Ryogoku sumo town history / culture and chanko-nabe lunch

This small group tour with commentaries by a sumo expert guide gives you a chance to get to know all about sumo including its history / culture, and sumo wrestlers’ daily life.  While you may or may not have a chance to see real sumo bouts during your stay in Japan, this tour will prime you with all the background knowledge to increase your joy of watching sumo, be it in Japan or back home.

The tour consists of two components.

1) Walking tour around Ryogoku, a sumo town.

Visit sumo-related landmarks; learn how sumo started and developed over 1600 years. Look at sumo stables from outside where sumo wrestlers live and train.  Learn from your knowledgeable guide how their life and career look like.  Get answers to any sumo-related questions.

2) Lunch at a chanko-nabe restaurant

Have lunch at one of the best chanko-nabe restaurants in Ryogoku.

This nutrient hot-pot dish is in the centerpiece of sumo wrestlers’ diet to gain weight and muscles to build their bodies.

It is not accidental that the dish has become the mainstay of the wrestlers’ regimen.

① Food needs to be prepared in the stable by wrestlers; no professional cooks available.  Under this constraint, it is preferable to be able to cook easily in a short time.

② It is nutritionally well balanced.

③ Since it is heated during preparation, it is highly hygienic.

④ Eating from the same hot-pot dish ferments a sense of solidarity and teamwork.

Last but not least, to those who are curious, this tour provides an excellent opportunity to explore not just sumo but also extensive elements of Japanese culture including Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, wood block prints, gardens, swords, and cuisine.