Last update: 13 Dec - Information about 2026 promotional events in the Tokyo area added.

Access to the arena:

It is a short walk from the west exit of JR Ryogoku Station. Outside the station, there is a Seven-Eleven (if you need to retrieve tickets) and several restaurants that serve the sumo chanko cuisine. The station can get extremely crowded after the tournament finishes, though if you wait just 15-20 minutes, the congestion eases. 

The Toei Oedo subway line also has a Ryogoku Station which is about 7-8 minutes east of the arena. For the shortest route, head in the direction of the APA Hotel, staying to the north of the JR tracks.

東Higashi/East and 西Nishi/West refers to the seats with a side view of the ring. If you are close enough to the ring, or have a good zoom on your camera, this is a good angle to see the tension rising as the wrestlers are about to face off. Photographers from the media often take their seats in the corner to get a good expression of the wrestlers.

The website does have options of designating your seat but as the ticketing site crashes so often, it is probably better to let the system automatically assign seats for you. Otherwise you may risk losing your place in the queue and have to start over again. Fortunately the Kokugikan is configured specifically for sumo with the arena in an even square shape, so there is a clear view from any angle.

How to get tickets (It's almost impossible without paying extra!)

Up until the January 2024 tournament, it was possible to visit the ticketing site a few hours after sales began and still secure tickets with relative ease. However since the May 2024 tournament, the ticketing site is so overwhelmed that it often will not let you even enter. And by the time the website is back running again, all days have already sold out. It is likely that tour agencies are buying in larger quantities to cater to higher demand, and only a very small number make its way to the ticketing site. If you are willing to pay a little extra, the following companies might be able to secure tickets on your behalf. You will need to contact them well in advance of the ticket sales date to increase your chances of succeeding.

Buy Sumo Tickets is a company that can buy and send the printed tickets to your home address or your hotel. The Japan Sumo Association does not seem to appreciate their existence and openly state on their English site for customers to be cautious about this service, but the JSA needs to acknowledge that it is THEIR poorly constructed ticketing system that requires foreign fans to take this extra step! 

Update August 2025 - Several users reported that orders were abruptly cancelled for the July tournament. There was also a failure to fulfill many of the orders for the September tournament. They have since announced that they will no longer accept requests for future Tokyo tournaments though they will continue to support tournaments in other cities.

 JTB Sunrise Tours is under the JTB group, the major player in the tourism industry. They have a different route to tickets that allow them to secure a large quantity well in advance of the public sales date. Most if not all of the tickets will be part of a package with a tour guide and some souvenirs. Group size is a max of around 20 participants. They also provide Klook with the exact same product. These websites might still have a few tickets remaining for several hours after the official sales date, so you could consider them as your back-up plan in case your purchase through the official ticketing site fails. However as chances of landing a ticket through the official site is so slim, taking the expensive JTB tour might the more realistic option of attending the tournament.

Japan Wonder Travel is another option; they also sell mostly products bundled together with meals or a guide service. On some previous occasions they had a product called "Chair Seat with Entrance Assistant", where you receive tickets near Ryogoku Station and there is a so-called "assistant service" with a staff providing information on where the seats are, but without accompanying you to the arena. You also received a yakitori bento box as the part of a package. It is a tasty product though you can easily purchase the same for 750 JPY once you are inside.

Many tickets also eventually make its way to unofficial reselling platforms like StubHub so there seems to be a fair number of people who buy with no intention of going. Be careful if whoever you do business with offers a digital ticket and instead ask for a physical ticket. A screenshot or printout of a QR code is not a valid form of entry. For digital versions, you need to be able to show a live screen on your phone with the valid QR. (A "physical ticket" that you print out from the kiosk at 7-Eleven and a "a printout of a digital ticket with QR code" doesn't mean the same, but some sellers will be vague about this)

For the record, reselling for a marked up price is punishable under Japanese Law even if this is not always enforced.

The same day, non-reserved seating that was available to the first few hundred people in line was discontinued during the pandemic and no longer an option.

Other chances to see Sumo

 For viewing the morning practices, see the previous page.

1) Going to a Jungyo - regional exhibitions

There are numerous Jungyos, which can be translated either as a regional or exhibition event. They are held in between the main tournaments, such as in April, August or December.

While most Jungyos are held in rural communities, a few are held in the Tokyo Metro area as well. For example, the Pia Arena Minatomirai (Yokohama) will host an event on April 16th and the Ota-city General Gymnasium has an event scheduled April 22nd. 

You can find the full schedule for 2026 on the Sumo Association website (in Japanese)

https://www.sumo.or.jp/Jungyo/schedule_2026/

There are some cases where an exhibition is held overseas. In October 2025, there was a successful five day event at the Royal Albert Hall in London. It was the first overseas event since an exhibition was held in Jakarta back in August 2013.

There is also a Paris Jungyo scheduled for 2026, on June 13 and 14th at the Accor Arena. 

See details about the April event at the Yasukuni Shrine HERE.

Regardless of the location, the event generally follows a similar schedule. The program will feature a comical explanation of the rules, chance to see the wrestlers getting their distinctive hairstyle done, and small kids challenging the wrestlers. There are also head to head battles of the top ranked wrestlers towards the end of the program, usually happening around 3 pm. The results in the exhibition don't really mean anything for the wrestlers so the atmosphere is much more relaxed in comparison with the actual tournaments.  

3) Additional Events hosted by TV Networks - always in February

In February, the national television network NHK and Fuji TV each host a one-day event at the Kokugikan.

Feb 7th (Sat) NHK Charity Sumo

The program would be similar to those seen in Jungyos plus there will be performances by pro musicians and idol groups...some of the sumo wrestlers will be holding the microphone too! 

Feb 8th (Sun) The 50th Grand Sumo Tournament, organized by Fuji Television

URL: https://www.fujitv.co.jp/events/grandsumo/index.html 

This will be a single-elimination tournament so different from the usual format. The results don't count against the rankings so matches won't be serious.