
The 2026 sumo calendar, as of October
Where things standMorning practice, with a guide
The one bookable productNo online agent sells tournament tickets — that's Ticket Oosumo's job, and this year it has sold out. What is bookable is a morning asageiko visit, paired with a walk through the old town.
Is the Kyushu Basho for you?
Who it suitsThe practical bit
Plan the daySumo in Fukuoka, answered
Questions people askWhen is the sumo tournament in Fukuoka?
Every November — the Kyushu Basho, the last of the six annual grand tournaments, running 15 consecutive days. In 2026 that's 8 to 22 November at Fukuoka Kokusai Center. There is no sumo here in any other month; the venue reverts to conferences.
Is the 2026 Kyushu Basho sold out?
Yes, as of early October. Ticket Oosumo opened the general sale on 19 September 2026 and now marks it sold out, the Japan Sumo Association's English site says tickets are sold out for all dates, and there are no same-day tickets. Watch Ticket Oosumo for returns; treat any other offer as resale.
How do I buy Kyushu Basho tickets?
Ticket Oosumo at sumo.pia.jp is the primary channel and has an English version; sales open with pre-sales in late summer and a general sale about seven weeks out — 19 September in 2026. No OTA — Klook, GetYourGuide, none of them — sells basho tickets, whatever a listicle tells you.
How much are tickets?
At face value, chair seats run ¥2,000–5,000 (~$13–33) per person depending on grade and whether it's a weekday or weekend. Four-person masu boxes run ¥32,000–52,000 (~$213–347), ¥8,000–13,000 a head, and tamari ringside is ¥20,000. Chair seats are the sane choice for two people.
What time should I arrive?
Mid-afternoon. Lower-division bouts start around 8:30 to almost nobody, which has its own charm, but the top-division makuuchi bouts run roughly 16:00–18:00 and that's the sumo you came for — ceremonies, salt, noise, and a hall that's suddenly full.
Can I see sumo practice instead?
Morning asageiko visits are sold as guided tours from about $74. Listings run year-round, but the stables are only in Fukuoka around the November basho, so verify what your date actually includes before booking — this year it's also the realistic fallback if you couldn't get a seat.
How do I get to Fukuoka Kokusai Center?
Gofukumachi Station on the Hakozaki line, then about 12 minutes on foot; Nakasu-Kawabata is 15 minutes away and lets you walk in through the old town. From Hakata Station a taxi or bus takes about 10 minutes. Fares: getting around Fukuoka.
Will I get a hotel during the basho?
Only if you book early — the tournament fortnight fills the city. Dates and consequences: Fukuoka events; areas and prices: where to stay.
- Ticket Oosumo (Pia) — November basho 2026 sales page: dates, general sale, sold-out notice, no same-day tickets (Japanese)
- Ticket Oosumo (Pia) — November basho seat types and prices (Japanese)
- Japan Sumo Association — official English site, ticket status
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