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| Grand
Tournament Information | To the Ryogoku Kokugikan |
To
the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium | To
the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium | To
the Fukuoka Kokusai Center (Kyushu) |
To the
Ryogoku Kokugikan
1-3-28
Yokoami
Sumida-ku, Tokyo
130-0015
Japan
phone: (in Japanese)
03-3623-5111
The Ryogoku Kokugikan is less
than a 2 minute walk from Ryogoku station on the
JR Sobu Line and can be seen from the station
platform.
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Venue
Guide - Ryogoku Kokugikan
1st
Floor
Seating
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Take a look at a typical
day's action from the first floor seats.
Click
on the photo to open a QTVR window. Quick Time is
required to view QTVR. |
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If you do not have Quick
Time, you can down load it from here.
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| Click and drag
on the open QTVR window to track up, down, left or
right. Use the "shift" key to zoom in, the
"control" key to zoom
out |
Main
Entrance
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This is where tickets are taken and
visitors receive a list of the day's matches.
(Foreign visitors also receive an English
language sumo guide, as well as a list of the
day's top matches in English.) Fans with tickets
for the Japanese style box seats on the first
floor would then proceed to the Sumo Service
Entrance |
Sumo Service
Entrance
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Located to the left of the Kokugikan
lobby, the large corridor that serves as the
Sumo Service Entrance is divided into individual
"houses" numbered 1 to 20.
The number of the
"house" to be used is printed on the back of
each ticket. Presenting it to anyone of the
ushers attached to the "house" in question
guarantees a quick an efficient walk to the
waiting Japanese style box. A stroll down this
corridor gives the fan a real sense of what a
traditional visit to sumo is all about.
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Sumo
Museum
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The Sumo Museum is the official
repository for several hundred years of sumo
history.
Their Exhibition Room, located to
the right of the Kokugikan lobby offers a
fascinating and informative rotating display
covering various aspects of this rich
tradition.
Admission is free but during the
three Tokyo Grand Sumo Tournaments limited to
actual tournament ticket holders. A look at some
of the items on exhibit is available on the
Nihon Sumo Kyokai main page.
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Lobby
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The highlight of a walk through the
Kokugikan's lobby is the large display case
located at the back. In it, a visitor can see
the Emperor's Cup, the symbol of the top
division championship, as well as the many other
trophies awarded to the tournament winner.
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Refreshment &
Souvenir Stands
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Refreshment & Souvenir stands can
be found in several locations throughout the
arena offering a wide variety of items designed
to commemorate a day at the sumo.
Both
alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are
available and the Japanese style box lunches are
a complete meal in themselves.
And no trip to
the Kokugikan would be complete without trying
the venue's famous "yakitori" or barbecued
chicken on a
stick. |
Kokugikan
Cafe
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A new refreshment stand, The
Kokugikan Cafe, will be opened for business on
the 2nd floor, west aisle from 10:00 to 5:00
each tournament day.
Ice cream, hot dogs,
steamed dumplings and a variety of other snacks
are
available. | | |
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