Most Japanese agree that sumo is one of Japan’s leading sports. The professional sumo association organizes 6 tournaments a year in January, March, May, July, September and November. Here in Fukuoka, they hold the November tournament called Kyushu Basho. This year, the opening day falls on November 9th, Sunday and ends on 23rd, Sunday. NILS’s short-term students go watch matches at Kyushu Basho as part of the outside activities. While it is common to see matches on TV, most visitors don’t get an opportunity to actually watch a live match. I highly recommend this activity for those students who visit Fukuoka at this time.
