Ryogoku Kokugikan National Sumo Arena

I spent six days here during the 2017 Natsu basho, and had an absolutely wonderful time.

I'm reasonably sure there are no bad seats in the house. This is a small arena by American standards. It seats about 11,000, but many of those seats are on the tightly packed floor where the audience sits on cushions Japanese-style four to a box. You would probably halve its capacity by installing all Western-style seating, as they feature in the upper level. So even in the nosebleed seats, you're not all that far away from the action. Although I never sat in the unreserved seats that are the very farthest back, I sat in both the upper level A and B sections and always had an excellent view.

Here are some hints to maximize your sumo viewing pleasure:

The action starts at 8 am with the lower division competition. If you think your tolerance for sumo will be limited, don't show up then even though it seems you'll be getting the most for your money. You'll get tired of it well before the most exciting and important bouts of the day, which take place in the upper division starting about 4 pm.

But if you do show up early, be aware that they don't bother checking tickets for the lower level seating until about 1 pm. That means you can just walk into the lower section and watch from very close-up until the real seat holders come in. The place is practically empty for lower division competition, and most of those present will only be true sumo lovers and quite knowledgeable if you have any questions. Early action may be difficult to follow though, since they only publish the bout schedule (torikumi) for the lower divisions in Japanese. Bout schedules for the upper two divisions -- Juryo and Makuuchi -- are available in English. But don't sit in on the green cushions. Those are for sumo stable supporters, and it will be very noticeable that you don't belong.

It might seem more desirable to sit up front all the time, but unless you're used to sitting Japanese style it can get very uncomfortable after about an hour. I'd recommend section A arena-style seating if you can get it.

In common with arenas everywhere in the world, you pay a premium for food and drink. But it's not as much of a premium as I've experienced at, for instance, NBA games, so it's not as bad as you might expect, and the food is actually pretty good. However, if you want beer I recommend buying cans rather than draft as it's a better value. Canned beer can be had at any stand where they also sell bento boxes.