Sumida (墨 田 区, sumida-ku) is a district of the city of Tokyo.
To know
It houses a famous cherry blossom viewing area (along the Sumida River near the Asakusa) in spring, the Sumida Festival of Fireworks (Hanabi Matsuri) in summer and Tokyo's main sumo stadium (Ryogoku Kokugikan) where three tournaments are held a year. It is also the seat of the Tokyo SkyTree, the tallest freestanding tower in the world. Despite the building boom, the area retains its World War I charm, with many small businesses and small neighborhoods.
The neighborhood of Ryōgoku (両 国), in the southwestern part of the neighborhood, is almost synonymous with sumō, one of Japan's most famous sports, where wrestlers attempt to hoist each other out of the ring. The Edo-Tokyo Museum, an excellent and large museum on Tokyo's history, is here, as is a collection of quirky special-interest museums.
Geographical notes
| Orientation | ||
| Arakawa | Adachi | Katsushika |
| Taitō |  | Edogawa |
| Chuo | Kotō | |
It is located east of central Tokyo. The area is considered "shitamachi" (roughly translated as "old city"), although it has recently become a sort of dormitory community for Tokyoti, which has meant the construction of many skyscrapers.
How to orient yourself
Sumida (Tokyo): full screen map.Neighborhoods
- 1 Ryogoku (両 国)
How to get
On the train
The JR Sobu Line (local service) runs east to west through Sumida, connecting the Yamanote Line across the River Ad Akihabara. Via the subway, the Toei Oedo crosses the western border of the district with connections to both Ueno in the north than with Shiodome 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 Tokyo Skytree Station on the Tobu Line (one station from the Asakusa Terminal Station) or Oshiage-SkyTree on the Toei Asakusa Line and Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line.
- 1 Ryōgoku Station (両 国 駅, ryōgoku-eki). Ryōgoku Station is the closest connection to most of the district's top attractions. Lines
, Sazanami. 
- 2 Tokyo Skytree Station (と う き ょ う ス カ イ ツ リ ー 駅, tōkyō sukaitsurī-eki). Lines
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_symbol.svg/20px-Tobu_Nikko_Line_(TN)_symbol.svg.png)
- 3 Oshiage-Skytree station (押上 駅, Oshiage-eki). Lines
, Sazanami.
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_symbol.svg/20px-Tobu_Nikko_Line_(TN)_symbol.svg.png){kind=small}
| Connections |
| Tokyo ← | OR  IS | → Shin Koiwa → Funabashi → Chiba |
| Akihabara ← Asakusabashi ← | OR  IS | → Kameido → Ichikawa → Chiba |
| end ← | OR  IS | → Keisei Takasago → Keisei Funabashi → Narita |
| Asakusa ← | OR _symbol.svg/30px-Tobu_Skytree_Line_(TS)_symbol.svg.png){kind=small} No. | → Nishi Arai → Koshigaya → verse _symbol.svg/30px-Tobu_Nikko_Line_(TN)_symbol.svg.png){kind=small} → Nikkō |
| end ← | No.  S. | → Asakusa → Shinbashi → verse  → Haneda Airport |
| Shinjuku ← Kudanshita ← Iwamotocho ← | OR  IS | → Ojima → Motoyawata |
| Shinjuku ← Kasuga ← Ueno Okachimachi ← | OR  S. | → Kiyosumi Shirakawa → Monzen-Nakacho → Tsukiji market |
| Shibuya ← Jinbocho ← Kiyosumi Shirakawa ← | OR  IS | → end |
to  ← | No.  S. | → Hakozaki →  |
| to ← | OR  IS | → Komatsugawa → verse  → Funabashi → Chiba |
How to get around
By metro
- 4 Ryogoku metro station. Line
- 5 Honjo-Azumabashi Station. Line
- 6 [link not working]Ryogoku landing. Ferry service to the Tokyo port area.
What see
- 1 Sumida Hokusai Museum, Kamezawa, 2 Chome − 7, 墨 田 区 亀 沢 ２ 丁目 ７−２ (5 minutes walk from Ryogoku station , 9 minutes walk from Ryogoku station . Get off at the Sumida Hokusai Museum (Thugaruke kamiyasiki ato) stop of the Sumida Circular Bus.).
400¥. 
