The Sumo Museum first opened in 1954 in Kuramae and was moved to its present location in Sumida in 1985.
The Sumo Museum is quite small, with only one exhibition room, which is why the items on display - pictures, kesho-mawashi and woodblock prints, change every couple of months.
Opening Times and Admission
Open Monday to Friday from 12.30 am to 4 pm. Closed on weekends and public holidays. Admission is free when there are no tournaments at the Ryogoku Kokugican (Sumo Hall/ Arena). The museum is in a room attached to the Arena so during events, if you want to visit the museum you would need an admission ticket for the Kokugican.
It takes around 20 to 30 minutes to visit.
How to get there
The place itself was not very easy to find as there are no signs or anything similar to point you in the right direction. I had to ask for directions at a gift shop which is located quite close to the museum and they were very helpful.
Ryogoku Station on the Chuo-Sobu Line is the closest station, a 5-minute walk away.
Translation apps were highly useful since most of the objects only had information in Japanese.
As you enter the museum, on the right-hand side there is an interactive screen where you can find a decent amount of information about Sumo in general, information available in English as well as Japanese.
While I was in Japan in March-April, the Grand Sumo Tournament was taking place so every time I opened the TV, it was pretty much the main thing to watch. I ended up watching quite a bit of the Tournament so going to the museum after that was an interesting experience.
As much as it can seem to have a few downsides, such as the amount of objects on display, or lack of additional details, I would still recommend the Sumo Museum as an interesting place to visit in Tokyo, especially if you're an avid sumo fan.
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