Ryogoku Kokugikan

The home of grand sumo in Ryogoku, Tokyo: a venue of about 11,000 seats, easy to spot by its large green roof. All 3 Tokyo tournaments (January, May and September) are held here. It stands right next to JR Ryogoku Station, and the Sumo Museum is inside the building.

Address: 1-3-28 Yokoami, Sumida-ku, Tokyo 130-0015

• Sumo Museum

  Located on the 1st floor of the Kokugikan, displaying sumo-related items such as woodblock prints, sumo dolls and ornate ceremonial aprons (kesho-mawashi).

• Coin lockers and cloakroom

  There are paid coin lockers in the east and west passages on the 1st floor (outdoors) and a paid baggage storage on the 1st floor on the south side (mukō-shōmen), so you can leave your suitcase and enjoy the bouts.

• Information desk

  On the 2nd floor, offering guidance on the venue and on where to leave strollers.

• Chanko in the basement hall

  During tournaments, special chanko (sumo hot pot) is served in the large hall on basement level 1 (B1), with a different flavor in the first and second halves of the tournament (no takeout).

• Kokugikan yakitori and wrestler bento

  The famous yakitori grilled in the venue's basement and limited-quantity bento boxes themed on wrestlers are sold at shops on the 1st and 2nd floors.

• Restaurants and cafés

  The 2nd floor has sushi and meat restaurants, plus a café with light meals and drinks.

• Nursing room

  There is a nursing area and a diaper-changing table in the large hall on basement level 1 (B1).

• ✓There is no parking for visitors, so go by train. The West Exit of JR Ryogoku Station is the closest exit.
• ✓If you're heading straight from the airport with large luggage, you can use the coin lockers or cloakroom at the venue.
• ✓The chanko in the basement hall must be eaten on the spot. Wrestler bento boxes can sell out early.
• ✓Before or after the bouts, it's worth seeing the Sumo Museum inside the venue and the wrestler statues on Kokugikan-dori.

• Kokugikan-dori

  The street leading from Ryogoku Station to the Kokugikan, lined with bronze wrestler statues and handprints of past yokozuna.

• -Ryogoku- Edo NOREN

  A complex directly connected to Ryogoku Station, where you can enjoy Japanese food at restaurants styled like an Edo-period townscape surrounding a sumo ring.

• Sumida Hokusai Museum

  An art museum in the area associated with Katsushika Hokusai, displaying his works.

• Chanko nabe restaurants

  Ryogoku has many restaurants serving chanko nabe, the hot pot known as sumo wrestlers' food; reservations are recommended during tournaments.

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Prices and availability are shown on Agoda.

Places introduced on official sites of the Japan Sumo Association, local governments and tourism bodies.

• Sumo Museum

  📍 Sumida, Tokyo

  The Japan Sumo Association's museum on the 1st floor of Ryogoku Kokugikan, with rotating themed exhibitions of historical sumo materials such as woodblock prints (nishiki-e) and ornate ceremonial aprons (kesho-mawashi). Admission is free on weekdays when no tournament is being held.

  💡 During a tournament, only visitors with a ticket for that day's sumo can enter, so drop in while you're there to watch.

  🗺 View on mapOfficial site ↗Introduced on ↗

• Ryogoku neighborhood

  📍 Sumida, Tokyo

  A "sumo town" centered on the Kokugikan, full of sumo stables (heya) and chanko nabe (sumo hot pot) restaurants. You may even spot wrestlers in yukata walking around the streets.

  💡 You can watch a sumo stable's morning practice by joining a guided tour.

  🗺 View on mapIntroduced on ↗

• Wrestler statues and handprints on Kokugikan-dori

  📍 Sumida, Tokyo

  Along Kokugikan-dori, the street near Ryogoku Station, you'll find statues of wrestlers performing the ring-entering ceremony and handprints of past yokozuna. You can compare the size of your hand with theirs.

  💡 Striking a ring-entering pose for a souvenir photo is a classic.

  🗺 View on mapIntroduced on ↗

• -Ryogoku- Edo NOREN

  📍 Sumida, Tokyo

  A dining complex in the former Ryogoku Station building from the early Showa era. In the center is a sumo ring supervised by the Japan Sumo Association, surrounded by Japanese restaurants. On weekends there are events where you can grapple with former wrestlers.

  💡 The tourist information center inside is a good place to pick up information on Ryogoku, including chanko nabe restaurants.

  🗺 View on mapOfficial site ↗Introduced on ↗

• Ekoin Temple

  📍 Sumida, Tokyo

  A temple where sumo tournaments were held from the Edo period until the end of the Meiji era; the first Kokugikan was also built on its grounds. It is home to the Chikara-zuka, a memorial erected by the Sumo Association.

  💡 It's a short walk from the West Exit of Ryogoku Station, so you can visit it together with the Kokugikan.

  🗺 View on mapOfficial site ↗Introduced on ↗

• Nomi no Sukune Shrine

  📍 Sumida, Tokyo

  A shrine dedicated to Nomi no Sukune, the god of sumo, with a monument on its grounds engraved with the names of past yokozuna. Before each Tokyo tournament, an annual festival is held here, attended by senior officials of the Sumo Association.

  💡 The quickest way there is from Exit A4 of Ryogoku Station on the Toei Oedo Line.

  🗺 View on mapIntroduced on ↗

• Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine

  📍 Koto, Tokyo

  Known as "Fukagawa no Hachiman-sama," this is the largest Hachiman shrine in Edo-era Tokyo. On its grounds stands the Yokozuna Monument, engraved with the names of past yokozuna.

  💡 It's a short walk from Monzen-nakacho Station. It's a bit far from Ryogoku, so we recommend fitting it into a different day of sightseeing.

  🗺 View on mapOfficial site ↗Introduced on ↗

Dates, venues and directions are based on official information from the Japan Sumo Association, the venues, railway companies and local governments. Check each official site for the latest details.