Japan's towering sumo warriors descend on Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan for the Grand Sumo Tournament once every four months in January, May, and September, battling once per day over 15 days to see who will claim the Emperor's Cup.

But, next February the strongest wrestlers will gather for a special event that occurs only once a year. The 34th Grand Sumo Tournament, a special single-elimination event, will be held on 7 February 2010. There will be no room for error and no rest for the winners, as the victor from each match will face opponent after opponent, with elimination awaiting even a single defeat. In a major departure from other events, the elimination tournament will take place entirely in one day, as opposed to 15 days for the Emperor's Cup tournaments. This will allow fans to track their favorite wrestlers as they compete again and again, all the way to the top!

The main action during the February event will be the elimination tournament among the makuuchi group of wrestlers, comprised of the 42 strongest warriors in the top five ranks. There will also be a tournament between the lower juryo wrestlers, broken up into three blocks, and a special demonstration/lesson for boys under 12 on the basics of professional sumo, to be taught by two of the wrestlers.

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JAPANiCAN.com has 5 pairs of tickets for February's Special Elimination Tournament, and we're giving them away to JAPANiCAN.com customers! To enter, all you need to do is follow JAPANiCAN on Twitter or become a fan of our page on Facebook! Read on to find out more.

Entry Method:
We're delivering instant news on the latest deals and offers at JAPANiCAN.com through two new channels: Facebook and Twitter. To encourage use of these new social networking services, we're giving away 5 pairs of tickets (regular price JPY 2,500 per seat) to the February Grand Sumo Tournament, with three winners randomly chosen from our Facebook fans, and two winners chosen from our Twitter followers!

To enter, just click on one of the links below. You'll need either a Twitter or Facebook account of your own. Become a fan of JAPANiCAN on Facebook or follow JAPANiCAN on Twitter, and you're eligible to win*!

Entry Deadline: 8 January 2010 at 11:00 a.m. (Japan Standard Time)

Selection and Eligibility: The winners will be randomly selected from our Facebook fans and Twitter followers. *Only individuals are eligible. Official accounts of companies and organizations will not be considered for this drawing.

Prize Delivery: After selection is complete, messages will be sent to the winners' accounts on Facebook and Twitter. Winners will have until 13 January 2010 at 11:00 a.m. (Japan Standard Time) to respond and claim their prizes. If no response is received within that time, a new winner will be selected. We will request an email address from each winner for prize delivery only. Vouchers to be exchanged at the venue for tickets will be sent as PDFs to the email addresses provided. These email addresses will not be used or disseminated for any other purposes in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Vouchers can be exchanged for tickets at the Ryogoku Kokugikan Box Office.

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Time & Date: 7 February 2010, 11:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Place: Ryogoku Kokugikan
1-3-28 Yokozuna, Sumida-ku, Tokyo
Exit at Ryogoku Station on the JR Sobu Line or Toei Oedo Line

Ticket Information:
Tickets can be purchased directly from the Kokugikan Box office.

Ticket Type			Price
Ringside (per seat)			JPY 14,000
A Box (seats 4)			JPY 44,000 per box
B Box (seats 4)			JPY 36,000 per box
Couple Seating B (seats 2)			JPY 21,000 per box *B Section Boxes (normally seats four)
C Box (seats 4)			JPY 30,000 per box
Couple Seating C (seats 2)			JPY 17,000 per box *C Section Boxes (normally seats four)
Second Floor Arena Seating	A Section (per seat)		JPY 7,000
	B Section (per seat)		JPY 2,500
	General Admission	Adults	JPY 1,000
		Children	JPY 200 *aged 4 - 12

(All prices include a 5% consumption tax)
- Please note that Box Seating is sold in sets of four tickets per purchase.
- Please note that Couple Seating is sold in sets of two tickets per purchase.
- Children 4 years old and over require tickets.
- Children's General Admission tickets (JPY 200) are available for children between the ages of 4 and 12 years old.

Contact for tournament direct ticket sales:
E-mail: yoshimura@sametwo.co.jp
The Grand Sumo Tournament Management Office （English support available）

Official Website (Japanese): http://www.grandsumo.jp/

Tournament Sponsor: Fuji Television Network, Inc.

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We also have a lineup of tours for the January 2010 Grand Sumo Tournament, to be held from 10 to 24 January 2010, as well as the May and September Grand Sumo Tournaments. Plus, get a chance to eat like a sumo with a chanko dinner, a delicious rich stew the wrestlers eat when training.