Ryogoku Kokugikan

Ryogoku Kokugikan is the national sumo arena and the home of professional sumo, the ancient sport whose rituals are rooted in Shinto. The arena opened in 1985 in Ryogoku, a district on the east bank of the Sumida River that has been associated with sumo since the Edo period and is still home to many of the training stables where wrestlers live and practise. Three of the six annual Grand Sumo Tournaments are held here, each lasting fifteen days, in January, May and September.

A tournament day starts in the morning with the lowest-ranked wrestlers and builds slowly towards the top-division bouts in the late afternoon. The ring-entering ceremonies of the top two divisions, in which wrestlers parade in embroidered aprons, and the grand champion's own ceremony are highlights, along with the throwing of salt, the staring contests before each bout and the sudden explosion of the bouts themselves, which are often over in seconds. The arena fills up in the final two hours, and the atmosphere on the last few days of a tournament can be electric.

Tickets are sold through the Japan Sumo Association's official ticket service, which has an English version, and the popular days, especially weekends and the final day, sell out quickly, so buy as soon as sales open. Seating ranges from traditional box seats on cushions at ring level to chairs on the upper floor; the boxes seat several people and are sold as a unit. For 2027 the Tokyo tournaments are scheduled for 10 to 24 January, 9 to 23 May and 12 to 26 September, and advance tickets for the January tournament go on sale on 5 December 2026.

It suits sports fans, families and anyone curious about Japanese tradition. You can come and go during the day, so many visitors arrive in the early afternoon. Bento boxes and snacks are sold inside, including chanko-nabe, the hearty stew that sumo wrestlers eat. Outside tournament periods, the small Sumo Museum on the ground floor is free and shows changing displays of banzuke rankings, prints and ceremonial aprons, though during tournaments you need a ticket to enter the building.

The arena stands beside JR Ryogoku Station on the Sobu Line and is a short walk from Ryogoku Station on the Toei Oedo Line. The Sumida Hokusai Museum and the old Kyu-Yasuda Garden are nearby, and the streets around the station are dotted with chanko-nabe restaurants.