Online Sumo Viewing Course for Beginners to Launch on miroom on May 17, 2026

Chankoe Inc. (Representative Director: Tomoko Tanaka) announced that it will launch an online course for beginners in sumo viewing, titled “Learning Grand Sumo Viewing Through Gappuri-yotsu,” on the online lesson service miroom from May 17, 2026. Even intense bouts become more enjoyable once viewers know what to watch for. Sumo fan and announcer “Tanatomo” will introduce the appeal of grand sumo from an enthusiastic fan’s perspective. The instructor is Tomoko Tanaka, an announcer and devoted grand sumo fan known as “Tanatomo.” During her time at NHK, she launched the grand sumo feature “Shibu 5-ji Sumo Club” on the program “News Shibu 5-ji,” interviewing many wrestlers and continuing to tell stories behind the dohyo and the human drama of sumo wrestlers from a woman’s perspective. Tanaka is from Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, a region known as a “sumo town” that has produced top-division wrestlers for more than 140 years. Having grown up close to grand sumo, she is a committed female sumo fan. The course is designed for sumo beginners who may see sumo on television but do not really understand it, who watch casually because family members are watching, who find the rules and winning techniques difficult, or who want to enjoy watching sumo at the Kokugikan more fully. Rather than requiring learners to memorize difficult knowledge, the course uses video to help them intuitively understand where to look, what makes a bout impressive, the personalities and differences among wrestlers, and the points that make watching sumo on television more enjoyable. The course explains easy-to-understand perspectives that can instantly make viewing more fun, including the tactics of the tachiai opening charge, the difference between pushing sumo and yotsu-zumo, common winning techniques, wrestlers’ expressions and gestures, and the atmosphere and excitement inside the venue. It also introduces how to find an “oshi rikishi,” or favorite wrestler. Finding one’s own favorite wrestler can expand the enjoyment of each tournament. The course values not only technical knowledge but also the fan’s perspective on enjoying grand sumo. Reactions such as “This wrestler is cool,” “I want to tell someone about this bout,” or “I want to cheer for my favorite wrestler” are also important entry points into the appeal of grand sumo. The course encourages viewers not to overthink it and to begin enjoying sumo from the feeling of simply liking it. The course also includes plenty of sumo trivia from Tanatomo’s perspective, such as unexpected sides of wrestlers, points to watch before and after bouts, and interesting facts that beginners will want to share with others. Grand sumo has 82 winning techniques, but this course focuses on points that are easy for beginners to remember. Viewers can move from casually watching sumo on television to enjoying it as something they want to talk about, with moments such as “I understood that winning technique” or “Today’s bouts were fun.” The course also presents grand sumo as a way to spark conversations with family and create everyday enjoyment. In recent years, grand sumo has gained popularity among younger generations and women. Through this course, Chankoe aims to make grand sumo feel more accessible as part of Japanese culture and to provide an easy entry point for first-time viewers. Course overview: The course title is “Learning Grand Sumo Viewing Through Gappuri-yotsu.” Streaming begins at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 17, 2026. The instructor is grand sumo fan announcer Tomoko Tanaka, known as Tanatomo. The course will be available on miroom as an online video lesson. Course URL: https://mi oom.com/cou ses/3611. Tuition starts at 2,480 yen per month, tax included. Instructor profile: Tomoko Tanaka is an announcer and grand sumo enthusiast, formerly an NHK caster. She is from Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture. After working in recruitment advertising sales at Recruit, she changed careers at age 31 to become an announcer. After serving as a caster at NHK Aomori Broadcasting Station, she worked as a director on NHK’s “News Shibu 5-ji,” where she launched the grand sumo feature “Shibu 5-ji Sumo Club” and covered and produced more than 60 sumo features over four years. Known affectionately as “Tanatomo,” she continues activities that communicate the appeal of grand sumo in an accessible way for beginners. In her book “Even If You Are Not Good at Talking: How to Listen to Draw Out Honest Feelings,” she also introduces communication techniques developed through her NHK grand sumo reporting experience. She also shares the appeal of sumo in Aomori’s newspaper Daily Tohoku and writes a sumo essay series for the Tokyo Aomori Kenjinkai newsletter. She is currently the representative of Chankoe Inc. and is active in lectures, writing, and communication training on themes such as “dialogue techniques learned from grand sumo reporting” and “team management learned from sumo stables.” Chankoe Inc. is located at Standup Kichijoji, 4-6-3 Kichijoji Honcho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo 180-0003. Website: https://cha coe.co.jp