BJJ Academies in Tokyo.

Tokyo is the BJJ center of gravity for all of Japan — and one of the deepest non-Brazilian, non-Western BJJ surfaces in the world. The Japan Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (JBJJF) — founded 1997, an official IBJJF subordinate organization — is headquartered in the metro. The IBJJF Asian Open has been held annually in Tokyo since 2013, recently at Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Shibuya. ASJJF runs additional Tokyo Opens, with the 2025 Winter edition at Sumida City Gymnasium.

The academy map is dense. Carpe Diem Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, founded by Yuki Ishikawa in 2013, runs its Aoyama HQ in Minato-ku and additional Tokyo branches. AXIS Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Setagaya is the official Japanese representative of the Rickson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Association, run by Takamasa Watanabe — the only Rickson Gracie black belt in Asia. Tribe Tokyo MMA, founded by Ryo Chonan, sits near Nerima Station and is a regular training home for Shinya Aoki. Yuki Nakai's Paraestra (1997) — the foundational Japanese BJJ academy — also runs in the metro.