Ryogoku Kokugikan

The national sumo arena in the riverside district long associated with the sport, this hall stages three of the six annual grand tournaments beneath a green roof and a ring hung with a symbolic canopy. Rebuilt in the mid-1980s, it seats thousands around a raised clay ring, with traditional box seating on the floor and a small sumo museum in the lobby. On tournament days the surrounding streets fill with wrestlers, stables, and restaurants serving the hearty hotpot tied to the sport, giving the quarter a festive charge.