Sumo Tournament in Nagoya (July)
Updated July 2025 with images from the new IG Arena.
From 2025, the July Tournament in Nagoya moved to the IG Arena (New Aichi Prefecture Gymnasium). Until 2024, the tournament took place at the Dolphins Arena. I've kept the information about the old venue at the bottom of the page.
2026 July tournament from Jul 12-26
tickets schedule to go on sale May 16
The IG Arena opened in June 2025, in a location 800 meters north of the old Dolphins Arena.
The capacity for the sumo tournament was set at 7,800 - not a huge difference from the Dolphins Arena where the capacity was at 7,448.
I did noticed that the arena has additional seating in the 4th deck that was completely unused. Maybe the view is too far, but there is definitely room for more if the Sumo Association wants to sell more tickets for future tournaments.
Good news for international fans is that the new arena has 14 rows of chair seats, a big increase from the previous arena that had only six. This should allow for a more comfortable style of viewing rather than the traditional Japanese style seating that dominated the old venue. The seats are a huge improvement from the old arena that had hard plastic seats. The new arena seats have more cushioning (though not much), there is a cup holder in the armrest, and no pillars or other structure that obstruct the view.
For the 2025 tournament, the chair seats on the main side (正面) were bundled together with a meal, drink and lounge access. It was sold exclusively through the arena website starting on May 17th/10am. Prices started at 18,000 JPY so they are quite higher than the normal chair seats.
https://ig-arena.venue-ticket.jp/
(Purchasing tickets will require a "d account", a service provided by NTT Docomo, the mobile phone operator)
All of the wrestlers will wrap up their training in Tokyo around June 20th, and set up their training base in the Nagoya area where they will stay until the tournament is finished.
Meijo Koen (M08) on the purple Meijo Line will be the adjacent station. SUICA or PASMO cards issued in the Tokyo area also work on the Nagoya subways. The number 4 Exit is the closest to the main entrance but you do have to go up a separate set of stairs or escalator so you can get wet if it is raining.
From Nagoya Station, I prefer using the red Sakura-dori Line, changing trains at Hisaya-odori. It's also possible to take the yellow Higashiyama Line and change at Sakae, but I have found this train and the transit station to be busier at peak times.
If you prefer a taxi, note that you cannot be dropped off immediately in front of the arena. The same for catching one after the tournament finishes; you'll have to walk about 300 meters south to a designated boarding spot.
Nagoya can be easily done as a daytrip from Tokyo or Osaka, but it is a good base for exploring the Nakasendo path or for heading to Takayama. There are many hotels around Nagoya Station or in the Sakae area.
DOLPHINS ARENA...where tournaments were held until 2024
The official name is the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium. Completed in 1964, this is another old arena just like the one in Osaka where the March tournament is held.
The capacity is 7,448 for sumo, about the same as Osaka. However there are much fewer chair seats in Nagoya with only five or six rows in the back of the arena. The rest is the traditional Japanese style seating, which I do not recommend for western visitors.
Because it is July, the temperatures outside tend to be extremely hot. Unfortunately the air-con inside the arena seems to be on the weak side. It's not to the point where it is uncomfortable and considering that it is a 50 year-old arena, there probably is not much that can be done to improve it.
Pillars got in the way...
The view from my "Chair B" seat in row 15 seat 30, at the very back of the arena looked like this, with the pillars being a big nuisance.
It didn't block the view of the ring but it was still a big distraction.