Ryogoku Kokugikan

Summo wresting has been in existence for over 1500 years. No visit to Japan is complete without experiencing this national sport. I was looking forward to it and excited that I was able to get my hands on some tickets during my visit to Tokyo.
The grand tournament is held at different venues throughout Japan during the season. Currently the September 2015 tournament is being held from September 13 to September 27 at Kokugikan, Tokyo. Knowing that sumo matches were popular, I purchased tickets in advance to guarantee my seating. On the day I went, all tickets were sold out.
An audio device is available for rent at 200yen per device with refundable 3000yen deposit. The hours of English broadcasting is from 4pm-​6pm
Notes:
–If you wait outside, you can catch wrestlers going in and out of the Kokugikan. This is a great opportunity to snap phots with them. Kindly ask for permission first or one might sumo slap you… lol
— Advance tickets can be purchased at
–Doors open at 8:00am
–2:20pm entrance of Juryo Rikishi wrestlers
–3:45pm entrance of Makuuchi Rikishi wrestlers
–3:50pm ceremonial entrance of the Yokozuna champions
–4:15pm Makuuchi bouts
–6:00pm bow twirling ceremony

If you’re considering a trip to Japan, you must plan it around one of the six Grand Sumo tournaments.
My friends and I booked a sumo tour for the final day of the Grand Sumo tournament in September, and it was an unforgettable experience.
Ryogoku Kokugikan a.k.a. The Sumo Hall in Tokyo is a large arena with two levels. On the first /​ground level, there are «box seats» where spectators sit on tatami mats (which did not seem comfortable for long periods of time). The second level offers «arena seats» which are cushioned folding seats.
This venue is also home to the Sumo Museum if you are interested in a bit of history on sumo wrestling.
There were various food options that catered to locals and tourists alike (yakitori, kaiseki bento boxes, sushi, takoyaki, ice cream, popcorn, etc.). Similar to how we have popcorn at movie theatres, sumo fans like to snack on yakitori for good luck while cheering for their favourite sumo wrestler (s).
The championship match was unbelievable. It went into a playoff because both Kakuryu and Terunofuji ended with the same win-​loss record of 12 – 3. The final bout lasted five seconds. Literally… five seconds!

Going to Ryogoku Kokugikan was a really interesting and fun experience. The stadium has two levels of seating. The bottom half of the audience sits on the floor on thin cushions which got uncomfortable for me in about 20 minutes since I’m not used to it. We spent time on the second level where my assigned seats were which I actually preferred not just for having a regular chair with food tray attached but the angle made the sumo matches easy to watch.
During the sumo tournament there are vendors selling souvenirs and food. The nice thing about the shirts is that sizes go all the way to XXXL, which makes sense since I bet majority of sumo wear Rick Ross sizes themselves. The food is real basic snacks, the prices are reasonable, but bringing your own snacks and food into the stadium (which is allowed) is a much better option. They do however have a restaurant on the second floor that serves Japanese Food including the Sumo Stable Food called Chanko Nabe.
The sumo tournament itself is fun to watch, all the matches from about 3pm to 6pm the crowd really gets into. In between matches however be prepared for monotonous/​redundant chanting along with ritualistic stuff. The Japanese are an ancient society, despite being modern they feel strongly about tradition and you really see that in the tournament.
Important Tip: the men’s bathroom on the second floor have toilets. First floor requires squatting.

Great location, fair priced drinks and food, and the sumo itself it very entertaining!

WOW, What a great experience. I will definitely do this again when I get the chance. A very lively but respectful crowd. Great facilities with very comfortable seats. We were in the upper deck, but our view was still awesome. A must-​do in Tokyo!

On our recent trip to Japan, one of the things we were looking forward to the most was a Sumo wrestling contests… in Tokyo! As a sports fan, how can you not get excited for this? I think if you like sports– all sports– this is a must stop. Easy to get to– the arena is right off the subway line. We bought tickets in advance– not sure if that makes things cheaper/​easier than just showing up, but given that we were only in Tokyo for 3.5 days we didn’t want to waste time unnecessarily. Finding the place to the pick up the tickets wasn’t too bad– as with anything in a foreign country it does take a little extra time just to get your bearings. The machine to pick them up wasn’t the most intuitive but worked out anyway. On our way into the arena there was a roped off area to cross and that was for the wrestlers! We got to see several walk in– these were big dudes.
Our seats were high up and the cheapest ones– we had a camera with a zoom lens which helped see the fine detail, but if you’re looking to save money this is fine. If you sat down below near the ring I’m sure the experience is even better, although there is the warning about wrestlers «falling» on you causing injury :-). I have to say that the experience overall was super cool. Hearing the chants as they walk in and circle the ring, hearing the way the crowd reacted for certain wrestlers, watching the warmups, and then the wrestle, which could be as short as a few seconds but once in a while you get an exciting one.
To top it off, on our way out, we got to see a wrestler holding a fan’s little baby. Imagine the sight of that.

Do your research before coming to Ryogoku Kokugikan for a sumo match! Main floor tickets are extremely difficult to come by. If you are willing to sit on the second floor, you can buy tickets on the morning of the match. However, show up before 7AM and wait for tickets to go on sale at 8AM (2200 yen). They will sell out! The matches start in the morning and go until 6PM, however most people don’t show up until 3:30. Once you walk in you can not walk out. There are several sumo stables in the area– some have windows facing the main road where you can peak in and see morning practice. All of the gift shop salesmen and the ticket counter attendants are former sumo wrestlers. There is an area inside where you can watch the sumo wrestlers walk in for their matches. Perfect way to kill some down time between matches and stretch your legs. First floor seating is sold in sections. Each section seats 4 people and costs 40 000+ yen. You will still pay the 40 000 whether you are alone or with 4 people. Food and drink is allowed in this area. Everyone around will be drunk so drink up! :) The sections are EXTREMELY SMALL. If you cannot sit seiza for a couple of hours, reconsider sitting 4 to a section (we had to put all of our belongings in a coin locker for the extra space). Sumo matches are amazing if you get the chance to experience it! However it can get pretty repetitive if you show up in the morning. 2PM is a good time to show up in my opinion :)

We actually tried to go here for the free seating tickets on a Saturday but it didn’t work out. We arrived at 730 and that was far too late. There were people going along the line who told us what was happening and they mentioned we had a very low chance of getting a ticket
Decided to return on a Tuesday and get here earlier. We arrived at around 710 and the line was significantly shorter, so for these types of tickets it’s better to go on a weekend. We got tickets at around 8am for 2200¥. Everything really starts to happen around 330pm and goes until around 630pm

I came on a Wednesday to see the sumo tournament in May. Tournaments happen only a handful of times per year, so I really lucked out with getting to see this.
The tournament goes on from morning to about 18:00; however, the main wrestlers don’t come on until 16:00.
If you come early enough (before 14:30), you can pick up a rental FM radio. It requires a 2100 yen deposit, but you get 2000 back when you return it. There is an English commentary that you can listen to from 16:00 — 18:00. I thought it would be helpful, but I ended up taking it off after a couple matches just because the commentators weren’t saying anything worthwhile.
I would recommend coming at 16:00 if you just want a couple hours of fun. It was a great experience but got redundant after a while. Some matches were quick, but you do get a couple of electrifying matches.
Do a little research on the pre-​bout rituals while you’re watching. They go through a couple ceremonial moves before each match and do things to get the crowd rowdy. It’s quite fun.