Tokyo/Sumida

Sumida (墨田区, sumida-ku) is a ward to the east of central Tokyo. It has a famous cherry blossom viewing area along the Sumida River near Asakusa Station in spring, and the Sumida River Fireworks Festival (Hanabi Matsuri) in summer.

Understand
Sumida is considered "shitamachi" (roughly translated as "old town"), though it has become a kind of bedroom community for Tokyoites, which has meant the building of many high-rise apartment buildings. Despite the boom in construction, the area retains its pre-WWII charm, with many small businesses and a small neighborhood feel to it.

The Ryōgoku (両国) neighborhood, in the southwest portion of the ward, is nearly synonymous with sumō wrestling, one of Japan's most famous sports, where the human behemoths grapple and attempt to hoist each other out of the ring. The Edo-Tokyo Museum, an excellent and large museum on the history of Tokyo (but closed for renovation until 2025), is here, as well as a collection of quirky special-interest museums.

Tourist information
The local tourist association has a guide site.

Get in
The JR Sobu Line (local service) runs east–west through Sumida, connecting to the Yamanote line across the river in Akihabara. Via subway, the Toei Oedo Line loops past the western edge of the ward with connections to both Ueno in the north and Shiodome to the south. On both lines, Ryogoku Station is the closest connection to most of the ward's main attractions.

Those going to Tokyo Skytree can use the Tokyo Skytree Station on the Tobu Railway (one station from the Asakusa terminal station) or Oshiage (Skytree) on the Toei Asakusa Line and Tokyo Metro Hanzōmon Line.

See




Museums
The area has many museums on the history and traditions of Japan.

Do


Note:
 * If you would like to reserve Sumo tournament tickets in advance, JTB group sells tour packages to Tokyo's three Sumo tournaments for ¥9800 per person, which includes a tour of the Sumo Museum and a second floor reserved seat to watch the afternoon Sumo matches. A meal package for ¥13,800 includes a post-match dinner where you can feast on Sumo's signature dish, Chanko-nabe (see below).
 * Instead of peering at wrestlers through binoculars from the cheap seats at Kokugikan, you can see sumo up close and personal by visiting a sumo stable (heya) to watch the morning training, generally held daily 06:00-10:00 (and no, you don't have to stick around for the whole time). Advance arrangements will be necessary, preferably with the help of a Japanese speaker, and a "donation" of around ¥1,500 is expected. While watching the training, keep quiet and do not take flash photos. Many stables — particularly those with very famous wrestlers — do not permit visits. Isenoumi Stable has an informative (although increasingly outdated) English home page and is happy to arrange visits.

Eat


While in sumo town the thing to do is eat sumo food, namely the hearty chanko-nabe (ちゃんこ鍋) stew that forms the bulk of a rikishi's diet. Oddly, it's actually a fairly healthy dish of chicken, fish, tofu and vegetables cooked in broth, the wrestlers just seem to eat lots of it. Many a sumo wrestler sets up a chanko restaurant when they retire, and many of those establishments can be found here. Be warned that this is usually fairly expensive, with sets starting around ¥2,500/person. You'll want at least two people, and make reservations well in advance if planning to sample chanko when the basho is in town.



Sleep
Accommodations are few, especially for non-Japanese speakers. Sleeping elsewhere in Tokyo and taking the train in for the day is the typical approach.



Go next

 * Asakusa, across the Sumida River to the west, part of Taito ward
 * Eastern Tokyo
 * Taito, across the Sumida River to the west
 * The little Fukagawa Edo Museum in nearby Koto Ward (From Ryogoku Subway Station, take Oedo line to Kiyosumi-Shirakawa Station, exit A3) is a nice complement to the Edo-Tokyo Museum. Kiyosumi Garden is nearby.