The first ever Sumo experience in Thailand is being showcased at the “Wondrous Heritage of Japan” cultural event, at Siam Paragon in Bangkok this weekend, celebrating the 136 years of ties between Japan and Thailand and the 50th year of ASEAN-Japanese friendship.

The 2,000-year-old Japanese national sport exhibition will be led by former professional sumo wrestlers, including Jokoryu, who achieved the prestigious “Komusubi” in the top professional sumo ranking called “Makuuchi”. Also taking part are “Makushita” ranked wrestlers, including Bungo Nishiki, Kumako and Kotootori.

Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister at Embassy of Japan in Thailand, Oba Yuichi, said that he thinks not many Thai people will have seen sumo themselves in Japan. So, this event will be an opportunity for Thai people to see and feel the spirit of Sumo.

Apart from Sumo, there are taiko drum performances, Yosakoi dance and Japanese fan dances twice a day. Visitors can also join workshops, such as origami and creating clay Daruma dolls. For those who collect gashapon, there are also exclusive collections of handcrafted gashapon art toys in sumo and shonen (boy’s comics) themes, both inspired by Thai and Japanese culture and created by a group of passionate young Thai artists, called SalaArte.