RYŌGOKU SUMO HALL

An indoor sporting arena located in Tokyo where sumo wrestling tournaments can be seen in January, May, and September for 15 days at a time. While there are some chair seats, more popular are ringside seats and box seats (a small box area with 4 – 6 mats). The whole building is like a sumo theme park, as it also features a sumo museum and other sumo-related cultural facilities that are open to the public even when sumo tournaments are not held. When you enter Kokugikan, you will notice a sweet vanilla-like aroma. It comes from the special hair oil used by sumo wrestlers for their topknots. The smell is somewhat calming and relaxing. It makes such a contrast to their fierce fighting spirit in the ring.