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Courtesy of Hanshin Contents Link Corp. A handout photo shows a tourist experiencing a test of strength with a retired sumo wrestler.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
16:19 JST, October 28, 2023
OSAKA — A sumo-themed amusement facility aimed at foreign visitors will open in Minami, Osaka’s entertainment district, in summer 2024. Retired sumo wrestlers will demonstrate matches, and visitors will be able to enjoy a meal while watching them or even get in the ring themselves to have a test of strength with the wrestlers.
The Sumo Hall Hirakuza Osaka, which will open in the Namba Parks shopping mall, will feature a sumo ring the same size as those used in professional sumo matches. The culture, history and rules of sumo will be explained in English, and the former sumo wrestlers will perform matches and training drills.
Performances will be held twice a day, and all tickets will include drinks and an Osaka-themed bento. Halal menus for people who do not consume alcohol or pork will be available upon prior request.
Ticket prices will range from ¥9,500 to ¥16,000 for adults.
The facility will be run by Osaka-based Hanshin Contents Link Corp., a subsidiary of Hanshin Electric Railway Co. “It will be an unprecedented facility that can be enjoyed both by adults and children,” a company official said.