Tue-Sun 09: 30-17: 30. Housed in an ultra-modern building, this museum displays the works of the great Japanese print master Hokusai. - 2 Tokyo SkyTree (東京 ス カ イ ツ リ ー), 1-1-2 Oshiage (Tokyo Skytree Station , Oshiage-Skytree station , or direct bus from Tokyo Station (30 minutes, ¥ 500)). Adults ¥ 2060 for the main deck, additional ¥ 1030 for the upper deck. International visitors can purchase tickets at the Fast Skytree Ticket Office on the 4th floor for ¥ 3000-4000 (passport required).. Mon-Sun 08: 00-22: 00. Completed in 2012, the Tokyo Sky Tree rises above the old Sumida district as the new symbol of Tokyo as the world's tallest freestanding tower. This is the point from which digital television broadcast signals in Tokyo are broadcast. The tower's LED lighting system uses a different color scheme every night. The SkyTree is complemented by a shopping complex, Tokyo Skytree Town.
400¥. 
Tue-Sun 09: 30-17: 30. Housed in an ultra-modern building, this museum displays the works of the great Japanese print master Hokusai.
- 3 Tobu Museum (足 袋 資料 館 tabi shiryōkan), 1-9-3 Midori ( 813-3631-0092). 200 ¥ adults, 100 ¥ reduced. Mon-Sat 09: 00-17: 00. Tobu Company Railway Museum.
- 4 Edo-Tokyo Museum (江 戸 東京 博物館 Edo-Tōkyō-hakubutsukan), 1-4-1 Yokoami (close to Ryogoku subway station , exit A3 / A4; take the west exit from the station), ☎ 81 3-3626-9974. ¥600. Tue-Sun 09: 30-17: 30, Sat until 19:30. One of Tokyo's best museums, this bizarre multi-story building suspended in midair (thought to be a replica of an old elevated warehouse) covers the history of the metropolis, starting in 1590, when it was chosen as Japan's new capital. to the Kantō earthquake and the bombings of the Second World War. The museum is built with the latest technology, including life-size replicas of entire buildings and the Nihombashi Bridge. Free information tours are available in different languages, depending on the volunteers present; audio guides in different languages always available. Accompany it with a visit to the more intimately sized Fukagawa Edo Museum in the nearby Kōtō ward, just a couple of stops on the Toedo Toei subway line.
- 5 Japanese sword museum, 1-12-9, Yokoami, Sumidaku (7 minutes walk from Ryogoku station ), ☎ 81 36284 1000. ¥1000. Tue-Sun 09: 30-17: 00. All kinds of Japanese swords on display. There is also a view from the 3rd floor balcony over Kyū Yasuda Garden. Quite expensive the entrance fee. However, a must see for people interested in Japanese swords.
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- 6 Salt and Tobacco Museum (た ば こ と 塩 の 博物館 Tabako to Shio no Hakubutsukan), 1 Chome-16-3 Yokokawa (Honjo-Azumabashi Station ), ☎ 81 3-3622-8801. Tue-Sun 10 am-6pm. This peculiar institution owes its existence to the Japanese government's monopoly on these two substances. The website advises that "dangerous substances are not allowed inside the museum".
- 7 Ryogoku Fireworks Museum (両 国 花火 資料 館 ryōgoku hanabi shiryōkan), 2-10-8 Ryogoku (5 minutes from Ryogoku Station east exit), ☎ 81 3-5608-6181. Free. Tue-Sun 12: 00-16: 00. Museum dedicated to fireworks.
- 8 Memorial museum of the great Kantō earthquake, 2 Chome-3-２５ Yokoami, ☎ 81 3-3622-1208. Tue-Sun 09: 00-17: 00. This museum remembers the great earthquake that hit the city of Tokyo.
- 9 [link not working]Sumo Museum (相撲 博物館, sumō hakubutsukan), close-up of the Ryogoku Kokugikan, ☎ 81 3-3622-0366 (in Japanese). free. Mon-Fri 10: 00-16: 30. A quirky little museum tucked away in the first floor of the arena, dedicated to the history of sumo, especially artifacts and ceremonial clothing - sadly, almost entirely in Japanese only. The collection rotates several times a year. During sumo tournaments, it is open every day, but only to tournament ticket holders.
- 10 Sumo photographic museum (相撲 写真 資料 館), 3-13-2 Ryogoku, ☎ 81 3-3631-2150. Open Tuesdays only or daily during sumo tournaments, 10 am-5pm.
