Tokyo Sumo History Walk & Chanko Lunch: Small Group or Private

Discover sumo not simply as a sport, but as a centuries-old way of life. Explore Ryogoku, the heart of Japan’s sumo world, in a small group or on a private tour. Your expert guide, specially trained and certified by Arumachi, brings sumo’s history, traditions, and wrestlers’ daily lives to life. Visit sumo landmarks and the Sumo Museum, see sumo stables from outside, and discover how sumo evolved over 1,600 years. Learn how wrestlers train, eat, and live together under a strict hierarchy. Experience this unique culture through chanko-nabe. More than a meal for building wrestlers’ bodies, this hearty hot pot reflects the discipline, teamwork, and communal bonds of stable life. Enjoy lunch at a renowned Ryogoku restaurant, with time to ask your guide questions and deepen your understanding of sumo. *This tour does not include watching live sumo bouts or entering sumo stables.

1. 1

   Stop 1

   15 min

   Drop in for a short visit at the famous stable, and look at the sumo stable from outside where sumo wrestlers live and train.

2. 2

   Nominosukune Shrine

   30 min

   Visit this shinto shrine where the founder of sumo is enshrined. Learn from the guide how he instigated sumo 1500 years ago; how the sumo rules have been refined to take a form as of now over years; how a ring entering ceremony is held here when a new grand champion (Yokozuna) comes into being; that Japan Sumo Association visits it to pray for a successful tournament 3 times a year.

3. 3

   Ryogoku Kokugikan

   30 min

   View the sumo arena from outside, a mecca of sumo where the Grand sumo tournaments are held three times a year. Learn from your guide lots of interesting stories this sumo-dedicated arena has including its overall structure, drum tower, and banners.

4. 4

   Ryogoku Edo Noren

   30 min

   Feel the atmosphere of old Edo (as Tokyo was called before). See a full-scale sumo ring. Learn from the guide so many stories about sumo observing the ring up close.

5. 5

   Sumo Museum

   15 min

   Located at Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo’s main sumo arena, the museum focuses on preserving and presenting the history and traditions of sumo. * The sumo museum is not open to visitors during the grand sumo tournaments and while its exhibits are changed. During that period, the guide will take you to alternative sumo-related landmarks.

6. 6

   Kasuganobeya

   15 min

   Kasugano Stable (Kasugano-beya) is one of the most historically significant sumo stables. A sumo stable is a communal home where wrestlers train, eat, and live together according to the customs and strict hierarchy of professional sumo. Even seeing this stable from outside helps understand that sumo is not simply a sport performed in an arena, but a way of life lived every day.

7. 7

   Ekoin Temple

   15 min

   See the venue of the sumo tournaments held during the edo (samurai) period. Learn the social status of wrestlers; how the tournaments were held and looked like during the pre-modern era.

8. 8

   Stop 8

   1 hour

   We will take you to one of the best chanko-nabe restaurants in town. Enjoy this nutrient hot-pot dish which is in the centerpiece of sumo wrestlers’ diet to gain weight and muscles to build their bodies. Learn from your guide all about sumo while having the lunch.

• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.