Dine with sumo wrestlers or uncover Japan’s performing art with a Kabuki expert
Palace Hotel Tokyo is rolling out the mat and pulling back the curtain on up close and personal experiences with sumo wrestlers and Kabuki performance artists this summer.
With Grappling Tokyo and Unmasking Tokyo, which have been created in exclusive partnership with TOKI, the hotel is deepening its already considerable Palatial Pursuits portfolio of bespoke guest experiences.
In the wrestling package, the hotel’s handpicked docent leads guests on a behind-the-scenes look at Japan’s beloved national sport. During three annual tournaments held in Tokyo (January, May and September), a one-time sports broadcaster and current sumo sports writer and announcer accompanies guests to the all-day spectacle at the hallowed Kokugikan arena and complements the event itself with a visit to the arena’s museum. Rates start at JPY 500,000 for a two-night stay.
In the two weeks leading up to each sumo season, hotel guests can plunge even more deeply into the sport’s culture with an expert-accompanied private tour of a sumo wrestling training stable and the chance to chat over a lunch of traditional chanko nabe, a hearty stew eaten by wrestlers to add to their bulk, prepared by the wrestlers themselves. Rates start at JPY 627,000 for a two-night stay.