What to do
| See a sumo match |
 A sumo match If you want to book tickets for Sumo tournaments in advance, the 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 reserved seat on the second floor to watch afternoon Sumo games. A meal package for ¥ 13,800 includes a post-game dinner with Sumo's signature dish, Chanko-nabe. Instead of scrutinizing the wrestlers with binoculars from the cheap seats of Kokugikan, you can see sumo up close by visiting a sumo gym (heya) to observe the morning training, generally held from 06:00 to 10:00 every day. Preliminary arrangements will be needed, preferably with the help of someone who speaks Japanese, and a "donation" of approximately ¥ 1,500. While watching your workout, be quiet and don't take flash photos. Note that many gyms, especially those with famous wrestlers, do not allow visits. There Isenoumi gym has an informative (albeit outdated) home page and is happy to arrange visits. |
- 1 Ryōgoku Kokugikan (Sumo Arena) (両 国 国 技 館), 1-3-28 Yokoami (Ryōgoku Station , Sazanami and ), ☎ 81 3-3623-5111 (in Japanese). Western-style pre-booked chairs on the second floor cost ¥ 3,600, ¥ 4,900, and ¥ 8,400. Japanese-style seating on the first floor is ¥ 9,200, ¥ 10,300, and ¥ 11,300. These can be purchased at ticket offices and grocery stores, starting the month before the meeting. You can purchase unsold seats on tournament day for ¥ 2,100, but only at the box office Kokugikan.. The largest sumo arena in Japan with a capacity of 10,000 spectators, this is where major tournaments or basho are held in January, May and September, starting on the second Sunday of the month. These tournaments last 15 days and are filled with ceremonies and rituals that observe strict hierarchies not only for wrestlers, but also for referees and wrestlers. The competition starts every day around 9:00 am with the amateurs, and from there the wrestlers compete in progressive order of seniority. Professional wrestlers start around 2:35 pm, but the excitement starts when the top division makuuchi (幕 内) enters the ring in the ceremony dohyō-iri (土 俵 入 り) at 3:50 pm. The tournament culminates when it is yokozuna high ranking (横 綱) and theozeki (大関) they have their meetings, around 18:00. If you are seated away from the ring but arrive early, you can borrow some seats near the ring until mid-afternoon when most of the spectators start to arrive. Brochures are available in English describing the day's program and sumo in general, and radios with English commentary can be hired. Food is available indoors, at somewhat inflated prices.
Shopping
How to have fun
- 1 Popeye Beer Club, 2-18-7 Ryogoku, ☎ 81 3-3633-2120. Pints of beer are around ¥ 900, half pints and a tasting set are available. Mon-Sat 17: 00-23: 30. Popeye's is probably the best place in Tokyo, if not the world, to try Japanese beers. There are 40 beers on tap, covering the whole range, from family beers to barley wines. The food menu is interesting, try the avocado and blue cheese. English menus are available.
Where to eat
In the city of Sumo the thing to do is eat sumo food, namely the rich stew of chanko-nabe (ち ゃ ん こ 鍋) which makes up the bulk of one's diet rikishi. It is actually a fairly healthy dish of chicken, fish, tofu and vegetables cooked in broth, the wrestlers seem to eat a lot of it. Many sumo wrestlers organize a restaurant chanko when they retire, and many of these can be found in the neighborhood. Keep in mind that it is usually quite expensive, with courses starting at around ¥ 2,500 / person. You will need at least two people and book ahead if you plan to taste chanko when the basho it is located in the city.
Moderate prices
- 1 [link not working]Mochicream (モ チ ク リ ー ム), Oshiage 1-10-3 (Exit on B3 of the Oshiage / Skytree station, enter the Vita supermarket and find the Mochicream corner). An ice cream contained in a bag of rice pudding.
- 2 Saint Etoile (Baker), 4-chōme-38-8 Ryōgoku (Next to the pedestrian overpass), ☎ 81 3-3632-3114. Mon-Sun 7: 00-20: 00. Baker selling bread, croissants and coffee, with the possibility to consume between the tables of the restaurant.
High prices
- 3 Chanko Tomoegata (巴 潟), 2-17-6 Ryōgoku (3 min south from JR Ryōgoku station west exit), ☎ 81 3-3632-5600. Lunch ¥ 840/1260 on weekdays / weekends is cheaper. Dinner ¥ 2940 / person with Tomoegata (miso) or Yahazuyama (dashi) and goes up to ¥ 8400. Tue-Sun 11: 30-14: 00, 17: 00-23: 00. One of Tokyo's oldest chanko places, operating for over 100 years, specializing in a slightly unusual and flavored soup.
Where stay
Accommodations are scarce, especially for non-Japanese speakers.
Average prices
- 1 Dai-ichi Hotel Ryogoku (第一 ホ テ ル 両 国), 1-6-1 Yokoami (1 minute walk from Ryogoku Station subway station exit A-1), ☎ 81 3-5611-5211.
High prices
- 2 Tobu Hotel Levant Tokyo (東 武 ホ テ ル レ バ ン ト 東京), １-2-2 Kinshi (3 minutes walk from JR Kinshi-cho station), ☎ 81 3-5611-5511.
- 3 Lotte City Hotel Kinshicho (ロ ッ テ シ テ ィ ホ テ ル 錦 糸 町), 4-6-1 Kinshi (In front of JR kinshi-cho station.), ☎ 81 3-5619-1066.
How to keep in touch
Other projects
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