Ryogoku (両国) is the home of sumo in Tokyo. The Ryogoku Kokugikan where three of the six annual sumo honbasho tournaments take place (in January, May, and September) is the fourth incarnation after the first sumo hall was built in Ryogoku in 1909, and the backstreets between Ryogoku and Kiyosumi Shirakawa is home to many of the sumo stables where the wrestlers train. Naturally for a neighbourhood with some many sumo wrestlers, it’s the best place to go to in Tokyo to experience chanko nabe—the favoured dish of the wrestlers. You can read more about the history of the sport here.

Ryogoku is not just all about sumo, however. It is also home the Edo-Tokyo Museum, which traces the history of the capital over the past 400 years, as well as Yokoamicho Park which commemorates the victims of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake and the air raids of World War II.

Information
Location
Ryogoku, Sumida, Tokyo
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Key Attractions

Edo-Tokyo Museum

Cultural facility tracing the history of the capital over the past 400 years. Original artifacts and replicas are on display with English descriptions.
9:30-17:30 (until 19:30 on Saturdays). Closed on Mondays unless it is a public holiday.
Adults ¥600, children ¥300. There is an additional charge for the special exhibitions.

Great Kanto Earthquake Memorial Museum

Just before midday on 1 September 1923, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 struck the Kanto region…
Free

Japanese Sword Museum

Museum containing a collection of over 150 items including swords designated as national treasures. There is an explanation of the manufacturing process and an archives room that holds 1,500 historical documents on swords.
9:30-17:00. Closed on Mondays and public holidays.
Adults ¥1,000 with discounts students and children.

Edoyu Onsen

Well-known spa in Ryogoku that offers a wide variety of baths and saunas, and many other services.
11:00-09:00 (next day)
Adults ¥2,750 but less than half price for morning visits (6:00-8:00am) and for those who stay less than one hour.

Ryogoku Kokugikan

Ryogoku Kokugikan is an indoor sporting arena that hosts the three sumo tournaments that take place in Tokyo each year (in January, May, and September).

Former Yasuda Garden

Garden with a pond in the shape of a heart that is filled directly with water from the Sumida River, and thus rises and falls with the river’s tide.
9:00-16:30
Free

Kiyosumi Shirakawa

A traditional Edo period area that has seen something of a revitalization in recent decades with the inflow of art museums and, more recently, artisan coffee roasters.

Yokoamicho Park

Small park that commemorates the victims of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake and the air raids of World War II.
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