Tokyo Sumo Festival — Sumo Restaurant

Interact with real-life sumo wrestlers at the Tokyo Sumo Festival restaurant in Ginza. Inspired by the atmosphere and visuals of matsuri (Japanese festivals), this live sumo show invites visitors to learn the fun basics of sumo and other parts of Japanese culture.

What’s Tokyo Sumo Festival?

This high-energy sumo show is designed for people of all ages, especially children, to enjoy. It’s more casual and interactive than a real-life sumo tournament. However, you’ll still feel the atmosphere of being at one thanks to the presenter and different aspects of the show.

As you enter the “festival”, the friendly staff will guide you to your seat. If you have paid for the all-you-can-eat chanko nabe, then you’ll first be served a nice hot bowl of nabe by one of the sumo wrestlers.

Following that, you can sit back, take in the views of the dohyō, and order some drinks and bar-style food. Note that with our ticket, our first drink was free.

The show starts and you are welcomed to the English-speaking presenter who gets the crowd going. After seeing a recreation of the sumo entrance ceremony (dohyo-iri), you’ll then see the sumo wrestlers train and participate in some friendly matches.

What’s particularly cool about this sumo show is just how much audience participation there is. Not only do audience members have the chance to wrestle the sumo wrestlers at the end of the show, but you are invited to throw salt into the ring (as part of the purification ritual).

Additionally, you are encouraged to throw small square seat cushions (zabuton) into the ring to cheer on your favorite sumo wrestlers. These interactive aspects are where this Tokyo sumo restaurant really shines.

Before you leave, make sure to get a photo with the sumo wrestlers or in the ring itself. If you leave a tip for the wrestlers, you can even pickup a free trading card — a pretty cool little souvenir.

What to know before you visit Tokyo Sumo Festival restaurant

Do you need reservations for the Tokyo Sumo Festival?

Yes, this is a pretty popular live-show restaurant, so we would recommend buying your ticket on Klook at least a week or two in advance.

There are a few ticket types to choose from, at different price points and inclusions:

• Plan A (General Seating): ¥12,000
• Plan A (Premium Seating): ¥18,000
• Plan B (Authentic Pro Sumo Training with Makuuchi Wrestlers): ¥15,000

Note: there are four show times per day: 12 p.m., 3 p.m., 6 p.m., and 8:30 p.m.

The Plan A tickets are for the entertainment show (described above). The ticket includes admission, all-you-can-eat chanko nabe hotpot, and one free drink. Additional food and drinks are separate.

In our opinion, the chanko nabe was fairly filling, but we would recommend ordering a few extra small dishes to complete the meal.

Plan B is an one-hour workshop where you can participate in an authentic sumo training session with a retired wrestler. This package also includes a commemorative photo session (where you wear a keshō-mawashi), a signed handprint board (shikishi), and all-you-can-eat chanko nabe.

by Jane Pipkin