Ryogoku Kokugikan: Museums, Food, and Transport Tips

The Sumo Museum

Located within the Kokugikan premises, the Sumo Museum is accessible on weekdays and offers a fascinating glimpse into sumo history. The museum features historical artifacts, ceremonial kimonos worn by champions, and displays chronicling the sport’s evolution over centuries. Admission is typically free or carries a modest entrance fee, making it an excellent option for budget-conscious travelers. Even the nearby Ryogoku train station functions as an informal museum, adorned with large portraits and handprints of famous Yokozuna (grand champions).

Food Inside Kokugikan

The arena offers diverse dining options throughout the facility. Several food stalls near major entrances on both floors serve bento boxes with options ranging from tempura to roast beef, alongside sushi and yakitori. The signature dish is chanko nabe, the protein-rich hot pot stew traditionally eaten by sumo wrestlers, available in small bowls for approximately ¥300 in the basement hall. Other popular items include fried chicken, hot dogs, soft serve ice cream, and hiyochan-yaki—a grilled cake bun shaped like the sumo mascot Hiyo no Yama, filled with red bean paste or sweet cream cheese.

Food stalls accept both cash and IC cards like Suica and Pasmo. It’s advisable to purchase food earlier in the day, as vendors typically stop serving between 4:00 and 5:00 PM, just before the top-division matches begin. Tournament attendees can leave and re-enter the stadium once during the day, allowing you to explore nearby dining options.

Dining in Ryogoku District

The surrounding Ryogoku neighborhood is renowned for chanko nabe restaurants. The Edo Noren building, located between the Kokugikan and JR Ryogoku Station, houses multiple sit-down restaurants featuring ramen, okonomiyaki, monjayaki, soba, and sushi arranged around a central sumo ring.

For authentic chanko nabe experiences, Chanko Kirishima is operated by a former sumo wrestler and serves traditional hot pot in miso, soy, salt, and kimchi flavors—reservations are essential on tournament days. Kappo Yoshiba, touted as Ryogoku’s oldest chanko restaurant, occupies a former sumo stable with the wrestling ring still present, offering chanko courses starting at ¥6,880 made with ingredients from Toyosu Fish Market. Chanko Tomoegata provides three chanko varieties with kaiseki courses named after sumo rankings, ranging from ¥5,400 to ¥8,640. Budget-friendly options include Ami Ryogoku Souhonten, where seafood chanko and chicken chanko start around ¥2,000.

Transport and Access

Ryogoku Kokugikan is easily accessible via two train lines. Take the JR Sobu Line to Ryogoku Station, which is the most convenient option with the arena located just steps from the station exit. Alternatively, the Toei Oedo Line also stops at Ryogoku Station. Both stations provide direct access to the venue and surrounding attractions. The station itself features sumo-themed decorations, including wrestler portraits and handprints, setting the tone for your visit before you even reach the Kokugikan.

Best Times to Visit Kokugikan to Avoid Crowds

The best strategy for avoiding crowds at Ryogoku Kokugikan depends on whether you’re attending a tournament or visiting the venue during off-season periods.

Tournament Days: Weekdays Are Key

If attending a Grand Sumo Tournament (held in January, May, and September), weekdays offer significantly fewer crowds compared to weekends, with easier ticket availability and medium crowd levels. Weekend and final-day matches draw the largest audiences, particularly on Sundays when fans may queue as early as 7:00 AM for general admission.

Arrive Early Morning

Tournament doors open at 8:00 AM, and arriving at opening time provides the best crowd-avoidance strategy. The early morning features lower-division matches with minimal attendance, allowing you to settle into your seat comfortably and explore the venue without congestion. One visitor noted that arriving around 4:00 PM (when top-division Makuuchi wrestlers begin) meant “the entrance was almost empty,” though food stalls typically stop serving between 4:00 and 5:00 PM.

Off-Season Visits

For the lowest crowds overall, visit during off-season months (February, March, April, June, July, August, October, November, December) on weekday mornings. During these periods, you can explore the Sumo Museum and gift shop with minimal interference, experiencing the venue at a leisurely pace.

Avoid National Holidays

Steer clear of Golden Week (April 29–May 5), which coincides with the May tournament and creates Japan’s busiest tourism period with surging prices and sold-out accommodations.

Weekday Morning vs Afternoon Crowd Differences

The crowd levels at Kokugikan during weekday tournaments differ dramatically between morning and afternoon sessions, creating two distinct experiences.

Morning Session (8:30 AM – 2:00 PM)

Lower division preliminary bouts feature very few spectators in the arena, with the stadium remaining “pretty empty” throughout the morning. This sparse attendance allows considerable freedom—you can sit in unoccupied seats regardless of your ticket assignment, and some visitors report being able to access lower-level box seats for photographs during these hours, though staff may redirect you.

The atmosphere is notably quieter, which offers an unexpected advantage: you can hear the wrestlers’ physicality much more clearly, including the sounds of them colliding, slapping, and grunting. The matches themselves move faster with less downtime, as lower-division wrestlers perform fewer traditional rituals before bouts, creating a more action-packed viewing experience.

Afternoon Session (3:00 PM – 6:00 PM)

Beginning around 2:40 PM when Juryo (second division) matches start, the stadium atmosphere transforms as significantly more spectators arrive. By 4:00 PM when top-division Makuuchi wrestlers enter, the venue fills substantially. The highest-ranked wrestlers compete just before 6:00 PM, drawing peak attendance and energy levels.

The intervals between bouts lengthen considerably during afternoon sessions, as top-ranked wrestlers engage in elaborate pre-match rituals—repeatedly facing off, returning to corners, and performing ceremonial salt-throwing—which some international visitors find frustrating. However, Japan Guide recommends being present “at least for the top division action between 15:30 and 18:00” for the most spectacular matches.

The Trade-Off

Morning sessions offer minimal crowds, flexible seating, and faster-paced action, while afternoon sessions deliver higher-skilled wrestling, electric atmosphere, and the tournament’s most prestigious matches amid larger crowds.